Dion BearyNov 29, 20206 minLeftovers: 2020 Vision on Charlotte's Dining SceneI’m currently writing up my critic’s picks for Queen City Nerve’s “Best in the Nest” issue. This is fun for me because it’s the end of my...
Dion BearyAug 2, 20205 min[9.1] Leah and Louise is a triumph amongst tragedyAt the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a lot to think about. Just how deadly is this virus? How seriously should I take it? Wil...
Josh ShopeJun 29, 20205 min[7.8] Outside 485: Hello, Sailor transports you to another placeI should have known I was in the right place when I saw the Kurt Cobain portrait on the wall. After living in the Charlotte area for abou...
Dion BearyJun 15, 20206 min[10.0] Taste of revolution: Halal Food Cart keeps feeding Charlotte amid protestsWith lungs full of tear gas and ears ringing from flashbangs, where on earth do you grab a bite to eat after a protest? Uptown went from ...
Dion BearyMay 25, 20206 minThe risk and the reward: our post-COVID return to diningGetting dressed up feels so strange now. “People will see me in this,” I keep thinking as I pull on a floral print button up shirt, khaki...
cltdevelopment1775May 19, 20204 min[5.8] Callie's Hot Little Biscuit falls a little short, but I expect it to riseThis is a guest review from Clayton Sealy of CLT Development. I like to think of myself as a biscuit expert. They’ve been part of my DNA ...
Dion BearyApr 23, 20205 minStay at Home will eventually end, but its impact on Charlotte dining may last for years"The New Normal." It's starting to become a rallying cry for a populace determined to find the silver lining in a global pandemic. COVID-...
Dion BearyMar 30, 20206 minCOVID-19 isn't the Titanic. It's the Hindenburg.Local dining conversations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have been marked by optimism. We might scrap about whether the owner of Lost...
Dion BearyMar 16, 20206 min[2.5] Oh My Soul falls way short of solving Charlotte's vegan food problemI like vegan food. I feel like that's an important place to start this conversation. I spent a good chunk of my teens and early 20s as an...
Dion BearyFeb 25, 20207 minCharlotte's 15 best restaurantsWhen I first started considering ranking the best restaurants in Charlotte, I couldn't stand how pretentious the idea was. Every platform...
Bridgette PerrottFeb 17, 20203 min[4.0] Plaza Midwood golf bar fails to hit a hole in oneKind lighting, cute seating, and the most welcoming forest green walls you could ever think of. That’s pretty much all you can see from t...
Dion BearyFeb 12, 20205 minWhy food criticism has become Charlotte's dirtiest secret.In a January piece for Charlotte Magazine, Keia Mastrianni made the case for food criticism in Charlotte. This has made a lot of people v...
Dion BearyFeb 7, 20206 min[5.2] The Goodyear House feels like family, and disappoints like one tooI’ll probably never go back to Taco Mama [1.6] again. The taco chain opened its Dilworth location in October of last year to a decent but...
Dion BearyJan 29, 20203 min[8.1] Bardo's culinary poetry, and thoughts on bohemian design.San Francisco. 1950. A group of writers and poets are struggling with the materialism, nationalism, and creeping monoculture of American ...
Dion BearyJan 21, 20204 minUber Eats vs. DoorDash vs. Postmates vs. Grubhub. Which is cheapest in Charlotte?Ordering from a delivery service is financially ludicrous and absolutely irresistible. I took Friday night off to relax and catch up on s...
Dion BearyJan 17, 20203 minBoardwalk Billy's social media is the best in the Charlotte's food scene. "We're featuring a crispy chicken sandwich this month. Kinda like Popeyes and Chick-fil-a except it isn't dog shit." That's the caption o...
Bridgette PerrottJan 16, 20203 min[7.3] Lotus Soul Cafe is shaky on price, but rock solid on wellnessI know what you’re thinking. “Finally, another overpriced juice bar in a wealthy area! Just what Charlotte needed.” Despite the already s...
Dion BearyJan 6, 20203 min[7.7] Pins Mechanical Company significantly improves on the social house modelI have this theory that the local media scene owes a lot to Abari. Starting in June of 2015, the hype for the NoDa barcade was lengthy, i...
Dion BearyJan 3, 20204 min[8.5] Ace No. 3 is the best burger in Charlotte.Ace No. 3, a newcomer in the Belmont neighborhood, is the kind of burger you can carry with you the rest of the your life. It's a place you'
Dion BearyJan 2, 20204 minThe state of Charlotte brunchIt's the summer of 2013, a Saturday. You're waking up in your $800 a month 1 bedroom apartment. Your hangover starts pounding in your hea...