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| - As a native Californian with 7 years experience in the restaurant industry, some might say my standards for food just might be on the more critical side of the spectrum.
A friend of ours recommended Dish as our first "locals" style restaurant recommendation. He's a man of few words: "Dish is pretty good. Their spicy meatloaf is excellent."
We stopped by for dinner and found some parking on the street, but I can see how parking can be hit or miss depending on the time of day and how busy the neighboring places can get.
Dish has an understated exterior, with only a colorful cartoonishly hip logo painted outside and your staple one-word trendy name. The interior is open, bright, and eclectic. Paintings and china plates are displayed on the walls. It is cozy, familiar and conjures childhood memories. The clientele is decidedly hip and young - a quick survey of the folks yielded an Ozomotoli hoodied, bearded guy, surrounded by lean women in 70's blazers and jeans. My impression - not unlike the Silverlake crowd in Southern California, understated, casual cool.
An efficient, friendly, nose-ringed waitress took our order. As prescribed, I stuck with the spicy meatloaf and mashed potatoes. My husband ordered the grits and shrimp. If you're going to eat Southern food, you gotta have some grits. Certain grits dishes can even aspire to the level of "sophisticated" cuisine; I was reminded of the well-loved shrimp and grits dish that a former Top Chef contestant whipped up that made me long for taste-o-vision.
Entrees came with a deviled egg and biscuit. While the deviled egg was satisfactory, the biscuit was mundane and a bit cold. What made up for it was the warm, well-balanced shrimp and grits, just enough salty, creamy, cheesy, taste to make you shovel the strangely textured Southern favorite into your mouth and be reduced to caveman-like sounds of affirmation and delight. The spicy meatloaf did not disappoint, an intriguing, subtle heat, slight tart and sweetness and a lovely textured meatloaf that was neither too compacted or too delicate. Portions were perfect, pricing a good value for a sit-down restaurant that has a local hangout vibe.
My only criticism is the food temperature, which in the cool evening, dropped within minutes causing you to wonder if you could drop into the kitchen and ask to pop the dish just for a sec' into the microwave. The potatoes were a little on the dry side for my tastes, but all in all this was one of the best comfort food meals I've ever enjoyed. Simply put, I have a new-found respect for Charlotte restaurants and Southern comfort food.
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