Enso

Sexual Bar

The Food Baby bottom line:

• This place just screams SEXY!
• Seriously perfect sashimi and creative sushi rolls
• Is 30 dollars a lot for lunch?

Brianna and I had a Food Baby Meeting of the Minds at Enso last week. We're thinking about redesigning the site (sweet!) and had a brainstorming sesh. Sushi seemed necessary.

Enso is located at the ground level of the Epicentre, and when we arrived at 11:30 AM the lunch crowd had yet to show up. Enso has the kind of ridiculously sexy interior that I love.

Vivace

• Come for the amazing décor, excellent service and views…
• …stay for the apps and Italian wines/cocktails…
• …but don’t stay for entrees… 

Vivace has been on my list of places to dine for some time now.  I had been for apps and drinks on their gorgeous patio, but never for a full-on dinner situation.  The reason I waited so long to come for dinner is that frahhnkly I’d heard some less than flattering reviews.  The general consensus among my foodie friends is that Vivace is the perfect spot for cocktails and apps, but that the mains are seriously underwhelming.  The online reviews are mixed – Helen Schwab didn’t love the food (see review here), however in response to her write-up some Vivace-loyalists accused her of confusing the place with Olive Garden and were calling for her resignation.  Way harsh guys...  After some first hand investigation, I regret to say that I must side with Helen and with my foodie friends.

Taste of the Nation Recap!

Photo by Tonya Russ Price, POPROCK Photography

The Food Baby would like to give a special thanks to our friends, families and readers that came out on April 13 to support Share our Strength at the Taste of the Nation soiree!  Thanks to the efforts of people like you, over $115,000 was raised to fight childhood hunger!  Most importantly, this money will stay in our community, benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and the Community Culinary School of Charlotte.  As an event sponsor, ticket ambassador and auction committee member, The Food Baby sold over 30 event tickets and rounded up over a dozen silent and live auction items, ultimately raising well over $5,000!!  WE ARE CHARITABLY SMUG!

Farm to Fork Restaurant Month

We are pleased to relay some great information on behalf of our new friend Richard Grucia, who we met as Ticket Ambassadors for Taste of the Nation. 

Richard is the founder and organizer of Good Eats and Meets Charlotte, which is a local foodie-focused meetup group which boasts almost 2500 members! Good Eats and Meets Charlotte has created a fantatic concept that we put our full Food Babies behind:

FARM TO FORK RESTAURANT MONTH: MAY 2011

We hear from Richard that 15+ restaurants are already on board! Be sure to visit carolinasfarmtofork.com to sign up for the mailing list - you'll be the first to know all the latest details!

Great work Richard (aka Foodzilla) and all the Good Eats and Meets Charlotte folks who organized this wonderful concept. The Food Babies always be loving some local and sustainable food!! We're waiting for the restaurant list with bated breath.....

-Lauren and Brianna

Rooster's

The source of my olfactory pleasure!
Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com

The Food Baby bottom line:

• Please bottle and sell the grill aromas as an aphrodisiac.
• Excellent mains, above average desserts...but weak sides.
• “Our medium is medium rare”
• Congrats to Kiley and Andy!!

Last week my fabulous Mom and Dad came into Charlotte to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and to join us for Taste of the Nation! We had the best week ever, and part of that included checking out Rooster’s Wood Fired Grill in Southpark.

In addition to Mom, Dad, hubby, and me, our wonderful friends Kiley and Andy joined us. Andy lives right around the corner from Rooster’s, and he and Kiley are quite the regulars. Little did we know at dinner that Andy was less than 24 hours away from proposing to Kiley!!! Ever socially gracious, my family and I hurled relationship questions/advice at them the entire night, and Andy deftly fielded them all with a big secret up his sleeve. Congrats to a serious bestie and phenomenal couple!