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With everything the Charlotte entertainment scene has on tap this year, choices for what to do and where to go are plentiful; but an evening performance or afternoon matinee is not complete without a little something to eat beforehand. Here’s just a taste of what’s available around town before the curtain rises.

SouthPark, Dilworth scene-stealers
Barrington’s Restaurant, located in the Foxcroft Village Shopping Center at 7822 Fairview Road, has been a longtime favorite of many Charlotteans – for good reason. The eclectic American fare of chef and owner Bruce Moffett is top notch. It’s no wonder Barrington’s rates among Charlotte’s top listings in Zagat’s restaurant guide. Menu offerings change with the season. Count on enjoying the best locally grown produce, fresh seafood and homemade pastas as you work your way through the three-course menu. Staff often play to a full house, so reservations are a must: call 704-364-5755.
In the heart of SouthPark is another of Charlotte’s finest restaurants, Zebra Restaurant and Wine Bar. Chef Jim Alexander spins his magic in the kitchen for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering fabulous French fare served with an eclectic American twist. Every offering on the award-winning menu is spectacular and elegantly served with incredible attention to detail. The lengthy wine list offers the perfect pairing for every meal in any price range. Dine out for lunch or dinner on the quaint, quiet patio, weather permitting; or if you are simply in the mood for drinks and starters, the bar and patio menu offers an array of tasty appetizers and wines by the glass. For reservations, call 704-442-9525.
The menu at Salute Ristorante, a small Italian restaurant next to Manor Theatre on Providence Road in Eastover, reflects seasonal flavors and the chef’s and staff’s frequent visits to local farmers’ markets. Featured entrées, soups and pasta dishes change from week to week. The wine list at Salute is all Italian, as is the selection in the Salute wine shop below the restaurant. The adjacent patio accommodates enjoyable al fresco dining when weather permits. For reservations and menu information, call 704-342-9767.
In Dilworth on East Boulevard, Restaurant i has compiled an exceptional menu by drawing on a unique blending of contemporary Japanese and French haute cuisines. From artistically arranged sushi and sashimi to grilled, baked, steamed and fried offerings of fish, meat and poultry, i offers fare of outstanding quality. Details include a large selection of Japanese sake and beer, specialty martinis, private dining areas, in-season patio dining, off- premise catering and takeout. For reservations or more information, visit www.restaurant-i.com or call 704-333-8118.
Housed in a historic church at 1829 Cleveland Ave., Bonterra Dining and Wine Room, owned by restaurateur John Duncan, is another Charlotte longtime favorite. Chef Blake Hardwick is the creative force in the kitchen. Bonterra offers sensational seasonal American cuisine with superb service in an elegant atmosphere. The wine bar boasts more than 200 selections by the glass and even more by the bottle. For reservations call 704-333-9463.

Uptown eating
For a historic taste of Uptown before showtime, dine at Ratcliffe on The Green, at 435 S. Tryon St. For fun, request the table in the window under the neon Ratcliffe Florist sign. The dining room is beautifully appointed with original paneled walls, columns and several of Charlotte’s first gas-powered streetlamps. Ratcliffe on The Green, sister restaurant to Bonterra, also benefits from Chef Blake Hardwick’s menu planning. Ratcliffe on The Green is located on the Tryon side of the Ratcliffe building with an entrance just off the park. Valet parking is available off Tryon Street; diners also may park in the deck under the building. (The restaurant validates deck parking in the evening.)
Zink American Kitchen, at 201 N. Tryon St., gets its name from the restaurant’s zinc bar, originally imported from France. The bar area at Zink is separate from the dining rooms, which offer seating upstairs, downstairs and outside on a roomy patio. The cuisine is American with nightly features and entrées that change from week to week. Dinner is served nightly; lunch is served weekdays; and Sundays feature a relaxing brunch. For more information and reservations, call 704-444-9001.
Just outside the Uptown loop is Carpe Diem at the corner of Elizabeth and Travis avenues, one block from Presbyterian Hospital. Open for dinner at 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, it’s the perfect early dining spot before a 7 or 8 o’clock curtain. The menu offers tried-and-true standards alongside seasonal favorites and nightly specials. Consider the must-try fried buttermilk chicken and the pistachio-crusted trout. Call 704-377-7976 for reservations.

Seat shifting in Center City
The summer season has led to a friendly game of musical chairs Uptown, and a few favorite pre-theater dining spots have changed names and locations.
The selection of Spanish tapas at Arpa is a fun way to kick off an evening out. The fun tapas restaurant has moved from its spot inside the Interstate Tower to bigger digs in the location formerly occupied by Sonoma Kitchen at the corner of Trade and Church streets. Arpa is a tapas and wine bar rolled into one. The menu is reinvented weekly, daily or sometimes even during the course of the evening depending on the availability of fresh produce and seafood and sometimes, as the menu jokingly states, on the whims of Executive Chef Tom Condron. Arpa is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Call 704-372-7792 for reservations and details.
Sonoma Kitchen, the former resident of Arpa’s new home, is no longer. Everyone involved has moved over to Founders Hall and combined forces with the team at sister restaurant Sonoma Modern. With an interior appointed with green glass and black lacquer, Sonoma Modern is a beautiful reincarnation of the original Sonoma concept, incorporating the fine cuisine that Executive Chef Tim Groody consistently produces. Sonoma Modern is located on the square in the Bank of America Center. Valet parking is available. Call 704-377-1333 for reservations and more information.
In the spot formerly known as Arpa, the Harper’s group has opened a down-home version of the successful SouthPark and Woodlawn Road locations of Harper’s. Open for lunch and dinner, Harper’s Blue Ribbon Diner brings “blue plate” dining back to Center City. The menu features authentic diner favorites such as country-style steak, fried catfish and old-fashioned meat loaf served with a choice of homemade sides including green beans, succotash, Southern collard greens, yellow squash and onions, pinto beans, creamed corn, rice and gravy, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. Harper’s Blue Ribbon Diner is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 704-372-7797.

University culinary curtain call
If you are coming Uptown from the University area or going to enjoy a performance at UNC Charlotte, be sure to check out the pre-theater fare at Lava Bistro and Bar, located in the Shoppes at University Place off exit 45A from Interstate 85 or exit 18 off Interstate 77. The lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch fare is simple American cuisine – not over the top, but well done. If you’re looking for starters to tide you over until curtain call, the menu at the bar offers half-priced appetizers Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Enjoy the spacious patio as temperature and humidity allow. For more details, visit www.lavabistro.com or call 704-549-0050.
Udipi Indian Restaurant is located in a quiet strip mall in University City, just blocks from the university’s main entrance off Highway 49 (University City Boulevard). The small dining room is modestly understated; the fare is vegetarian. The kitchen offers big flavors via a reasonably priced Indian buffet during the day and an outstanding a la carte Indian and Indo-Chinese menu at night. Call 704-549-0600 for more information.