Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Bits and crumbs

Bruegger's now offers "Cafe Salads," five 24-ounce salads with 330 or fewer calories, for $4.99 at most locations. Harvest chicken classic Cobb, sesame chicken, Mandarin medley and chicken Caesar are also available in a larger entree size.

Capital Grille has a new summer "plates" menu, which gives diners soup/salad, a sandwich and a side for $18. Three of each category are offered, for mix and match. Among the choices are roasted corn bisque, annatto-rubbed mahi with corn tortillas, lobster roll, watermelon and tomato with feta and more. 201 N. Tryon St.; 704-348-1400.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bruegger's? Capital Grille? After completing the Zagat survey, I suspect you had a hand in selecting the inlcuded restaurants? P.F. Chang's (a chain) makes the cut, but no Cabo Fish Taco, no Lupie's, NO TERRA! Helen, I am sure you are a nice lady, but your coverage of restaurants in Charlotte borders on malpractice.

Helen Schwab said...

Hi, Anon. I'm afraid I had nothing to do with P.F. Chang's being in the survey, though it routinely has done extremely well in the Charlotte results. That means that many area voters have rated it highly. I do suggest places to include in the survey, but it is Zagat's decision on which to include, and it is only the voters (and I don't vote) who determine ratings. Tell me more about what you miss in coverage, either here, or by email... Thanks.

Anonymous said...

RIP Sonoma

Anonymous said...

Helen, my wife jumped all over me regarding the wording in my comment and she was right - I apologize. Regarding what I would like to see, that is easy enough - local, local, local. Given the frequency of the blog, it would easy to fill a vast majority of the content with info on strictly Charlotte area restaurants - new restuarants, menu changes, profiles on the owner/operators. It is likely that the reason folks continue to patron and rate chain restaurants, is because they don't know about the local gems.

Helen Schwab said...

Thanks for following up (and thanks, Mrs. Anon). I'm in your camp on locally owned places: They are definitely my emphasis, but I include news from any area place, chain or otherwise, that I think readers will find useful. You're right that we could fill oceans of space with non-chain news; time is the primary factor. That's relevant two ways: Smaller places tend not to have PR machines, meaning it takes more time to ferret out news; and I work half time. Readers can encourage their favorites to share news at hschwab@charlotteobserver.com -- or let me know about news themselves (I'll check with the restaurants). That's one way to help all of us who care about keeping our local scene vibrant. Again, thanks!