Bob's Grill

Bob's Grill is a little slice of heaven nestled into the heart of NASCAR country in Mooresville, North Carolina. It is a small establishment, consisting of a counter, a kitchen and a staff. Bob's is known around some circles for having the best breakfast around. Chris knew Bob's for their Wednesday special... Burger, Dog and a glass bottle of Cheerwine for $4.34. Outstanding.

If you ordered a burger and a dog from Bob's you would get a burger about the size of your fist smothered with cheese, chili, onions and slaw. Then you would drench it in hot sauce and as the cheese melts into the grease of the burger, it becomes the best thing you've ever eaten in your life. The chili was incredibly plain, but delicious. You could easily eat a bowl of chili on its own, but it complimented the burger and dog perfectly. The dog came the same way as the burger, and it was impossible to say which was better. Being the Guido he was, Chris always asked for the burger and dog with everything but the slaw. The slaw was good, tangy and crisp, but in Chris's opinion it had no place on his food. Having the unique opportunity to eat such a good, simple meal and wash it down with a glass bottle of Cheerwine was one of the greatest gifts North Carolina could offer. The cold, sweet cherry-flavored soda made the food go down so smoothly.

It was a ritual for Chris and his fellow coaches to make a Bob's run every Wednesday, rain or shine. Hayf would always go way off the deep end and order an egg salad to try to be healthy. Then he would get a bag of chips, a slice of apple pie and a Coke, and at that point he may as well as just ordered a burger and a dog. Clarky and Meade would stay much more traditional, eating their food slowly to savor every bite while loudly debating, "The dog is strong today, Clarky." "No, Meade, the burger is much stronger today." And then the epic decision would lay ahead... Do we get back in line and get an additional dog? It was impossible to crush two burgers and one dog, but two dogs and a burger was not out of the realm of possibility. They knew what effect this would have on the inner stomach lining, but nobody really thought about that until about a half hour before practice started.

With the newspaper clippings and NASCAR pictures all over the wall, Bob's personifies what is beautiful about family owned businesses. The restaurant has been around since the early 1900's and stands as a fixture in downtown Mooresville. It is packed every morning and especially every Wednesday with a line that extends onto the sidewalk. Everyone there knows you by name, knows the way you like your food and knows that they will see you every week. It is a simple place, with simple food and dirt cheap prices, and they have absolutely perfected what they do best. Pound for pound, Chris would put Wednesday's Meal Deal up against any other in the country.

Hungover Spots

1. The Egg at Davidson: The Egg is situated in the corner of one of the sorriest looking strip malls you have ever seen in your life. It sits next to a tanning salon and a health food store, filling the space of a former pizzeria named Davino's. It is a place to come with your friends after rolling out of bed at noon on Sundays. You are guaranteed to see friends, fellow members of your team, or if you're lucky the tramp or creeper you hooked up with the night before.

The food is very good, and not just because any random grease you throw in your mouth after a night of drinking tastes like the best thing you've ever eaten. That's part of it, but not the complete picture. Emily likes to order The Junkyard. The Junkyard is a skillet consisting of two eggs, cheese, hashbrowns and whatever else you want on it. Emily ordered it up with bacon, onions, peppers, sausage and pepper jack cheese. Then she coated the whole thing with ketchup, ate about half and then gave it to her fatass boyfriend to finish.

Chris (the fatass boyfriend) orders a ham and cheese omelette

at every diner he ever goes to, and The Egg is no exception. It comes with hashbrowns and toast and usually a gallon jug of sweet tea, all of which tastes delicious while it's eaten and then slowly becomes an atomic bomb inside the stomach. As far as diners go, The Egg is solid... Not great, but solid... The atmosphere adds a lot of character to the restaurant.

http://theeggrestaurants.com

2. Toast: Now, there is a Toast restaurant right on Main Street in the booming metropolis of downtown Davidson. The original Toast resides in Huntersville, and this is the restaurant that Emily and Chris had the pleasure of going to on one half-drunk Sunday morning. Toast is a bit more upscale than The Egg, as far as breakfast joints go. It is filled with the church crowd and locals, rather than frat boys and slobs. Emily really likes Toast because they serve you a cup of the gourmet coffee w

hile you wait for a table.

