The Best of Charlotte 2014

2014 Way back in 1992 your now well-aged Prowler Magazine staffers began sorting and anointing standouts in the Queen City. Our humble opinions— opinions they are—are given to share with city newcomers and natives alike the things we find and love on the road more frequently travelled. While most Charlotteans will dine, dance, shop and socialize within a limited radius, our own profession and passion drives us from South End to South Park, from University City to Ballantyne and from Davidson to Lake Wylie. It’s our hope that our collection will inspire readers to take a trip—across town or a little further down the street—to enjoy one of the best experiences our great city has to offer. Please, enjoy.

BY

RENEE WRIGHT

Best New Uptown Dance Club Roxbury Nightclub roxburynightclub.com Occupying a terrific multilevel venue on W. Fifth Street, this new club, playing hits from the 80s and 90s, is poised to become Charlotte’s next hot dance spot. The founders are the former owners (and DJ talent) behind the late, lamented Breakfast Club.

Be sure to check out the Tiki bar on the patio.

Best New Movie Venue Studio Movie Grill studiomoviegrill.com This cool EpiCentre spot has way more to offer than just first run movies in a theater with its own cocktail bar and full grill menu with in-yourseat service. A variety of alternative and family film series, including cartoons, chick flicks, documentaries, golden oldies and indie award-winners from film festivals around the country, are on the schedule as well, along with screenings for special needs kids, most priced at $2 per ticket. And did we mention the four-hour validated parking in the EpiCentre garage?

KIRK @ MAD MONSTER Best Film Festival and Convention The Mad Monster Party themadmonsterparty.com Horror movie fans hit the jackpot when the Mad Monster Party came to town. The

weekend of festivities, coming up in 2014 March 21-23, includes new and classic horror film screenings, a dealers room full of horror memorabilia, after parties, and a slew of horror movie stars signing autographs. Among this year’s attending celebs – William Shatner.

Coolest Cocktails Bubble Charlotte bubblecharlotte.com This stylish new spot in the EpiCentre features a wide variety of champagne kept perfectly chilled in a special cooler, plus a fun list cocktails and a great menu of gowiths. For the ultimate frigid experience order your cocktail “in the rocks” with your favorite liquor encased in an ice egg.

Best VIP Rooms Suite suitecharlotte.com Next door to Bubble, and from the same set of smart guys, Suite is the go-to spot for those who prefer a private night on the town. Several intimate areas, for parties from two to a dozen, are available through reservation, including tables in the middle of the dance floor and on a wonderful outdoor terrace with a view of the skyline.

Best Tequila Flights Vida Cantina charlotte.vidacantina.com With more than 50 different tequilas behind the bar, Vida is definitely the spot to expand your knowledge of the world’s favorite get-yourparty-on liquor. Choose your flight of three different tequilas by type (blanco, anejo, or reposado) or by brand.

Best Authentic Italian Pizza La Tagliatella latagliatella.us Among the tasty and authentic Italian dishes served at this

new European import in the EpiCentre, the pizza is a stand-out, emerging thin and crispy from the genuine Italian oven, and topped with everything from eggplant to Tuscan bacon, plus generous shreds of rare ParmigianoReggiano cheese, aged in a cave for two years.

Best New Sports Bar Cedar Street Tavern cedarstreettavern.com New spot near the Gateway Center just off W. Trade Street has a full menu served until late, great happy hour and daily drink specials , plus plenty of TVs.

ROOFTOP V.I.P. @ SUITE Best All-You-Can-Eat Chima Brazilian Steakhouse chima.cc With more than a dozen different rotisserie-cooked meats, including steak, lamb, pork, sausage, chicken and fish, carved at your table, plus an enormous salad bar, this is the place to bring your biggest appetite.

Best Uptown Parking Deal Fitzgerald’s Irish Pub fitzgeraldscharlotte.com Pay a visit to this fun pub with an Irish theme after 5 pm and get your parking validated in the adjacent Wake Forest Parking Garage through 3 am.

Best Fresh Seafood Lunch Deep Sea Seafood Market deepseamarket.com A Charlotte Secret: Stop by

this seafood market on Monroe Road from 11 to 2 Monday through Saturday for sandwiches, tacos, po-boys, salads and soups made with seafood fresh off the boat.

Best Rooftop Patio Whiskey Warehouse whiskeywarehouse.com Enjoy drinks and apps high over Plaza-Midwood with the Charlotte skyline as a backdrop.

Best Charcuterie Plate Block & Grinder blockandgrinder.com Enhance your cocktail hour with a plate of meats and cheeses, ranging from wild boar sausage and house smoked salmon to a rich blue brie cheese, in this friendly spot near the corner of Sharon Amity and Providence.

Best Wine Tasting Cu [Copper] Bar at 131 Main 131-main.com This little cocktail lounge with a huge copper bar next to the East Boulevard 131 Main location hosts the city’s best new wine tastings. The once-

BRAZWELL’S BLOODY BAR

a-month events feature liberal pours of small batch wines dispensed by knowledgeable wine reps, plus a huge spread of food from the adjacent 131 Main kitchen, including its famous, fall-offthe-bone tender baby back ribs.

Best Bloody Mary Deal Brazwell’s Premium Pub brazwellspub.com Construct your favorite wakeme-up beverage for $4 all day Saturdays and Sundays at the Bloody Mary Bar hosted by this Montford Drive standout.

Best Fashion Hangout Osso Restaurant & Lounge ossocharlotte.com Charlotte’s fashionistas and beautiful people feel right at home in this NC Music Factory spot decorated by designer François Fossard, creator of some of the hippest nightclubs in the U.S.

