New in NoDa

NoDa finally welcomes the long anticipated Jack Beagles. By long anticipated, we are talking two plus years they have been working on this place. I'm not sure it was totally worth the wait. But it is a pretty tasty place to stop by. The Mrs. and I have now been there twice and I feel like I have a pretty good feel for what they are going for. Jack Beagles is basically, a slightly upscale, dive bar, emphasis on the slightly. It is small, seating is 6 tables and the bar holds a dozen or so people, and friendly. The menu is currently appetizers, burgers, cheesesteaks and fried hot dogs. We were told they would be rolling out more items like salads in the coming weeks. I want to start by saying I love their fries. The best description is the one from our waiter the first time we went, "Ruffles on steroids", pretty much says it. The first visit we made was kind of on a whim and neither of us was starving, but they were open and I can always eat. We had some cheese bread to start and I ended up getting a burger. It was the Gunslinger which is a beef patty with hummus and pepper jack cheese. It was cooked as asked for and I liked the textures. The beer selection is solid, mostly craft bottles and some cheap american swill, the half dozen taps are outfitted with an array of quality craft brews. I had some Allagash Cruieux and The Mrs. had a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. Second visit was a dinner that ended up as a double date with a band mate and his wife who happened to be there when we showed up, I love my neighborhood. We started with some buried treasure fries, which are a do it yourself cheese fry thing. You pick from a list of stuff you want and they throw it all over fries. We ordered ours with gravy, onions, and mozzarella, trying to recreate a sense of poutine. Unfortunately with a new restaurant comes some growing pains and our server informed us he accidentally added chili. He was more than willing to have it remade but we were more than willing to eat it with chili. He gave them to us half off so all was forgiven. Main coarse for me was an Italian sausage deep fried into submission and topped with the usual suspects. The Mrs. had a competently made and cooked to order blue cheese burger. The atmosphere is laid back and they are just figuring out who they are. Which in a place like that is usually determined by who decides to take up residency at the bar. The service was friendly and, more important in NoDa, fast. But that is fast on the NoDa scale, which generally falls somewhere between slow and did you have to grow the grain for the bread before you made it to put my sandwich on. But, Jack Beagles is definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Next time your in the neighborhood give it a shot and don't forget to call me.

Jack Beagles - 3213 N. Davidson St. - NoDa

A Sia Saide

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