Al fresco dining at The Green offers a relaxing break in the day.

Lunching on The Green
Uptown Park offers daily getaway, refreshing change of pace from office desktop dining
by Heidi Edidin

When the work week wears you down and your stockpile of vacation days has vanished, a lunch date with Dell at your exclusive desktop for one can feel a bit claustrophobic. If the office break room doesn’t offer much of a break, escape to The Green.
A charming Uptown park designed and owned by Wachovia Corporation, The Green is flanked by the Ratcliffe Building on one side and St. Peter’s Church and new parish offices on the other. Parking and pedestrian access is off College Street to the south and Tryon Street to the north.

A quick bite or lingering repast
The Green offers diverse dining venues. Two popular places for take-out to enjoy on the lawn are Matt’s Chicago Dog and The Sandwich Club, both located on the ground floor of the Ratcliffe Building.
For more formal dining, visit Ratcliffe on The Green, one of Uptown’s newest and paradoxically most historic dining spots; the restaurant occupies space built for and originally inhabited by Ratcliffe Florists in 1929. Ratcliffe on The Green, sister restaurant to Bonterra Dining and Wine Room in Dilworth, is located on the Tryon Street side of the building.
Aquavina, one of the first dining establishments in the Ratcliffe, boasts fun and funky interiors that appeal to those with an artsy eye. Located on the second floor of The Green, the restaurant overlooks the College Street side of the building.
Both Ratcliffe on The Green and Aquavina offer patio dining and lunchtime specials, so even if your noontime repast is more upscale, you won’t miss out on the warmth and sunshine that al fresco dining offers.
On the other side of the park is a more casual lunch and dinner spot: one of the Uptown locations of Fuel Pizza. Later this summer, The Green’s lunchtime and dinnertime offerings will include a new Tex-Mex and barbecue restaurant; Jolina will be located in the park’s former food court adjacent to Fuel Pizza’s locale.
Although all the informal dining venues offer inside seating, a host of outdoor tables and chairs are available for dining, conversing and, yes, even doing paperwork. Many lunchtimers elect to bring a blanket to spread picnic-style on the lawn, taking the opportunity to bask and relax.

From Chicago dogs to Italian pies
Arrive at The Green anytime from 11:15 a.m. through the noon hour and you’ll find lengthy lines at Matt’s, The Sandwich Club and Fuel Pizza. The wait’s not long, though, as all of these establishments have superb service and well-trained counter help.
Matt’s serves a variety of deli sandwiches, burgers, Italian beef, chicken sandwiches, ice cream and homemade chips and fries, but the hot dog is the hot draw here – Matt makes some of the best in town.
The chili dogs, Polish sausages, Italian sausages and bratwursts are fine, as is the Carolina Dog served with chili, slaw, mustard and chopped onions. Still, it’s hard to pass up the restaurant’s namesake, the Chicago Dog. The all-beef skin-on frank is grilled and dressed with yellow mustard, a bright green dill relish, fresh chopped onions, tomato wedges, Kosher pickle spears, a dash of celery salt and tiny “sport” peppers that really add a kick.
The Green is one of three Matt’s locations in the area, with another in the Gateway Center at Trade and Cedar streets and a third in Turnberry Place at Lake Norman, just off exit 28 of Interstate 77.
If a sandwich stacked high between slices of fresh-baked bread or warm focaccia sounds tempting, visit The Sandwich Club across the breezeway from Matt’s. The Green is the second Uptown location of The Sandwich Club; another identical setup is in the Odell Building at 525 N. Tryon St. Sandwiches are made to order, with thick-cut deli meats and cheeses stacked high – unless, of course, you’d like a slimmer, trimmer version of the same. In that case, the sandwich makers on staff are happy to oblige. The Sandwich Club offers 33 hot and cold “standard” sandwich combos but encourages patrons to mix, match and create any sandwich to their liking. Choose from 15 types of breads, wraps or rolls; a host of meats; 18 extras such as sprouts, avocado slices, olives, slaw, cheese, spinach, lettuce and tomato; and an array of condiments, spreads and sauces that will make heads spin and taste buds twirl. Half sandwiches are available, as well as sides of fresh fruit, chips and sweets for dessert. The Sandwich Club also prepares boxed lunches, freshly made salads, sandwich plates, deli platters and an array of corporate catering trays.
Fuel Pizza is, as the name suggests, famous for its selection of pizzas by the slice. Of course, whole pies can be ordered too. The original Fuel Pizza in an old gas station on Central Avenue lends its name to the chain, and all locales have incorporated the original’s décor theme of an old-time service station.

The colorful side of The Green
No ordinary park, The Green is complete with an interactive fountain for children of all ages and piped-in sounds of babbling brooks and humming crickets. The park also includes artwork among the shade trees and pathways at almost every turn. The theme is literature and knowledge. The College Street side of the park, directly across from the Charlotte Convention Center, is considered the primary pedestrian entrance and is flanked by two large bronze columns or totems of books designed by artist Jim Gallucci. The pages of the books atop each stack appear to be rustling in the wind; to further the theme, bronze “sheets” from the books are randomly placed throughout the park, as if a gentle breeze had caused them to drift off the stack. Each page carries a quote or line from a noted author. A few have examples of poetry from Piedmont Middle School students.
Artist Gary Sweeney designed the signposts in the park. His series of colorful arrows points the way to cities and towns of note, with mileage distances recorded beneath each name. The clever crossroad markers carry out the literary theme of the park, as the signposts are grouped to spell out the names of noted authors – for example, Emily (Minnesota) paired with Bronte (Texas), or James (Georgia) grouped with Joyce (Louisiana).
The park’s fountain, surrounded by a trio of oversized stone fish, was designed by Carolyn Braaksma and completed in 2002. Fish Fountain measures 36 feet long and spans 400 square feet. The interactive fountain squirts water across the basin in varying patterns and sequences.

Groovin’ on The Green
Noontime musical entertainment on The Green enhances the lunchtime experience. Sponsored in part by Lite 102.9, the informal concert series takes place Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The entertainment venue in inclement weather is The Atrium at Two Wachovia Center.
Upcoming performances include Sabra Callas on July 20, Jazz Track on July 22, Tom Billotto on Aug. 3, the John Alexander Trio on Aug. 10, Roustabouts on Aug. 17, Daryle Rice on Aug. 24 and the Carl DiPonziano Trio on Aug. 31.

The Green at Night
As the sun sets on select Friday nights this summer, Charlotte Center City Partners along with Harris Teeter, 107.9 The Link and Wachovia Corporation sponsor a series of Movies on The Green. Picnicking is encouraged, and most restaurants on The Green are open for business. The remaining movies in the series include “Back to the Future” on Aug. 12 and “Fever Pitch” on Sept. 9. Shows start at sunset.
Every Tuesday night through the end of the summer, The Green hosts Barefoot Bocce on its well-manicured lawn. Ratcliffe on The Green sponsors the time-honored Italian lawn game; the action begins at 4:30 p.m. For $10, competitors and spectators receive a glass of wine and a selection of appetizers from Ratcliffe on The Green. Call 704-358-9898 for more information.

The Chicago Dog at Matt’s is top dog.