This is part of an ongoing series titled Mailbag, items readers submit via email or our feedback form. We get a ton of feedback, this is not close to everything (it’s about 2%), but it’s a good sample.
In response to: 5 popular Chinese restaurants in Charlotte and what to order at each
“PF Chang’s being the #2 Chinese restaurant in Charlotte isn’t funny it’s just sad. Charlotte’s idea of good food is still largely a steakhouse and the occasional ‘farm-to-table’ wanna-be hipster, faux-Brooklyn place. It’s like the rest of the dining world is living in 2018 and we are struggling to enter the early 2000’s.” – A
“Charlotte Asian food game outside of sushi is tragic.” – M
“Great Wall is easily top 5. I mean PF Chang’s… really? Yeah that’s sooo Charlotte.” – J
In response to: Millennials, we need to embrace failure. Charlotte’s counting on us.
“Maybe millennials can’t handle failure because they are the participation-trophy generation. No matter what the result, they were ‘rewarded.’ It’s not necessarily their fault, but snap out of it. Life is about how you bounce back. News flash, life isn’t easy! I’m sick of reading about these soft, needy, sensitive millennials.” – G
“As someone who has hired and fired millennials I can say that the fear of failure is not the problem. In fact, the lack of a fear of failure is far more a problem than the opposite. The real issue is that many millennials want the perfect job now and are unwilling to accept anything except the perfect job, with the perfect benefits, with the perfect work/life balance, etc.” – O
In response to: 16 projects under construction now in Uptown and South End — and 10 more on the way
“So nice to be living in a vibrant growing city and state. Never regret moving to North Carolina and Charlotte 30 years ago.” – R
“The entire city is under construction.” – C
In response to: The #1 apartment complex in Charlotte
“This tour of the VUE makes me hate my decision to buy a house.” – J
in response to: 10 best new breweries and bars in Charlotte
“Everybody goes to breweries. I wouldn’t want to be a bar owner or starting a bar right now. Unless of course I had a self-serve business model like Hoppin’ and Pour.” – J
“Is it just me or do others love the atmosphere at Town Brewing? It feels more mature (not in a lame way) that other breweries. Surprised a group of lawyer owners could pull it off. Haha.” – W
In response to: The Charlotte suburb power rankings
“I quickly skimmed the article while praying ‘please don’t mention Denver….please don’t mention Denver…’ You don’t want to move here. It’s definitely not an amazing place to live. Denver doesn’t exist. Just keep not mentioning it, kay?” – P
“23 minutes to Davidson? Is that by helicopter? – H
In response to: The best pizza in Charlotte
“Best NY style pizza: Portofino’s.” – M
“Big Guy’s Pizza Mint Hill home of the 28″ from NY” – R
“Luigi’s in Steele Creek is amazing NY Style pizza” – R
“Taste of Buffalo in Huntersville is my addiction. We’re happy to make the 1+ hour drive.” – L
“Omaggio’s pizza with the poached lemon was sooooo good!” – S
“How could you miss House of Pizza on central?!” – J
“Alino Pizza is the best.. wW don’t need 14 categories for pizza.” – G
In response to: Confessions of a Charlotte headhunter
“Feedback on headhunters… When I initially talked to the headhunter company (actually one of the owners) they told me they would have an agent call me to get details on anything I would like to elaborate on from my resume. That person waited 2 weeks to call and when she did (after I called the company again) she had to interrupt our conversation to let her barking dog out midway through. We talked for a good hour and at the end she asked me to summarize all we had discussed in an email and send to her! In other words she took no notes. Yes, she had my resume when she called me. I once again called the head person and said perhaps they should hire me to be the headhunter. Yes, this was a Charlotte company.” – A
In response to: 26 hottest cocktails in Charlotte right now
“Good every once in a while, but for the most part, I’ll take my bourbon neat.” – H
In response to: Wait, what? Is the #1 sandwich in Charlotte from a pasta joint?
