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

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

131 Main Restaurant

Restaurant: 131 Main Restaurant
Location: 1315 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
3 Locations total. (Lake Norman, South Charlotte, Dilworth)
Click here for 131 Main's Map Guide
Website: Official Web Site
Telephone: 704.343.0131 (Dilworth location)
Food Selection: "Fresh Prepared Food Restaurant"...
Health Rating: Didn't see it. It is dimly lit.
Hours:

Dilworth
Sun 10am-10pm
M - Th 11am-10pm
Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

South Charlotte
Sun 10am-10pm
M - Th 11am-10pm
Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Lake Norman
Sun 10am-9:30pm
M - Th 11a-9:30pm
Fri & Sat 11am-10:30pm

The Initial Walk-In:

131 Main Restaurant is a stylish-urban feeling dining experience. It is one big room, but is seamlessly divided into three sections. The left side has booths and i more secluded while the main area has a huge sleek looking bar area, and the right side has tables along the walls. There is a patio as well.

Course of Meals:

Main Meal: Crab Cake Salad

The initial opinion of the portion size was "$15 for this?" size. But would I be saying that at the end of the meal? It consisted of corn, tomatoes, assorted greens, croutons, a vinaigrette dressing, and a crab cake.

The salad was smooth and light, yet very flavorful. My crab cake had a delicious crust and the inside was good. it had a very light taste to it. (I'm originally from New England, so seafood not at the ocean is a sin for me). The only downer for the salad was the croutons. While they were a thick-ish cornbread, which typically is great, they were very moist, not crunchy. I am not sure if they were stale or what.

After I finished my meal I felt full, almost stuffed. I was surprised the salad accomplished that.

Beverage: The Old Fashioned was not very good. Another bartender needs work on this American Staple. (This was a Sunday night for the record)

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

The atmosphere tries for a stylish, sophisticated, yet simple and intimate vibe. It is certainly dimly lit. There are individual lights over each table, so you can at least read your menu. The tables are dark wood. 131 Main has trend-ish/pop music playing in the background.

One really cool aspect of 131 are the water pitchers and glasses. They are very cool looking and add to the stylish vibe of the establishment.

Server/Staff:

The serving for the most part is excellent. I cannot remember how it came up with the hostess, but my partner-in-crime informed her that she can only eat gluten-free food. When our waiter came, he was already aware of PIC's request. Our server's name was George and he was great. He knew the menu inside and out and was able to recommend dishes easily. He worked with her to ensure her meal was going to great for her. It was only towards the end that the staff began to let us down.

My Complaints:

*After we finished our meals, it took forever to get the check and leave.
*The urban vibe gets in the way of the quality of food I feel.

What's Special about 131 Main:

*Stylish and Sleek
*Servers are prompt (until the end)
*Nice location
*Water Glasses

Closing Everything Out:

My meal (dinner and drink) was right over $25.00 with tip, so 131 isn't cheap, but it isn't expensive. I left feeling full and having enjoyed the relaxed feel. The location is great with a friendly staff that knows the menu. I will try this place again and have something more than a salad-based meal next time.


~the RESTAURANT GUY