Now I’m back with photos of all the food, the video from today’s Charlotte Today segment, some Charlotte Restaurant Week FAQs to make your dining experience all the better and some more suggestions on places you’ll want to try in the ten day stretch that makes up the winter Queen’s Feast – Jan 19 – Jan 29, 2018;.
Get Excited Charlotte – If you are looking for a way to get rid of the winter doldrums and get your mind off the freezing temps – look no further. Stay warm and cozy inside as you “let your fingers do the walking” on your smart phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, perusing the menus and get ready to start making your reservations.
Its time for the annual winter edition of the, oh so popular, Queen’s Feast ! That’s right, Charlotte Restaurant Week is back and kicks off this weekend, Friday January 19, 2018!
This is the 10th year for the semi annual food lover’s 10-night long extravaganza where restaurants and chefs get to strut their stuff with special prix fixe menus specially designed and priced for the occasion. This year there are 134 restaurants in nine Charlotte metro-area counties offering a prix fixe menus of 3 courses or more at dinner for $30 or $35 per person – WOWZER!
The 2018 Winter edition of Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week runs from Friday, January 19, through Sunday, January 28, 2018. So you have 10 evenings to eat at your choice of 134 different restaurants. To say this event offers something for everyone would be a grand understatement.
The original Charlotte Restaurant Week took place in July 2008. I remember writing about it then, interviewing the 40 something participating chefs and restaurateurs who had high hopes for that first event established by dynamic duo that is Bruce and Jill Hensley of Hensley Fontana Public Relations.
It didn’t take long to see the success. This prix fixe event gives restaurants something to shout about and celebrate in the early winter and then again late in the summer – two seasons when restaurant traffic is traditionally slow.
The “Three for $30 or $35” concept is the golden carrot that makes it all work, and those who enjoy dining out love the promotion and the great value it offers! Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week provides a wonderful opportunity to try a place for the first time or to revisit an old favorite.
As I mentioned that first Queen’s Feast 10 years ago featured 40 something Charlotte area restaurants – among them, this list of frontrunners who saw the vision back then and continue to see the success of the event today.
- Cafe Monte near Phillips Place
- Cajun Queen on 7th Street
- Carpe Diem on Elizabeth Ave
- Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
- Dressler’s at the Metropolitan – and check out their original Birkdale Village location as well
- Fiamma Restaurant in Dilworth
- Gallery Restaurant in the Ballantyne Hotel
- The original Harper’s at Southpark and the Harper’s location at Carolina Place
- The Melting Pot in its original Midtown location as well as The Melting Pot at Lake Norman
- Mickey & Mooch – The Other Joint at the Arboretum and Mickey and Mooch at Lake Norman
- Mimosa Grill in Uptown Charlotte
- Ruth’s Chris near SouthPark and at the Ruth’s Chris Uptown location
- Sullivan’s Steakhouse in SouthEnd
- Upstream
This year, these 14 restaurants are now joined by 120 additional Queen’s Feast dining destinations – your job is simply to choose, a task which might be easier said than done, and then make reservations and get set to enjoy!
For the list of all participating restaurants, their special Charlotte Restaurant Week menus and links to make reservations, visit CharlotteRestaurantWeek.com !
I could easily have 135 paragraphs in this post – singing the praises of all the restaurants participating in the winter Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week, but for the televised segment I limited myself to five places I don’t think you should miss.
Music, Anyone?
And if you’d like a little music for your Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week dining pleasure, here are two more places to put on your list.
The Cajun Queen – listed in the group of CRW originals has a live Dixie Jazz band every night of the week, including the 10-night stretch of Charlotte Restaurant Week.
And, on Friday Jan 19, the first 10 of the 10-night event, none other than Tom Billotto will be performing on guitar and vocals in the bar at Global Restaurant in Pineville, NC. I’ll be there too, (sitting at the bar, enjoying a great three-course dinner and the entertainment, as well) Make your reservations and come on out and join me!
So, where is YOUR Charlotte Restaurant Week, feasting going to start?
