Ants Marching from The Punch Room, made with dried ants. Kristen Wile/UP

Q: What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten in Charlotte?
UP: I’ll give you a drink and dishes! The weirdest drink has to be Ants Marching, a cocktail from The Punch Room made with dried ants. It actually was quite delicious, though, the ants add an interesting savory flavor to the drink. I don’t really think of these dishes as weird, but definitely less common: Block & Grinder used to serve a variety of game burgers, and I had a kangaroo burger. I didn’t love it; I found the meat an unfortunate combination of dry and gamey. The Asbury is currently serving smoked duck hearts, which I love.

Q: What are some good restaurants in the Ballantyne area?
UP: Ballantyne is a tough one. Most of the development down there is new and sprawling, which doesn’t leave much affordable space for chef-driven restaurants. True Handcrafted Pizza is nearby, and Kebab-Je is fantastic. There’s also Midwood Smokehouse. If you’re willing to drive a bit, you can head to Waverly to check out Yama, Co, or Ted’s. In the other direction are Santé and Flipside café. Readers, can you help us out on Ballantyne?

Q: Where is the best seafood?
UP: There’s more and more of it! I would vote Fin & Fino or Sea Level. I’ve had such great experiences at both, on a consistent basis. You get a very different vibe at each; Fin & Fino feels a little more bright and sea-like, whereas Sea Level has that popular industrial-chic vibe. Halcyon always does a fantastic job with their fish courses if you’re looking for a more diverse menu, and they tend to have multiple surf courses on the menu.

Q: Am I allowed to buy more than two tickets for Unpretentious Previews?
UP:  Only if you’re subscribed as an Unpretentious Couple. We set the limit of two tickets per subscriber in order to ensure more people can attend when seating is extremely limited; each subscriber gets to bring one guest. If you and someone else are subscribed as an Unpretentious Couple, though, you can each bring one guest, so you are able to buy four. Hope that makes sense!

Have a question for us? Send it to Kristen at kristen@unpretentiouspalate.com and we’ll answer it next week!