Most Creative Tapas Soul Gastrolounge soulgastrolounge.com This second-floor spot in Plaza-Midwood serves some of the city’s finest cuisine, including a list of creative small plates that range the world in culinary style from Asianglazed pork belly tacos with watermelon salsa to foie gras crème puffs in a red wine sauce. Follow its Twitter feed to get daily updates on specials.

2014

Best Value Menu Cantina 1511 cantina15eleven.com You can try some of the street food-inspired Mexican dishes created by Executive Chef Vincent Giancarlo at a great price by ordering off the “secret” value menu, available at both Cantina locations. Enjoy a 3-course dinner for two with your choice of many of the restaurants’ specials for just $22. Kids can eat for an additional dollar. Or stop by for a value-priced lunch.

Best Chicken Dishes Leroy Fox leroyfox.com This Cotswold spot in the former Hotel Charlotte location is known for its Southern style fried chicken, but the menu goes way beyond legs, breasts and thighs, offering a lengthy list of fried, grilled, barbecued and broiled chicken dishes, including eight different sandwiches and five salads.

TAPAS @ SOUL Best Upscale Upfit Nan and Byron’s www.nanandbyrons.com A tasteful makeover transformed the former Vinnie’s Oyster Bar in South End into one of the city’s nicest neighborhood restaurants.

Cocktail Trend Beer Cocktails Mixing beer with booze came into its own in 2013, with craft bartenders creating new and flavorful drinks that sub-

stituted beer for traditional mixers. Look for some of the best at Tilt on Trade and Heist Brewery.

Food Fad Crepes Suddenly French pancakes wrapped around savory or sweet fillings were everywhere in 2013, with several spots around town joining the trend pioneered by the popular Crepe Cellar in NoDa. Hot Sauce of the Year Sriracha huyfong.com Popularly known as “the cock sauce” for the rooster picture on its bottle, this Thai-inspired combo of fresh chili peppers, garlic, and distilled vinegar took the culinary world by storm in 2013, adding flavor to everything from wings to cocktails.

Whisky Flavor of the Year Fireball Cinnamon Whisky fireballwhisky.com Packing a cinnamon punch, Fireball lit up our tastebuds!

Bartenders competed to construct the best cocktail featuring the popular liquor, but our favorite way to imbibe is still a straight shot.

Best New Date Night Idea Culinary Crawls With Charlotte neighborhoods developing active culinary scenes and local breweries on the rise, several companies now offer tours that take you to local restaurants and beer pubs in NoDa, South End, and the Center City, with a taste at each spot and some neighborly networking. You can walk, bike, take a Segway, board a bus, or even hop aboard a pedaled trolley for your crawl. Companies offering culinary experiences include Feast Food Tours, Dishcrawl, Urban Adventures, Tour de Food, Charlotte Brew Tours, and Party Pedaler.

CANTINA 1511 TREATS Emerging Neighborhood of the Year Charlotte East www.charlotteeast.com The Central Avenue corridor from Plaza-Midwood to Eastland Mall has long been home to Charlotte’s most diverse ethnic community, with Asian restaurants and grocery stores rubbing shoulders with eateries from South America, the Middle East, and beyond.

Now business owners and residents are organizing under the Charlotte East name, creating a more accessible experience spearheaded by the annual sell-out event “Taste of the World,” a bus tour introducing the cuisines and restaurants of the neighborhood. And, with the trolley coming, and possibly a movie production studio at the former Eastland Mall site, the future looks bright for Charlotte East.

Best Return From the Bayou Charlotte Hornets backbuzzcity.com The purple and teal return to Charlotte along with the Hornets name, a uniquely local nickname with references dating all the way back to the British occupation of the city during the Revolutionary War. During their original run, the Hornets led the NBA in attendance for many years and its teal and purple logo’d attire, designed originally by men’s wear champ Alexander Julian, was a best-seller around the

HORNETS REBOUND

world. Fans (and management) believe the return to the Hornets brand will breathe fresh life into Charlotte’s NBA franchise. Now, if

BEER COCKTAILS Chairman Michael Jordan could just get his Hornets buddies from “Space Jam” together for some on-court action… Muggsy Bogues is still around. Wonder what Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson are up to these days?

Best New Public Space Romare Bearden Park parkandrec.com Charlotte’s newest public park occupies a full city block in the center of Uptown.

Named for our most famous native-born artist, the park promises to be the venue of choice for Center City celebrations, as well as free concerts, art shows, free painting and photography classes, and fitness programs.

Best New Pro Sports Team Charlotte Hounds Lacrosse charlottehounds.com Lacrosse is a rough and tumble sport, and Charlotte fans swiftly embraced this new professional team playing from April to August in Memorial Stadium, with an average of 5,000 fans attending each game. The Hounds had a winning season at home last year, with an overall 7-7

BEARDEN PARK

record. The team plays its first game of the 2014 season at home on April 26 against the Ohio Machine.

Most Anticipated Day in Sports 2014 First Pitch at the New Knights Stadium

charlotteknightsatuptown.com

The first pitch in the new BB&T Stadium in the Center City is scheduled for April 11, at 7:05 pm in a game against the Norfolk Tides. But much

more than 72 games of Triple-A baseball is scheduled for the new 10,000 seat facility. Expect concerts, festivals, and, come football season, tailgating for Panthers home games.

Prowler Fans, we’re just getting started here. You can let us know what you think is “Best of Charlotte” worthy by emailing us at info@prowlermagazine.com. Find us at over 60 events in the year ahead. Please stop by and give us your vote. Get Prowler free in your email every month: www.ProwlerMagazine.com