Indaco is an Italian cuisine restaurant located in Charlotte, North Carolina’s South End neighborhood. It is part of the Atherton Mill shopping and dining center. Indaco offers lunch and dinner daily with a full bar. According to their website, a half-priced pizza happy hour is available Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. I had the opportunity to dine at Indaco during Charlotte's Restaurant Week. Indaco was offering items on their normal menu as part of three courses for $35. My wife and I, along with another couple, visited Indaco for dinner on Thursday January 23rd, 2020. We were promptly greeted at the entrance and was informed of a small wait. The hostess recommended we grab a drink at the bar and thanked us for our patience. Once a table opened, we were seated in the upper level of the restaurant. First Course Ashley and I choose different items to try per our server's recommendations. We ordered the Fried Artichokes and Calabrese-Style Sausage pizza as our first course. The artichokes were flavorful, but not as outstanding as I had hoped. However, our Calabrese-Style Sausage pizza was great and something I would order again. Ashley and I also thought the Calabrese-Style Sausage was a better choice that the Littleneck Clams pizza our friends ordered. In addition, our friends ordered the Burrata as a first course option. It was a delightful dish with fresh burrata cheese, butternut squash puree, and prosciutto. The bowl was empty by the time our second course arrived at the table. Second Course Each person had a choice among pastas and other entrées for their second course. Ashley ordered the Agnolotti; a pasta dish consisting of braised pork shoulder, mozzarella, and Pecorino in a red sauce. I ordered the Squid Ink Orecchiette with shrimp, saffron, and Parmesan in a red sauce. Both pasta dishes contained rich flavors and aroma. I would recommend either pasta dish depending on personal preference for meat or seafood. Our friends ordered two of the Pappardelle. This pasta option contains ragu alla bolognese, Parmesan, and parsley. They thoroughly enjoyed it as well. All the pasta dishes I saw served around us looked fantastic. Next time, Ashley wants to try the Bucatini. This pasta is Indaco's version of a Cacio e Pepe. Third Course Indaco offered five different dessert options for restaurant week. Ashley ordered the Chocolate Budino; a combination of caramel, whipped cream, and a sweet biscuit. I asked for only Limoncello Sorbet, while our friends tried the Panna Cotta. None of us typically order desserts, but we all thought they contained fresh and flavorful ingredients. Wine There are many affordable options on Indaco’s wine list. Wine by the glass and bottle are available. Most wine bottles on the list are Italian. There are wines available for pairing with many Italian dishes on the menu. We ordered two bottles of the 2016 Melini Terrarosa Chianti Classico DOCG. This Chianti is ruby-red with hints of dark cherry and raspberry. I would recommend this wine to anyone looking for an all-around solid choice at Indaco. Service The service we received at Indaco exceeded expectations; especially, during restaurant week. Our server listened to our questions and provided excellent recommends. We were not disappointed in anything brought to the table. Our server checked on us intermittently and never left glasses empty. We enjoyed our dining experience and plan to return soon. Angeline's is an Italian-inspired restaurant located in Charlotte's Uptown. The restaurant is also connected to the Kimpton Hotel. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner served daily. Brunch is offered on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are available via Open Table. Ashley and I went to Angeline's for a New Year's Eve dinner. We dined with another couple in Uptown to celebrate the holiday. This marked our second visit to the restaurant in about a year. Angeline's offered a special multi-course dinner for $75 a person. The special menu offered many options for the appetizer, pasta, entree, and dessert courses. A wine paring with each course was available for $35 a person. The normal dinner menu was also available. Our friends opted for the multi-course dinner while Ashley and I selected items from the regular menu. The food at Angeline's is one of the main reasons we went to visit again. We ordered the Charred Octopus for the table as an appetizer. It was a sizable and delicious portion to share. Our next course of food included multiple pasta dishes. Our friends had the stuffed ravioli on the special menu. Ashley ordered the Spaghetti Chitarra, while I ordered the Vongole. I had asked for the Vongole to be prepared without butter. I was appreciative that Angeline's was able to accommodate this request. All three pasta dishes were outstanding. I would recommend any option for a future visit. For the entree course, Ashley and I shared the Ribeye. It is a 21 day dry-aged cut. Angeline's was able to cook the steak without butter per my request. The steak came out perfectly at a medium-rare temperature. The Confit Red Bliss potatoes served with it were delectable as well. We decided to share two bottles of wine in lieu of the wine pairing. The restaurant's sommelier assisted us with selecting our first bottle of Nebbiolo. The wine was a nice balance of dryness and fruity aromas. He did a good job listening to each person's interests and recommended something that pleased the table. Our second bottle was one of Angeline's more affordable Barolo bottles. This wine choice was a better pairing with our steak entree. Both of our wine bottles were very good. While I believe Angeline's bottle prices are higher than average for a restaurant, I was not disappointed with what was ordered.
