Kabab-Je Rotisserie & Grille (Charlotte, NC)

7828-b Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC

 

Kebab-Je is a local chain with three locations in the Charlotte area. It serves the classics of Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine in an in-between restaurant and fast food setting.

 

I get a Fattoush Salad ($5.95) and a Hummus (Chicken) Shawarma ($8.95). Both are on my table a minute after I ordered. The hummus is creamy and quite authentic, while the chicken shawarma is from the skewer, perfectly seasoned, and juicer and less dry than usual. The Fattoush is well seasoned but has a bit too much lettuce. Everything comes with a big fresh pita and I get another one when I’m 2/3 done with the first.

 

VERDICT: 92/100

This is excellent Lebanese food, which is affordable and tasty.

Mini Donut Place (Cherokee, NC)

964 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC 28719

 

 

The Mini Donut Place is actually a very big place that sells mini-donuts, ice cream, and hot and cold drinks at the main street of the highly touristic town of Cherokee, Georgia. The mini-donuts comes in packs (9, 15, 30) and in 16 different flavors.

 

I get a 9-pack ($6.05) with Maple Bacon, Boston Cream, and Caramel Pecan. They are freshly made so it takes a quite a while before they are ready. Each one tastes pretty good, particularly when still warm, but not exceptional.

 

VERDICT: 85/100

Fun snack with original flavors

The Ultimate Ice Cream Company (Asheville, NC)

195 Charlotte St, Asheville, NC 28801 

 

The Ultimate Ice Cream Company is a pretty standard homemade ice cream shop on the outskirts of Asheville (close to UNC-Asheville). It has a decent range of the usual (US) flavors. A single scoop is big and costs $3.60 (two scoops are just $4.75), which is not bad.

 

I get one scoop of the Salted Caramel, in a sugar cone. It is very creamy and a bit too sweet for me, but overall quite tasty.  I guess lovers of really creamy ice cream will appreciate it a lot.

VERDICT: 84/100

Solid but unremarkable.

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack (West Asheville, NC)

1455 Patton Ave, West Asheville, NC

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack is a hot chicken place with three locations: Greenville, SC, Asheville, NC, and West Asheville, NC. It’s more a hipster place than a shack though. It’s menu consists predominantly of fried and grilled chicken and some sides.

 

I start with the Fried Coconut Shrimp ($8.25), which are five juicy shrimp breaded in sweet and spicy coating, spiced "Honey Mild". They are very juicy and with a kick, which is somewhat smoothed by the creamy mango-habanero aioli. 

 

I also order 3 Chicken Tenders ($8) and get them Rocky’s Hot. It is the second hottest and the woman who takes my order tries to talk me out of it, but I’m stubborn. The tenders are huge and coated rather than breaded. That also means that much of the spices are on top of the chicken, which is a bit gross. I cheat a bit, by taking some of the coating off (more for the consistency) but this is a truly spicy chicken. Next time I’ll probably go one down, to also taste other things — my dip of the starter and side of coleslaw ($2,75) help me handle the heat though.

 

VERDICT: 93/100

This is great hot chicken, although the thick dust is not my thing. The shrimp were absolutely delicious! I'll be back!

 

Celebrity's Hotdogs (Asheville, NC)

1409 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC

 

Celebrity's Hotdogs is a NASCAR-themed hole in the wall in the Trump outskirts of hipster Asheville. It mainly serves hot dogs but also some other sandwich (including the new Bolo-Burger (fried bologna) and sides (eg fries).

 

I get a Chili Dog (1.98) and an All The Way Dog ($1.98). The Chili Dog is a soft steamed bun, small snappy wiener, mustard, chili and onion. The chili is tasty and so is the dog. The All The Way Dog has all the same with coleslaw, which makes it a bit more creamy and sweet.

 

VERDICT: 90/100

Old school hot dogs for fair prices. Great hot dog spot!

Viva Chicken (Huntersville, NC)

9129 San Furr Road, Huntersville, NC 28078

 

Viva Chicken is a local chain of “Peruvian Rotisserie Joints” in the Charlotte area. It serves, you guessed it, Peruvian rotisserie chicken in 1/4, 1/2 and whole as well on ciabatta bread or in a sun-dried tomato wrap or on salads. The also do several Latin desserts and (sweet) drinks.

I get The Great ($8.50) on a ciabatta, which is pulled chicken from the rotisserie with lettuce and red onion and rocoto mayo. It is not mind-blowing but fresh and tasty and there are three free sauces that add some kick. As a side I get the chicken soup, which is a bit too light and mainly lives off the chicken. I also get alfajores ($4.50), three small short bread cookies filled with dulce de lecce and topped with powder sugar. They are good but not really worth the hefty price.

I FORGOT TO TAKE A PIC OF THE FOOD 😞

VERDICT: 86/100

Nice place for fresh and mostly healthy chicken-based lunch, but not particularly good to pig out.

