An evening with Soul

After our quick introduction to Soul in Plaza-Midwood, a few weeks ago, the Mrs. and I decided we needed to do a full investigation of the menu. So Friday night with little else to do and a grumble in my belly we gave a call to the Millers. Mr.Miller is the guitarist for the band I am in, Broken Napoleons if you are interested, and he and his wife live in the neighborhood and always make for good company. Luckily they were milling their food options at the same time so we decided to consolidate efforts and give Soul a working over.

When Soul first opened we feared it would be a hipper than thou bore fest that should be avoided at all costs. I was so pleasantly surprised to find out it was totally laid back and very welcoming. The interior is quite small with a bar a few tables and a couple of small "living room" seating areas as well as a DJ booth. We grabbed a couch and a couple of chairs and settled in for the evening. Joe and I recapped and critiqued an open mic night performance we had done earlier in the week. We placed drink orders and surveyed the menu. A couple of quick notes, one, they have no beer on tap but do have a decent bottle selection, two, do not order well drinks they appear to be watered down so pony up for the top shelf stuff. With that said our drinks came and we were introduced to the specials. First, was a corn and zucchini fritter with aioli and then a shrimp something or other. We opted for the fritters and an order of veal short ribs in hoisin-sesame sauce. The Millers got a ham plate and salmon-kopita which for those keeping score is exactly what is sounds and looks like. So I should mention here that Soul is a Tapas restaurant with small plates some larger plated and paninis. I really love Tapas places when the service understands the concept. Too many times the staff wants you to throw down one order and get out. I was very happy to find that, at Soul, we were made to feel comfortable in ordering however we wanted. When we are enjoying an evening with friends we like to linger.

And the first round shows up. One problem with the "living room" area was that the table was a wee small and we like to eat, so it took some Tetris like action to get everything situated on the table, but we managed. The fritters were fantastic, a little hot when I took my first bite, but so good. They were just crisp on the outside and perfectly done inside. The short ribs just fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The sauce may have been a bit overpowering but I am nit picking. The ham plate looked nice. I did nab a taste of prosciutto which was soft and buttery. I was told the salmon-kopita was good but how do you even compare that to anything, an A for originality if nothing else.

The next round brought a Steak and egg panini and an order of Chimichurri beef skewers for us and after seeing ours the Millers decided to get an order of fritters with some chorizo. The steak and eggs was a skirt steak topped with greens and a fried egg. I am working on fried eggs so this was a good test. It was very tasty with the steak really shinning, not even a hint of chewiness. The Chimichurri skewers, however, were in my mind, miles ahead. The beef was perfectly cooked and seasoned with extra sauce on the side to add as you wished. The Millers were not disappointed by ordering the fritters, and the chorizo was good but not excellent. It was a little on the tough side but not to the point of making it unpleasant.

More? Yes, please. Next up, an order of bone marrow for the Mrs. and I and a bbq-cubanini with more fritters for the Millers. How could I not order the bone marrow. Sure, its like eating an animals soul but it is a very tasty soul. We were warned that it takes some time to roast the bones which i was aware of and had no qualms with waiting and having another drink. While we waited we got reports from the Millers on their orders. The fritters were again perfect and the cubanini was very tasty. I think I'll have to try that on our next visit. And then it arrived. Three, three inch tall tubes of roasted goodness with toast and red-onion relish on the side. While it was not the best marrow I have had, it was awfully good. Especially amazing for the time it took to get it on the table. It could have used a little salt but again I am nit picking.

Last but not least was a cupcake the size of a small woodland creature. I am usually so disappointed when we order cupcakes, they are often small and limp, sometimes bland as well. Not so at Soul. We ordered the seasonal cupcake which was lemon cake filled with lemon curd and topped with a blueberry cream cheese frosting. It was big and it was delicious, I feel that the cupcake had been redeemed.

My other problem with tapas is the shock at the end of the evening when you get your bill. When you say to yourself "but I'm still kind of hungry and it was how much". But tonight, though it was not inexpensive, I was satisfied and we did manage to milk two and a half hours out of the experience. All the while not feeling rushed or pressured by out waitress. For that I say "Thank you"

Soul Gastrolounge -Located at 1500 - B Central Ave. in Plaza-Midwood - Website

Meat and Beer

Beef, it's whats for dinner. And suds to wash it down.

So, we have wanted to order a large quantity of beef for quite some time now and finally rounded up enough people to share in this endeavor with us. We spoke with our favorite meat purveyors at the market, Underwood Family Farm, and originally decided on a half cow which we were told would be around a hundred pounds. When they decided which cow to bring to the processor Christy told us it was a big'un so we moved to a quarter cow which would be about seventy-five pounds. Wednesday we got the email that the quarter cow came in at ninety-three pounds. It was very exciting and mildly terrifying. How the hell were we gonna get all that home to separate. We borrowed a large cooler from our neighbors and brought a couple of our own and at eight A.M. Saturday morning we set out for the market. Wow, that's a lot of beef. It was glorious, when she opened the cooler i felt like I was finally getting a glimpse into the Pulp Fiction Briefcase. Grassfed goodness of every variety. We split it up amongst five couples and families and I was perfectly happy to reserve for us, the oddball cuts. We got a couple of steaks but more importantly there was a piece of flap meat and ox tail and a soup bone and a tri-tip, oh happy day.

