Q: Any suggestions for Saturday night for good cocktails and tapas or small plates? Some of us are in the Cotswold area, the others are in Ballantyne, but we’ll all generally meet anywhere.
Tom: Many Charlotte restaurants feature small and shared plates. If you are going out on a Saturday, you’ll definitely need reservations though. Some of my favorite spots for combining good cocktails with small or shared plates are Chapter 6 in South End, Albertine in Uptown, and Catalú in LoSo. If your group leans sushi, also check out Yama Waverly and Yama LoSo. There’s also folia in South End, which is more cocktail-forward, but has a nice selection of fun nibbles. Let me know where you go.

Q:  What’s a good birthday gift for my food-loving friend?
Tom: Off the bat, gift cards to local restaurants are always good gifts. Just about every restaurant offers them. You can also head to one of the area farmers markets on a Saturday and put together a gift basket featuring craft foods made by local food artisans. I also recommend the cookbooks written by NC chefs Bruce Moffett (Bruce Moffett Cooks), Vivian Howard (Deep Run Roots), and William Dissen (Thoughtful Cooking). Of course, the best two food gifts I can think of are the UP Old Fashioned Kit plus a gift subscription to Unpretentious Palate.

Have a question for us? Email us at editor@unpretentiouspalate.com and we’ll answer it on our next Concierge Thursday!