Heist Brunch

When Holly Whittle and other sorority sisters of mine came into town to celebrate the Guffey/Barbee marriage, we knew it was the perfect opportunity to get together and do what all trendy people in their 20s like to do on Sunday mornings—go get brunch.

I had heard from friends that a new-ish brewery in NoDa—Heist—had an amazing brunch deal for $15 brunch buffet and $10 bottomless mimosas. That’s right. Unlimited champagne and orange juice heaven.

I knew there would be a wait so we decided to show up early to try to get space. I told everyone else to meet up at 12:00PM because in North Carolina you CAN’T SERVE ALCOHOL until noon on Sundays. 

Before noon is God’s time, and then it can be booze time the rest of the day.

It turns out for a table of 20 people, you’re going to have to wait over 2 hours. I noticed for others coming in with 2-6 people, it was taking anywhere between 30 minutes-1 hour so that’s not too bad.

But the wait was so worth it.

Our waiter had a mustache—typical NoDa.

The food—oh my gosh—the food. The whole back bar area is food buffets that include breakfast foods like eggs, sausage, and bacon, but also rum-soaked pineapple, flatbread breakfast pizza and more. The lunch stations had BBQ chicken legs, amazing mashed potatoes, & steak & veggie kebobs. Let’s not forget the oyster bar [which I heard was good but I couldn’t bring myself to try] and a waffle bar which was heaven on a plate.

And yes, as you can tell from our smiling and laughing faces, they kept those mimosas flowing for us the whole time. Six mimosas later, I definitely felt like I got way more than my $10 worth. Adrienne got the bloody mary, and ay caramba, my taste of it was delicious. I didn’t even know I liked bloody marys until I tried this one.

As a side note—I’ve also been here for late night drinks. Their beer cocktails are phenomenal [beer with liquor, liquer, or other mix-ins], and I’ve heard their late night small plates are even better, although we didn’t try them.

To round it out: I love the building, I love this brewery, and I love this brunch.

COWFISH

I'll start out by saying: Cowfish is an awesome restaurant. Danielle and I have eaten there prior to the birth of the CLT Passport, but because of its awesome food it has made it into our blog. For those of you who don't know, The Cowfish is a burger/sushi place. The establishment has a contemporary feel, but the half-cow-half-fish theme decorates all of the walls--including signs for the restroom.

Cam Newton is also quoted as saying this is his favorite restaurant in Charlotte.

So, what can you expect from your visit at Cowfish? Awesome food. We started out with their Crab Rangoon Dip which was by far my favorite part of the meal. It was a creamy parmesan and fresh crab meat dip served with wonton crisps and sweet chili sauce. If you are entertaining the idea of going, get this starter. Danielle and I agreed that this was one of the best dips we've ever had anywhere.

Cowfish is known for its Burgushi creations--burgushi being the mix between sushi & burgers. Think sushi with burger ingredients or vice versa. Danielle enjoyed the Taste Explosion Roll which is a burgushi roll that includes ground beef, bacon, jalapenos, and cream sauce topped with a roma tomato and pepper jack cheese.

I had the half pound Thundering Herd Bison Burger topped with white cheddar, guac, and a chipotle aioli. You may also notice that I opted out of the regular fries, and in to the sweet potato fries, which was the perfect choice. After eating the Crab Rangoon dip for the appetizer I did regret not just getting sushi to stay on the lighter side, but I did my best to finish the burger and most of the fries.

Tips:

Make a reservation or call ahead because even on a Tuesday evening you're looking at a minimum half-hour wait. Danielle and I were able to find seats at the bar for no wait so if you don't mind dining on barstools this is an option, too.

The reason for long waits is that the food is awesome; make sure you bring an appetite!

Pinky's

From the beginning of this experience, I've been looking forward to trying Pinky's. I loved The Penguin's fried pickles, and as one of the previous owners moved over to Pinky's, I was excited to try this well-known Charlotte restaurant. But to be honest, I was completely underwhelmed, and I don't know that I have a good reason for it. It really was just okay.

Let me try to explain. It's your typical Charlotte biker bar/restaurant, but it didn't have its own 'feel' that I was looking for in what I thought was going to be something different. The car on the top of the restaurant is a nice touch, but as far as decor and restaurant set-up goes, that's about where it stops. Everything else is packed in with an awkward restaurant layout.

I can't say the service wasn't good. We were seated promptly, and we were asked if we had questions about the menu. Again, just no extra touch.

The highlight of my Pinky's visit was the starters. The fried pickles and crab puppies (hush puppies made with crab meat) were the amazing appetizers that I was expecting. The White Trash burger on the other hand was just okay. The burger meat was fresh, but the bun was greasy without being satisfying, and the fried pickles and fried onions were just thrown on there. It didn't feel like the cohesive burger creation that I was expecting.

It may have just been the overcast day, or maybe Pinky's was just too hyped up for me, but I felt that it was good without being great, and it left me wanting more of an experience from something so widely talked about in Charlotte.

Cutting Image

My hair has always been a sore spot in my life.

It's curly without being ringlets, it's thin which means breakage and tangles, and when it's colored blonde, it always goes brassy.

When I looked on Yelp for a salon in the Charlotte area, I saw that Cutting Image was rated well and decided to give it a shot. When I called to set up my appointment, I was asked some preliminary questions and then asked which level of stylist I wanted. This salon does its pricing in three levels--Junior Stylist, Senior Stylist, and Master Stylist, and I felt comfortable going for the mid-level senior. I was assigned to Sarah for Thursday at 6:00PM.