Our waiter did a fabulous job answering questions and catering requests. The food was brought out in the correct course order. Everything we ate and drank exceeded expectations. The only downside to our evening was how long it took for the food to come out. We were seated at 9 p.m. and did not leave the restaurant until 12:10 a.m. A multi-course meal does take time to enjoy, but I did not expect a three-hour dinner. Angeline's food, wine, and service impressed me for a second time. My wife and I enjoy the upscale atmosphere, service, and Italian-inspired cuisine. I would recommend Angeline's fine dining experience for any special occasion or gathering with friends. Hand rolls (temaki sushi) are another kind of sushi that you can easily make at home. They are a rolled cone of seaweed (nori) with filling and rice inside. It takes some practice to make a hand roll correctly. The directions below are a simple way to make small, bite-sized hand rolls. Hand Roll Directions
1. Cut a piece of seaweed paper (nori) into four equally-sized squares. 2. Take one of the squares and hold it at a diagonal (diamond shape) in the palm of a hand. 3. Add rice to the middle of the diamond shaped seaweed. 4. Add filling on top of the rice. 5. Begin rolling the seaweed paper with your thumb towards the middle. 6. Continue rolling after the seaweed touches filling and rice to round out the cone. 7. Put the completed hand roll on a platter for serving. To view the more blog posts in this multi-part series on making sushi at home, click the links below:
When making sushi for friends and family, I enjoy surprising them with interesting rolls. Meal planning is required to create flavorful and colorful rolls. My wife and I often visit a local sushi restaurant for their specialty rolls. These sushi roll recipes are some of my favorite creations inspired by the restaurant. Rainbow Roll Ingredients: Cucumber, Avocado, Imitation Crab, Salmon, Tuna 1. Create a California Roll (imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber) as filling with rice on the outside1. Add sushi rice to a piece of seaweed paper (nori). 2. Before flipping over the rice covered seaweed paper, lay pieces of salmon and tuna widthwise along the top half. 3. Turn the rice and fish covered seaweed paper over and add the filling of imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber (California Roll). 4. Follow the normal steps of rolling it together. Volcano Roll Ingredients: Cucumber, Avocado, Imitation Crab, Cooked Shrimp, Siracha, Mayonnaise 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees on BAKE. 2. Cut up pieces of jumbo cooked shrimp and mix in a bowl with Siracha Mayo (Siracha and mayonnaise mixed together). 3. Spread the spicy mayo shrimp mixture on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. 4. Bake the shrimp mixture in the oven for 15 minutes. 5. When the shrimp is done cooking, add more of the spicy mayo to it and BROIL for 1-2 more minutes. 5. While the shrimp is backing, make a California Roll with imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber as filling with rice on the outside. Other fillings such as salmon or tuna instead can be substituted for imitation crab. This step is the same as making the Rainbow Roll without adding salmon and tuna to the outside. 6. Plate the California Roll and spoon the shrimp mixture on top. 401 Providence Roll Ingredients: Cucumber, Avocado, Salmon, Tuna, Seaweed Salad 1. Create a sushi roll with cucumber, avocado, salmon, and tuna with rice on the outside. 2. Plate the roll pieces on their sides instead of flat. 3. Pinch pieces of seaweed salad (pre-made at grocery stores) and add to the top of the roll pieces. Philadelphia Maki Roll Ingredients: Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese 1. Cut a piece of seaweed paper in half. 2. Add rice to the seaweed paper and then add a thin line of cheese cheese as filling. 3. Add pieces of smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese. 4. Follow the normal steps of rolling it together. *Note that you can use non-dairy almond cream cheese as well.* Spicy Tuna Maki Roll Ingredients: Tuna, Siracha, Mayonnaise 1. Mix together pieces of tuna with Siracha Mayo (Siracha and mayonnaise mixed) in a bowl. 2. Cut a piece of seaweed paper in half. 3. Add rice to the seaweed paper and then add the tuna and spicy mayonnaise mixture as filling. 4. Follow the normal steps of rolling it together. To view the more blog posts in this multi-part series on making sushi at home, click the links below:
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