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| - 'X' marks the spot. Literally. This little gem was the Davidson Ice House when I was a student there in the mid-1970s. It's on NC 115, just South of town, next to Fuel Pizza.
Restaurant X is a quaint little place with a small dining room and a four seasons porch. (Call ahead for reservations!) The owners are very personable, laid back, and talented. He is English, his wife Irish. They've been in NYC and San Fran, and settled on the Charlotte area as a place to take up shop and raise a family.
The service is attentive but, like the hosts, laid back, and talented.
The menu was a one-page list of choices that were all wonderful-sounding. This place has a short beer and wine list, too, but I like their taste. Having a pot load of choices is never a great thing in my world, because it hides poor ones and wastes time choosing. So I rather like the short menu and drink lists. The hosts seem to have chosen real gems, and they can manage to cook everything properly that way.
The food this New Year's Eve 2009 was excellent. I had a concoction of sea bass and shrimp in a wonderful sauce over rice, with what tasted like smoked, grilled green beans and carrots. My wife had a Salmon in pastry shell dish with potatoes and veggies. We tried the crab soup, too. Portions were big enough we were full, and avoided dessert. We'll have to go back and try that later!
This would be a great place to go after a show or before a game at the college. If I were a student there, I'd take my visiting parents. If you're a parent, please suck it up and take your student... Know that there were NO really good restaurants in Davidson 30 years ago. This definitely rates four solid stars in my experience, maybe four and a half. Go try it!
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