Quickie #2 - Big Trouble in Little...Oh Never Mind

April 18th, 2011

Charlotte, NC

Today my main "adventure eating" companion and I visited the Asian Corner Mall in North Charlotte with the goal of checking out a Chinese restaurant we'd never tried - Dragon Court. Known as one of only two Dim Sum restaurants in Charlotte and boasting both a Chinese Menu and a Real Chinese Menu, this had been on our radar for quite a  while. What an incredible meal.

I had my first experience with Chicken Feet.  Steamed then heavily sauced with a sweet glaze, this is definitely something everyone should try. Chewy and gelatinous, they defined "finger-licking good." I will note that should this dish be set on your table along with others, eat this one first. As they cool, that unctuousness quickly turns into jello - eat them fast and while they are hot.  

The appendages were delivered to our table along with Pork Dumplings. Unlike any Pork Dumpling I'd had before, these were contained in a loose skin, not the typically tight noodle to which I have grown accustomed. But this was a good thing. The texture was like fresh tagliatelle, like the way fresh pasta can never be al dente. We were completely unsure of the cut of pork within. The Dumpling had a crunch that was reminiscent of both properly cooked shrimp and steamed organ meat. We decided to focus on the stupendous flavor, rather than try to determine the ingredient list. 

Next to arrive were the Steamed Shrimp and Pork Shumai. These little morsels my have looked like those microwave versions seen on some Chinese buffets and in your grocer's freezer, but they were far from it. These were extremely flavorful yet very clean tasting. Probably in the top two dishes of the meal.

A trio of dishes hit the table next, both Shrimp and Pork Rice Noodle Rolls and Steamed Beef Balls. The noodle rolls were very interesting. When steamed, they became very thick and doughy. When rolled they looked like Calamari mantle. The texture contrast with the filling, especially the roast pork, was quite nice - like little pillows.  

The Steamed Beef Balls were great. When not caramelized, like in your typical meatball, the beef takes on an almost sweet characteristic. The meat mixture must have been ground into a paste as it was very dense with no major signs of a binder. 

At this point, forgetting we had another course coming, I ordered some Shrimp Balls that I saw pass by on the way to another table. 

A few minutes later the Stuffed Tofu arrived. Tofu skins stuffed with what seemed like a very firm shrimp mousse, these were light and soft. The shrimp in the "mousse" were present in flavor only. Having been chopped to an very fine texture, there were no discernible shrimp pieces remaining, just the smooth, coagulated amalgamation of crustacean. They would have been a splendid end to the meal.

However, I had ordered the additional Shrimp Balls. They put the meal over the top - in a good and bad way. Lightly battered and fried shrimp paste, the interior of these was not  fabricated as intensely and left a few larger pieces of shrimp to be enjoyed. The outside was very strongly flavored - a richly deep chicken flavor. I made the comment that they almost tasted like they were wrapped in chicken skin. After a brief look around the internet, I quickly found a recipe for just that - chicken skin wrapped shrimp balls. I will have to ask our my next visit.

Speaking of next visits, there will be many. My friend put it very well when he said "every time we think that what we normally eat has become boring, we can just come here to recharge." That is exactly what Dragon Court has the ability to do, remove all feeling of the mundane, add excitement back into your dining routine and recharge your adventurous eating batteries.

Dragon Court

4520 North Tryon St. #40 

Charlotte, NC 28213

Thai Food is Spicy

March 11^th, 2011

Charlotte, NC

“As soon as I graduate I am outta here!” “I can’t wait to leave this place and never look back!” “I…I…I just want to dance!” These were phrases I often heard made by my high school classmates… or at least by the characters of high school films at the time. Growing up in the small town of Gaffney, SC typically inspired that singular goal, departure. I, oddly, seemed to enjoy the few benefits of a small southern town enough to not feel the need to participate in these musings.  I was content with the idea of commuting to larger neighboring city for my career while spending my home life in the area of my upbringing. 

Of course life rarely seems to work out exactly as your methodically-calculated 12^th grade dreams are dreamed. I left Gaffney for Columbia, SC, followed by moves to Charlotte, NC, Nashville, TN and back to Charlotte where my wife Catherine and I have made our home with our son. What I quickly learned, post-exodus, was that having been exposed to a Chinese restaurant with an all-white staff, an Italian eatery that offered 2 liters of red sauce for every 6 ounces of pasta served and a Mexican place (that I still consider pretty good eats) housed in the building of a former fish camp while being raised in Gaffney- I had essentially been exposed to nothing.

Now don’t get me wrong, my hometown still has a plethora of “southern” finds that rival any others you might come across…but it’s supposed to have those – it’s a southern town. I mean, from a global standpoint, I had no clue. My parents did a good job of trying to help my brother and I to venture out (in the culinary sense) through travel to cities as close as an hour drive on interstate to those in other countries. By 16 I was both a helpless sushi junky and I had eaten at the same café 3 times in one visit to Paris because of my instant addiction to their Moules. But all of my great meals at that point were destination foods. I had not yet put together that if I lived in one of these locations I could sample such vittles more often than on a bi-annually basis.

Thus far in my blog it can be justly assumed that while I certainly enjoy investigating food from any and all available cultures, my true loves tend to hail from the realm of Asia. I love the spices, the use of fresh non-processed ingredients and most of all the variance in the cuisine between each country and region. Anyone that hits up the China/Saigon Dragon and Happy Sushi Buffett on a regular basis can just move on – or else pay close attention, maybe you can learn a thing or two. 

One country’s offerings I fell in love with right about the time I moved to Charlotte for the first time (and around the same time that I was also falling in love with my future wife) were those of Thailand. Wonderful noodles dishes, awesome curries and always at least one menu item built around a crispy-skinned bird, what was not to love? Catherine and I spent much of our early dating life at one of 2 little places in Charlotte close to where we lived. When we moved to Nashville we brought our love of Thai food with us and soon found a worthy restaurant near our house that actually delivered. We were up to our elbows in Pad Thai and Green Curry at least twice a month.

