Prosecco is often thought of as simply an aperitif wine and not taken very seriously.
over a quarter of a century and fried chicken has been threaded into my DNA. There are many reasons that drive us to visit the city of Charleston. Fried chicken is high on the list. We were dining at SNOB with a couple of friends— very ardent southern friends. I ordered a dish of fried chicken and apple salad. I was immediately derided for the choice. In our friends’ view the dish, with its salad portion, was insufficiently southern. Fortunately, in the realm of mirth, the fried chicken had the last laugh. It was right on target and perfectly prepared. Then, it comes to wine. And there I’m right at home. Fried chicken is traditionally paired with a cola, lemonade, or sweet tea. In my mind, the best pairing is a sparkling wine. There’s a lot of oil, salt, and fat in fried chicken—I’m always expecting the dietary police to come rushing through the door. But that’s what makes the dish so delicious. Sparkling wine has lots of acidity effervescence, and complementary flavors. It cuts through all of fried chicken’s components, cleansing and refreshing your palate with every sip. SNOB has a perfect choice. I went for a half
Photo by Trevor Burton
Balderdash!
While dining at Slightly North of Broad, Burton ran into Jon Spencer, Executive Chef at Epic Chophouse in Mooresville (where French Onion soup is showcased on the menu).
bottle of an Italian sparkling wine, a Brüt Prosecco. Prosecco is often thought of as simply an aperitif wine and not taken very seriously. Balderdash! Brüt means the wine is dry. This wine was exactly the choice for my wonderful fried chicken. Even with our southern friends’ disdain, I was in culinary heaven. Then came the Lake Norman twist. As we were leaving, someone called out my name. It was Jon Spencer, the Executive Chef at Epic Chophouse in Mooresville. He and a companion had
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eaten lunch at the same restaurant. The planets were in alignment. Limitless’ sister magazine, Lake Norman CURRENTS, had just published an article I had written about Spencer’s onion soup. He was enthralled about the article and I’m enthralled by his soup. So, we had a hearty onion soup discussion for quite some time—it’s not often you get to do that. Spencer and his companion had no plans for dinner. Mary Ellen and I had a reservation at another of our Charleston favorites,
Hall’s Chophouse on King Street. We called to see if we could change our reservation from two people to four. The restaurant was fully booked for the evening, but I dropped Spencer’s name and we were able to squeeze in two extra people—his reputation had, deservedly, spread from Lake Norman down to Charleston. The four of us were treated like royalty. Spencer was taken on a tour of the facility and the kitchen. And then we dined on some of the best New York strip steaks one could find—along with some spectacular wines to accompany them. My wife and are regulars at Hall’s; sharing the spotlight with Jon Spencer simply augmented the credibility we already had. I’ll take all of that I can. So, a great lunch and a great dinner in a city that we enjoy so much. Getting back to my original theme, we are so lucky to live in the Lake Norman area. There is so much, so close. And, as evidenced by our Lake Norman twist, we are also lucky to have Epic Chophouse and Jon Spencer. I enthusiastically recommend his onion soup; along with all of his other goodies.
