Bonterra Restaurant, Charlotte, NC

[Artichoke]

I am heading back down to Charlotte, NC and was curious if anyone has been to Bonterra on Cleveland Ave. After a couple of visits to Charlotte, I have not been all that impressed with the dining scene. I think the best meal by far is to be had at Price's Chicken Coop, it is outstanding. Good BBQ is non existant, despite what some people say about Bill Spoons. As for more upscale dining I have only tried Zebra, which was ok, with an impressive wine list.

I need another upscale restaurant to try. I have not found much written on Bonterra and I know nothing about the chef. When you go to the Who's Who section of their website, the only person mentioned is the managing partner, with no mention of who the chef is.

Bonterra

[hazardnc]

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.

[hazardnc]

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

[Artichoke]

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.

Thank you for the suggestion of Barrington, it sounds very nice, particularly the fact that they have only 15 tables. I just left a message there to try and get a reservation.

Spoons was not terrible, it just was not great. I had been to Big Bob Gibsons in Decatur, AL a couple of months before and there was no comparison. However, I did think the tea and hush puppies at Spoons were very good. Plus, the girl I was with and who is a self-proclaimed Nana pudding expert deemed Spoons version to be delicious.

[hazardnc]

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.

[BrentKulman]

I believe that Bonterra was written up in a recent edition of Bon Appetit as one of the top places in the US for a splurge meal.

I recently posted about Bonterra's chef, Blake Hartwick, at the end of the thread below:

Recipes from Bonterra

Here is some more about Hartwick:

Food around Carolina on Bonterra's Blake Hartwick

[BrentKulman]

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.

Sorry, but I have to differ with you. Neither Spoon's nor Bubba's is a log burner, which is a pre-requisite for making great BBQ. As a result, both of them produce a fairly bland facsimile of true NC BBQ.

Unfortunately, Charlotte's BBQ scene is truly lacking. The best BBQ in the area can be found from the roving BBQ buses (Red's is one) that park in different locations around town each day. I have also heard good things about Gone Hog Wild and Harper's (which apparently contracts with a farmer in rural NC to smoke their BBQ), but I cannot provide a first hand report on either.

[BrentKulman]

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.

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.

Despite our disagreement on BBQ (one of the favorite pastimes of a certain class of NC residents), I'm happy to agree with you on the recommendations of both Barrington's and Arpa.

I'm also a big fan of Sonoma Bistro, another downtown (uptown ) spot.

Another great new place is Salute, an Italian restaurant which uses organic ingredients wherever possible.

Edited August 27, 2004 by Brent Kulman (log)

[phaelon56]

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.

I do. My GF lives in the University Park area and I'll be visiting regularly until I move there in early '05. I usually get there for 3 - 4 day weekends and we try to have at least one dinner out. She's from Memphis and hasn't really searched out good 'cue since she moved there but I'd love to find some. Any suggestions welcome and we don't mind driving up to 45 minutes or so to find it.

Also curious to see if I can locate the following:

- good Northern Italian restaurant

- best Vietnamese (hole in the wall joints are fine)

- a great taqueria - there seems to be a rapidly growing Mexican population but the Mexican restaurants I've spotted are of the generic Americanized variety. Surely there must be a great little formica table joint somewhere?

[BrentKulman]

I do.  My GF lives in the University Park area and I'll be visiting regularly until I move there in early '05.  I usually get there for 3 - 4 day weekends and we try to have at least one dinner out. She's from Memphis and hasn't really searched out good 'cue since she moved there but I'd love to find some. Any suggestions welcome and we don't mind driving up to 45 minutes or so to find it.

Also curious - is there a good Northern Italian restaurant in Charlotte?

Get in your car and head northeast from the University area to Lexington for BBQ. Don't even bother looking for good Q in Charlotte because it's not to be found. Be forewarned, however, Lexington-style Q is not what your girlfriend is used to getting in Memphis. The sauce, in particular, is very different and is just used to moisten the meat. What you get in Lexington is a smoked shoulder and it will either be chopped very fine or sliced, which sometimes means pulled and sometimes means sliced. The slaw will be red as it is mixed with Lexington-style BBQ sauce. If you like burnt ends, make sure you ask for the "outside brown" meat.

