In Bizarre Foods Charlotte, part of the Delicious Destinations series featuring Andrew Zimmern, the host and his crew visited numerous restaurants in the city, showcasing a variety of unique and delicious dishes. Here is a convenient list of all the addresses and dishes highlighted in this exciting exploration of Charlotte’s food scene.
ANDREW ZIMMERN CHARLOTTE DISH – Barbecue
WHAT IS IT?
This dish is slow-cooked pork served with a spicy vinegar-based sauce. The chef’s rub, made in-house, features paprika, mustard seed, and garlic, creating a savory and crispy bark when cooked. The pork is smoked for 12 hours, resulting in succulent and tender meat that easily peels off the bone and fat. The restaurant offers both coarse and fine chop options, with the latter being used for the Lexington-style barbecue, which is bathed in Carolina dip for a sweet and sour flavor. Ketchup is not used in Eastern-style barbecue.
WHERE IS IT?
Sauceman’s
215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217, United States
Charlotte, United States
NOTES – DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE
North Carolina has two distinct styles of barbecue. The Eastern style involves slow-cooking entire pigs and pulling the meat to serve. The Central and Western regions, including Charlotte, prefer the Piedmont style, also known as Lexington barbecue. This style features finely chopped pork shoulder soaked in a thin ketchup-based sauce called “dip.”
DISH – Fried Chicken
WHAT IS IT?
This dish is fried chicken, known for its crispy and juicy texture and golden brown color. The Piedmont region’s signature preparation involves brining the chicken in salted water for 24 hours to retain moisture and flavor throughout the meat. The chicken is then coated in a seasoned flour mixture and fried until golden brown. White and dark meat are fried separately to ensure even cooking. Fried chicken is often served as a boxed meal with sides for a picnic on the go.
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WHERE IS IT?
Price’s Chicken Coop
1614 Camden Rd, Charlotte, NC 28203, United States
Charlotte, United States
NOTES – DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE
Fried chicken has its roots in the South and is believed to have arrived through multiple paths. The Scots had a tradition of deep-frying chicken while other Europeans preferred roasting or boiling their poultry. The Scots brought this custom to Virginia and the Carolinas. Additionally, many West African slaves also had a tradition of seasoning and batter-frying chicken for special occasions in their homeland.
Unfortunately, this restaurant has closed its doors.
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ANDREW ZIMMERN CHARLOTTE DISH – Pimento Cheese Sandwich
WHAT IS IT?
The pimento cheese sandwich consists of cheddar cheese, red peppers, and mayonnaise. Different chefs make it in various ways, but the basic recipe involves shredded sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack, and creamy white American cheese. Pickled jalapenos and canned pimentos add acidity and spice. The traditional recipe used cream cheese, but modern versions rely on mayonnaise. The sandwich is usually served cold as a spread or a dip. The popular grilled pimento deluxe at Common Market features double pimento cheese spread on sourdough bread with bacon and tomato.
WHERE IS IT?
Common Market SouthEnd
235 W Tremont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203, United States
Charlotte, United States
NOTES – DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE
Pimento cheese, a mix of cream cheese and canned Spanish pimentos, first appeared in New York in 1910 as an exciting new appetizer served on finger sandwiches at high society parties. It quickly gained popularity up and down the East coast. Around the same time, Southern farmers realized they could grow an abundance of the little red peppers, making the dish an inexpensive and easy meal for textile workers.
ANDREW ZIMMERN CHARLOTTE DISH – Fried Green Tomatoes
WHAT IS IT?
Fried green tomatoes are a Southern delicacy made with unripe tomatoes sliced to about 3/8 inch thickness. A chef often flavors the dredging flour with smoky paprika and seasoned salt, and the tomato is coated and dipped in buttermilk to add sourness. The breadcrumbs stick after the buttermilk wash, and the tomato is fried until crispy. It is served over goat cheese grits with a roasted red pepper sauce and fresh basil.
WHERE IS IT?
Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar
12 College St, Asheville, NC 28801, United States
Charlotte, United States
NOTES – DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE
The dish of fried green tomatoes is commonly associated with the Deep South, in part due to its portrayal in the popular book and movie “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” from 1991. However, early recipes for the dish were found in Jewish cookbooks from the Northeast. The popularity of the dish eventually spread to the South where tomato farming is common, but it did not become a restaurant staple until after the release of the film.
BIZARRE FOODS DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE DISH – Livermush
WHAT IS IT?
Livermush is an economical loaf made of ground pork liver, head parts, and fortified with grain. To create it, the chef seasons the pork liver, sears it in a hot pan, blends it into a smooth paste, and binds it with rice. The mixture is baked in a loaf pan, sliced and pan-fried when cooled. The dish is a modern take on an old-school livermush sandwich, with housemade bread, butter pickles, pickled onions, and finishes off with a drizzle of molasses syrup and tangy honey mustard.
WHERE IS IT?
Haberdish
3106 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205, United States
Charlotte, United States
NOTES – BIZARRE FOODS DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE
Livermush is a traditional Southern dish that exemplifies the practice of nose-to-tail cooking. It originated during leaner times when households sought ways to make use of all parts of a hog. Made from a mixture of ground pork liver, head parts, and grain, it is related to similar pork mashups such as Pennsylvania’s scrapple, Ohio’s goetta, and Northern Germany’s nipp sausage.
BIZARRE FOODS DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE DISH – Sweet Potato Pie
WHAT IS IT?
Sweet potato pie is a classic Southern dessert topped with whipped cream. To make the filling, boiled sweet potatoes are combined with brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, eggs, heavy cream, and flour for a thicker consistency. A surprise addition of bourbon and triple sec adds a unique flavor. The filling is baked in a crumbly graham cracker crust in a springform pan. Chopped pecans glazed in honey are spread on top of the baked pie, and each slice is served with a dollop of homemade cream.
WHERE IS IT?
dish
1220 Thomas Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205, United States
Charlotte, United States
NOTES – BIZARRE FOODS DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS CHARLOTTE
Sweet potatoes are an ancient crop that originated with the Incas and were later introduced to the southeastern United States, where they thrived in the sandy soil. Early settlers and Civil War soldiers relied on the nutritious vegetable for sustenance. Today, North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the United States, with an annual production of nearly 2 billion pounds.
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