On the day that Emily and Chris decided to go, they convinced their friends Sarah and Thomas to join them. Chris loved when Thomas came to eat with them because he would order half the menu and eat it all, which is exactly what Chris always wanted to do. The difference was Thomas was 6'7" tall and had a place to put it, and Chris was 5'9" tall and still waiting for his growth spurt.

Emily ordered the banana nut flap jacks which were a special on that day, but made their way onto the actual menu. They were really good. There were three distinct layers of texture to the dish. The flap jacks were incredibly soft and melted in her mouth. The bananas were slightly more firm and the nuts on top provided a crunch to the dish while the syrup sweetly coated each bite. Chris ordered a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, onions, peppers and chorizo. He also had a side of hashbrowns and about three cups of coffee. The burrito wa

s good, although Chris was slightly skeptical about the sour cream on his eggs which he had never experienced before. It was delicious and big enough to fill him up so he was happy.

Sarah ordered a Greek omelette, or something of that sort. She seemed to like it. Thomas's

order was the best though. Bagel with schmear (cream cheese), banana nut flap jacks, toast, bacon and coffee. Absolutely tremendous. Chris was in love. Thomas ate the whole thing, and the four sat and talked for about an hour and a half. In fact, they sat long enough to see their friend Fitzy come in with some random chick he had met the night before. He tried to go far enough away from campus where nobody would see him, but not quite far enough.

http://toastcafeonline.com/davidson/breakfast.html

3. Bagel Bin: The Bagel Bin is a typical NY style deli in the middle of Huntersville, NC. The minute you walk in the door, after waiting in a line outside for fifteen minutes, you can tell the

home of the owners from the Mets and Yankees posters scattered all over the walls. The Bagel Bin is the only place in the whole state that has what Chris would qualify as "a legit bagel". They are big, with a hard crust outside and a soft inside. The Bagel Bin has any type of cream cheese anyone could want, with options ranging form olive to vegetable to salmon to cinnamon. Chris would usually go for a turkey club on a poppy bagel with muenster cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo. It was always delicious and reminded him of home. He loved going to the Bagel Bin b

ecause they had Snapple Fruit Punch, his favorite drink. He would always get two. Emily would go with a whole grain bagel toasted with bacon, egg and cheese or a whole grain bagel toasted with tomato and cream cheese. You could not go wrong either way.

It should be noted, there was one thing about the Bagel Bin that really bothered Chris, and still does when he thinks about it. When you ordered a bagel or sandwich with an egg on it, they would pour the egg yolk from a milk container into a plastic bowl and microwave it. It tasted alright, but "legit bagel joints" will fry an egg right in front of you. It takes the same amount of time. Chris just could not figure it out.

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&source=hp&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=bagel+bin+

huntersville&fb=1&gl=us&hq=bagel+bin&hnear=huntersville&cid=3045525760735958226

4. Zapatas Mexican Cantina: Zapatas is a great place to go when hungover, but even better if you can wait until about 6 or 7 o'clock at night. The best part about Zapatas is that they give a 15% discount with a Cat Card (Davidson student or faculty card). Now Zapatas is not any better or worse than any other Mexican restaurant that serves exactly the same food and exactly the same drinks. There is nothing at all that separates it from the rest, but for some reason Chris had been going there for seven years.

The margaritas were decent and you could order them by the pitcher, so at one point or another Chris and Emily had tried every flavor. They were hit or miss. Sometimes you could have a pitcher and be blackout drunk. Sometimes you could drink 14 and have a sugar high and nothing else. The best part about Zapatas was that every time you went, you would tell them that it was a different person's birthday. You would get a nice rendition of Happy Birthday in broken English, a sombrero and a tequila shot... Beautiful.