Check out the video and then read on below for details and more photos to whet your palate. For some of you this may be a tiny picture, but if you click on it, I promise a video will pop up!!
If you are reading this on Tuesday morning, be sure to tune in between 11 am and noon to see it all live. If you can’t tune in live, I’ll add in the video and photos of all the food here sometime late afternoon or early evening on Tuesday, so you’ll get to see it all. Come back later for some additional Charlotte Restaurant Week tips and to take another look so you will get the whole picture – for now here is just a taste of what’s to come….
The Flipside Cafe – 3150 Highway 21 North – Ft Mill, SC
The Flipside Cafe and their sister restaurant The Flipside Restaurant are both participating in Charlotte Restaurant Week and while they are also open for breakfast lunch and dinner the Queens Feast menu is available at dinner only.
On the Queen’s Feast menu at The Flipside Cafe, try the Bouillabaisse with a thick cut slice of crusty bread or the asparagus and mushroom salad with a perfectly done sunnyside up egg, yes please!
Wu’s Cajun Seafood – 1714 South Blvd – Charlotte, NC
The bar at Wu’s offers fun innovative cocktails and its the kind of place where you are just going to have a blast.
As seen on TV, from the Wu’s Cajun Seafood Queen’s Feast menu, try the crunchy Cajun Crab roll or the hearty gumbo ramen. Time to “laissez les bons temps rouler” with an Asian accent.
Loft & Cellar – 305 W. Fourth Street, Charlotte, NC
Chef Nicholas Daniels is at Loft & Cellar, a three level restaurant at the corner of 4th and Poplar Streets. Daniels draws inspiration from his native Chilean background, creating his favorite international dishes with unique Southern ingredients. The kitchen here is in the cellar, the street level is the dining level, and upstairs is a private event venue available to rent for private parties – located just a block away from the BBT Ballpark, Loft & Cellar is a great place to kick off an evening in Uptown Charlotte.
Don’t miss this General Tso’s Tofu with broccolini or the rich and creamy egg drop soup on the Queen’s Feast menu at Loft & Cellar. And when you go back, be sure to order the Southern Pad Thai from the restaurant’s regular dinner menu – you’re going to thank me for the suggestion!
Via Roma – 7416 Waverly Walk Ave , Charlotte, NC
Pictured below are two delicious Via Roma menu offerings similar to what you will find on the Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week menu – delicious!
Highland Ave. – 883 Highland Avenue, SE, Hickory NC
On the Queen’s Feast menu from Highland Ave. in Hickory try the shaved Brussels Sprouts salad and don’t miss the Toffee Brioche dessert with blood orange, my oh my!
Thanks so much to my blog partners who help make it possible to bring more posts like this your way. My blog post sponsors are all brands I believe in and I am happy to share their story.
Today this HeidiBillottoFood.com blog post is brought to you by Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week.
If you’ve followed my writing for various publications through the years, you know I’ve written about this fabulous concept since its inception ten years ago. I have been thrilled to see how this seasonal celebration of Charlotte restaurants has grown and am delighted to spread the word about all Charlotte Restaurant Week has to offer.
Just the FAQs – Here is how it all works – once you get to the Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week website via any of the links in this post
- Click on individual restaurant names for location, menu, and reservation information.
- Prix fixe price is $30 or $35 per person; all menu items are per person unless otherwise indicated.
- Prix fixe special is available for DINNER ONLY, January 19-28, 2018.
- Menus are subject to change without notice based on product availability.
- Coupons may not be accepted at some restaurants during Charlotte Restaurant Week®. Please check with the restaurant and/or refer to coupon restrictions for redemption policies.
- If you are unable to keep your reservation for any reason, PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE AND CANCEL as soon as possible to give other diners and the restaurant the opportunity to fill those seats!
While my friends at Queen’s Feast sponsored this post, the selection of restaurants to highlight here was my own. If I have helped to whet your palate for all there is to eat on Queen’s Feast menus across town, its time to make your reservations. Visit CharlotteRestaurantWeek.com to view the list of participating restaurants and each special Queen’s Feast menu. And as always, don’t forget to #TellThemHeidiSentYou