Restaurant Forty Six, Kannapolis, North Carolina

A short drive northeast of Charlotte along Interstate 85 will take you to the towns of Concord and Kannapolis, North Carolina. Kannapolis was home to the former Cannon Mill Village, which has now been refurbished into a mixed use development adjacent to the North Carolina Research Campus. I recently dined at Restaurant Forty Six, which is located within Cannon Village. The atmosphere is upscale and, although the menu isn't enormous, the food is delicious. I had a wonderful three course dinner consisting of the warm goat cheese salad (field greens, diced beet, tomato and pancetta with granny smith apple slices and dressed with bacon-balsamic vinaigrette, topped with warm goat cheese); Chicken Santorini (sauteed chicken with garden vegetables in a light tomato sauce with kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese topped with parmesan shavings); and, for dessert, the lemon berry mascarpone cake.

Warm goat cheese salad

Chicken Santorini

Lemon berry mascarpone cake

For More Information: Restaurant Forty Six, 101 West Avenue, Kannapolis, NC 28081

Cafe Sienna, Charlotte, North Carolina

At Cafe Sienna, in Uptown (City Center) Charlotte, North Carolina, diners enjoy a pleasant atmosphere and upscale cuisine touted as "Mediterranean Fusion." I dined at Cafe Sienna recently during Charlotte's restaurant week. My three course meal included French onion soup to start things off; filet mignon with asparagus, polenta, and shrimp; and creme brûlée for dessert.

Filet mignon with asparagus, polenta, and shrimp

Creme Brûlée

For More Information: Cafe Sienna Trattoria E Barra

The Old Bavaria Inn Restaurant, Helen, Georgia

The Old Bavaria Inn Restaurant in the "Alpine Village" of Helen, Georgia, in the north Georgia foothills, serves up delicious German cuisine of all sorts.

Pretzel, onion and Swiss cheese spaetzel, and potato soup

Pork schnitzel sandwich and German potato salad

Apple strudel

Old Bavaria Inn Restaurant, Helen, Georgia

Helen, Georgia

Helen, Georgia

For More Information: The Old Bavaria Inn Restaurant, Helen, Georgia

Killington's Restaurant and Pub, Huntersville, North Carolina

In the northern Charlotte suburb of Huntersville, North Carolina, Killington's Restaurant and Pub, a gastropub, offers a wide variety of creative, well-presented and delicious entrées. The three food photos below show the Rosedale chicken, pretzel encrusted pork tenderloin, and coconut chicken.

Rosedale Chicken (with mozzarella, roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic, balsamic, and served with sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes)

Pretzel encrusted pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and asparagus

Coconut chicken with rice and mango

For More Information: Killington's Restaurant and Pub

Nothing But Noodles, Birmingham, Alabama

Although a chain restaurant, Nothing But Noodles, offers a wide variety of delicious noodle dishes representative of Asian, Italian, and North American cuisine. The food photo below shows Tofu Pad Thai and "Asian" Salad at the Birmingham, Alabama Nothing But Noodles location. Pad Thai is one of Thailand's "national dishes".

Tofu Pad Thai, Asian Salad, and Iced Tea at Nothing But Noodles

For More Information: Nothing But Noodles 

Plaza Fiesta Carolinas, Fort Mill, South Carolina

Plaza Fiesta Carolinas is an indoor mall with retail and restaurants built around a Latin American town "plaza". Plaza Fiesta is next to the Carowinds theme park along the South Carolina/North Carolina border in suburban Charlotte. The food court area in and around the main central plaza has a wide variety of restaurants representing many countries throughout Latin America. The food photo below shows "Lomo Saltado", a traditional Peruvian dish of marinated beef, onions, tomatoes, peppers, spices, sauce, and fried potatoes and rice.

Lomo Saltado, a typical dish from Peru

For More Information: Plaza Fiesta Carolinas

Pupuseria, Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte's eastland area along Central Avenue is an international corridor containing restaurants, retail, and other business representative from many places around the world - particularly Latin America and Asia. At the corner of Central Avenue and Rosehaven Drive, there is a restaurant selling traditional Salvadoran and Mexican cuisine, with a sign out front along the road that says Pupuseria". The pupusas (traditional Salvadoran thick corn tortilla filled with a blend of cheese, pork meat ground to a paste, squash, or refried beans) are excellent, and the tacos are very similar to what you will find in many areas of Mexico. The tacos al pastor (traditional in many areas of central Mexico, typically prepared with marinated pork, onion, pineapple, cilantro, lime juice, and salsa) are wonderful. The food photo below showcases the pupusa and tacos al pastor.

Pupusa (left) and tacos al pastor (right)