Emily liked the street tacos, and they came out in two large corn tortillas filled with grilled chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, honey-grilled onions and pico de gallo. They are served with rice and beans, and they are delicious. After eating three baskets filled of tortilla chips, the two tacos are plenty to fill you up. Chris always ordered the chicken nachos, which infuriated the wait staff, but he really didn't care. A huge heaping cheese, sour cream and bean filled dish garnished with tomatoes and olives. It is awesome. The best nachos in the world. He ordered it every single time he went there and refused to order anything else. Then he would eat it like a Viking, with a total disregard for silverware.

http://www.zapatasrestaurant.com/lake.html

5. LaSpada's La Spada’s is a little taste of Philadelphia right in the heart of Cornelius, NC. Emily and Chris had never been there together, but individually they had cured many a hang over at this nice little sandwich joint. This place is so Philly that it even comes with the attitude. When you walk in you are greeted by an overweight man with tattoos and earrings galore who is more than pissed off that he has to make a sandwich for you. In fact he’s so pissed off that he insists on putting a mountain of meat onto your roll.

The sandwich is a thing of beauty. If you order the LaSpadas special, it comes with every form of Italian meat you can imagine, peppers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, oil, vinegar and then another layer of meat on top. It’s meat encased in meat… on a roll. If you can think of something better than that, you should run for president. The only problem is that after you finish it, the sandwich proceeds to mount an assault on your stomach. It’s well worth the temporary pain.

As is evident from the line which extends out the door during the lunch and dinner hours, the sheltered folks of North Carolina had never been privy to the wonders of monster hoagies that Yankees like Chris had been accustomed to for his whole life. Nevertheless, LaSpada’s came to North Carolina in just the right time for Chris and Emily to enjoy all the meat, grease and indigestion that it had to offer.

300 East

After Luce and the Brickhouse, Emily and Chris made a vow to try a different restaurant each week. Chris picked one of his favorites (Luce) the first week so Emily countered with a trip to 300 East. This restaurant was not necessarily on Chris's radar. There was a general rule that you were not admitted into the restaurant without at least one pair of flip flops, a hemp neckless or a flower in your hair. He was never a very adventurous eater and this place was way out of his comfort zone. Emily knew it, of course, and just laughed.

300 East is a neat little place located in Dillworth, a small area nestled into the city limits of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a converted old home, renovated into a quaint restaurant with huge glass front windows that stretch the length of the walls. When Chris and Emily walked in the door it was like stepping back into a hippie time warp where free love, Woodstock and acid were an accepted part of American culture. Basically, the music stopped as soon as New Jersey Jimmy and his girlfriend walked through the door. They may have been the only two patrons that had showered in the last five days.

Emily had been here many times before and noticed a drink that was served in a baby pitcher. From their spot in a corner booth that was dimly lit with a candle, Chris and Emily asked the server about the drink which they heard received rave reviews. The waiter explained that they would only allow each customer to consumer two of them. This naturally scared Emily, but Chris looked at it as a challenge and he ordered four. The waiter said, "Chill guy. I'll bring you one to share first." In Chris's mind, clearly these people did not get it, but he succumbed to the waiter's wishes and they shared one miniscule pitcher. The drink is indescribable. It is orange, red and slightly brown, loaded with many varieties of alcohol, and garnished with a cherry and orange slice. It was not until about a year later when Chris tried to replicate this recipe that he found out 300 East keeps the ingredients top secret. No information is given about how to make the drink or what goes in it. Chris was half in the bag after about two sips, so it turns out that the frail punk of a waiter was much more intelligent than the ripped, macho man he had the misfortune of serving.

As the night wore on and Chris was becoming softer with each sip of the fruity concoction that sat before him, he decided to go way out of the box and order the ahi burger with wasabi mayo and slaw. It was the first time he ever tried anything called a burger that did not have some sort of meat on it. It was cooked rare and absolutely delicious. The pink center of the tuna was draped in the bright green wasabi mayo which provided an acid tripping colorful explosion with each bite. He still talks about it to this day, and he refuses to order it at any other restaurant in fear that it will not live up to his expectations.

Emily also decided to go with a fish. She had been to 300 East before and always wondered about the fish tacos, so this time she decided to try them and see what they were all about. She was surprised. They were cooked perfectly with little tortillas and a black bean sauce. There were many other toppings to choose from on the plate, all of which were spicy as hell. It was not an overbearing spiciness, but one that kept you craving more. The best comparison one could make would be that to putting too much wasabi on sushi. The bite of the horseradish can bring you to tears, but you continue to yearn for more.

