August 20, 2020
Q&A: Apprenticeships, restaurants with outdoor seating, and great sprinkles
Each week, we answer your questions about food and drink in Charlotte
The patio at Grinning Mule in Plaza Midwood. Kristen Wile/UP
Q: Can you recommend Charlotte restaurants with outdoor seating?
UP: If we’re talking about new places, Grinning Mule and Alchemy both have cozy patios. I had a great dinner at Fin & Fino on Friday night; they have live music and the patio feels very big-city with the lights from Uptown flickering around it. We also recently compiled a list of our top picks for outdoor dining around town. And for even more options, you can use the restaurant finder’s “Good For” drop down and select the outdoor dining option.
Q: Is there a local shop that sells great sprinkles? Going to attempt to make my daughter’s birthday cake this year and want something special (aka not from Harris Teeter or Amazon).
UP: If you asked this in a few weeks, I’d have a great answer for you: Sweet Spot Studio is opening a retail shop on Sept. 5 on Monroe Road. In the meantime, I asked a few pastry chefs, they said they usually order theirs online. Locally, however, they suggest Cake Depot (though they only have various colors of the classic sprinkles). Also recommended, though, not locally owned, were HomeGoods and Marshalls!
Q: What’s your favorite octopus dish in Charlotte?
UP: Octopus is a must-order for me! My favorite has to be from Aqua e Vino. Their polipo is served with olives and capers, giving a nice salinity, while artichokes and roasted pepper bring a bit of earthiness to the dish. It’s always cooked to tender deliciousness, too — the most important thing.
Q: Our daughter (13 years old) has enjoyed cooking with us at home for years and has done a number of various cooking classes that she is eligible for. We also subscribe to RaddishKids, which she seems to have aged out of. We’d really like for her to start to meet and/or work with professional chefs, but not sure how best to coordinate that. We understand given her age, it might be difficult, but just wanted to see if you knew of any chefs in the Charlotte area that might be interested in having some extra free help (ie: prep work before service or a catering event) and would enjoy providing some guidance for our daughter and her desire to learn more about the food industry.
UP: Chefs, interested in an apprentice? Shoot me an email and I’ll connect you.
Have a question for us? Send to to editor@unpretentiouspalate.com and we’ll answer it for you next week!
