the scoop, july/august 2017
Trey Wilson, chef/owner of Customshop on Elizabeth Avenue, will be opening a new restaurant called Flourshop this fall in Park Road Shopping Center. The menu will include fresh pasta and noodles, as well as fresh bread (hence the Flourshop name), as well as roasted meats on the open grill.
www.customshopfood.com
131 Main will be opening a new location at 5970 Fairview Road, part of the Fairview Plaza mixed-use complex. Plans call for the upscale-casual restaurant to have a hickory wood-burning grill, and a chef’s bar will allow guests to watch dishes being prepared.
www.131-main.com
Houston-based Romano’s Macaroni Grill has closed its location on Providence Road in south Charlotte after nearly 15 years in business, and it seems that there are no plans to reopen at another location at this time.
www.macaronigrill.com
Atlanta-turned-Southeastern empire builder Ford Fry is opening The El Felix in the former Fresh Market space in Strawberry Hill. This will be the third location for Fry’s Tex-Mex restaurant, and the early timeline calls for an opening in the first quarter of 2019. This is Fry’s second planned expansion into the Charlotte area. In February, the restaurateur revealed his intention to take Superica, his other Tex-Mex brand, to the Queen City. Aside from his Charlotte ventures, he’s opening three restaurants in Nashville and is eyeing a potential Charleston expansion as well.
theelfelix.com
The popular restaurant and Irish bar Workman’s Friend, which opened in late 2015, is planning to expand in Plaza Midwood. Documents call for an expansion of the restaurant into the adjacent space at 1533 Central Avenue on the corner of Thomas Street.
theworkmansfriend.com
Mutual Distributing Co., which employs 150 people in the Charlotte area, has tripled their warehouse space with the recent purchase of an approximately 511,000-square-foot building at 2730 Queen City Drive.
www.mutualdistributing.com
Holler & Dash—Cracker Barrel’s answer to fast casual—has signed on to open in the new Sedgefield mixed-use development on South Boulevard. The menu is biscuit-inspired (think biscuits and fried chicken, goat cheese, fried green tomatoes and more drool-worthy favorites) and will also feature craft beers and fair-trade coffee.
holleranddash.com
Graham St. Pub & Patio is set to open Uptown just steps away from Bank of America Stadium and BB&T Ballpark. The rooftop bar boasts unobstructed views of the Charlotte skyline with plenty of seating options on the rooftop, downstairs patio, and inside, with TVs in each area. Open for lunch and dinner, look for a food truck-like menu.
www.facebook.com/grahamstpub
Charlotte chef and restaurateur Bruce Moffett has signed an agreement with the University of North Carolina Press to publish his first cookbook, titled South By North. The well-known Charlotte chef founded Barrington’s, Good Food on Montford, and Stagioni and has been a key player in Charlotte’s new food scene. The book will explore Chef Moffett’s culinary upbringing and his career in Charlotte, including recipes drawn from his restaurants and modified for the home cook. South By North will be written with Keia Mastrianni, a North Carolina-based food writer.
moffettrestaurantgroup.com
Popular South End BBQ joint Sauceman’s recently completed a large remodel of their space at 228 West Boulevard, making it more of a neighborhood hangout spot instead of just a place to grab takeout or eat a work lunch. Be sure to stop by and check them out!
saucemans.com
Fast-casual restaurant Seoul Poke is said to be opening this fall at 3609 South Boulevard. For those new to poke, it’s a traditional Hawaiian raw fish salad. Expect the menu to feature build-your-own poke bowls (on rice, salad, or chips), bibimbap (Korean rice bowl), and homemade juices, teas, and lemonades.
www.facebook.com/seoulpokebowl
Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop has opened near the corner of Camden Road and West Boulevard in the Camden Gallery complex in South End. Look for locally-focused products like beer and cider, kombucha, grab-and-go food from New Wrap Order food truck, locally-made pimiento cheese and more.
www.popthetopclt.com
Unknown Brewing Company is expanding! Renovations will include an extended front patio with new seating and fire pits and a new rooftop patio. The brewery will remain open during renovations—stay tuned on their Facebook page for the rooftop debut party details!
www.unknownbrewing.com
Fort Mill’s wildly popular (and Food Network famous) bakery Cupcrazed has opened on Woodlawn Road near Montford Drive in the former Polka Dot Bakeshop spot. Cupcake flavors will rotate daily, and be sure to look for $2 Tuesdays!
www.cupcrazed.com
Hoppin’, a new craft-beer market, will bring a new spin on the traditional gathering spot when it opens in South End later this summer. Their iPourIt system means it’s self serve, and they’ll be featuring 60 taps, including 50 dedicated to beer—many of which will be local and regional brews—and beers will rotate seasonally.
www.instagram.com/hoppinclt