Once again, Emily managed to broaden Chris' narrow vision of food and people. It was a great second date, one that began in skepticism and ended in euphoria. After Chris and Emily took a few walks around the block to sober up, they got in the car and made the trip back to Davidson.


http://www.300east.net/

Luce-Charlotte

Chris and Emily's first actual date found them taking a trip into Charlotte to eat at a restaurant called Luce. Chris had eaten there before with his buddy Foxy, so he had made a few acquaintances on the staff. The main host, Manuel, was a young man from Italy who was working at Luce to pay for business school at UNC-Charlotte. He was 5'8" with blonde hair, extremely friendly and an unbelievable host. During the course of the evening he came by and had a drink with Chris and Foxy, told them about his home town in Italy and explained exactly what to order. Foxy offered him basketball tickets and exchanged numbers but they could never hook up outside of the restaurant.

Chris, trying to impress Emily, thought it would be appropriate to take her to Luce so that she could think he was a semi-big deal. The restaurant has typical Italian decor, dimly lit with soft opera music playing in the background. The table was illuminated by a candle and most of the patrons wore collared shirts or dresses. Emily arrived in a beautiful black dress and Chris wore dark jeans with a yellow collared shirt and a sweater. When they arrived at the restaurant Manuel greeted them with a smile, he gave Emily a kiss on the cheek and Chris a healthy man hug. He led them to their seats in the middle of the room and brought out a bottle of wine without bothering to ask what they liked. Manuel had enough wine with Chris and Foxy the week before to understand exactly what taste he would enjoy. He also placed two flutes of Prosecco on the table to start their dining experience. Manuel left them both to read the menu and traveled around the restaurant stopping at each table to introduce himself.

They glanced through the menu knowing all the time that they were just going to take the waiter's suggestion. As the tall waiter with dark hair approached behind him came two plates of parmesan risotto sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. It came compliments of Manuel. It served as a perfect companion to the wine. Chris was still a little nervous being as it was the first date he had been on with Emily and the first date he had been on in general for a really long time. Nothing like parmesan risotto and wine to ease the nerves. He glanced across the table at Emily and she smiled, then directed her eyes right back to the Italian model who was moonlighting as their waiter.

They ordered the panzanella salad upon the waiter's description. Emily had her heart set on a gnocchi dish with mozzarella, basil and a simple marinara sauce so that is what she ordered despite the starch overload. Chris was trying to act like he had a clue so he ordered the sea bass much to Emily's surprise and his own. He tried as hard as he could to emphasize "branzino" with an Italian accent that was heavy on the New Jersey and less on the Naples. The waiter walked away as Emily and Chris took their first bite of the risotto.

The risotto came out as a small tasting, enough for a few bites for each of them. It was deliciously creamy, spiked with strong, sharp parmesan cheese and a drizzle of balsamic balanced the dish out perfectly. It was a perfect cliffhanger to the rest of the meal. As they sat and talked for a while, the waiter came over to clear their dishes and Manuel rushed up to see if we liked the risotto as if he had made it himself. They appreciatively sang the risotto's praises and anxiously waited for the panzanella salad.

The panzanella came as a bowl of yellow, orange and red tomatoes with large, homemade semolina croutons, topped with fresh basil and ricotta cheese. They had never had it with ricotta cheese, but the creaminess of the ricotta seeped down into the salad so that they could taste the cheese with every bite. It was much better than the traditional mozzarella that is usually used in a panzanella salad, and it added an unbelievable texture to the dish. By this time, they were both midway through their second glass of wine and they were beginning to feel pretty warm and excited.

They sat in silence, digesting and longing for the main course which would be coming any minute. Fabio, their waiter, came over to check on the two of them and then retreated to the kitchen to grab their meal. As it came out it was covered by a traditional silver plate cover, which added to their growing anticipation. The covers unveiled two fragrant, beautifully plated dishes still smoking hot from the kitchen. The gnocchi had a smooth, buttery texture and it was simply covered with the tomato sauce, mozzarella and a sprinkling of the freshly cut basil. It was an extremely basic dish, but the taste was extraordinary. It was a perfect way to end a great meal and an impressive first date.

