Cantina 1511 Restaurant

Restaurant: Cantina 1511
Location: 1511 East Blvd Charlotte, NC 28203
Click here for Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Website: Link
Telephone: 704.331.9222
Food Selection: Mexican
Health Score; 96.5, A
Hours:
Mon-Wed 11am-10pm, Thu-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm, Sunday Brunch 11am-2pm

The Initial Walk-In:

Mexican Food. There are so many avenues in this genre of food. You can go cheap and grungy or you can go upscale and take it all in. It so happens we have a fantastic moderately priced Mexican restaurant right in the Dilworth area on East Blvd.

First of all, parking is awful. Yes, they have complimentary valet, but if you decide to forgo that luxury, parking is not immediate. You will end up parking on a side street walking, which isn't bad. Heck, we all need to walk more anyways. And that my friends is pretty much all that is wrong with Cantina 1511, minus one detail, which I will enlighten you all with later.

When you walk into the restaurant, the bar, patio, and main dining areas are all on your left. They have an outdoor patio and a quasi-outdoor patio that line East Blvd. Cantina 1511 is a cool place.

Course of Meals:

We had a party of 12 people, so we were putting our server to the test and I had the opportunity to see a variety of foods being served.

As all Mexican restaurants do, they provide chips and salsa. They have two types of salsa. The technical names are red and green. This is some of the best complimentary salsa I have ever had. It is moderately spicy, but the big thumbs up is on the lime aftertaste/flavoring this salsa provides. Wow, subtle, yet it makes its presence.

For my beverage, I select their standard margarita. This is the only other downside to Cantina 1511 aside from the parking. Seriously, it was awful. It tasted like the Poor Man's Hi-C Ecto Cooler. Do not try this. The drink had a dull bitter and burnt taste.

I perused the menu and looked at their options: burritos, salads, quesadillas, tacos, soups, and enchiladas. For my meal, I honed in on the Enchiladas Tradicionales. It consists of fancy sounding ingredients; chicken, Oaxaca cheese, guajillo ranchero, cotija cheese, Mexican crema with rice and refried beans.

As the dishes were being served to everyone, I must commend the food presentation. While it is Mexican food, the dishes are prepared to look somewhat trendy. Some of the portion sizes are huge I must say.

My meal was amazing. The sauces were delicious. The Mexican crema (sour cream) was sprightly. It is probably the best sour cream I have ever had. The flavorings were superb, light, and moist. The tomato sauces blended very well with the sour cream. The rice was moist, smooth, and not too heavy. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the tortillas were great.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

This is place is great. I could tell they put time into their music selections. At times I wanted to get up and salsa dance. It certainly adds to the atmosphere. They have fiesta lights all along the windows and rooms. The lighting is well done. Some may find it slightly too dim, but on the whole, classically done. The female presence is also very niiice. (I mean it's in Dilworth, so that's a given).

Server/Staff:
Everyone is so friendly! The entire staff says hi to you when they pass you. Whether you are outside or moving through out the restaurant they smile and say hi. Our server was great. She handled all 12 of us with ease and she knew the menu and provided recommendations and interacted with us very well. The owners have done a very nice job selecting their employees.

My Complaints:

*Parking
*The Basic Margarita

What's Special about Cantina 1511 Restaurant:

*Atmosphere
*Food and its presentation
*Music
*Staff
*Salsa

Closing Everything Out:

I spent about $26 for dinner and two drinks. Cantina 1511 is a little higher priced than other Mexican restaurants, but it is well worth it. The staff and atmosphere are great. As you eat you can easily chat or you can simply enjoy the flavorful food while listening to some great music. Check this place out. I look forward to going back!

~the RESTAURANT GUY

Lunch Time: Zen Asian Fusion

Meal: Zen Salmon

While I have not done an 'official' review of Zen Asian Fusion yet, I did pop in for a bite to each for lunch. I'm glad I did.