“Now, go get a chicken finger sub (hot, add provolone cheese, w/ blue cheese) from Bisontes Pizza and your life will be complete. Both sammiches are staples from Buffalo, NY and have finally arrived to Charlotte in true form!” – N
“I really don’t think there’s a sausage patty in there, but I always scarf it down too quickly to really figure it out. Is it a sausage & gyro meat hybrid??!? WHAT IS IT” – A
“The guy that does the sandwich reviews needs to expand his horizons. Way too many turkey sandwiches on his list. Turkey is the most boring, most bland and lamest of all sandwich meats. It’s like having vanilla as the best ice cream flavor.” – F
In response to: 19 best Charlotte coffee shops to work from
“I’m ready for the list of coffee shops to be able to find a table to drink coffee from…..still amazes me how one person may take a table for 4 and work with no site of a beverage. I often wonder how some places make money with so many people just taking up table space.” – N
“Those are the ones I’ll do my best to avoid! At times during the day I simply want to take a few minutes for myself to sit and have a relaxing cup of coffee — unfortunately, whenever I’ve attempted to do that there are absolutely NO open seats or tables because of all the “remote workers” with their open laptops and/or one-on-one sales meetings going on. I (as well as many others I suspect) would love to find a coffee house that restricts that kind of thing…” – E
“As much as I love Lincoln’s — and believe, me, I do — it’s really not the greatest place to work. Not sure about the upstairs area, but there’s only one table downstairs that’s even within cord’s reach of an outlet. If I have a full charge, I’m there, but I can only stay there for an hour or two without a boost.” – J
In response to: 5 best Italian restaurants in Charlotte
“Being the best Italian restaurant in Charlotte is like being the best ice hockey player in Ecuador!” – P
“Aqua e Vino for President!” – T
“Seriously, no Portifinos?” – G
“I can’t even begin to fathom why Fiamma isn’t on this list.” – T
“Vivace, Fiamma, Portofino – how are they missing? Side note, Stagioni needs a class of itself. It’s magnificent!” – M
In response to: The 5 items first-time homebuyers should splurge on, according to interior designer Charlotte Lucas
“Feels like starter homes here are at least $200,000 and twice that much in cooler spots like Plaza Midwood. Furnishings? I didn’t even think about budgeting for that. LOL.” – J
“You spend so much time at home, especially once you have a kid. Over investing in getting the home you want is the right move with your money. If you’re young, you’re likely to make more money and moving sucks, so do it right when you buy — and just rent beforehand.” – W
In response to: Chem 101: Katie, Jonathan and a late night out in Uptown
“I get so excited to read the blind date stories, and then get so angry every time I actually read them and it turns out they both had a great time but won’t be seeing each other again. Come on!!! Give someone a chance. You can’t complain about the dating scene and then not go out again with someone who you rated a date 5/5 stars. That logic makes NO sense and makes me very glad I am getting married next month and don’t have to worry about this crap anymore.” – K
“…’he’s a freaking cardiologist’ – yeah, perfect match” – F
In response to: Will Kings Mountain ever land a casino, 30 miles from Charlotte?
“OMG I’d probably gamble all my money away.” – A
“Sure would be nice to have a place to play poker.” – B
In response to: 8 best Indian restaurants in Charlotte
“Check out Persis, Aroma and maybe even Chaupati. There are some innovative indian food trucks too that put out some good food. I honestly disagree with Maharani and Jaipur being on that list at all.” – N
“Although not authentic Indian, I would eat Tandur’s naanchos on the daily.” – J
“You missed Zafran, Persis, Bawarchi. and Rajbhog — they have a mix of a cafe shop, grocery store and sweets store. Try their mutton/goat. Or chicken 65/tikka/ or any Indian dish. They have something called a thali. Where you get small portions of what they have listed. Also the their dahi chaat or paphri chaat as a fulfilling appetizers.” – L
“Most of the restaurants you’ve listed are also quite pricey…a common misconception of Indian food. Indian food doesn’t have to be pricey to be good.” – K
“A restaurant that is brilliant, but is too spicy for me, is Persis Biryani on Driwood Ct. off Mallard Creek Rd. Ask any Indian (from any part of India) which restaurant they like in Charlotte, that’s going to appear in the top two or three if they’ve tried it. Fresh ingredients and spices, authentic dishes, and great staff.” – J
“I wish Woodlands hadn’t closed.” – L
“Chaupaati. Seriously, how was this missed!? – M
“Persis Biryani off Prosperity Church Rd. Some of the best Indian food in Charlotte. – W
