Eat My Charlotte

BLT Steak, 110 North College Street in The Ritz-Carlton, has a three-course, $68 ($34 for children under 12) prix fixe Thanksgiving Day menu available from noon until 9 p.m. Selections include Organic Turkey with chestnut stuffing and cranberry-grenadine sauce; roasted prime rib of beef with garlic confit jus and caramelized onion and bacon popovers; or seared Scottish salmon with braised fennel, leeks, fingerling potatoes and cockles. Reservations: 704-972-4380. www.bltrestaurants.com

Zink American Kitchen, 201 N. Tryon St., has a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Among the items offered are Oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail, stone crab claws, butternut squash soup, mountain-cured country ham with biscuits, slow roasted Ashley Farms Turkey with cornbread stuffing, spit-roasted prime rib of beef, roasted pork tenderloin with apple plum chutney, cedar plank roasted salmon, spice roasted sweet potatoes, smashed Yukon gold potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green bean and squash casseroles, cranberry sauce, apple cobbler, white chocolate cheesecake, chocolate pecan pie, and pumpkin pie $21.95 adults, $10.95 for children 3 to 10, under 3 free. 704-444-9001.

The Q Shack, 10822 Providence Road at Promenade on Providence, has whole smoked 10 to 12 pound Thanksgiving turkeys for $34.95. Also available are mashed sweet potatoes and Brunswick stew. ($2.99 half pint, $5.99 pint, $10.99 quart.) To order: 704-542-5959. Turkeys must be picked up Tuesday, November 24, or Wednesday, November 25.

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The Davidson Farmer’s Market will continue offering a variety of seasonal produce and goods this fall and winter in series of bi-weekly markets running from November through April. Arugula, beets, carrots, lettuces, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, turnips and winter squash are some if the locally grown vegetables being offered through February. Some farmers have extended the growing season by using greenhouse environments, and will offer tomatoes and lettuces. Also at the market are meats, eggs, honey, dairy products, and fresh flowers, baked goods, soaps, and farmer-made crafts. The Davidson Farmer’s Market will be open Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. until noon for a Thanksgiving Market; Saturday Dec. 5 from 9 a.m. until noon for the Winter Market; Saturday Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. until noon for the Holiday Market. Beginning Saturday Jan. 9, 2010, the Tailgate Market will be open every other Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. The Davidson Farmer’s Market, a producer-only market, is located next to Davidson Town Hall, between Main and Jackson Streets. www.davidsonfarmersmarket.org

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Berrybrook Farm, 1257 East Blvd., is taking orders for free-range turkeys, $2.39 per pound, available in 10 to 22 pounds; and organic turkeys, $3.49 per pound, available in eight to 16 pounds. Orders must be received by Wednesday, Nov. 18. Turkeys will arrive frozen on Monday, Nov. 23, and will be refrigerated until pickup. Closed Thanksgiving Day.

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Owner Nobby has opened the House of Kabuki in Indian Trail, 6701 Old Monroe Road. The 130-item menu includes sushi, sashimi, hibachi, and tempura dishes. Hours: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.; until 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; Sunday noon until 6 p.m.

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Bruegger’s Bakery-Café will open on the second floor of the EpiCentre, 210 East Trade Street, in November. From Wednesday, November 18 through Friday, November 20, the store will have raffles, giveaways and special promotions including $0.99 bagels with cream cheese, $2.99 Herby Turkey sandwiches and three bagels for the price of $1. The first 50 guests will receive a Bottomless Mug, good for free coffee, tea or soda through December 31, 2009. A portion of sales from the three-day opening event will benefit Outreach Programs of the Childress Klein YMCA in Uptown Charlotte. Hours: Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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I’m back on the bus with Staff Historian Tom Hanchett for the 4th annual New South BBQ Bus Tour on Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7. We will visit several ethnic restaurants to eat their take on barbecue: Vietnamese barbecue at Ben Thanh; Salvadoran papusas at El Pulgarcito; Trini jerk barbecue at Taste of the Caribbean Restaurant; and Mexican barbecue at Cocina Latina. Cost is $30 for Museum members and $35 for non-members; includes meal, program and transportation. 704-333-1887 x 501 or email rsvp@museumofthenewsouth.org .

Also at the Levine Museum is the 4th annual Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Festival, this year on Sunday, Nov. 1 from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. The Levine Museum and the Latin American Coalition will co-host this free community day honoring the traditional Mexican holiday when families remember loved ones who have passed away and celebrate the continuity of life. On hand will be sugar skulls, “dead bread,” an altar contest, arts, crafts, and music. Free admission all day.

