More utopia!

After 2 weeks of Jamie and I going back and forth on what else makes up this ideal dining utopia we came up with a few more ideas...

How about great, healthy and affordable food at any hour; you know like a big city?!

Who wants sushi at midnight or later? We do! You may too and there are just a handful of spots that have started leading the way.

Soul gastrolounge being the first, offers a wide range of tapas and sushi, but I believe they only serve til midnight. The sushi is usually very pristine and moderately priced and the tapas tend to be a bit inconsistent in portion and flavor. I repeat we are not reviewing restaurants just giving our opinions :)!

Cyros sushi and sake bar was a great find and get this, you can get sushi up until 2am! The rolls we tried were fresh, presented well and creative. Unfortunately the sushi also carries a south park price tag which I believe to be a late night convenience fee. But hey, it's worth it to get food you want when you want it.

Amelie's is a great cafe type restaurant that is open 24/7 offering European influenced sandwich's, pastries, soups, coffee, tea, etc. It always feels like a buzzy coffee shop, the kind college kids main line their caffeine so they can finish papers and studying. Having said that, we haven't been too many times and have yet to find out where they get their ingredients.

Now, I have heard that there is a little restaurant called the Mad Greek on South blvd that also stays open late that we have yet to try.

I also should not leave out the one and only Landmark diner which we consider to be a decent breakfast place with an in house bakery; here comes the but, they to my knowledge still don't offer any locally raised/grown food.

So this is what we are asking of you, our people! If you know of any rumored or definite late night food spots, let us know!

It's a damn shame that the people who are preparing and serving delicious food in the high end restaurants rarely ever get to experience it for themselves and I refuse to believe that the only options for you are chicken wings! Let's be real though, who doesn't enjoy a proper chicken wing?

Dine well,

Cozy and Jamie

Let's go to New Zealand!

New Zealand cafe that is!

This is a picture from our favorite sushi spot in town, where we have the pleasure of dining every Monday. If you have any experience with the sushi in Charlotte than you know your options are limited.

Nikkos, which continues to hold the city's title for favorite sushi, has personally let us down on more than one occasion. No, it wasn't Nikko herself leaping onto our table with her baby in tow yelling "sake bomb!" so much as it was the not so fresh feeling tuna they attempted to serve us. There doesn't seem to be a need for details so we will carry on.

Sushi 101 offers you mediocre service with a frown and once again compromised tuna. Remember we are BIG advocates of fresh food and knowledgeable staff, so the fact our server was rude and tried to tell us "tuna sometimes looks that color," we no longer give them money.

Rusans is where I have a soft spot, on and off but a soft spot all the same. Being the first sushi experience I had in the city it remains nostalgic. High energy yet staying casual it was good for most any occasion. The problem lies within the consistency, meaning the sanitation score goes up and down like a mood swing. If you're going to push a sushi lunch buffet, please keep your sani close to 100 and not high 80's; I shamefully compromised my stomach lining a few times.

Finally, our sushi loving journey brought us to New Zealand, a small quaint place my fellow yelpers turned me onto. This locally owned and operated spot has 40 seats and 5 at the bar, it stays relatively full but you never have a wait. The decor isn't much and the music will send you through a few time warps but the sushi makes it the most desired spot in town for those who know. People who enjoy the sushi experience for the fresh fish and not the see and be seen environment will find the beauty in New Zealand!