The mussels at Le Cochon D’Or in Waxhaw. Kristen Wile/UP

Q: I love mussels and my favorite are from Good Food on Montford. Any other good mussels in the city?
UP: Me too! We went to Provence, France for my 30th birthday this summer and all I wanted to eat were moules frites (and wine, duh). Let’s start there, with moules frites. Aix en Provence is open for lunch (a lot of people don’t know this!), and they serve a moules frites that is fantastic. The mussels at Good Food have such a distinct flavor, they’re hard to beat, but these come close. Aix also serves mussels on their dinner menu, as does their sister restaurant down in Waxhaw, Le Cochon D’Or. I ate the mussels there this week, served with a simple white wine sauce. And though it’s simple, those sauces are easy to mess up. Cochon D’Or nailed it. I also had mussels at Aria this week (see, I really do enjoy them, that’s twice in one week!), and their white wine sauce goes heavy on the fennel, which is delicious. If you want something other than white wine sauce, they also serve a plum tomato sambuca-sauced option. Aria’s mussels are huge, too. Another notable: Sea Level in Uptown serves solid mussels with a white wine sauce.

Q: My mother’s birthday falls on Thanksgiving, and she would like to go out to eat and for some reason thinks I know things about restaurants in CLT post child. I don’t. Growing up she was the food editor of Redbook so taking her to the Capital Grill would be the best way to get knocked off the favorite child list.
UP: We know things about restaurants, so you’re in the right place! It can be intimidating planning a meal for a foodie, especially on their birthday on Thanksgiving! Yikes. Thanksgiving is tough because a lot of places are closed, but luckily, there are good options for you. 5Church is a reliable place to bring the food-obsessed because of chef Jamie Lynch’s Top Chef run. They’re serving a special tasting menu for $45 a person on Thanksgiving (wine pairings are another $15; kids under 12 are $20 if they’re coming along, too). The meal is three courses, and while there are turkey and ham options as your main course, there are also vegetarian stuffed squash, filet mignon, and scallop options. See the full menu here.

Hotel restaurants are always open, and they’ve been getting much better in Charlotte. The Asbury will be open and serving a menu with more traditional Thanksgiving options and family-style sides in Uptown; that menu isn’t yet published but should hit Facebook this week. Pricing is $55, $25 for kids ages 6-10, and free for kids 5 and younger. There will be seatings at 12:30 or 12:45 and between 3 and 3:45 p.m. Down the street, Stoke in the Marriott is also doing a special tasting menu, this one four courses with the first two being shared among the table. It’s $60 a person, and the meal ends with the famous one-pound doughnut. The last seating is at 5 p.m.

Q: Where should we do our company holiday gathering for 25 people? Maybe a holiday guide!?!
UP: This is a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion. I’m working on gathering a list of available private dining rooms and should have that ready for you next week, so check back then. But in the meantime, if you’re looking for a seated dinner for 25 people, here are my suggestions. Fin & Fino in Uptown has beautiful private dining rooms, I’m actually co-hosting an event there next week with a group of women entrepreneurs. I also continue to be impressed with Carpe Diem; the food is crowd-pleasing and consistent, and the dining room is beautiful. If you’re looking for more of a mix-and-mingle kind of event, Haymaker’s upstairs dining room is beautiful.

Q: Did you get that vegan short rib recipe from chef Matt?
UP: I did! I just posted it for you. You can find that recipe from our how to cook with squash primer here.