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There is a recipe for migas in the latest issue of Saveur

Is that the truck that hangs in the parking lot at Carniceria Mexicano? I have been interested in trying it. Across the street is a small bakery that advertises tamales. I have tried tham, and they are not bad for what you can find in Charlotte. As for breakfast, John's is pretty good - especially if you like country ham and smoke-filled greasy diners. The best breakfast in Charlotte, IMO, is at the Coffee Cup. Their biscuits are real and very tasty and their country ham is, according to my husband, deliscious. I can't eat the stuff -- too salty. We love the area around Dish - you MUST try the Penguin the next time you are in town. Their fried pickles are worth the trip from the University City area and their burgers are excellent.

peanut butter and brown sugar sandwiches on white bread (Wonderbread) Vienna sausages and saltine crackers Squeeze cheese liverwurst on pumpernickle with mayo

Skinny French women do not drink Coca Cola --- fat ones do I was in Paris at Chrismas in 2003 and while I agree I did see a few more French women who were larger than a size 2, I only saw one woman who was clinically obese. She was in the oyster bar with her friend and she ordered a Coca Cola. The waiter gave her a look of tremendous disdain. When the waiter brought her the Coke, she returned it, telling the man she had ordered a Diet Coke. My family was in the Dordogne and in Catalonia in June of 2004, and I did not see any obese French women. In Barcelona and Girona, Spain I saw plenty of obese Spaniards. I attribute the fat to Coca Cola. The only fat people we saw were sitting at cafes drinking Cokes as oppsed to coffee or wine. Barcelonans seem to have a particular affinity for Coke. It was not unusual to see them gathered at the cafe tables drinking a few cokes and smoking (they do chain smoke) Fat Americans are more likely to get the industrial sized soft drinks at convenience stores. I noticed that the price of a Coke in Europe has dropped significantly, making it more affordable for the masses; therefore, more people will become addicted. Remember Christina Onassis? She fly in 10 cases a diet coke from America a day and was known to drink as many as 25 cans a day. That's addiction. As for the smoking - while more French people smoke, I never see them chain smoking, at least not by American chain smoking standards (and I smoke). The French seem to take their time enjoying a cigarette and they do not immediately pick up another to puff away.

Here's the link to cityvox: http://www.cityvox.com/profil/0,3997,PAREN...tml?provenance=

I was so excited to see this post. My family dined at Le Chistera on a trip to Paris a few years ago. I found the restaurant through Cityvox.com. I love duck. I will eat any and all parts of the duck - my husband avoids innards! We were in Paris in June, so it was too hot to eat cassoulet, but the reviews I found said that their cassoulet is very good - so if you're in Paris in the fall or winter, you must go! Here is a quickie review that I did for a trip report on Slowtrav.com

Lots of Charlotteans like Azteca, but for more authenticity, I still vouch for Linares on La Unica. Johnson and Wales starts a few classes this fall, but it will be a while before the restaurant scene benefits. Charlotteans love chain restaurants, and the independent, innovative restaurants have a hard time competing. I am so very happy that we will finally get our Whole Foods Market in Elizabeth. I have been emailing that company for years. It always bothered me that Winston-Salem has a Whole Foods when we do not - go figure!

It will be in October I think if we decide to fly to Houston and drive.

I think onion juice is a good guess. My mom always thought they might include that. I used to think the recipe included celery juice a well, but there are very small specks of celery green in the salad. Heavens - it has been YEARS since I have tasted Nielsen's. I am visiting my family in Corpus Christi soon and I might have to fly to Houston and drive just so I can hit Nielsen's on the way. By the way, this potato salad goes so well with bbq brisket!

Though currently closed for renovation, I have had a couple of good meals at Cibi on 7th Street. I have been wanting to try Ilios Noche. We dined at the newly opened Greek Isles - okay, not great and pricey for typical Greek food IMO. I did not care for their grape leaves at all, but the avegolemono was pretty good. A lot of people love Pewter Rose - I have never gotten in to it. Ditto for 300 East. There is supposed to be an upscale restaurant up in Mooresville - anyone know the name of it and whether or not it is worth the drive?

Firstly, I have to say I am relieved to find that you really liked the potato salad. Secondly, the letter on the wall was prompted by my letter to Gourmet years and years ago. My mom told the shop owner I had requested the recipe, and Mrs. Nielsen's reply was "without that secret, I might as well close shop." I too have always suspected the very small amount of finely minced celery. Some people suggest there might be a bit of sour cream in the mix. Though I know there are egg whites, egg yolks are not visibly discernable. They probably get mashed. As for the mayo, I think it is essential that one use canola or any other vegetable oil and not olive oil, as the flavor of the oil is too strong for the delicate may flavor you want. Thanks for your research and for spreading the word about Nielsen's!

Very little mention of RC Cola. My father-in-law used to live on a breakfat on RC Cola and "four-corner-Nabs" for breakfast (the Nabisco peanut butter cheese crackers). His dessert was a Moon Pie and a Pepsi! What about buttermilk and cornbread???

Ellie, I anxiously await your review! I will be very embarassed if you do not find the salad as good as I do!

