Food Tour – Charlotte
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a walking food tour in Charlotte, N.C. My daughter was visiting from Napa, where we had taken a food tour back in January. She suggested a local tour in North Carolina and since I thoroughly enjoy these kinds of “tours” I hooked us up with Tour de Food – Charlotte. We convinced my man Dan to join us – which was not terribly difficult, since he enjoys great food too.
Known as the queen city, Charlotte is thriving , home to two major financial institutions, with a flourishing arts and cultural scene, the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Billy Graham Library, and to put it simply, tons of fun activities. Tour de Food being one that appeals to foodies, tourists and locals alike. There were 15 in our group, locals and tourists, men and women, young couples, educators, world travelers, and one blogger!
We gathered at the “7th Street Public Market”, where we met our guide for the day, an energetic, amiable young man named Julien.
He greeted each of us with enthusiasm and had us introduce ourselves around the table, just to break the ice. This was one of the most pleasant groups I’ve had the pleasure of food touring with.
7th Street Public Market, uptown Charlotte’s food destination is a mix of bars, regional food purveyors, cheese shops, wine stops, a butcher, candy counter, and offers a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. After we met Julien, we ventured over to “Tanks Tap” while we waited for our tour to begin. This was not on our food tour agenda but since we were in the market with so many shops to explore we couldn’t help but check out the local beer offerings here.
I tried the Birdsong Jalapeño Pale Ale and much to my delight it was smooth and icy cold with a hint of jalapeño bite. After grabbing a cold one we headed back to the table set up near the butcher shop to begin our adventure with Tour de Food.
It began with a pouring of Ca’ Furlan-Cuvee Beatrice a lovely, crisp Prosecco, provided by “Assorted Table Wine Shop”, which carries a selection of unique International wines. The Prosecco we tasted is made with “Glera Grapes”, from a protected, designated area in Italy; this Prosecco is light, fizzy and aromatic with a hint of white peaches. We learned that Glera Grapes are the “true” grapes of Prosecco.
It was paired with a flavorful appetizer of fig cake topped with Fishing Creek Creamery Goat Cheese and a drizzle of local Cloister honey. Honey – now you’re talking’- right up my alley! Compliments of “Orman’s Cheese” an artisnal cheese shop in the marketplace. It was explained that this particular goats cheese is only made in spring and summer. The delicate creaminess of the cheese along with the richness of the fig cake was easily washed down by the mild chilled Prosecco. Off to a great start!
I should mention that 7th Street Public Market is located in an area known as, uptown Charlotte, and is directly across from the lite rail making your trip there quick and easy. Tour de Food calls this their “Sunday Funday Tour” which meanders through uptown Charlotte. Taking in the sites we headed out of the market to “Queen City Q” for another taste of ice cold local beer and BBQ. Queen City has been open for around 3 1/2 years and pride themselves in making delicious Eastern and Western style BBQ and sauces right on the spot. We were greeted by Sue Johnston, owner and were seated at the bar.
You can see they provide a fully stocked bar for cocktails and on the rocks drinks, but on this day we sampled a local pilsner-like beer, brewed by Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and named Captain James Jack. This straw colored lager is smooth and a perfect summer refresher.
Next up came pulled pork sliders, a very generous serving of tender and moist pulled pork and served with our choice of the house-made sauces. My favorite of the 5 sauces offered was the Q City Signature Sauce. It was also the favorite of my daughter and husband. Tangy yet slightly sweet, smoky and flavorful and more on the thick side, what us Texans are accustomed to. We aren’t really Texans anymore but for most of our lives have lived there and are simply used to Texas BBQ with it’s thick sauce. Queen City Q might have turned us into pork loving BBQ fans though!
Next up – Mimosa Grill an established restaurant where we met Tripp Cagle, proprietor and Thomas Marlow, executive chef. Located on the street level in a shiny high rise building in the heart of uptown Charlotte.
Consistently named one of Charlotte’s top restaurants since 1995, Mimosa Grill with it’s global cuisine and southern twist, welcomes you with stunning decor, stacked rock walls, tons of floor to ceiling windows and lovely banquettes. Interesting patrons too!