Here is a website that provides is a good guide to the places in the area:

The Lexington Collection

With respect to northern Italian, I'll stand by my earlier recommendation of Salute on Providence Road.

[hjshorter]

- a great taqueria - there seems to be a rapidly growing Mexican population but the Mexican restaurants I've spotted are of the generic Americanized variety. Surely there must be a great little formica table joint somewhere?

Owen, I was there in June and noticed quite a few places on South Boulevard. I didn't get to try any of them but several looked promising.

[hazardnc]

Sorry, but I have to differ with you. Neither Spoon's nor Bubba's is a log burner, which is a pre-requisite for making great BBQ. As a result, both of them produce a fairly bland facsimile of true NC BBQ.

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

[phaelon56]

Thanks - these are great suggestions. I'll be back in the Queen City for a weekend within a month and will report back on my findings.

[munchymom]

I live in Charlotte, and my favorite upscale places are Carpe Diem, Pewter Rose, Ethan's, and Dakotas. I've only been to Bonterra once, and didn't have the greatest experience there, but that was almost four years ago.

[BrentKulman]

I live in Charlotte, and my favorite upscale places are Carpe Diem, Pewter Rose, Ethan's, and Dakotas.  I've only been to Bonterra once, and didn't have the greatest experience there, but that was almost four years ago.

Carpe Diem is wonderful - thanks for tossing that name into the ring.

Pewter Rose is also very good, but wouldn't make my top tier.

I've only been to Ethan's once, and was disappointed in the service, although the food was fine. Too bad, as I know people who swear by that place.

I'm curious about Dakota's. Some people that are really into restaurants recommended it about five years ago and then a year later they had struck it off the list. So even though it is only ten minutes from my home, I have never been. I'd love to hear more about it.

[munchymom]

Brent, we must live pretty close to each other, because I live about 5 minutes from Dakotas. I'd call it upscale comfort food with a Southern accent. They have fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese on the appetizer list. I usually get beef or pork there - the preparations vary but they usually have some Southern note like country ham in the sauce. They always have interesting sounding seafood but I'm not really into seafood. They mention on the menu when they get vegetables from local farms - I know I've seen Morning Glory Farms listed. I've never had a disappointing meal there.

Since we're talking about good places in South Charlotte along Providence Road, I'll also bring up two fairly new places I love to go - Ilios Noche and Arooji's Wine Room. Both are in strip malls near the 485 intersection, and both have some great food and interesting wine choices. At Arooji's I love the antipasto plates they have - really high quality cheeses and meats. My favorite things at Ilios Noche are the wood-grilled pizzas. I didn't mention either in my first post because they're kind of distant from the University area (where the original poster is coming from), but with that leg of 485 complete it's a little bit easier than it used to be. Either makes for a fun night out.

[hazardnc]

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?

[BrentKulman]

You may be thinking of Kudzu on Broad which, sadly, burned down a few months ago.

[FaustianBargain]

- a great taqueria - there seems to be a rapidly growing Mexican population but the Mexican restaurants I've spotted are of the generic Americanized variety. Surely there must be a great little formica table joint somewhere?

Azteca in Independence Blvd used to be my favourite..i used to bring home tubs(32 oz even) of their salsa verde...twice a week!...the best mexican food i have had on this side of the sierras.....i was a vegetarian at that time...my choices were limited and my trust level with any kind of meat anywhere was kinda on the low...but i have heard very good things from my carnivore friends...avoid azteca @woodlawn rd..very claustrophobic...

i thought i had a vietnam hole in the wall..turns out that its a neat little thai place...thankfully, i cant remember my charlotte dining days...a drive down w.t.harris and university area should throw a lot of casual dining places..i am suspicious of anything that advertises itself as 'fine dining' in charlotte tho'..

p.s wasnt the j/w catering school going to revolutionaise the charlotte dining scene..whats going on there?

Edited September 1, 2004 by Lalitha (log)

[hazardnc]

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!