Culinary Corner

Restaurants are reviewed and rated by Heidi Billotto,
Food Editor / Restaurant Critic.

Click Here To Review 2005 Culinary Articles

A Hunger-free America	Featured: Dec. 29 2006-Jan. 4, 2007
	Each week on the pages of Charlotte Weekly’s Culinary Corner, I write about the latest in food and wine news and give weekly recommendations on area restaurants. In June, however, Culinary Corner recognized National Hunger Awareness Day. ... Full Review

Saffron Restaurant	Reviewed: Dec. 22-28, 2006 CW
	One of Charlotte’s newest restaurant finds, Saffron features fine Indian cuisine in a mix of upscale modern dishes as well as traditional Indian fare. The restaurant is in the Ayrsley Town Center off Highway 49, near Interstate 485. ... Full Review

Rippington's	Reviewed: Dec. 22-28, 2006 UCW
	One of the most prominent buildings on historic Waxhaw’s main thoroughfare was built in 1924 as a hardware store and a wagon and buggy repair shop. ... Full Review

Goodies and gadgets	Featured: Dec. 15-21, 2006
	Shopping for your favorite Iron Chef will be easy this year – hardware stores, discount department stores, grocery stores, restaurant supply warehouses and the usual housewares departments are chock-full of great gadgets and gizmos.. ... Full Review

The Oceanaire Seafood Room	Reviewed: Dec. 8-14, 2006
	The Oceanaire Seafood Room at Piedmont Town Center in SouthPark is one of Charlotte’s newest dining establishments. ... Full Review

Boot camp for cooks	Featured: Dec. 1-7, 2006
	If you are trying to come up with the perfect holiday gift for those on your list with a culinary bent, why not consider cooking school? ... Full Review

Dairy-free desserts	Featured: Nov. 24-30, 2006
	’Tis the season when people are drawn to the kitchen to make and share holiday treats – typically rich, dairy-laden cakes, cookies, pastries and candy. ... Full Review

Food thanks	Featured: Nov. 17-23, 2006
	According to the National Turkey Federation, 97 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. Although many will stress and struggle over entertaining their visitors, preparing the bird is a breeze. ... Full Review

The Coffee Cup	Reviewed: Nov. 10-16, 2006
	The Coffee Cup restaurant has been at home in Charlotte since 1947, neatly settled on a corner at 914 Clarkson St., just blocks away from Bank of America Stadium. ... Full Review

The world of wine tasting	Featured: Nov. 10-16, 2006
	Not so long ago, home shopping meant flipping through catalogues, calling an 800 number and placing an order. ... Full Review

Fiamma Restaurant	Reviewed: Nov. 3-9, 2006
	Searching for one of the hottest new restaurants in town? Follow the crowds and look no further than Fiamma. ... Full Review

Halloween cuisine	Featured: Oct. 27-Nov. 2, 2006
	Halloween is a holiday for those with a flair for the dramatic. On Tuesday, Oct. 31, give your home’s front entrance a “spooktacular” new look by replacing decorative flowerpots with ... Full Review

Global Restaurant, Bar	Reviewed: Oct. 20-26, 2006
	In search of new and interesting restaurants, I often wander around newly constructed shopping centers and office parks, seeking those tenants with a culinary bent. ... Full Review

Charlotte Shout	Featured: Oct. 13-19, 2006
	Two of Charlotte Shout’s culinary festivals – the Culinary Arts Experience and Blues, Brews & BBQ – were grand-slam events, both entertaining record- breaking crowds. ... Full Review

Matsutake season	Featured: Oct. 6-12, 2006 CW
	Restaurant i, at 1524 East Blvd. in Dilworth, is celebrating the rare matsutake (Japanese pine mushroom) with a lineup of special dishes through October. ... Full Review

Rock Store Bar-B-Q	Reviewed: Oct. 6-12, 2006 UCW
	The Rock Store is a historic landmark in Stallings. Erected in 1930 on Old Monroe Road as a gas station, the structure is now ... Full Review