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Revolution Pizza and Ale House, 3228 North Davidson Street, will host Oktoberfest on Friday, October 9 at 6 p.m. to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. The event will feature beer samplings from 10 breweries and live music. Cover is $15.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 1928 South Boulevard, is offering “Palate in the Pink”, a three-course dinner for $39.95 from Sept. 30 to Nov. 23. Sullivan’s will donate $5 per meal to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $30,000 from their stores throughout the U.S.

Las Ramblas, 2400 Park Road, is hosting the Second Annual Fiesta Las Ramblas, Thursday, Oct. 22 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. with $2 beers, $3 sangria, $4 glasses of wine, and half off menu items. Reservations: 704-335-8444 or email Rachelle@BonterraDining.com.

Among the new items on the autumn menu at Zebra Restaurant & Wine Bar, 4521 Sharon Road, are Lobster Bisque and Cauliflower Soup with Butter Poached Lobster ($16); Truffled Mushroom Foie Gras Souple Glaçage Royal ($9); Organic Beets Salad with Sheep’s Milk Roquefort and Celeriac “Ravioli” ($11); Short Smoked Potato Fried Salmon Fillet, Chevre and Swiss chard Bundle, Vichy Style Parsnips and Pommery Chive Vinaigrette ($28); Lamb Tenderloins “Diablo” with Celeriac Potato Puree, Melted Swiss Chard and Glace d’Agneau ($36); Snake River Farm Kobe Strip Loin Steak, Organic Yellow Grit and Gruyere Cake, Proscuitto Roasted Asparagus and Port Glace de Viande ($44); and Olive Oil Poached Ashley Farm Free Range Chicken Breast with Roasted Butternut Squash and Walnut Puree, Melted Swiss Chard, Reduced Balsamic and Sage Oil ($29). Also offered nightly is a three-course Prix Fixe and Chef’s Grand Tasting Menus. 704-442-9525.

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Yesterday Condé Nash announced the November issue will be the last for Gourmet, which has been on the stands since 1940. For those of you who have subscribed, or occasionally bought the magazine, there are probably pages collected in your recipe archive or entire issues on a book shelf. I have several. Nowadays, though, recipes can be sent to my phone via Epicurious, a Condé Nash web site, while I’m shopping in a store or market. But I will mourn the loss of Gourmet’s test kitchen.

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Owners Tara and Mike Voigt have opened SAS Cupcakes, a chain of two with the original in Delaware, at 9941 Rea Road, 704-295-1777. This pink palace may be “too girly” as my son put it, but the cupcakes are fabulous. They have 30 flavors offered on a rotation basis, and at least 12 flavors daily. Cupcakes at $2.75 each; $15 for a half dozen; $30 for a dozen. SAS specializes in packaging and accessorizing (sprinkles) which kids can do. SAS also ships nationally from both stores: 704-295-1777 or 888-825-8988.

Another eatery opened in Blakeney Crossing Shopping Center is Newk’s Express Café, 9815 Rea Road, a fast casual restaurant concept from the McAlister’s Deli founders. This franchise is owned by Justin Karas. On the menu are soups, salads, toasted sandwiches, and pizzas. Hours are Sunday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.

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• Surprisingly, just as Elizabeth Avenue is reopened in front of their building, owners of NoFo on Liz shot out an e-mail Monday morning announcing their closing.

However, the other restaurants leasing from Grubb Properties are hosting a street crawl on Thursday, Oct. 15 to allow people to try their foods and enjoy the spiffed up “boulevard.”

• Many restaurateurs in town were saddened by the death of entrepreneur KoKo (Tiwanna) Hagans, owner of KoKoMo’s Coffeehouse on Fourth Street on Monday night.

• The smell of eucalyptus and money oozes from the newly opened Ritz Carlton in Center City. French-trained Chef and restaurateur Laurent Tourondel flew in from the Singapore to oversee the opening of BLT Steak, 110 N. College St., in The Ritz-Carlton, asking a few notable Charlotteans to join him for dinner last night. The Chef de Cuisine at the Charlotte BLT Steak is Aksel Theilkuhl. Tourondel’s eatery empire includes BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Market, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, and Fish Shack. BLT Steaks are located in Washington, DC; White Plains, New York; Los Angeles; Scottsdale, Arizona; Atlanta; Miami; Puerto Rico; and Hong Kong. Reservations: 704-972-4380 or www.bltrestaurants.com.

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