Blackfinn Ameripub
Posted on May 17, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
On one of the nights our group walked to the EpiCentre in downtown Charlotte to find somewhere relatively inexpensive to eat. We were originally going to go to Fleming’s but it had four dollar signs next to its name on the restaurant list. We had to keep it three or under because some people ate at Ruth’s Chris Steak House and already blew the dinner budget. Yup. That happened the night before I arrived. I totally missed out!
To David’s credit, he did get one of our vendors to take us out to dinner one night. They must really like David because they took us to a fancy restaurant called the Capital Grille. The food and service was fantastic. It was a wonderful dinner.
Anyway, he tried to find a different vendor to take us out the next evening. No luck. That happens when you’re just window shopping I guess. Vendors only like to wine and dine you if you’re actually in the market for their product. Our other existing vendors were busy courting new customers. We were on our own.
We ended up at Blackfinn, a two dollar sign restaurant that’s conveniently located right as you arrive at the EpiCentre. Several people in our group wanted to check out Howl at the Moon, a piano bar in the same area so it was perfect.
Here are some pictures of our food…
I think these are the crab cakes.
Steak!
Meatloaf.
I had the grilled mahi, except I subbed spinach for broccoli because I love spinach.
I didn’t get a picture of the other plates because they were either duplicates or too far for me to reach. To check out the other foods, I guess you’ll just have to go to the restaurant. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.
Overall, I really liked Blackfinn. The food was good and the prices were reasonable. The menu is extensive so there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re a steak or seafood person or you just want plain ol’ chicken, you’ll find something on the menu that appeals to you. It’s great for large groups with different tastes. No one will end up starving.
They also have a great selection of starters, some of which are quite filling. Blackfinn is a great choice for if you just want to have appetizers and drinks. We got to try the crab cakes and ying-yang shrimp starters. Both were very good.
They have flatbread pizzas; all sorts of salads; pork, chicken, steak, and seafood entrées; sandwiches and burgers; pasta and noodle dishes; and they even allow you to order extra sides for sharing. The dessert options looked really good too, but we didn’t have any. No one was interested after all of the cheesecake and other desserts they were feeding us at the conference. LOL.
After dinner Sunni and I walked back to our respective hotels. I registered late and ended up the Hilton Charlotte Center City, while everyone else in our group got rooms at the Westin. I found out the next day that, since Howl at the Moon wasn’t open yet, the group ended up at the Tendril after party at Whisky River, where they had an open bar all night long. They said it was a great time; even better than the piano bar.
I was bummed about missing out at first but, after finding out that some of them stayed out until 2 AM, I didn’t feel as bad. I really wanted to be at breakfast early the next day to get a good seat for Shawn Achor’s keynote so there was no way I could hang. Walking back to the hotel right after dinner was a good call.
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Mimosa Grill
Posted on May 16, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
Mimosa Grill was my favorite restaurant out of all the restaurants I got to try in downtown Charlotte. I think I liked it so much because the food is so fresh. Our server made it a point to tell us that the vegetables are all locally grown at least half a dozen times during our meal. It was almost comical.
Jokes aside, what I really liked best was the mimosa tea. It’s the most delicious non-alcoholic beverage I’ve had in a long time. I’ve had Arnold Palmer’s (half lemonade, half iced tea) before but their tea takes it up several notches. Chad liked it so much that he got multiple refills. I can’t pick on him too much about the refills because I did too. It was delicious. I wanted to go there again and again just for the mimosa tea.
I had the lobster mac and cheese. Not the best choice. That part of the meal was just okay. I prefer the one here at Wine Dive better. I though the mac and cheese was a tad greasy. The salad was great, though. Probably because the veggies are super fresh. The super delicious tea made up for the lackluster mac and cheese so I forgave them.
David had the sea bass.
Chad had crab cakes, which is what I wish I would have ordered. The crab cakes were piled on top of each other with fried green tomatoes sandwiched in between. He said they were just as scrumptious as they looked. After seeing his plate, I really wanted a do over.
Alex got a very healthy salad, which looked amazing also. I bet it was really good. You know, because the vegetables are super fresh, being locally grown and all. LOL.
I joke around but, truly, I really liked Mimosa Grill. The prices were reasonable and the food was delicious and I wish I could have bottled that mimosa tea and brought it back with me to Kansas. I tried to talk the group into eating there again on our final day in Charlotte but no one really wants to eat at the same place twice, no matter how great it is. Usually when you’re out of town, you want to try a bunch of different restaurants. Specially ones that you can’t find your hometown. Such is the case for me, anyway.
Although, Brian seemed really interested in the Nascar Hall of Fame so I see another trip to Charlotte in my future. See you soon, Mimosa Grill!
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Hilton Charlotte Center City
Posted on May 13, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
These are pictures of my hotel room in Charlotte, NC.
The room was small but sufficiently furnished.
I really have no idea why they put so many chairs in a tiny room. I would be just as satisfied with only a bed and more floor space. LOL.
The desk did come in handy on nights that I needed to catch up on work.
The bathroom and shower was pretty basic.
I had an oddly shaped room at the far end of the hotel. I thought it was a weird shape at first, but it was really functional the way they had the furniture situated. It made the space work.
The hotel is conveniently located next to the Charlotte Convention Center.
View of the front of the hotel, which I didn’t get to see much of because I always went the back way next to the train tracks, because it’s the quickest path to the Charlotte Convention Center.