We had a great, ultra-quick visit to Wilmington and high-tailed it back to Charlotte before the worst of Gaston hit the town. It looks like Charleston got it much worse! We did not have much time for trying the local food, but we did visit Elijahs and the Dixie Grill. Elijahs was good - not great. I was told to try the shrimp bread, which was a heavy cheesey dish. Rich, not flavorful. I was very disappointed in the oysters. Though I know the Stump Sound oysters are not yet in season, the kitchen sent some Guilf oysters to the table that should have been sent to the trash bin. There was very little oyster. I had a simple broiled mahi mahi that was fresh. I imagine the best reason to go to Elijahs is for the atmosphere. Now, the Dixie Grill's breakfast was GREAT. My husband had the cajun grill and I had the huevos rancheros. Both were very good - I ate far more than I should have. My daughter tried an unusual saugsage, egg and cheese sandwich - only unusual in that they include mayo. But it was tasty. My son loved their hash browns and bacon. This was worth the wait and the price was very reasonable. Next time when I have more time I will try some of these other locations - I must go back the the Stump Sound oysters are in

I never said Spoons was great - just the best in Charlotte. I agree, there is much better cue if you get in your car and drive. The best and closest I have eaten near Charlotte (relatively near) is Bridges in Shelby. Then, I would pick Lexington. phaelon56, I have not found a restaurant that specializes in Northern Italian yet. Salute, an Italian wine and food shop, has opened a new place next to the Manor Theatre on Prividence Road in the Myers Park/Eastover area that I hope to try. Not sure about the region, but they claim to make their own pasta and goal is to grow their own vegetables. In the meantime, here are my picks for Vietnamese - hands down, Lang Van on Shamrock Drive near Eastway. Taqueria - there are lots of good ones if you want the tacos. Here are my picks in order of preference: Linares on Central Avenue La Unica on Central (they also make a very good pozole) Taqueria Mexico on South Blvd. If you like Indian food, try The Woodlands on Albemarle - stricly vegetarian, but very good. For sushi - I am no expert on what "good" sushi means, but we love Ru Sans on Park Road. It has fun atmosphere and I have never been disappointed. I agree with Brent that Sonoma is very good and the service is excellent. Places I want to try: The Meeting House on Providence Road Coco Osteria downtown on N. Tryon. The menu here looks good - Tuscan. I am most excited about their cheese plate which features Pecorina Toscano. Lastly, for places with unique atmospheres for Charlotte (the land of bankers. lawyers and engineers) try: The Penguin on Thomas St - great burgers, great fried pickles Cabo Fish Taco on North Davidson in NoDa - for, what else, but fish tacos Cajun Queen on 7th Street for the best fried oysters and best gumbo in Charlotte

Are you from the Carolinas? I am a native Texan, so while I have grown to like bbq pig, my first love is still a good beef briskett. If you come to Charlotte often, I can make some suggestions for places to go outside of the city for better cue and some good down-home eats. Good idea on the reservations at Bonterra - they are often booked. If you eat late, though, you can often get in.

Here's some scoop on the chef at Barrington's Food Around the Carolinas

It's been a few years, but the last time I went to Bonterra's, I was very impressed. The food and service were excellent. If you like wine, they have an impressive selection both by the glass and by the bottle. My favorite upscale restaurant in Charlotte is Barrington's. It's a tiny place, but the chef does a wonderful job using local ingredients. His menu is small - as is the wine menu. My husband and I had dinner at Barrington's a month ago and we enjoyed everything. The most unique item was the lemon trio for dessert - an out-of-this-world lemon sorbet with thyme was one of the items. Sorry to hear you don't care for Spoon's - it is the best in Charlotte. Another very good place to try is Bubba's on Sunset. A new tapas bar opened in the building at Traed and Tryon called Arpa. We had excellent dishes here and the prices were very reasonable. Worth a try.

Wow - embarrassing! I grew up in Texas and have never heard that word before. I am sure a tamalada is fun - and one certainly could use the help in making tamales. They take a lot of work!

What is a tamalada? Some sort of enchilada/tamale cross breed? I left Texas in 1990 - is this a recent invention like tur-duck-en?

Yes - Nielsen's on Richmond. I used to get their roast beef sandwich with muenster. And, I have to admit, I would occassionally get the liverwurst on pumpernickle with brown mustard. Yum! Nielsen's slaw is also quite decent and worth trying. I thought the owners were Danish - I have been looking for Danish potato salad recipes. Now I will try Belgian! This stuff is honestly so different from your usual mayo, mustard, pickle relish variety, it is worth trying. No discernable taste of onion. Noticeable tiny bits of egg, hint of celery. Definitely sour cream influence. I have thought of buying it and having it analyzed!

Thanks for all of the suggestions - especially for Ocean Isle, as I will be there in mid-October for the Oyster Fest and fun run. If no one has ever been to this event, the oyster stew cookoff is worth trying and you can get buckets of steamed oysters and a beer for a deal. The weather in mid-October is the perfect time to be in Ocean Isle - clear, blue skies and water still warm enough for swimming.

I am planning a post kitchen reno party, and want to introduce my Carolina buddies (most are transplants from Rochester, NY) to foods from my native Texas. I have some family recipes to use (brisket, jalapeno cornbread, peach cobbler or pecan pie) but I want to round out the menu with some prepared foods I love and miss: kolaches (the sausage ones) a good smoked sausage and maybe a few tamales. Here are some links I found - are they any good? http://www.dallastortilla.com/ http://sausage.cc/index.html http://www.weikels.com/

I will be meeting my brother (a New Yorker) in Wilmington, NC this weekend. What are some restaurants worth visiting - a good upscale, a good local and a good barbecue or home cooking establishment?

I popped back into the Texas forum after a short hiatus, and found my mention of Antone's po'boys started a decent discussion. When I was at Memorial High School in the '70's, my friends and I would make a quick dash to the Voss location (is it still there?) for the Original at lunch - again with a mandatory side of Fritos and a Dr. Pepper. I am in Charlotte, NC now and cannot get Antones. My substitute: french mini baguettes, turkey, Genoa salami, provolone and Wickles relish. I know Antone's uses chow chow, but I have tried several varieties here and have not found anything that tastes as good as Wickles Relish. Now - will someone PLEASE get the recipe for Nielsen's Deli potatos salad? If you haven't tried it, you must. It is different from any you have ever had. There are no pickles, there is no mustard --- it is out of this world!