The 7 most intimidating places to order food and drink in Charlotte (and how to cope)
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I don’t like choices or questions when I’m ordering. I don’t know what’s good or what goes well together. If a restaurant had just three things on the menu and said, hey, these are the best three things we got, I’d go there all the time.
Some places are more intimidating than others. By “intimidating,” I basically mean the busyness of the restaurant, number and frequency of choices you have to make, and ability of staff to help you make a decision. Here’s my ranking.
(1) Chopt
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A customized salad is one of the most intimidating things you can possibly order in our city. Added intimidation because you have to follow your person to the correct chopping station. 25 freaking different kinds of salad dressing?
How to cope: Order one of the favorites. I always go with the Cobb salad with the Dijon Vinaigrette. Boring, I know.
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(2) Which Wich
Even if you pick one of their “signature” sandwiches, you still have to make a ton of choices including cheese and bread on those little bags.
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How to cope: Take a supply of extra bags home with you, do your research, and go in prepared the next time.
(3) The Mayobird
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via Tara Lilly
This applies to lunch only. You’re obviously getting chicken salad, but there’s no good way to pick and you’re on the clock. There are literally 16 different choices.
How to cope: Go with the sliders (you get to pick three). Ask the person taking your order what she recommends. Or go with a classic trio: Original, Southern and the Harvest.
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(4) Craft
The selection here is insane and full of things I’ve never heard of. It’s too busy to ask for a bunch of samples.
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How to cope: Go for a flight, and ask the bartender to pick out some things she thinks you’ll like.
(5) Johnny Burrito
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The line is out the door during weekday lunches, and you better have cash on hand or you’re going to hear about it. The online menu even says “the first time is the hardest.”
How to cope: Go for the taco salad, and (pro tip) ask for both chips and lettuce as the base. And bring a $10 spot.
(6) Earl’s Grocery
Make sure you get your drink before you get in line, otherwise you have to move to the back.
How to cope: Just go with the Banh Mi Swich.
(7) Not Just Coffee
You feel like you should be able to espouse the pros and cons of Ethiopian vs. Nigerian beans.
How to cope: Go for a pour-over. This is going to narrow things down to three choices on a chalkboard. Just pick whichever description sounds good. Don’t overthink it. They’re all good.