Also next to the hotel is the Childress Klein YMCA, which is accessible via a covered walkway. I asked for an “away card” from my home YMCA before I left but it turns out that I didn’t need one. Hotel guests have complimentary access to this YMCA branch. You just have to show them your room key and sign in on the clipboard at the front desk.
There weren’t many options as far as group exercise classes went, at least not for the time frame I was there because I was tied up in conference activities the entire time and, by the time I was free, it was way late.
The gym did have a decent running track (9 laps equaled 1 mile) and an olympic-sized lap pool. That was cool. The hours are quite limited though. The gym closes at 9 PM Monday through Thursday and even earlier on Fridays and Saturdays. They are not even open on Sunday.
The only way I could make it work with my conference schedule was to go at 5 AM. Surprisingly, there were a lot more people at the gym than I expected for that early in the day. I saw a few guys walk in with their suits in hangers. I’m thinking the branch’s main patrons are downtown Charlotte workers who go for an early morning workout before heading to work. In which case, their operating hours make a lot of sense.
Anyway, I just have to put a plug for Hilton Charlotte and the entire city. The hotel staff was super nice. When you fly in via Atlanta and experience the airport customer service there, interacting with the friendly people of Charlotte is quite refreshing. It’s truly night and day. Everyone I met in Charlotte was wonderful. And, I think the niceness must be contagious because even the people who weren’t from there were also really nice. It was such a nice experience I wouldn’t mind going back just to visit next time.
I hope to see you again soon, Charlotte!
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Mother’s Day Weekend
Posted on May 10, 2015 by Ching under Events, Family.
I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother’s Day weekend. We started ours off on Saturday night with grandma.
They had a lovely reception at Cherry Creek for all the women residents. There were snacks, fruit punch (fake sangria) and sangria. They even had an acoustic guitar player.
Grandma got a lovely carnation from Sharon.
She also got first dibs on the sangria.
For our part, we got grandma a Mother’s Day card and the Annie soundtrack
Kudos to the Cherry Creek staff for putting together a nice reception for the residents.
On Sunday morning we met dad, mom, and Jenni at Piccadilly Grill for brunch. We were on a bit of a tight schedule because mom and dad wanted to be at Derby Bowl for Logan and Matt’s first bowling league at 12:30 PM and then I had a Zumba class to teach in Andover at 1:00 PM. We managed to make it work.
Here are some pictures of the fantastic brunch spread.
The buffet today was double the size of their normal brunch.
In addition to the regular buffet, there was a waffle station, omelette station, and a ham and roast beef carving station. They also had smoke salmon, various cheeses, and tabouli. Piccadilly is a Mediterranean restaurant after all.
There was a huge selection of cakes and pies for dessert.
Made me wish I didn’t have to teach Zumba so I could stuff my face silly. I still tried, though. At almost $25 per person, you best believe I tried to get my money’s worth. LOL. I’m kidding! I behaved (for the most part).
Anyway, I’m really glad that we got to have brunch today at Piccadilly. Brian told me that they’re going to be tearing the place down so today was the last Mother’s Day brunch before the demolition happens. I hope that Piccadilly Grill returns after the new building is finished. The thought of the restaurant closing really makes me sad. There are very few places that serve a fantastic brunch buffet here in town and Piccadilly is one of them.
If you’ve never been to Piccadilly Grill, I highly recommend checking it out. Specially since their days are numbered. Who knows when they’re reopen or if they reopen after the construction is complete. Check them out and let me know what you think in the comments below.
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52nd Annual Honors Night
Posted on May 10, 2015 by Ching under Events.
Brian and I had the privilege of attending the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Honors Night a couple of weeks ago. It was at Beech Activity Center this year, the same place that Cards for the Cure has been held that last few years.
You wouldn’t be able to tell that it’s the same place though because the tables were all decked out for Honors Night, complete with fancy table center pieces (each table had a different one) and a few bottles of wine.
The event is a celebration of individual, corporate, and architectural achievements that enhance the Wichita community. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception received the Keeper of the Plains Award, an award recognizing an architectural project completed by a firm, organization, or individual, which has contributed to the beauty of our community.
I’ve never been inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (also known as Saint Mary’s Cathedral) since I’m not Catholic but the restoration is impressive. I definitely want to check it out one of these days and see the remarkable architecture in person.
Mr. Steve Clark received the Chamber’s most prestigious individual award, Uncommon Citizen. It’s an honor bestowed on those who have made uncommon contributions to the people and institutions of Wichita year after year.
Wichita State University received the Spirit of Wichita award which is only given to an institution that was previously recognized with an Over the Years award at least 20 years ago. This year’s Over the Years award recipients were Meritrust Credit Union, LDF, and Youth Entrepreneurs.
These videos are extremely well done so I had to share them with you guys. They’re so awesome that I almost want to win an award so that I could have my very own video vignette. LOL.
Here’s a picture of the trophies. Below is a picture of Mr. Steve Clark with his Uncommon Citizen trophy and, below that, is a picture of Dr. Bardo who received the Spirit of Wichita award on behalf of Wichita State University.
There are more pictures of the event on the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page. Brian and I are both grateful for the opportunity to attend the event and witness these honorees receive their well-deserved awards.
Congratulations to all of the awards recipients and thank you for all that you do for the Wichita community!
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