A Perfectly Eclectic Evening

Taking two of our favorite joints and combining it into one evening may, on its surface, seem like a weird combo. I will be the first to say that it was a bit of an "eclectic evening" but why restrict yourself from enjoying the best aspects of two restaurants in one night just because the genres don't exactly jive. And besides, as you will see, there is a thread of commonality here.

In the heart of what is affectionately known by all as NODA ("North Davidson"), Cabo Fish Taco sits proudly amongst the hippie hangouts. Now getting from point A (Uptown) to point B (NODA) is a bit of a scenic adventure. The area between these two destination points is definitely ghetto-rific....not like South Bronx ghetto-rific but enough to make you ask yourself if you are going the right way. Don't worry, you are and as soon as you see people manhandling trees and singing Hare Krishna songs, you know you have arrived!

Serving up Baja-style cuisine with a Californian twist, Cabo has made it on the list of Must Tries in Charlotte. Owned by three graduates of Virginia Tech, this is a hotbed for Hokie sitings as they fly south for football season (plenty of them last night for the Tech vs. ECU game this weekend). I know what you are saying if you have never been here...why the hell would I put fish on a taco when there are plenty of other proven meats that go perfectly well with a flour tortilla....or more simply, not a big fan of fish and putting it on a taco makes it all that less appealing. Au contraire my little foodie followers. At first, I wasn't sold at the sound of this combo as well but one step into this bustling restaurant proves that this place is the real deal and the first bite of their signature Cabo Fish Tacos (beer-battered cod with cabbage slaw, avocado, cheese and a cilantro cream sauce - pictured below) will be a religious experience not soon forgotten.

All tables receive a basket of corn tortilla chips with a side of corn salsa as you peruse the menu. The chips and corn salsa are good but nothing remarkable but if you go here on a Friday or Saturday night and have to wait for a table as long as you will have to, you could put a box of Ritz Crackers in front of me and I will call it a gift from the gods. On the drink menu, Cabo offers a variety of beers including a selection of Mexican beers - Tecate, Bohemia, Pacifico and Modelo Especial to name a few. If you are in the mood for a margarita, Cabo has a nice list of margs as well but as a warning (or a strong recommendation), we got a Patron Margarita on the rocks to start and I am pretty sure that I had about the fourth of the bottle of Patron in my glass.

On the food side, my recommendations include the Cabo Fish Taco (of course), the Blackened Mahi Tacos or the Serrano Chicken Tacos. All Tacos come with your choice of 1 side which include items such as black beans & rice, mexi-slaw, baja rice and cucumber salad. One thing I really love about the tacos here is the perfectly fried flour tortillas that are slightly crispy but still pliable enough to fold like a taco. I have had people tell me that the burritos are ok but a little bland so my thought is when you come to Cabo Fish Taco, GET A TACO and save the burritos for the guy under the Wachovia building (you know, the one who hates credit card payers and is locally famous for his chicken tinga).

One of the best parts of going to Cabo is the people watching. It truly is a potpourri of patrons that you will see on any given night...from the bankers that try to blend in with their flip flops and fish belts to the locals who have piercings in areas that seem unnatural to have a hole. While the look of the customers is all over the board, the one thing they have in common and the reason you will find yourself becoming a Cabo lover is you can't get enough of those tacos! My recommendation is to go on Wednesdays as we typically do and start at Dolce Vita for half price wines (two doors down) before stumbling over to Cabo for some fantastic grub.

So from the fare of Baja / S. California, we made our way up the coast to a restaurant that feels like it was plucked right out of Napa and has quickly become one of our favorite local hangouts. Fig Tree Restaurant at the Lucas House on 7th Street is truly a special occasion destination for those searching for a place to bring someone you love (or someone who you would like to seal the deal with). Greg Zanitsch, chef/owner bring his experience from The Ritz Carlton - Maui and the highly acclaimed Auberge du Soleil in Napa to this intimate Charlotte bungalow in the Elizabeth area. And Sara Scheidler (Greg's better half and front-of-the-house manager) makes every visit feel like you are visiting old friends.

Now I will admit that we do not go here that often for dinner since this is not one of those spur-of-the-moment places you decide to go because you are just hungry. What we lack in dinner patronage we make up in wine and dessert visits and have now made Fig Tree a permanent fixture in our Friday or Saturday night routine. So, in typical Friday fashion, dinner was Cabo and afterdinner drinks and dessert was Fig Tree. On tap for dessert last night was Greg's play on coffee and donuts...warm beignets with a cinnamon creme anglaise and an espresso cup of homemade coffee ice cream...I mean seriously, if the word gets out on these, the whole Charlotte Police Dept may be lining up outside. We also had a chance to try a bunch of different wines...a Hook & Ladder Cab that was great for a wine-by-the-glass selection, a Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cepages" that you better get in to try because it will blow any bottle of your typical Silver Oak out of the water, a few buttery whites that, considering I had a hard time remembering my name and address at this point, I can't recall the names and lastly a dessert wine by Torres (Moscatel Oro I believe) that was perfect to cap off a great evening.

When you go, the place may look small but the hospitality is huge. Mark will likely be waiting for you behind the bar and servers will periodically stop by to pick up their drinks for their other tables and naturally jump into the conversation that you will surely be having with either Mark, Sara or Greg when he peaks his head out from the kitchen. If you do decide to make a full evening out of Fig Tree (which I would highly recommend if you are in the mood to celebrate), the servers are the cream of the crop in Charlotte and are very knowledgable about the menu and the wine selection so don't be shy in asking their views on things. Also, make sure you get a bottle of wine here with dinner since it is Greg's philosphy that wine should not only be for special occasions but enjoyed with every great meal and it is apparent when you check out the lower mark-ups vs other restaurants.

In this blog, I will abstain from providing a burger rating but will leave you with this...get your ass over to Cabo for some S. Californian tacos; you will not be disappointed and we will see you at the N. Californian-inspired Fig Tree for some wine and dessert afterwards.