In other news I am very happy to report that Revolution Pizza has moved ever closer to becoming the best bar in Charlotte by removing from its taps the last of the large brewery beers. It is all craft brew all the time. The Guinness was replaced by Pisgah Nitro, a beautiful example of a Nitrogen conditioned stout. Other new additions include Pisgah Valdese, Great Lakes Edmond Fitzgerald, Left Hand 400lb monkey, and Flying Dog double IPA.

As mentioned above, Great Lakes Brewing Company has finally made its entry into the Charlotte Market. I would strongly recommend picking up a six pack. I myself am a big fan of the Eliot Ness, but they are all tasty. I was lucky enough to visit their brew pub last fall, in Cleveland, and I can only hope that they ship their seasonal brews, last years Octoberfest was the best I had all season and the Nosferatu is a dangerous thing. So go pick some up.

Finally, I would like to thank Brawley's for being awesome, I picked up a bottle of Avery Brabant, a beer of which there was only 694 cases made. It is a wild yeast beer, with no style precedent that was aged in Zinfandel barrels. I'm now hoping I can get another bottle so I can taste it and save the other bottle for a rainy day.

Adventures in Southern delicacies

I am ashamed to admit that we have lived in NoDa for almost four years and only yesterday did I finally make it to Brooks. For those unfamiliar with this Charlotte institution and culinary time machine; Brooks is a cinder block bunker that holds a sandwich counter and the kitchen that supplies it. That's it. If you want to sit down there is a picnic table outside under a carport. Or you can sit in your car. Now, all of this is well worn culinary and literary territory, but it's my blog, so there.

Upon arrival at Brooks you notice first the giant sign for the "worlds best hamburger", a dubious claim at best. Second, you notice the stream of people coming and going and they are representative of all walks of life. From bankers to laborers, they're all there. When I arrived there were two of Charlotte's finest chowing down off the trunk of their car, which is always a good sign. When you enter, which you do carefully due to the size of the queue and a door that opens in, you are greeted with a warm smile and a familiar atmosphere. Everyone around you is probably a regular. A quick scan of the menu and I decided to forgo the hamburger and opted for the fried bologna sandwich, all the way of coarse, mostly because it entails chili. How can chili on anything be bad. An order of fries and a Pepsi round out my meal. I will pause for one second to address one thing quickly. While I am not a huge fan of sweet tea, unless its with barbecue, one tell-tale sign of a quality old school Charlotte eating establishment is a line of pre-cupped sweet tea ready to go. With food in hand, I go back to my car and dig in. It's not a huge amount of food, which is probably best, any more and you might have a coronary right then and there. The fries are salty and I mean southern salty. Which is not a slam, it's just a simple fact that, especially, older southerners can get down on some salt. On the plus side they were fried perfectly. The bologna was quite tasty, not over the top, the chili was just right and they added just enough chopped onion. I will definitely return and I guess next time I have to try the burger. So one more Charlotte Icon down and so many more to go.

This morning I found myself feeling better than expected after the over indulgence of alcohol the night before. I was, however, hungry, very hungry. The Mrs. and I had errands to run so I suggested we check in on Zada Jane's, since we had not been in awhile. We got there and realized there was no reasonable shot at getting seated this week so we moved to plan B, Eddie's Place in Cotswold. Not usually my top pick for breakfast but on the way to our destination and always a solid performer, if not outstanding. Also packed, we did score bar seats immediately and the coffee quickly followed. Still having Anthony Bourdain's voice ringing in my ear I decided to dive into yet another southern specialty I had neglected far too long. I ordered a livermush sandwich on a biscuit with egg and cheese, hashbrowns on the side. As it arrived I put on my game face and took a bite. The first thing that came to mind was "earthy" it tasted like mashed sweetbreads, which, it pretty much is. So, while it will never be my favorite, I will fear it no longer. I do have to mention the very odd hashbrowns at Eddies. They hand cut their french fries and then cross cut them to make little quarter inch potato cubes, delicious.

I hope my southern friends get a kick out of this and do not give me too much grief about my foray into the southern lexicon of food. Who knows what's next, I hope its tasty.

Brooks - Is located in Noda at 2710 N. Brevard St.

Zada Janes - Is located in Plaza-Midwood at 1601 Central Ave. - Website

Eddies Place - Is located in Cotswold at 617 S. Sharon Amity - Website