Restaurant: Zen Asian Fusion
Location: 1715 Kenilworth Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28203
Click here for Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Website: Link
Telephone: 704.358.9688
Food Selection: Asian Style fish, meat, vegetables, sushi, etc
Health Score; Didn't see
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11:30-2:00pm Sun-Thur: 5:00-10:00pm Fri-Sat: 5:00pm-11:00pm

Zen Salmon - Consists of a grilled salmon filet with a wasabi cream sauce, served with steamed spinach. This is a great dish. The sauce compliments the salmon very nicely. I have grown up in the New England where seafood is pristine and fished for salmon in Alaska, so I am always extremely wary to eat seafood/fish when I cannot see the ocean. However, I wanted to boost my Omega-3 intake for the day, so I took a chance.

The salmon was cooked very well! It was not overcooked, which meant it was not dry! It was juicy and the sauce gave it an additional flavoring. I was extremely impressed, especially since it was 90+ degrees outside. The spinach was close to being dry, but was good too. I would recommend this tasty dish. It satisfied my hunger, but I did not feel stuffed. Primarily because I did not eat all of the rice that was provided.

Server: Our server was very responsive and always had our water glasses filled. The manager checked on us too about how our meal went.

Bill: $12-$13.

I look forward to doing a complete review in the future.

~the RESTAURANT GUY

Big Daddy's Burger Bar: Western Burger

Meal: Western Burger

As my previous review of Big Daddy's states, this place is awesome. A great, straight forward, food joint.

Today, I had the Western Burger (second time around) and I love this thing. I had the burger, french fries, the western sauce, lettuce, red onion, tomato, and a Blue Moon. Now, I am a medium-rare kind of guy, but they can only do medium. Let me just say, I could NOT tell a huge difference between their medium and medium rare, which is a major kudos to them.

The burger is so juicy (a little messy, but they have plenty of paper towels) and the flavor is fantastic. The sauce is slightly spicy and makes its presence known on your taste buds. The Blue Moon complimented the beer okay, I wish I had chosen a slightly more crisp beer. Nevertheless, a great mid-day meal.

I love this place.

~the RESTAURANT GUY

Nikko Japanese Restaurant / Sushi Bar

Restaurant: Nikko Restaurant
Locations:
SOUTHEND • (Factory South)
Intersection of South Blvd & Arlington Avenue (Pink Building)
1300-F South Blvd. • Charlotte, NC 28203 • 704.370.0100

BALLANTYNE • (Ballantyne Commons East Shopping Center)
15105 John J. Delaney Dr. • Charlotte, NC 28277 • 704.341.5550

Click here for South Blvd Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Click here for Ballantyne Commons Google Maps
Website: Official Web Site
Telephone: See above
Food Selection: Japanese Sushi and complete meals
Health Score; Didn't see
Hours:
Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am – 2:30pm

Dinner: Sunday - Tuesday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Wednesday - Saturday: 5:00pm – 12:00am

The Initial Walk-In:

As we drove up the maze of a parking garage on the cusp of Uptown, I did not know what to expect. We took the elevator down to the main floor and it appeared to be an office building. We approached the double glass doors with a water fountain in plain sight and I knew this place was going to be wicked awesome. Nikko's is the epitome of a very chic, posh, and contemporary hot spot.... and I thought this during the lunch hour!

Course of Meals:

We were seated immediately.

Main Meal: Alaskan Roll. It consisted of smoked salmon, tempura asparagus, avocado, cream chess, crab, scallion, topped with masago.

All I can say is, wow. Delicious!!

My rolls were very thick and ample. The cream chess was very apparent, but it was not overpowering. The sushi was warm, not cool like other places I have eaten at. It was crunchy. The Alaskan rolls left me wanting more, but I felt full. I just wanted to keep eating them! The only bad thing was I had to put each sushi roll entirely in my mouth as it was hard to break them apart with my chop-sticks. Regardless, great sushi with a good portion size.


