November 19, 2020
Q&A: Why Asian cuisine is hard to find and in-person events
Each week, we answer your questions about food and drink in Charlotte
Dumplings from Dragon Court, a good alternative to Dim Sum on Central Avenue for those craving, well, dim sum. Kristen Wile/UP
Q: Why do you think certain Asian cuisines (Korean, Filipino, Szechuan) are so hard to find in CLT?
UP: Sadly, I think it is mostly the market here. I think of places like Rai Lai, which opened as more authentic Thai, but added sushi to the menu not long later. Charlotte also seems to generalize that international cuisine should be cheaper, which means a lot of menus won’t work pricing-wise — either restaurants charge a fair price and diners think it’s too much, or they charge what diners think is fair and don’t make enough money. Lastly, Charlotte’s real estate market is expensive in and around Uptown, so many of these concepts that do exist are outside of Charlotte proper.
Q: Are you surprised by the Nova’s news?
UP: I’m not, and there are a few reasons. The first is that the owners are near retirement age, and there has never really been a clear succession plan, and why would you fight to keep a business open during a pandemic when you are close to retiring anyway? The other big one is that while Nova’s Bakery was one of the first bakeries to open in town, a lot has changed since, and they have a lot more competition — some extremely talented competition, too, when you consider pop-ups and brick-and-mortar spots.
Q: We miss your events! Will they ever be back?
UP: Ugh, us too! We were hoping to be in the works of planning an in-person event right now, but given where things are headed with the Covid-19 numbers, we’ve decided to pull back. We do have a virtual event on Monday, though, and we’ll have a really cool guest along with Justin Hazelton of Leah & Louise: Victoria Butler, the master blender at Uncle Nearest. Get your tickets here. We’re also announcing something really cool for you at home… stay tuned!