Chris looked down at the branzino with disbelief. It was topped with black olives, capers and tomatoes, the colors accented by the white background of the fish underneath. He could not believe that he ordered such a thing, totally uncharacteristic of the usual staple of Veal Piccata. As he took the first piping hot forkful, the fish melted in his mouth as the flavors of the black olives, capers and tomatoes amalgamated with each bite. Emily tried it and she liked it. Chris had done a nice job.

Manuel came back over to try and talk the two of them into desert, but they had just ordered espressos and could not fit another thing into their stomachs. He would not take no for an answer and he brought them both pistachio gelato. It was 10:30 by this point and they were the last two in the restaurant so Manuel sat down with a glass of Sambucca. He was telling us a story about when Michael Jordan came into the restaurant a few weeks ago. Despite the fact that he was born in Italy, he could identify Michael Jordan pretty easily. They sat at the table until 11:00 talking and laughing, and then decided to make the drive back to Davidson. They thanked Manuel profusely as they made their way out the door. Emily stopped to pick up a box of matches and a business card before she left, a ritual that she would continue on every date with Chris to come.

www.luceristorante.net

Wildcat Den

We thought it would be appropriate to start our blog with the fine establishment where we first met... The Wildcat Den. This post may be atypical of those to follow being that The Wildcat Den is not necessarily a "restaurant". You will not find it in the Zagat Ratings, on the Food Network or in any form of media at all aside from possibly The Davidsonian. It is an average collegiate cafeteria-type stand that specializes in sandwich-making, soups and service. You are guaranteed to find a smile, an athlete and a Davidson College celebrity-citing when you come to The Den to eat. The best part about it... You can put the meal on your Cat Card Plan, a deal that includes a sandwich, chips/cookie and a drink. They will even grill a peanut butter and jelly wrap upon request.

Chris, a football coach at Davidson College, would go through the daily routine of working out, grabbing lunch at The Den and heading back to the office. On the way back one day he stopped to say hello to an acquaintance who introduced him to a lacrosse player named Emily. With a cut-off shirt and guns a-blazing, Chris teemed with the self-confidence that could only be expected of a mid-twenties chiseled Adonis. Emily was not all that impressed, but she smiled politely from her bowl of tomato soup, and a relationship was born. So you can see, The Den was not only a place to eat, but a place to meet, laugh and maybe even find romance.

The meal Emily had that day was a Wildcat Den staple, tomato soup and grilled cheese. Big John, the cashier/psychiatrist/food connoisseur would always recommend the two-cheese grilled cheese (swiss and provolone) on wheat bread. This came with a Solo Cup filled with piping hot tomato soup. The process for ordering this meal is not incredibly sophisticated, displaying that we hadn't really evolved all that much from the school's establishment in 1837. You would write what you wanted on a white sheet of paper and John would pass it along to the Head Chef, Ms. Pam. Ms. Pam is famous for being extremely generous with her portions which is exciting to the throngs of growing college young men and women.

Chris's meal was not too spectacular, as his life at the time was all about routine. Tuna Sandwich on a wheat wrap with three packages of Saltine crackers. Ms. Pam knew Chris by name and loaded an ocean full of tuna onto his wrap, filling him with much more than his alloted protein consumption for the day. It got to the point where Chris did not even need to go through the monotonous routine of filling out his white paper. Big John would ring him up, provide him with some Nascar chatter and crack a joke about Italians. Something to look forward to each day.

The lure of the Wildcat Den was not only the delicious meals, but the possibility of seeing The Silver Fox himself, Mr. Bob McKillop. McKillop, the legendary basketball coach at Davidson College, would provide his throngs of fans a rare appearance, coming down after his hour-long elliptical workout to replenish his carbohydrates with blue Powerade. Not every school could boast that you could share a meal with a legend. The proximity to the athletic offices made The Wildcat Den extremely attractive to jersey-chasers and fans alike.

http://www.davidsonwildcats.com/sports/2007/8/24/FacilDen.aspx