Oktoberfest	Featured: Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2006
	Despite the beer-based connotations Oktoberfest has taken on over the years, the first fête was actually more about love than about beer. ... Full Review

Swig Wine Bar	Reviewed: Sept. 22-28, 2006
	Quite at home in the fun and funky food and retail district of Plaza-Midwood, the Common Market on Commonwealth Avenue is an eclectic neighborhood market, deli and wine shop rolled into one. ... Full Review

Mojo Bay	Reviewed: Sept. 15-21, 2006
	It’s not visible from the road. Nor can you see it from the University Place parking lot off J.M. Keynes Drive. ... Full Review

Autumn leaves	Featured: Sept. 8-14, 2006
	September may signal summer’s end, but it doesn’t have to mean the end of fresh, locally grown produce. ... Full Review

Stumptown Diner	Reviewed: Sept. 1-7, 2006
	The Stumptown Diner, at the corner of Trade and John streets in the heart of Matthews, has been open since January. ... Full Review

Mecklenburg market	Featured: Aug. 25-31, 2006
	Dale McLaughlin spent the Wednesday and Saturday mornings of his childhood helping his mother and grandmother sell produce, flowers and homemade baked goods at the Mecklenburg County Market. ... Full Review

Providence Café	Reviewed: Aug. 18-24, 2006
	Providence Café is a neighborhood restaurant with a long and celebrated history. ... Full Review

Before the curtain rises	Featured: Aug. 11-17, 2006
	With so many new restaurants across the Queen City, Charlotte has plenty of excellent choices for dining before theater, music or dance events. ... Full Review

Il Posto Osteria	Reviewed: Aug. 4-10, 2006
	Restaurateur Augusto Conte has the magic touch. Currently the owner of four Charlotte restaurants, Conte has a fabulous lineup that includes solid hitters Toscana Italian Restaurant, Luce Restaurant and Bar, Coco Osteria and Il Posto Osteria. ... Full Review

Lickety-split	Featured: July 28-Aug. 3, 2006
	This month’s barrage of hot, humid days brings the need for quick, cold, sweet relief – a scoop or two of ice cream is a sure fix to beat the heat. ... Full Review

Nolen Kitchen	Reviewed: July 21-27, 2006
	You know you’ve happened upon a great restaurant when you find yourself planning your next order even before you’ve placed your first. Such was the case during my initial visit to Nolen Kitchen. ... Full Review

Fire up the grill	Featured: July 14-20, 2006
	According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, 58 percent of Americans grill at least once a week and 30 percent grill two to three times a week. ... Full Review

Bangkok Ocha	Reviewed: July 7-13, 2006
	For all of the growth on the Charlotte culinary scene, some of my favorite Queen City restaurants are the little unassuming places tucked away in remote locales. Bangkok Ocha is such a find. ... Full Review

Urbana CitySpa & TeaBar	Featured: June 30-July 6, 2006
	Step into the calm that is Urbana. Take a deep breath and forget about the traffic, outstanding invoices, piles of laundry, appointments, work, meetings and even that bad haircut. ... Full Review

Celebrate summer	Featured: June 23-29, 2006
	With Fourth of July picnics and parties right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about your holiday menu. ... Full Review

Hunger has a cure	Featured: June 16-22, 2006
	Charlotte Weekly readers turn to these pages for the latest in food and wine news and weekly recommendations on area restaurants. ... Full Review

Zio	Reviewed: June 9-15, 2006
	Imagine going to your Italian grandmother’s house for dinner. Everything is homemade. Sauces have been cooking on the stove for hours. ... Full Review

Herbal tease	Featured: June 2-8, 2006
	Even with summer approaching, it’s not too late to get an herb garden going. If you don’t have a plot of land to set aside, consider container gardening on a porch, deck or patio. ... Full Review

Start your engines	Featured: May 26-June 1, 2006
	Followers of the food scene will know the name Mario Batali. Widely known for his work on the Food Network as the star of “Molto Mario” ... Full Review