Green Valley Grill (Greensboro, NC)

622 Green Valley Rd, Greensboro, NC 27408

 

The Green Valley Grill is a huge upscale restaurant - one of three owned by same group - which serves an original take on mostly Mediterranean food. The menu is all over the place, divided in small plates (which are really not small, but large appetizers to share for the table) and Entrées, which look like those in an upscale restaurant. However, while not a classic pig out spot, it has some relevant dishes including burgers and sliders, and…

 

the Mediterranean Street Fries ($13.95), a “small plate”, which consists of Moroccan spiced beef, avocado, preserved lemon labneh, harissa and cilantro on a huge plate of za’atar fries. It is the ultimate binch. Bit too salty but absolutely delicious! For dessert I have the Butterscotch Budino, ($7.95), Italian butterscotch pudding topped with salted caramel, chocolate drizzled housemade honeycomb and fresh whipped cream. Deceptively filling and delicious.

VERDICT: 94/100

Not your usual pig out spot, but damn, you can pig of out here!

Ghassan’s Restaurant (Greensboro, NC)

1605 Battleground Ave, Greensboro, NC 27408

 

Ghassan’s Restaurant is a local chain of diner/fast food restaurants serving “fresh Mediterranean eats. They have four locations in Greensboro as well as a food truck (extra points!). It has a bit of an odd menu with gyros, kabobs, salads, but also cheesesteak sandwiches, for which it is allegedly famous.

 

I get a Chicken on Pita platter with salad ($6.99). Although I asked to make it spicy, the chicken pita has just a weak kick, but the meat is juicy and the toppings fresh. The homemade cucumber sauce is not too thick. The salad is very basic but fresh.

 

VERDICT: 80/100

Pretty decent, but nothing special.

Corine’s Café (Mooresville, NC)

559 E Plaza Dr, Mooresville, NC 28115

Corine’s Café is a huge old-school diner, which doesn't seem to have been renovated since it opened in the 1950s. It prides itself on “home cooking,” but serves usual US diner food (breakfast and lunch). There is one unique aspect: because it is run by a Dutch émigré, it also has some Dutch specialties (mostly pancakes and croquettes). The clientele exists mostly of old(er) white local males - not a Dutch person in sight.

I get Bitterballen ($4.85) as a starter and Beef croquettes ($6.25) as a meal. Technically, they are the same, just different shapes, but it has been so long since I had any, that I double up. The croquettes come with two sides. I choose white bread (as replacement for the soft white bun you would get in the Netherlands), and onion rings. Unfortunately, the bitterballen and croquettes are homemade, not imported, and taste mainly fat and mushy. They have an odd crust and the ragout inside is too soft. The onion rings are prefab, as is the bread.

VERDICT: 72/100

Classic greasy US diner and the Dutch snacks are not worth the visit.

Zack’s Hamburgers (Charlotte, NC)

4009 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209-2616, T: 704-525-720

Zack’s Hamburgers is a Charlotte institution. It’s a beautiful old-school fast food place, which has hardly changed since they opened in, I assume, the 1950s. They serve the classics: burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, shakes, etc.

Obviously, I get the Zack’s Special ($5.25). It is very similar to the Big Mac, but much tastier and fresher. The fries are thin, but tasty too. I get a side of Onion Rings ($2.60), which are fresh and thinly battered, but sometimes more batter than onion. I dip them in homemade Tarter Sauce ($0.95), which is thick, fresh, and tasty. Afterward I go back to get a small banana milkshake ($2.59), which is fresh and not too sweet.

VERDICT: 86/100

Zack’s Hamburgers is among the best and most affordable, old-school fast food I've had in the US.

Over Easy Cafe (Asheville, NC)

32 Broadway, Asheville, NC 28801, T: 828-236-3533
 

The Over Easy Café is one of the most popular breakfast/brunch/lunch spots in downtown Asheville and almost as famous for its lines as for its food. It’s only open between 8 and 2 (Sunday 9-2) and has relatively limited space. This, in combination with its reputation, means that you will almost certainly have a wait for 15 minutes or (much) more. We have to wait for about 25 minutes as we arrive just before noon on a summer Monday. The food is, of course, all local and organic.

Fighting the urge to go for the Traditional Breakfast, i.e. fried eggs, toast, etc., I decide to be adventurous and order the famous Breakfast Tacos with chorizo ($10.50): scrambled eggs, onion, salsa, fresh cilantro, on two corn tortillas. Quite tasty. M. has a Hash Bowl with poached eggs and all kind of fresh and tasty stuff. We also get one of the fresh juices ($6.50), the Detox, which combines citrus fruits with beets and ginger. It tastes very fresh and very gingery.

VERDICT: 87/100

All in all Over Easy Café is a great place for breakfast for foodies rather than for pig out enthusiasts. Although I might come back for the French Toast, which looked delicious.