They’ve offered “farm to fork” meals since the conception and outsource from many local farmers. They are well known for their superb Sunday Brunch and offer a variety of cooking classes. Interested in grilling, they’ve got a class for that. How about pairing cheese and charcuterie? Got it! Want to turn out a fantastic Thanksgiving feast this year – call Mimosa Grill they can show you how. Just as our plates were being served Chef Thomas joined us. While we dug into a delicious dish of poached eggs, ham, sausage and smoked tomato gravy all served on a homemade biscuit, he shared a bit about their “pig program”. The “pig program” is about outsourcing pork from local farmers and turning it into tasso, andouille, ham and anything else pork that can come out of a kitchen. Sticking to their mission they support about 30 local purveyors!
Next stop on the tour was IOS Greek Kitchen, one of the newest uptown establishments. A full service Greek inspired restaurant. Open and airy with large garage doors bringing the outside in. We were seated once again, at the bar. Sitting at the bar is standard for my man Dan and me, so we felt right at home. With a view of the kitchen and chefs preparing our food, it’s hard to beat a bar seat.
For starters you can order, of course, Spanakopita, Hummus or a Greek spin on nachos, topped with tomatoes, cucumber, pepperoncini, pickled onions, harissa queso, and feta cheese, with your choice of gyro or chicken. Also offered, a variety of pitas stuffed with lamb, falafel, grilled chicken or for a twist, a burger pita. Guests of the foodie tour were served another angle on a traditional comfort food – Greek Mac ‘n Cheese. Creamy sauce, with a toasty bread crumb topping, roasted red pepper bits, shallots, dill and a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. Delish!
Now we need to walk…we are all chattering about how stuffed we are, yet there are two more stops! Tour de Food will not send you home hungry! Our next to last stop was for hand tossed pizza at Libretto’s Pizzeria, an authentic Italian kitchen, with multiple Charlotte locations and one in NYC. On this clear, sunny day we were seated on the large patio in front of the restaurant, which by the way is attached to a bowling alley! By now our group was pretty friendly and we all chatted as we waited for the pizza to come out of the ovens.
While we waited I snapped a pic of our pizza being made in the galley style kitchen. Inside there was a counter full of fresh pizzas for walk-in’s wanting a slice, or for those New York transplants.
When our pizza came out of the oven we were treated to Margherita Pizza and Meat-Lovers Pizza. There was more than enough for everyone to try both and have seconds too. The Margherita, topped with yummy tomato sauce, fresh basil and tons of cheese landed in front of LuLu, Dan and me. We dug in to the delight of our taste buds and then tried the Meat-Lovers, topped with 2 kinds of sausage, pepperoni, and ground beef . These are the kind of slices you pick up, fold in half and proceed to shove in your face.
If we thought we needed to walk before the pizza stop – let me tell you the stroll back to 7th Street market was much welcomed by all on the tour. Ending up back in the public market we found a large table ready for us near the entrance. Here we treated to our final taste – Nutella Banana Crepes, from Hazelnuts Creperie.
Hazelnuts offers several mouthwatering options. Breakfast crepes, like the Americana, with scrambled egg, cheddar, turkey, avocado, tomato, onion, spinach & chipotle aioli. Savory crepes, such as Curry Chicken Crepe, filled with chicken, mushrooms, red onion, mozzarella, lettuce, curry sauce & mango chutney. They also offer Vegetarian versions, like Southwest Veggie stuffed with black beans, tomato, onion, cheddar, avocado, garlic, chilies & sour cream. Ours obviously came from the Sweet offerings. The crepes were tender, sprinkled with powdered sugar and the Nutella banana filling…well what can I say? Absolutely the perfect and delicious finish to our Tour de Food.
Sadly, this was the end of our tour. To tell you the truth I couldn’t have eaten one more bite! Tour de Food totally delivered on this tour. We tasted food and beverages from 7 different establishments. Julien, kept up the pace in a cheerful and leisurely manner. We never felt rushed but also never lingered too long at any one place. I highly recommend you spend an afternoon on a food tour with Tour de Food. They offer 5 different tours in Charlotte alone, as well as Winston-Salem and Davidson, N.C. Tours last anywhere from 3 to 3.5 hours and cost is $47.00 per person, a very reasonable fee. Private tours are also available, for more information contact them at: info@tourdefood.com or give them a call at 336.406.6294.
