Oh, Charlotte
Greetings from America’s white-bread: Charlotte. I grew up in NC and always smirked about Charlotte and it’s banking industry and commercial art and desolate downtown. Of course I was younger and things were different. I’m in Charlotte now and the block where my hotel is on seems like a baby Las Vegas with all the bars, restaurants, and big flashing billboards.
It’s still a pretty goofy town, but it’s a lot livier.
Small World - Two Things One: I’m hanging out with a co-worker down here. Last night we were going to a wine dinner that was at a country club. My co-worker is telling me about the neighborhood we are driving through and I say, “You know, I have two sets of friends who live in Charlotte. I think they might live around here.” As the words leave my mouth, I look out the window and see our friend Pam walking down the street with her daughter.
“Oh, and there’s one of my friends. Stop the car.”
My co-worker thought I was joking. I said ‘hi’ to Pam.
Two: At this wine dinner thing, they had a cheese guy who was serving up fancy cheese. We are chatting about wine and cheese and I’m pouring him glasses of things that he might go well with his cheese. He tells me where he grew up (Kansas) and that he’s lived in Boston and NYC before moving to NC. We talk about Brooklyn (as he had lived in Greenpoint) and I tell him where I live.
“Oh, I wonder if you know my friend Richard...”, he asks.
We realize that he is friends with our friend Richard who lives upstairs in our building.
So, the cheese guy’s wife once dated our pal and upstairs neighbor Richard and they have since all become friends.
I take a photo of us and text it to our pal Richard. He “LOLs”.
BTW
When we first met our pal Richard, he came to one of my wine club event things. I took photos and later Tim (of TIM! fame) wrote to ask, “Why is my old neighbor in Durham in your apartment in NYC?”. Everyone knows Richard. You probably do, too.
(He does the lovely Love Hangover every post-Valentines)
Soul
If in Charlotte, many people (including me) enjoy Soul Gastrolounge. We dined there last night.
What we sampled...
- Little foie gras + pasty sliders
- Bone marrow
- Steak and eggs on toast
- Brussel sprouts
- Ahi tuna sashimi
Pretty tasty. There you go.
Nerdy Wine Report
For my birthday, we attended a “Super Ball” party where our pal Irene made cochinita pibil and I brought this pretty dorky wine.
Pinot Meunier (that third grape used for Champagne that you don’t see very often by itself)
From the Champagne region.
Still wine.
Red.
Tasty. I’m all about these low tannin and somewhat lighter red wines. So much friendlier than these huge, dark tannin bombs that people seem to adore.