Atmosphere/Ambiance:

This place has a great atmosphere. My peers have told me Nikko's is basically a club during the weekends with pumping music. I can believe it as the layout and design is, as I wrote earlier, very chic, posh, and contemporary.

The color theme is predominately white, black, and mahogany. It provides a very crisp feel. The bar is wicked cool. It is sleek and has the alcoholic bottles lined up nicely, which is followed by a frosted background.

The patio runs along South Boulevard and is nicely laid out.

The music is jazz, R&B, and lounge.

The light fixtures are contemporary and I bet Nikko Japanese Restaurant and Bar is very sleek at night. They also have a couple flat screens. Right when you enter, there is a wine room to your right. The bar is L-shaped. They have booths, standard tables, and a few high-rise tables. I think it would be great to lounge here.

Server/Staff:
For the lunch hour, she did her job well. A little slow at times, but no big deal.

My Complaints:

*NONE

What's Special about Nikko's:

*Atmosphere
*Delicious Sushi
*Design

Closing Everything Out:

My sushi was $10.80 and it was filling and delicious. I was extremely impressed with the lay-out and overall feel of Nikko's. I will most certainly be going back here. I want to check this place out during the weekend to see the night time crowd. I highly recommend this place. Even if it is just to grab a drink and relax in a classy atmosphere.

~the RESTAURANT GUY

*Reader Submission* Toscana Restaurant

A Reader of Charlotte Restaurant Reviews Submits a Review!!

Toscana Restaurant and Bar

6401 Morrison Blvd # 680
Charlotte, NC 28211
(704) 367-1808

The Initial Walk-In:

The place isn't large, but has a very classy feel to it. You enter through the small gates of an outside patio to a small, but comfortable restaurant. The bar is straight ahead and dining area is over to the left, with a few tables on the right hand side.

Course of Meals:

There weren’t many people as it was the day after Easter and bad weather conditions. Even such, this did not throw off the evening one bit. We were seated immediately and given prompt service. My date ordered a pineapple upside-down martini and said it was delicious, while I had water. The bread was brought out only a couple minutes after we were seated. Shortly after our drinks were ordered, our waitress returned to take our entree orders. I had the Rigatoni Buttera, which is a tubular pasta with sweet Italian sausage and peas, in a light cherry tomato cream sauce. I must say it was possible the best rigatoni I've ever had. The cream sauce was thick but not too overwhelming and the sausage was mixed in little chunks throughout. It was truly a meal in which every bite is savored.

My date had the Ravioli Caprese which is a home-made half moon ravioli stuffed with Ricotta and marjoram tossed in a fresh tomato and basil sauce. She also claimed her dish was delicious. As with most Italian food, the portions were not extraordinary, but still very filling. During the entire meal the waitress we received the type of service one would expect at a classy restaurant as such. Our waters were consistently refilled and the waitress checked on us a good amount, but not enough to be a bother. For dessert we had the Tiramisu which wasn't the best I've ever had, but was still enjoyable.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

As was with the food, the atmosphere was amazing. It was a very classy place and had food at reasonable prices.

Server/Staff:

Wonderful. Pleasant and classy. Just the kind you would expect at a nice restaurant

My Complaints:

Dessert could have been a little better in comparison to all the other positives with the restaurant.

What's "Special" about Toscana Restaurant & Bar:

The atmosphere, price and quality of the food.

Closing Everything Out:

A dinner for 2 with dessert included totaled about $55 not including tip. The restaurant is hidden in a little shopping center near South Park Mall, but if you can find it, it's well worth a visit. 5 Stars in my book.

Dragon Fly Cuisine

Restaurant: Dragon Fly Cuisine
Location: 5110 Park Road, Unit 1G, Charlotte, NC 28209
Click here for Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Website: n/a
Telephone:704.527.3868
Food Selection: Chinese Food / Take-Out
Health Score; Didn't see it
Dress Code: Wear what you want
Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm


The Initial Walk-In:

I had just finished having some pants tailored (waist taken in, not out!) and saw this place and thought why not? I need to keep my followerss abreast of places in Charlotte. Dragon Fly is tucked away in this Park Road shopping center (near the smaller Harris Teeter store) next to 1900 Mexican Grill (review here). Inside, there is a very small bar right when you walk in and then the rest of the restaurant is the standard table set up with a outdoor patio.

