Dolce Vita Wine Bar CHARLOTTE 94

My girlfriend had been hounding me about trying Dolce Vita (in Noda) after trying it for the first time last weekend... Now it's me that will be hounding YOU to go and check this place out! I decided to go in with said girlfriend for a late lunch yesterday afternoon a little after 2pm. We had the whole place to ourselves which was awesome, but at the same time unfortunate that everyone else in CLT was missing out! The restaurant itself is small, comfortable and inviting... perfect for a casual hangout with friends or a romantic date. I absolutely fell in love with the warm colors and cozy tables. I browsed the lunch menu despite the fact that I knew what I wanted: a personal pepperoni pizza with fresh mozzarella (top left). The lunch menu also offers tasty sounding sandwiches and a personal pizza sans meat. After I ordered I realized that I also had to have the baked brie appetizer(top right). If you like brie you MUST try this appetizer.. even if you don't like brie I still think you should try it. It was simply phenomenal!! The brie was perfect and warm inside a bread shell (croissant like, flakey and delicious) drizzled with a little honey and balsamic and served with pita chips and crackers. I will probably order this appetizer every time I go back. Even still, the main star was the pizza which is the best I've had since I moved to Charlotte in August. It wasn't soaked through with grease like most pizza, and everything about it screamed fresh. The mozzarella really makes the pizza, and the thin but tasty crust makes it very easy to polish off the whole thing. It was so good that I had to force myself to save a piece to bring home to the bf (which he scarfed down as soon as I returned). I didn't look through wine racks, but I could tell they had a great selection including my favorite champagne. Dolce Vita also offers a nice selection of wine by the glass. I really appreciated how each glass of wine had a small description under it because I'm always looking to expand my basic wine knowledge. The owner took care of us, and she was nothing short of sweet, friendly, and genuine which completed a wonderful meal. I gave Dolce Vita a 94 because I simply can not wait to go back for more!!

Solé CHARLOTTE 81

Saturday was the beginning of my Mexican food binge. It all started at the Spanish influenced restaurant, Solé. The weather was great so the bf and I decided to sit on their charming outside patio which was definitely on the romantic side. They had a medium to small wine list which contained quite a few good bottles. We went for the Marques De Caceres Reserva Rioja '05 and we both loved it. The bf started with the Gazpacho (pictured above) and while he was a little disappointed, I thought it was good. I started with a house salad which was great with their blueberry balsamic. For my entree I went with honey mustard glazed shrimp skewers over rice. There were two skewers containing three large shrimp which were cooked almost perfectly. The flavors were good but the dish just seemed a little bit on the dry side. The bf decided to get the "Mejilloes Diablo", mussels in a mildly spiced tomato sauce, and the Empanadas. The mussels were okay, but we both agreed that they had no spice to them. The Empanadas were a-ma-zing. They were some of the best Empanadas either of us had ever had the pleasure of trying. We left dinner happy and satisfied. Overall Solé got an 81, we'll definitely be going back.