At the corner of a brick alleyway on South Church Street, bar goers can find unique dining options and a variety of drinks at the French Quarter Restaurant.
Packed with business men and women dressed in the unofficial uniform of blue button-down shirts and black slacks or skirts, the restaurant was a buzz during a Monday lunch rush at noon.
After seeing the popularity of the venue during lunch, I decided to check out the place a little before closing. While the restaurant and bar stays packed during the lunch hour, it also keeps locals streaming in during the evening for drinks.
The uptown spot serves up an eclectic blend of Greek and New Orleans cuisine at reasonable prices and offers a fully-stocked bar.
The menu suits the Mardi Gras-themed decor. Cream-colored walls with forest green trim are decorated with photographs of New Orleans, while the rustic, wooden bar is draped with gold, purple and green Mardi Gras beads. Feathered masks and knick-knacks also have their place among the artwork. The loquacious and amusing Greek owner can be heard above the chatter of patrons and servers.
Evening talk of that weekend's party and summer vacations were a harsh contrast to mid-day's stock quote and company quota conversations.
While the bar isn't open late, it's a good place to start the night with a drink and maybe late dinner. This is definitely a bar and restaurant to check out for the great atmosphere.
The French Quarter
321 South Church St.
Charlotte, N.C., 28202
704-377-7415
Hours: Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Brittany will blog about the Charlotte-area bar scene the month of July. Got a bar suggestion? Email penland.brittany@gmail.com.
Brittany will blog about the Charlotte-area bar scene the month of July. Got a bar suggestion? Email penland.brittany@gmail.com.
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48 comments:
The French Quarter is a great place! Good food, good drinks, good times!
6 uptown, 3 NoDA, 2 UNCC. There are other sections of this town. No Southend, South Park, Matthews, Lake Norman?
I have lived in Charlotte for 12 years, and while I have passed this bar many times on my way to the Panthers games, I have never bothered to stop in there. Thank you for your blog, I will have to go check it out now.
Relax! She's got a whole month to get to the other areas of town.
Once again we are subjected to nothing but drivel and a Facebook-like post that has no substance or value. So what exactly is your definition of "locals?"
Other than the fact that this place serves up a blend of Greek and New Orleans cuisine, what kinds of things are on the menu? Anything you would recommend? Oh, it contains a fully-stocked bar, you say? Ok, so what kinds of options are at the bar? Anything else you would recommend that would be worth my time going there? I couldn't care less about the decor, which seems to be your biggest hang up in every story!
I think I'll go back to reading my old college newspaper since that's what it feels like I'm reading. Pure drivel!!
FLUFF. I know nothing more about this bar after reading the review except that they have a Mardi Gras themed interior. WHICH I COULD HAVE GUESSED BY THE NAME. Come on, CO!
I'm guessing she didn't major in journalism.....
Quit bashing this gal in her articles. You guys are acting like a college professor in grading her writing. If you find something in her restaurant review you like, try it out. If not then well, don't. I hear RI RA's has "that priest" statue at the bar overlooking things though. :)
I really like her coverage of the bar scene in Charlotte. I think she is a great writer, and does a great job of painting a picture of the different bar scene's in Charlotte. If you don't like it, chances are you are in your mid 40's, two kids, a mortgage, and don't have the time or inclination to hit the bars!
Love the stories, keep them coming!
I am going to be honest... I have been reading these articles not so much for the articles but for the comments from the readers about how bad the writer is putting it together. What it is pretty sad it is that I don't see any changes although all the feedback in the comments session.
I believe that the comments are pretty on point feedback about her writing style which is understandable if she just graduated from college.
I would recommend her to do a little bit more research about the restaurants and what type of foods or specialties they have in each restaurant. You may want to spend a paragragh around the ambiance of the restaurant but the main focus should be what make the restaurant unique and special for the Charlotte community.
Remember there is a reason why we have two ears and one mouth, it is to listen more and talk less!
Cheat sheet for restaurant/bar reviews:
http://theocexperience.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/The_Experience_Evaluation_Form.318112728.pdf
As you've noticed, every post of yours is a test.
@ Anonymous July 12, 2011 11:58 AM
She is not being bashed "in her articles", she is JUSTIFIABLY being bashed in the "comments" section for her lame ramblings.
@ Anonymous 12:01:
Thanks for letting us know you like your own articles Brittany.
Let us pray to the priest of Ri Ras that the CO is not paying for these articles.
She might make a great writer one day for Hugh Hefner.
12:01-I am 24 and love hitting my bars when I can. However, I also actually learned something about the English language and writing during my time in college, and I don't think this drivel is doing much for anybody.
Their lunch time chicken dinner (oxymoron?) on Wednesdays I believe is fantastic! Half of a chicken, mashed potatoes and veggie for under 7 bucks.
