September 16 – 28

I landed in Charlotte around noon for what would be almost a week of catching up with our many friends and former neighbors there.  Joanna picked me up at the airport and our first order of business was lunch, as we’d be consuming mass quantities of vino, as it our usual order of business our first night in town, at the Wine Vault in University City.  Nothing prepares one better for a night of alcoholic consumption than a heavy dose of high fat protein, thus we made a beeline for JJ’s Red Hots on East Blvd which conveniently lay enroute to the Airbnb we’d rented for the duration of our stay.  Joanna and I almost always get the same two dogs here, each starting with a Sahlen’s Pork and Beef Frankfurter. 

For her it was the Southern Girl (with Pimento Cheese, JJ’s Slaw, Bacon, and Hot Blonde Mustard) and for me the Char-Heel (with House-made Chili, Slaw, Diced Onions, and Yellow Mustard).  Those of you who follow this blog know of my weak spot for the southern style (chili, slaw, mustard, and onions) and I will dip my toe in those waters as often as I can when in the Carolina’s.  Along with a couple of beers and an order of fries our tab came to $32.74 including tip, and the food, comfortably resting in our digestive system would carry us through the evening. 

We then made our way to our Airbnb, Viagem’s Place, located in the heart of Plaza Midwood.  Charlotte has several distinct neighborhoods and along with NoDa, University City, Uptown, Dilworth, and a few others, they each bring a unique entertainment and dining vibe.  When living in Charlotte, we’d often find ourselves driving here to enjoy beers at Legion, or Resident Culture Brewing, food at Dish, Zada Jane’s, Midwood Smokehouse, The Diamond or the treasured but by now long-gone Penguin Drive-In. 

Known for its divey personae, heavily tattooed personnel, fried pickles and inexpensive burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, drinks and the ever-popular dollar 16-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR), the Penguin was the place we took newcomers to town to.  A power struggle between the owner and the three operators forced the latter out of the business and they went on to take over the Diamond just down the block and for one of them, Greg Auten, to open a new venue called Pinky’s Westside Grill in the Triple G Automotive Garage,  a former Volkswagen repair shop with a VW Bug on the roof (a Charlotte landmark).  Both the Penguin and Pinky’s have been featured in Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. 

Our Airbnb unit was located on the ground floor of a larger apartment/condo complex on the corner of Commonwealth and Pecan, directly across the street from the Diamond and The Rabbit Hole.  The unit was operated by Viagem, a company that purchases rentable properties in eleven east coast cities (including among them New York, Atlanta, Tampa, and Myrtle Beach).  This appears to be a trend in the marketplace, a good or bad one depending on your viewpoint.  While it offers increased access to decent vacation rental properties, it does pull sellable stock out of the housing market, contributing to the crisis many cities now face in trying to supply affordable living spaces. 

For now, though, it was a nice one-bedroom unit with parking, a comfortable bed and washer and dryer, a feature we often look for in these rentals when traveling for extended periods of time.  After checking in and relaxing a bit, we took off for University City and our rendezvous with good friends at the Wine Vault.  As with our other prior gatherings here, the night was filled with many bottles of good red wine, conversation, and laughs from a group of people that have meant so much to us through the years. 

The next afternoon Joanna took off with other members of her Charlotte book club for a weekend at a cabin in the mountains to the west of town.  I would head to Doug and Ann’s for dinner that night, consuming one more delightfully outstanding Old Fashioned than was good for me before safely navigating back to the Airbnb, a reminder that driving after drinking is never a good idea.

I had most of the day on Saturday to kill before meeting up with Hans later in the afternoon so decided to walk over to Zada Jane’s for breakfast.  We’d eaten here a few times during out tenure as residents and I recalled that the offerings leaned to the healthy side of the spectrum.  I ordered my usual breakfast choice, a veggie omelet (spinach, onion, red pepper, Swiss cheese and tomato) with roasted potatoes and whole wheat toast. 

It was obvious from the start that it was a first day for my friendly waiter, whose service faults were all forgivable, and as I would later find out, didn’t charge me for the potatoes and toast that came with my ala carte omelet, normally an additional cost.  The food itself was very good, the potatoes crisp on the outside and yet soft inside with sauteed onions to savor with each bite. 

I returned to the apartment and hung out until it was time to meet with Hans.  He parked close by and we decided to take advantage of the neighborhood and not go anywhere else.  First up was Legion Brewing, just steps away from the apartment.  We ordered our first beers, for me the Penguin Pilsner and sat inside to drink them and begin to get caught up, as our last time together was on his and Sarah’s boat that memorable afternoon on the Catawba River, when we tried to do a bit of wake boarding but got chased into the dock by a thunder, lightning, and torrential rainstorm. 

We drained our first beers and while ordering a second round, also did so for food, which would be a Chicken Caesar Wrap along with Winnie the Brew 10% Honey double IPA for me.  While the beer was good, I can say that without exception, that wrap was one of the best things I’ve had to eat in a long time.  Moist chicken, ripe tomatoes, romaine lettuce and just the right amount of dressing so as not to overpower the flavors of the other ingredients. 

We finished up our beers and food and after lingering a bit, left Legion and walked up to Central Avenue, turning right for two blocks to land at the neighborhood’s newest brewery, Southern Strain.  It sits right on the corner of Nandina and one can opt to linger at a ledge that looks out onto that street through garage door like openings.  As this would be my last beer of the night, I went for broke and got the Barrel Proof Imperial Stout Aged in Elijah Craig Bourbon Barrels at 10.8%, and it was a good choice.

Velvety smooth with just a hint of sweetness from the barrel aging, it was just the right way to finish off a good day in town.  Getting to catch up with Hans, hearing about the family (Sarah, Reagan, and Quinn), recalling the camping trips we shared with them what seems ages ago, one of the girls graduating from high school and the other just entering.  It’s the value of traveling, maintaining contact with folks who have meant so much to us through the years.  And more new memories to follow. 

Links

JJ’s Red Hots: https://jjsredhots.com/

Sahlens: https://sahlen.com/

Viagem’s Place: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/345014772

The End of the Penguin: https://www.charlottemagazine.com/the-end-of-the-penguin/

Pinky’s Westside Grill: https://www.eatatpinkys.com/

Pinky’s DDD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SborI1Y94BU

Viagem: https://www.stayviagem.com/

The Wine Vault: https://www.facebook.com/TheWineVaultCLT/

Zada Jane’s: https://zadajanes.net/

Legion Brewing: https://www.legionbrewing.com/

Southern Strain Brewing: https://www.southernstrainbrewing.com/plazamidwood