Upon our return to Charlotte, however, finding a new Thai temple did not prove as easy. Inconsistent service and food quality plagued us. It seemed that as soon as a new shop opened in our vicinity, it would offer a lack luster experience and be shuttered in what seemed like a months’ time.  

Though once lost, we were found - about a month ago. I had the day off from work and swung through uptown Charlotte get a quick trim at The Cut Babershop. They have some of the coldest beer in town (and some of the friendliest stylists as well, check’em out) and, as such, the two I had during my haircut left my stomach very prepared for lunch by the time I walked out. Remembering that a friend of mine was now running a fairly new Thai place in uptown, called Basil, and had been telling me how good it was, I thought it the perfect time to check it out. I could not have been more right. This was just what we’d been looking for – even if a good distance from our house. 

I sat down at a high top in the bar and noticed that both the bar and main dining room were still really busy to be towards the end of lunch. Having a very modern Asian look inside, but not intimidating at all – I could see that even just hanging out for early drinks and snacks at this place would be a good idea. I ordered my first Singha (a Thai lager that I recently learned is pronounced simply Sing) and dug into the menu. I often find that eating at a place for the first time while alone is very frustrating in that I do not have others I can coerce into ordering an item with the sole intention of snagging a bite for my own purposes. Although I typically live by a sort of “I don’t give a damn what they think” mantra, sitting by myself at a table covered by eight or nine plates can sometimes leave me feeling a touch embarrassed. Based on this I decided to stick to an appetizer and an entrée only. 

My first choice was the Beef Larb. A meat salad (is there any other kind) that is of Laotian origin, Larb was served all over southern Laos which included what is the present-day Isan Region of Northern Thailand. A highly spiced and flavorful mix of ground beef, rice and onions as well as super-bright herbs like cilantro, scallion and mint, it is finished with fish sauce (a favorite of mine) and lemon juice. Served with half a head of crisp, raw cabbage, when the plate hits the table your mind goes ”great, this looks just like those lame-ass, prepackaged lettuce wraps from PF I’m-a-fake-Chang’s.” When you load up your first crunchy little leaf with this beefy, oniony, fish-saucy goodness and take a bite your mind then says “these things whip up on those P.F.-cups more than Chuck Norris would on TBS’ Seagal Appreciation Day.” They are light and fresh but have a depth of flavor that make you think these flavors simmered together for days. What truly caught me of guard, but completely made the dish, was the fact that they were served with the cabbage. Raw cabbage has this inherent sweetness but with a slightly peppery finish. That combination played so well off of the spice in the salad. Also, they offer a much more solid platform than would your typical, flavorless, ice burg.

For my entrée I decided on Chef Suntorn’s Signature Dish – the Crispy Red Curry Duck. Wow…Wow. Beautifully presented, the duck was boned and sliced. Coated in the best Red Curry sauce I have had, rich and creamy with the perfect balance of spice and sweet. The duck was incredibly moist under its still crispy skin – meaning that it must have had the texture of pork cracklin’s before being sauced. Crunchy and vibrant vegetables like snow peas, green and red peppers contrast well with the soft potatoes and tomatoes in the sauce. What was really cool was that as the dish lingered on your plate and the sauce worked its inevitable softening on that crispy exterior, all you had to do was load a snow pea on your fork with a bite of duck and your mouth was tricked into telling your brain that the skin was still crunchy as hell. That kind of dish takes skill and if the chef’s other specialties are as well prepared as this then my next visits will not be disappointing. Also worth mentioning, both of the dishes I ordered could easily have served two people, they do not hold back on portions, making a big family-style lunch or dinner easy to accomplish. 

I very rarely regret where my life has taken me and even though I sometimes get a little twinge to move back to my small town roots, I know that the world that has been opened for me by some truly amazing restaurants is not going anywhere. They just leave me saying that “I can’t wait to go back!”

Basil Thai Restaurant

210 N Church St.

Charlotte, NC 28202

Quickie #1

March 30, 2011

Charlotte, NC

So up until now each post I’ve written has begun with a story or anecdote about myself or my life that is in some way, direct, convoluted or even completely opposite, connected with the food subject at hand. They are typically, in my opinion, funny and/or ironic and make my blog different than the vast majority of the ones that I have read in the past. 

Right now, however, I find myself in the unique position of not having some symbolic past experience or life lesson to tie to my latest food discovery. Of course this might be a good thing as the current topic at had is Fried Chicken Livers - I feel very confident that I have successfully found the best in the world!

Whilst ordering the obligatory, but no less awesome, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Wing King Cafe, which is on the corner of S. Tryon St. and Carowinds Blvd in Charlotte, I noticed that they offered Fried Chicken Livers as an appetizer. I have been in search of the greatest chicken liver for many years, having ordered them from scores of hole-in-the-wall down home restaurants, gas stations, high-end “new southern” trend setters, asian establishments and many of the highway stalking general store/eateries that are named after small biscuit storage units from the turn of the last century. There was no way I was not giving these a try. I’m now very thankful that I did. 

With an extremely crispy exterior and only the slightest hint of iron, these were extraordinarily clean and fresh tasting. Served with a side of the King’s house buffalo sauce, which I’d never seen as an accompaniment to these crunchy offal treats but was pleasantly surprised, these easily topped all that I’d tried before. 

Do yourself a favor... if you love chicken livers, hate chicken livers because they were “bloody” or irony tasting when last you had them or have never tried them before but are in any way interested - give these a shot. You will not be disappointed.

Wing King Cafe

13209-B Carowinds Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 29273