Foodie Find Friday: The Open Kitchen

If you are looking for a fancy Italian restaurant, this is not the place.  But if you are looking for authentic, amazing Italian, then you must check out The World Famous Open Kitchen.  This restaurant, located on Morehead Street in the Wesley Heights neighborhood (a few minutes from uptown), has been around since 1952.  That's right, 1952.  I have been going to The Open Kitchen for as long as I can remember with my family, and I will take anyone there that is willing.  My sweet storytelling grandmother, who is now 91, always says that she went on dates there.  Now she has been known to embellish on her stories as grandmothers often do, and given that she was married in 1940, I doubt that her dating days were spent there, but I don't doubt that her and my grandfather frequented the place beginning in the 1950's.

When you walk in, you are greeted by a sea of pictures, newspaper clippings and pennants that leave not a single inch of wall (or ceiling) exposed.  Pictures of Charlotte from decades ago in frames are scattered about as well.  Maybe it's because I'm a Charlotte native, but I love to look at those old pictures, to see what the city used to be, and what it has become. 

The tables are covered with red and white checkered picnic table cloths, along with your standard jars of powdered Parmesan and red pepper flakes.  There are a few main dining rooms, one to the right and a couple to the left.  In the room to the right there is a bear on a unicycle that runs across the room on a string.  I loved that thing as a kid!  Oh who am I kidding, I still love it when he cycles across the room.

If you come on a weekend night, either make reservations or be prepared to wait.  Once seated, your server will bring you a basket of bread, along with crackers.  My mom just loves the Melba toast, she says she never sees it anywhere else.  The menu has a lot to offer.  They have many Italian specialties like Lasagne Di Stefano which is basically traditional lasagna with a hearty helping of extra cheese baked on top.  My husband's personal favorite is the Fettuccine Di Alessandro.  To call it Alfredo would not be fair.  Picture fresh fettuccine noodles smothered in a bubbly, creamy Alfredo sauce, with chopped bacon and Parmesan cheese mixed in.  Top it off with a well-seasoned chicken breast, and you have the Fettuccine Di Alessandro.  My husband likes it so much he refuses to order Alfredo anywhere else, he's exclusive to The Open Kitchen.

I always start my meal off with a house salad.  Always.  Their house dressing is called Mama K's Italian and it is unbelievable.  They bring it out in a squeeze bottle, now that's what I'm talking about.  Somehow I always manage to spill some dressing onto my bread.  Oops.  I'm not the only big fan of this dressing, because they actually sell it by the bottle.  Is it a surprise to know that I have gone home with a bottle more than once?  Call me boring, but I almost always order the same meal at The Open Kitchen.  My family could be spokespeople for spaghetti and meat sauce.  I grew up eating it all of the time, and we would often eat it at restaurants as well.  For those Charlotteans, you may remember the Spaghetti Warehouse which is now Byron's South End, or the Spaghetti Factory which is now The Big Chill.  So spaghetti and meat sauce is my dish of choice here, and it never disappoints.  I've branched out and tried the meatballs, but they weren't as good as the sauce.  I have also ordered the pizza at times, and it is delicious.  The crust is thin, the toppings are fresh.  It comes out piping hot, made just for you.

The Open Kitchen is hands down one of my favorites places to eat.  The food is always delicious, the staff is friendly, and it just has a great feel to it.  Wear what you want, be comfortable.  It's all about the food.  This is and always has been a family run business, and they do a great job of making you feel welcome.  I am not the only one that loves this place, check out this blog I stumbled upon this week to see some great pictures, and interesting history of the place:   http://charlotteeats.blogspot.com/2008/03/open-kitchen-hall-of-fame-eatery.html

The Open Kitchen cannot be missed.  I just love that it has been open for so long, and I hope it will stay around for many, many years to come.  So be sure to visit soon, enjoy the food, you will be hooked!  And remember to take a bottle of Mama K's dressing home with you too.

The Open Kitchen
1318 W Morehead Street
Charlotte, NC 28208
704.375.7449

~Alisa
info@charlotteeventstyle.com
704.960.2262

Vendor Spotlight: One Stop Live!

Charlotte is such a great place isn't it? Maybe as a native I am a little biased, but I often find my self being thankful to live and work here. We have just about everything you want and need within reach: fantastic shopping; amazing restaurants; more concert venues than I can count; and lots of unique places like the Whitewater Center, Lowe's Motor Speedway (everyone should experience this at least once), Carowinds, and Great Wolf Lodge. A little fun fact for you: Charlotte has more churches than any city in the whole country, over 500!  I most recently discovered a hidden jewel while my husband and I were babysitting our nephews and niece. Plaza Fiesta, ever heard of it? It is right next to Carowinds in an unsuspecting building. It's website boasts that it is the largest indoor playground in the southeast! Who knew? Here is picture I took while we were there, but it doesn't even do it justice. It's much bigger than the picture portrays. The kids had a blast!  I must also mention, being the foodie that I am, that they have the most amazing Mexican food there as well. Very authentic, like nowhere else in the area that I've been.   If you have kids, you should not miss this place! And if you don't have kids, you should go just for the food.

But I digress....Charlotte is a great place to live, and a perfect place to host an event!  Today I want to tell you about One Stop Live!, a local company that provides bands, DJ, various musicians, & staging, lighting and sound.  This is not your typical DJ company, they really have a great thing going.  I have had the pleasure of working with Scooter Abrams, the owner of One Stop Live! on many occasions and he is just awesome!  While working with Scooter for the first time, I learned that he is also a Charlotte native, and that we both went to the same high school (a few years apart).  I knew that Scooter would best be able to tell me about his company, so here is what he had to say:

"One Stop Live was founded on the need for a full service, customer oriented entertainment provider for the Carolinas, that wasn't your cookie cutter "booking agency".  After having worked for another agency for over 5 years, Scooter Abrams, saw a way to do business better and to focus more on the "turn key" aspects missing from most entertainment companies today.  Not only to provide you value in the entertainment you choose, but being able to provide you everything else you may need to put on your event like staging, sound, lighting, etc....  His assumptions were right, because 8 years later One Stop Live has become one of the most prominent and well respected entertainment companies in the Carolinas.  

The wedding and private party market has become their #1 client source, with 85% of that coming from referral and word-of-mouth.  Corporate clients are provided everything from national acts to regional talent options, event management, as well as full production to carry out their convention or meeting.  Their hands-on approach and multi-step process to helping engaged couples find the perfect entertainment for both the ceremony and reception is second to none.  They're not just booking the musician, band or DJ you choose and forget about you.  They go the extra mile to personally take you throughout the process of pre-planning the entire event of activities that require the entertainer to know about and so they can not only emcee for the event, but also help manage the event for you from start to finish.  This added touch, has put them on many preferred vendor lists around the Carolinas, as well as well respected wedding planners in the industry.  They were featured in the cover story of Carolina Bride Magazine's April-June issue this year.  Accolades and personal references from the brides themselves posted right on the website, ensure that you are getting the best the industry has to offer when it comes to your entertainment."

I couldn't have said it better myself!  Scooter and his entertainers are professional, dependable and most importantly, they add to your event.  See the picture here of Scooter doing his thing at one of our weddings.  They know how to keep a reception moving, and keep the guests on the dance floor!    So if you are looking for a fantastic entertainer for your next event, reach out to One Stop Live! and see what they have to offer.  704.533.1829 or bookings@onestoplive.com

info@charlotteeventstyle.com

704.960.2262