Is There a Foodie There-There near Charlotte?
Am new to the Charlotte area and as a disciple of the Missionary for the Delicious, I find myself with few altars at which to worship. Beyond Ed's reco of Price's (fried chicken) and a place I wandered-into called Vinnie's (raw bar but everything's really fried), I need the foodies in-the-know who know the greater Charlotte region to step-up and volunteer some recon. In Road Food, Jane and Michael Stern talked about a place called the Coffee Cup that I also can't seem to find...
Things seem to be further complicated or compounded by the fact that there are neither deeply-rooted ethnic groups nor old-guard neighborhoods anywhere which would normally include a batch of can't miss eateries, shops and specialty purveyors.
Please help me expand the southern food safari...
Yes, there's BBQ at every turn... but seemingly no single or few superlative performers that everybody just rattles-off as "must-tries," like in Kansas City. I also read something about NC fish-camps in a travel book on the state, but none of the locals with whom I work can name any in the vicinity. In the meantime, every chain restaurant known to man seems to have tried to follow the Banking industry here. I was also hoping for great Southern bakeries, but so far all I've spotted are Panera and Dunkin Donuts. I feel like my discovery skills are letting Ed and all the Serious Eaters down.