When I showed up at the salon, I was immediately offered a drink and was asked if I'd like wine, beer, water, etc. I opted for water since I'm going for six-pack summer, but I love that they immediately wanted me to feel comfortable and welcome in their salon. I only waited about 2 or 3 minutes before Sarah was ready for me and went back to her chair for my consultation.

If I can be honest, this is not the nicest looking salon I've ever been in. The products looked good, but the decor is lacking and the chairs and shampoo stations are packed in tightly. It had less of a "spa" feel and more of a local cuttery.

But that really is my only "complaint" about this place. From the second I walked in the door to my consultation with Sarah, to seeing the finished product, I felt that this was one of the best salon experiences I've ever had. Let me rave about Sarah for a second.

Sarah is a stylist who has been living in North Carolina and working for Cutting Image Salon for years, but she's from New York and is 0% fake bull-shit. If she was concerned about a certain product, she mentioned it and then consulted with a master stylist, who kept checking in with me also to see how I was doing. Sarah was honest and invested in how I felt as a client and was less concerned with being a fake-friendly stylist just to get a better tip. She asked me multiple times throughout the appointment how I was doing after I mentioned that I have a sensitive scalp, and she took all precautions. She stayed late to finish my hair, which took longer so she could match the color perfectly, and she did an amazing job. She really blended my hair into a perfect light blonde and somehow made my roots match the rest of my hair. She really is the amazing stylist that everyone mentioned on Yelp so I was happy to give her a 30% tip.

Because I know pricing is important, I'll share that color is around $70, but mine was an extra $10 for needing a longer first session, and I opted for the $10 deep conditioning treatment. She did a blow-dry on my hair without an extra charge so my total came to $90. Not bad for a great experience and perfect color. You can also find the pricing on their website.

I know this was a really long review, but I highly recommend Cutting Image, and Sarah, to anyone looking for a new stylist who is willing to pay a little more to have an amazing experience and a great end-product.

Metrolina Expo

For thrift shop fans and garage-salers, Metrolina Expo Marketplace weekend is the Mecca of all that is junk and antique.

The girls and I met at my apartment at the crack of dawn on a Saturday (the equivalent of 9:30AM) to drive down in my mom’s van, prepared for a day of sifting and bargaining. We paid the adorable old lady the $5 admit fee at the door and started in the outdoor section, where right away I was berated by a lady selling electric candles. But we did find a few treasures. I found this guy to paint white:

And Michelle found this old English tea canister:

Basically, it’s one huge flea market. Bring your purell and be prepared for the stamina of looking through endless piles of junk for your treasure.

Around 12:00, I could not look at one more “antique” glass coke bottle or over-priced side table. It was time to eat lunch, and we found the highlight of my day—a taco truck that had FREE guacamole with your purchase. Free guac is hard to come by, and the street tacos with all the fixins’ did not disappoint for $6.

When we moved to the inside vendors, I needed some refreshment to give me my second wind. Glass bottles of soda, including Cheerwine, are $2.50 and the splurge was worth it. After running into an old friend from high school who was selling guns from World War II, we made our way through the rest of the buildings, where Emily found a hand-made terrarium.

So was it worth it? Well, you really could find the best treasure of your life. Or you really could just get annoyed with the rocks, the vendors, and the heaps of garage sale knick-knacks. I could see myself going back again in a few months—but probably not right away.

A few tips:

Make it a date day. This place has the potential to be really adorable if you and your boo like looking at all of the random trinkets, particularly because they also sell beer that you can walk around with, and you can bring your furry friend! Dogs are welcome, and the vendors and shoppers alike bring them to Metro Expo. It can get hot outside so be sure to bring water for yourself and your pet.

Bring cash. This place is pretty much cash only. Very few vendors accept credit cards or personal checks so bring cash—depending on what you’re looking for, I’d bring atleast $200. Metrolina Expo Marketplace weekend is the first weekend of every month and is located 10-15 minutes from Uptown.


Pictures by: Michelle Parker, Emily Hole, & Danielle DeVizia

Crowders Mountain State Park - Camping Near Charlotte

Growing up, I spent many weekends and summer weeks camping. More recently, I have had the pleasure of backpacking through different trails in Pennsylvania. This is something I wanted to continue when I arrived in Charlotte so I decided to recruit Danielle's brothers, David and Andrew, to become my new backpacking group in North Carolina.

I searched for the perfect place for a beginner backpacking experience and found Crowders Mountain. This is a great little spot for someone that wants to try backpacking. There is a short hike in (1 mile) before you arrive at the campsite so there are NO CARS. Hiking in gives you the basic idea of having to carry everything you need to camp.

The amenities at the campsite, however, make this a very artificial backpacking experience. Each campsite has a metal fire ring with a concrete base and a grill for cooking, there are 2 flat pads designated for setting up your tents, and a picnic table. The greatest amenity that this campground offers is free, already-cut firewood. Also, thanks to that hot NC sun, all of the wood and kindling was extremely dry and provided easily-built, quick-lighting fires.

There are a few trails around the mountain. We hiked the Pinnacle Trail to Kings Pinnacle. The trail was described as strenuous and was a little steep towards the end, but since it's only approximately 2 miles long and the top of the trail yields some amazing sights, it is totally worth the hike. From one side, as you can hazily see in the picture below, there is a distant view of the Charlotte skyline. The trail was a little crowed on Saturday, but everyone on the trail was ready to greet fellow hikers with a smile and hello.

Final word: If you're looking to do a day-hike only a short drive from Charlotte, or an intro to backpacking before hiking miles into the woods, Crowders Mountain is the perfect place.