Palate pleaser	Reviewed: May 19-25, 2006
	Table your next discussion about where to go for dinner; head straight to Ballantyne Village. ... Full Review

Gadgets, gizmos for mom	Featured: May 12-18, 2006
	Looking for the perfect last-minute Mother’s Day gift? You may still have time to find these ... Full Review

Viva la vida	Featured: May 5-11, 2006
	To many Americans, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday of fuzzy origins but a great reason to sip margaritas and Mexican beer and savor spicy hors d’oeuvres called botanas. ... Full Review

Sniff, swirl, sip and savor	Featured: April 28-May 4, 2006
	Attending wine tastings, wine festivals and wine dinners is ranking high on the to-do lists of many in Charlotte. ... Full Review

Bonefish Grill	Reviewed: April 21-27, 2006
	In my 13 years of writing Queen City restaurant reviews ... Full Review

Le Peep	Reviewed: April 14-20, 2006
	Le Peep, a small restaurant chain with a focus on breakfast and lunch, originated in Colorado 28 years ago. ... Full Review

Traditions of Passover	Featured: April 7-13, 2006
	The Jewish holiday of Passover or Pesach lasts for eight days, and the first full day begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan – this year that falls on Thursday, April 13. ... Full Review

Great balls of fire	Featured: March 31-April 6, 2006
	As spring and summer approach, think about moving more of your living space outdoors and dividing it into functional areas much the same as inside your home. Full Review

Providence Bistro and Bakery	Reviewed: March 24-30, 2006
	Development in South Charlotte’s Ballantyne area is exploding. Overnight, or so it seems, a new strip mall has been built at every turn, ... Full Review

Lulu	Reviewed: March 17-23, 2006
	Open since early 2006, Plaza-Midwood’s newest dining spot is getting noticed. Located on Central Avenue in the old house that once was the Midwood Café, ... Full Review

The perfect brunch	Featured: March 10-16, 2006
	The restaurant business has a certain beautiful brutality to it. Operating a restaurant is physically tough work requiring lots of long days. Full Review

The Grape	Reviewed: March 3-9, 2006
	The Grape was born in Atlanta, the brainchild of owner and wine lover Jack Mazur, whose goal in opening a wine bar and retail outlet ... Full Review

The Mardi Gras mantra	Featured: Feb. 24-March 2, 2006
	Although 2005 brought tragedy and devastation to New Orleans, French Quarter businesses and residents maintain that their section of the city is ready for its peak season. ... Full Review

Five Guys Famous Burgers	Reviewed: Feb. 17-23, 2006
	Great burgers, fabulous fries and a grilled hot dog that’s going to knock your socks off – that’s what’s on the menu at Charlotte’s newest venture into the burger biz ... Full Review

Tizzerts	Reviewed: Feb. 10-16, 2006
	Looking to make your life a little sweeter? Satisfy your cravings for the rich taste of real butter and cream ... Full Review

Ben Thanh Vietnamese	Reviewed: Feb. 3-9, 2006
	When temperatures drop and damp, cold air cuts to the bone, a body craves comfort. Full Review

Is it soup yet?	Featured: Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 2006
	When temperatures drop and damp, cold air cuts to the bone, a body craves comfort. Full Review

Football with flair	Featured: Jan. 20-26, 2006
	Lately, in Charlotte, weekends mean it’s time to don the jersey of a favorite player, toss the pigskin around and play armchair quarterback with the best of them. Full Review

Zen Asian Fusion	Reviewed: Jan. 13-19, 2006
	The past several years have been good to restaurateurs and brothers Phong and Tri Luong, owners of Solé Spanish Grill in Dilworth and Miró Spanish Grill in Stonecrest at Piper Glen. Full Review

Charlotte's Best of 2005	Featured: Jan. 6-12, 2006
	With many new restaurants open for business in 2005, my top 10 list includes a couple of old favorites as well as some new ones. Full Review

John's Country Kitchen	Reviewed: Dec. 30, 2005-Jan. 5, 2006
	At a time of year when the mantra is “out with old and in with the new,” it’s nice to know that some things never change. Full Review