Course of Meals:

Shortly after Lunch Time: Seat yourself (on a Saturday)

Appetizers: They provide, what I assume to be, Chinese bread sticks with both a sweet and sour sauce and a hot mustard sauce. It was a nice little combination. The spicy sauce, while spicy, did taste watered-down, but it could have been because it was supposed to be light and not heavy. It was not heavy enough for me, even though it was an appetizer.

Main Meal: Four Happiness (one of the Chef Specialties)

This is a tasty dish. It consists of broccoli, red bell peppers, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, baby corn, water chestnuts, green beans, and a spicy brown sauce. Served with a side of white rice.

When it comes to Chinese food, I thought this dish was nicely prepared. It was not too salty, it was smooth, and it had a variety of meats. The broccoli, red bell peppers, corn, and green beans were all very fresh, light, and crisp to eat. The pork dissolved in my mouth and was easy to chew. It was not at all rubbery or gristly, which was a major plus. The chef's special sauce was not at all over saturated with sodium as so many dishes typically are. My only mild complaint was the shrimp was not as fresh as I would have liked. Compared to everything else it was not crisp nor fresh as the other ingredients. Other than that, I had no qualms. It was a filling dish that allowed me to have left overs and enjoy them for dinner.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

Dragon Fly's atmosphere is simple. Of course they have a Chinese-theme to the restaurant, but it is not overdone. They keep it very straight forward. I did find the music selection odd. At times they had Johnny Mathis playing, then some weird stuff, then some classic jazz. Very "interesting" fluctuations to say the least. Aside from the music, it has a calm vibe to it. I would take a date here, not on a first date, but I would take one here. As it is right next to 1900 Mexican Grill, it does have a patio as well.

Server/Staff:
My server was okay. He got the job done, but he really did not want engage in any conversations with me. There were only two other people in the place so I know he was not busy. Even when I was complimenting the food he did not seem all to interested. Regardless, he kept my water full and served me my food.

My Complaints:

*Music selection
*The floor was a little dirty in places

What's Special about Dragon Fly Cuisine:

*Not "cheap" Chinese food -- pretty good quality food
*Fresh ingredients
*Nicer than typically take-out/sit down Chinese restaurants I have been to

Closing Everything Out:

My total bill, including tip was $14.95 and I had some left overs. However, I did not have any alcohol nor anything else. I found my dish to be good, crisp, fresh, and filling. Aside from being distracted sometimes by the music and the somewhat non-talkative server, I was happy with the overall dining experience. It was nice to go to a Chinese restaurant that had a nice sit-down area to enjoy their food.

~the RESTAURANT GUY

Ginbu 401: Chinese.Sushi Bar

Restaurant: Ginbu 401
Location: 401 Providence Rd. Charlotte, NC 28207
Click here for Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Website: Official Web Site
Telephone: 704.372.2288
Food Selection: Chinese & Sushi
Health Score; 95% A
Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 11am-9:30pm
Friday: 12pm-10:30pm
Saturday: 12pm-10:30pm
Sunday: 4pm-9:30pm


The Initial Walk-In:

A quaint little place along Providence Road with a crisp red neon sign guiding you to its doors. As we parked our car, we liked the single row of patio furniture outside. Inside the restaurant is one medium sized room. You are met by the sushi bar and to your right is the dining area. Booths along the far walls, a single row of high-rise tables to your right, and standard dining tables in the center.

Course of Meals:

We were seated immediately.

Main Meal: Volcano Rolls and a Sake Salmon roll

Both my sushi and my partner-in-crime's (PIC) sushi were brought out on the same plate in a simple "design".