Anon 12:01 - You are way off base. I frequent the bars quite often, under 40 and am not liking these articles at all. There is potential, and the idea is great, but we never learn anything from these articles. It is as if she just walked into the bars, looked around, and then wrote something. No review on the actual food, no review on any of the drinks, and when she does talk about drinks, its about a domestic bottled or canned beer. Never any insight on the specialities of the location, the atmosphere, or the vibe.
And as someone else pointed out, there has been quite a bit of justifiable criticism, yet nothing has changed. It is elementary writing, not even college graduate writing.
I love reading this blog! Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm new to the Charlotte area and love going new places. I will be checking this blog often, thanks!
Nice to see some of her friends on here, like Shannon and Julia, trying to cover for her.
So far every blog has been about the decor of each place. I never knew decor mattered all that much. I guess when I go to a bar, I should be analyzing the wallpaper??
Please rename this blog "30 Bars in 30 Days planned, written and edited in 30 seconds."
Glad to see that word of the day calendar her Aunt gave her for graduation came in helpful. Word of the day = loquacious.
Welcome to the real world Brittany.
I am over 40 (44 to be exact) and do go out to some of these places. My only complaint of her writing style is that it is not well informed and seems a little more fluff than facts. I agree with the poster who said we would like to know their bar specials, what food they are most known for. I loved creative writing in college. You could just write and write about something and never say a thing that mattered
I do think in time she will develop her skills and jhopefully become a great journalist.
traits acquired at 1st post-college job: thicker skin
"brick alleyway", or the historic and semi-famous Latta Arcade. Whichever.
Although it's disgusting the CO is paying money for this, at least they're getting their clicks. Of course, they could have gotten the same clicks just by posting a link to the "Monkey Smells Finger" video, which actually is far more enjoyable.
I was sorta surprised she identified the Mardi Gras beads, instead of writing about "the peculiar purple, green, and gold necklaces strung about haphazardly (thanks grandma!)".
@ Anon 1:32 PM
and it looks like she forgot to flip that calendar for several days when the word of the day was "eclectic".
A HATEFUL VAPID CITY!
Long Island Ice Tea Friday special..fabulous salt and pepper wings....great, relaxed atmosphere, al fresco seating.
when is she going to scorpio's, grand central, crush, alley cats, ect... come on!! get with it!!
I like the word "eclectic." Go away.
@Anonymous 2:37 - Leave then! And learn where the Caps Lock key is while you're at it!
Lol at people complaining that she's not going to bars in Mooresville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Stallings or any of the plethora of bedroom communities around Charlotte. That would be like writing a blog about the NYC scene and going to a place in Jersey City.
@ Anonymous July 12, 2011 3:26 PM
It is obvious you like the word "eclectic", Brittany (I mean Anonymous), you've used the word to describe almost every bar you've been to.
I love the Observer. I really do, but I cannot for the life of me understand why they're running these types of blogs. You've laid off how many in your newsroom during the past two years? Why hire someone do to this? Hire back one of the amazing reporters McClachy let go that are trying to find work.
I understand the financing of newspapers has changed and I get that you want to reach a younger audience, but a bar review section? Are you hoping the bar will advertise with you? Are you hoping the patrons of the bar will go to see the review? Neither are likely to happen. Bars now send texts about their specials and have websites specifically for stuff like this.
Newspapers should remain relevant by reporting on important issues, breaking the big stories. The Observer does this well, but wasting your valuable resources to put this on your website is ridiculous.
Sorry, Big O, huge swing and a miss.
Thanks for the review.. I will definitely check it out soon. Also, ignore the negative comments on here. It is far easier to criticize someone else than to produce something of value. I like the posts, so keep them coming.
@Anonymous 3:49 - There are bars out in the suburbs as well she could be reviewing. Where else are these McMansion husbands going to go when their minivan-wielding trophy wife starts getting on their nerves? :-)
She has a pretty smile, that should account for something.
I cant help it....I'm addicted to this blog for all the wrong reasons...
This blog sucks.
"The uptown spot serves up an eclectic blend of Greek and New Orleans cuisine..."
What? Please! Unless they have changed their menu and added some Greek dishes...simply offering Greek salads, gyros and baklava does not qualify as Greek cuisine!!
There's Greek at "The" Lake up North too. Acropolis exit 28
SALT AND PEPPER WINGS ARE THE BEST!!!
Honestly, I don't read the blog; it's kind of lame. But the comments are pretty cool. Maybe the Observer is on to something by throwing this poor kid to the wolves.
"Packed with business men and women dressed in the unofficial uniform of blue button-down shirts and black slacks or skirts, the restaurant was a buzz during a Monday lunch rush at noon."
Hmm, it's almost like that Uptown lunch spot attracts an office crowd at lunchtime!
"bar goers can find unique dining options and a variety of drinks at the French Quarter Restaurant."
And, for the next 200 words, I will be mentioning none of them.
Not bad review. I enjoy the French Quarter...but Im looking forward to reading about other parts of town..as others have expressed. I like the idea of this blog..similar to the Charlotte John blog...just no cuss words haha.
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