Aria Tuscan Grill CHARLOTTE 94

8pm on a Thursday, I found myself Uptown; the light rain coming down was no match for my growling stomach as my boyfriend David and I tried to decide where would dine that evening. Our first thought was Sonoma so we headed over to Tryon St where we were happy to take advantage of the valet. Unfortunately Sonoma was having a private party, so we found ourselves back to square one. That’s when it dawned on us that Aria is owned by the same restaurant group and literally around the corner from Sonoma.

We walked into Aria and were told there would be about a 30minute wait. Despite being busy, we were able to snag a couple seats at the bar. The bar itself is not to be missed, featuring a huge glass encased wine rack which shows off over 100 bottles from Aria’s impressive wine list. The restaurant had a modern décor, but managed to be cozy and comfortable at the same time. We had to start with their limoncello, which is house made, and definitely my new favorite drink for the summer: a lemon liqueur, sweet and refreshing.

We were excited when we were seated earlier then expected, within 10 minutes of being at the bar. It was time to get down to business. Aria’s menu is described as old world comfort food featuring simple, classic, Italian, and served in a contemporary atmosphere. All of their appetizers sounded amazing, and it was hard to choose just one to start with. I decided on the steamed mussels (bottom left), and when they came out I was glad I had only ordered one. There was a large portion of mussels served in a huge bowl with a plum tomato sauce, sambuca, fennel and herbs. The mussels themselves were really nicely done, not chewy in the slightest, and the sauce they were served in had a hint of sweetness to it. The tomato sauce was great for dipping bread in as well. Even with Dave’s help we didn’t finish all of the mussels for fear of being to full for our entrees.

It didn’t take long for our main courses to come out. I had gone with the Veal Scallopini, while Dave went with their Wild Boar Pappardelle (top left) special. My scallopini was awesome, two thin and tender pieces of veal served in a lemon butter sauce with capers, parsley, and broccoli rabe. The lemon butter sauce covered the bottom of the plate, which I was thankful for because it was delicious even on the broccoli. The real showstopper, however, was the special Dave ordered. Pappardelle is an egg noodle comparable to a broader fettuccini. It was served in an amazing tomato sauce with shredded wild boar meat throughout. It was an adventurous dish, executed perfectly, and my favorite thing that we had.

At the end of the meal I was beyond stuffed, but I felt great. My only regret? Not having enough room to try one of their desserts. I gave Aria a 94; the service, food, and atmosphere made for a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait to go back in and try more.

Soul Gastro Lounge CHARLOTTE 86

I was very excited to check out Soul the other night because it's walking distance from my apartment, and I've heard great things. If you're planning on going over the weekend for dinner; plan on waiting. Soul is always packed with people dining and drinking alike on Friday and Saturday night. While we were told there was an hour wait (for two) the bf and I were seated on their small upper deck within 20 minutes; which is great if you don't mind cigarette smoke, and has a pretty sweet view of the city. Soul is the perfect place for different tastes because their menu includes sandwiches, salads, tapas, and sushi. The bf and I decided to try the sashimi tacos, curried lamb skewers and a couple sushi rolls. The sashimi tacos were a-ma-zing!! Three homemade wontons made into little taco shells stuffed with tuna and drizzled with a spicy sauce (pretty sure it was wasabi aioli). The sushi was also dynamite, we both loved the soul roll (pictured above), which was perfected by jalapenos. The sushi is cut pretty big, and can be hard to eat, but it's so good it doesn't really matter (unless you're on a first date maybe). The only disappointment was the curried lamb skewers. The bf had tried out Soul the week before and had been raving over how great the lamb was. Unfortunately the night we ordered it the lamb was way overdone, making it EXTREMELY chewy and hard to eat.. it was also pretty bland. I was told that the past order had been perfect with a stronger curry flavor so I'm definitely interested in giving the lamb a second chance, and with everything else I tried that night I'm sure it was a minor glitch. The sake selection was small yet foolproof. We tried the "g" sake which we both loved! Aside from that, they have a good selection of beer and liquor. The service was okay but not really noteworthy, maybe even slightly chaotic. It's definitely a fun and cool atmosphere, but it can also be loud (there's a DJ inside) and dark. Go for a good time and great sushi (although the tapas are definitely worth checking out as well). I will definitely be going back to try more. Overall I gave Soul an 86.

Cajun Queen CHARLOTTE 78

Last night I was starving and craving some New Orleans style cuisine. The bf and I decided to try out Cajun Queen off of E 7th St. It was pretty good, but not great. We decided to start out with the "Cajun popcorn" (pictured left) which was lightly fried pieces of crawfish tale in a light and tasty sherry remoulade sauce. It was our favorite dish of the night. I was worried that the crawfish would be overly fried and overcooked, but this wasn't the case at all. The lemon wedges that came with the appetizer made it the perfect dish. The bf decided to try the shrimp and crawfish etouffee for his main course, while I opted for the blackened mahi mahi with a crawfish and tasso sauce. The etouffee was definitely the tastier choice, even though the shrimp wasn't seasoned and was pretty bland. The mahi was okay but the mashed potatoes it came with tasted old and dry (reminiscent of fast food KFC mashed potatoes). They had an almost overwhelming cocktail selection, which is cool because it caters to many tastes. I had a cadillac margarita which, if you like grand marnier in your margs, was awesome. I also tried a tornado (rum, banana liquor and OJ) and it was very very sweet. The meal was satisfying for my craving, but I feel as if I could find a better Cajun restaurant. Overall I gave Cajun Queen a 78; I'll go back, but not very often.