My Volcano sushi (squid-based) was mushy and had a mild spice/kick to it. I was hoping for more spice, but it was lacking. Now, my PIC thought otherwise about the spice. She said it was spicy. I like spicy foods, so maybe I was being too picky. The sushi had a mayonnaise "dressing", which covered the rice on top of the sushi rolls. It was good. I strongly dislike mayonnaise, but enjoyed this "dressing", so props to them. It was subtle, yet made its presence known in the dish.

The Sake Salmon had a salmon strip placed on top of a small pile of rice. The salmon texture was spongy/mushy. I have never had fresh salmon before (uncooked that is), so that could be how it tastes, so I am neither against nor for it right now. The rice was mushy as well. Not as crisp as some other establishments.

The food had no real after-taste. It was almost a "flat-taste". My PIC and I both agree that other sushi places in Charlotte have fresher and more crisp sushi. (It could have been an off night?)

The fortune cookie was amazing. It was one of the best I have ever had!

My meal left me full and not needing anymore food. However, it was slightly upset afterwards. I did have one big bite of wasabi, which may have caused that feeling. I wish the food had a fresher taste.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

The atmosphere is calm and simple. It is certainly a place to eat and then leave. As it is a fairly small place, I guess they want to get people in and out as quickly as possible. The music has a hint of a trendy-vibe to it, but on a whole it is calm. They have lights (Christmas-esk) along the front-side windows that give the restaurant some life.

Server/Staff:
Our server seemed bored with her job. She had an emo-vibe to her (not that there is anything wrong with that!). I wish she did not seem bored. We really did not see here too much either.

My Complaints:

*Mushy Sushi

What's Special about Ginbu:

*Secluded / Quaint
*Relaxing atmosphere
*Fortune Cookie!

Closing Everything Out:

Both our meals amounted to $34.60 (including tip). so it was not the cheapest meal in the world. My meal was about $14.00. I left feeling full with hints of being stuffed. The restaurant is not "out of this world" good, but it satisfied my hunger. Had the food been more crisp and fresher-tasting, things might have been different. However, I will go-back to try their Chinese food entrees next time.

~the RESTAURANT GUY

Big Daddy's Burger Bar

Restaurant: Big Daddy's Burger Bar
Location: 1626 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Click here for Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Website: Official Web Site
Telephone: 704.714.4888
Food Selection: Burgers and its close relatives

Because sometimes I have to put the cycling food regime on hold and enjoy myself!

The Initial Walk-In:

As you approach the restaurant, there is a patio outside that runs along East Blvd for people to sit. As you walk into the restaurant, watch your step as there is a slight step. Aside from that, it is a bar/burger joint. The middle is high-rise tables (girls, I wouldn't suggest wearing a skirt) and outlined by booths.

Course of Meals:

Sunday Drink Specials:
$4 Bloody Mary's
$4 Mimosas
$4 Champagne

Main Meal: Western Burger with french fries.
Burger: Cooked Medium. Topped with monterrey jack cheese and fried onion rings. There was BBQ sauce already on the bun and I asked for the chipotle ranch on the side.

This burger was AWESOME! Despite not being able to have it medium rare, I could sink my teeth into it and the flavor was fantastic. The onion rings were excellent as well. They had a slight kick to them. Not to be forgotten, the chipotle ranch was delicious too.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

The atmosphere is great! Daddy's has a very laid back feel and design. It has vintage signs plastered everywhere. Like I said earlier, booths, high tables, and a bar. The space is somewhat cramped.

Server/Staff:
Our server was prompt and cute.

My Complaints:

*The one pesky fly that would not leave me alone.

What's Special about Big Daddy's:

*The outside patio.
*Location/area (on East Blvd).
*Atmosphere is relaxed/fun.

Closing Everything Out:

It was a great Sunday afternoon. This is a fantastic place to go for burgers. I would highly recommend eating at Big Daddy's. The service was fine, atmosphere relaxed, and it was not expensive. My burger was around $8 and I had a couple beers, so it was a round $17.


~the RESTAURANT GUY