Four Weeks Later: Seoul Food Meat Company (Review)

These days, every new restaurant opening in Charlotte is reported like Pope's visit. And everything, is overhyped based on the media night, which is when the restaurant puts on its best face.

I'm letting the hype die down before I experience these new additions. This week, I finally tried Seoul Food Meat Company, the Korean BBQ joint, in lower Southend. I must admit. It's worthy of some of the hype.

I'll start with the pork belly. In recent weeks, I've sworn-off pork belly. It's the most over-used protein on Charlotte restaurant menus these days. Problem is, unlike chicken or steak, a pork belly entree is rarely filling. I typically get three slivers of meat. I'm growing - I need grub.

At Seoul, I got my fill of pork belly, and it was delicious. The crispy pork belly has fantastic flavor and the portion size is appropriate for a growing girl. Our tray above also features Bao bun (doughy bun), vinegar slaw (great flavor and not spicy), picked deviled eggs (delicious) and for your dose of green, try the broccoli (ice cold, but tasty). Not pictured is the sriracha cracklins. I like how it was lightly fried, but it wasn't very sriracha-like. Plus, it wasn't warm. The pork skins at The Liberty are better.

Seoul's wings are my favorite in the city. They are crazy meaty and exploding with flavor from the skin to the meat. Most places drench their wings in sauce and oil, but the meat is tasteless. Not at Seoul. I liked soy garlic the best, but the barbecue was good too.

Overall, Seoul is great for me. Lots of protein and a vegetable that wasn't dripping in oil. My one complaint is that with the exception of the wings, none of the food came out hot. The broccoli is served cold and crispy pork was room temperature. Even the Bao buns were cold. Who wants a cold dough bun. My server Francis L was overwhelmed, but energetic. He apologized profusely for taking forever to make first contact, but then he was spot on. The food came out incredibly fast, (before the drinks) which makes me think many of the dishes aren't made-to-order.

Sip + Play Says: Worth the hype

Watch Seoul's transformation via FB:

We will be opening our doors to the public on Saturday 2/20 at 4:30pm! Special preview of selected menu items will be available! Can't wait to see everyone 
Posted by Seoul Food Meat Company on Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Coming soon...

Coming soon...

Still working hard to open soon...we still don't have an exact opening day but we will keep you guys posted as the days get closer! #charlottenc#southend#golddistrict#charlotteeats#seoulfoodmeatco
Posted by Seoul Food Meat Company on Monday, January 18, 2016

A peek inside...

The inside is slowly but surely coming together too! #seoulfoodmeatco#golddistrict#southend#charlottenc
Posted by Seoul Food Meat Company on Friday, January 8, 2016

Outside is coming along...

Awnings are up and looking good! #southend#seoulfoodmeatco#charlottenc#golddistrict
Posted by Seoul Food Meat Company on Friday, January 8, 2016

A peek inside...

Bar top got its top coat and we are loving the way it looks!! We're getting excited!
Posted by Seoul Food Meat Company on Friday, December 11, 2015

No way, it looked like this!

Nice warm day for some construction! #seoulfoodmeatco#charlottenc#southend#golddistrict#comingsoon
Posted by Seoul Food Meat Company on Thursday, December 3, 2015

Holla: Sipandplayclt@gmail.com 

It's Friddayyy! Floetry, party bus and block party

It's Friday, and Floetry is here. The weekend starts now! Live music, local artists showcase and more. Let's get this party started. See you in the streets...

Party Bus - Planning to go to the Dave Matthews Band show tonight at PNC Music Pavilion. Don’t drink and drive, roll with the Dave Matthews Band Pre & Post Party/Party sponsored by Elevate Lifestyle. Fee includes pre/post parties with beer specials, transportation to and from PNC Music Pavilion and  beer on the bus on the way to the concert. Doesn’t include concert ticket.

4 p.m., Slate Billiards patio,200 East Bland St. (Parking is the lot off of Tryon St to the right of Amos Southend.)Bus leaves at 5:30 p.m. $20.

Don't Forget

Artist Showcase - See local spoken word, musicians and visual artists at the Funk Balia Artist Showcase. 8 p.m. Dupp & Swat, 2424 North Davidson Street #112B.



Block Party - The folks at Unknown Brewing Company are hosting the South End Neighborhood Block Party to thank their Southend neighbors. Live music from Heroes At Last, food from ROOTS food truck, games and arcade play all night long. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. The Unknown Brewing Co., 1327 S Mint St.

They're Back! - The British duo Floetry is back together and R&B fans are so excited. The Floetry: The Reunion Tour is finally coming to Charlotte. Read Courtney Devores take on tonight's show in Soundbites. 8 p.m., Knight Theater 430 S. Tryon St. Tickets.




Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Weekend preview: Floetry reunion, Latin film and Southend block party

This is a cultural weekend, whether you want to celebrate Latin culture, gay cultural, beer cultural or party cultural, there's something for you. Let's get this party started. See you in the streets.

Wednesday

Latin-American Cinema - The Latin American Coalition ‎CineMas Presents: “MATEO.” In this moving story, a 16-year-old Mateo faces a life-changing dilemma. This film was selected as the Colombian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. 6 p.m. Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Rd. $5 cash or credit. Film is in Spanish w/ English subtitles. Details.

Friday
Artist Showcase - See local spoken word, musicians and visual artists at the Funk Balia Artist Showcase. 8 p.m. Dupp & Swat, 2424 North Davidson Street #112B.



Block Party - The folks at Unknown Brewing Company are hosting the South End Neighborhood Block Party to thank their Southend neighbors. Live music from Heroes At Last, food from ROOTS food truck, games and arcade play all night long. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. The Unknown Brewing Co., 1327 S Mint St.

They're Back! - The British duo Floetry is back together and R&B fans are so excited. The Floetry: The Reunion Tour is finally coming to Charlotte. 8 p.m., Knight Theater 430 S. Tryon St. Tickets.






Saturday
Beer Festival - Officially, it's called The Fillmore Craft Sessions, but that's just a fancy way to say beer festival. The event features more than two dozen local and national craft beers, food vendors and more. 5 p.m. Fillmore Charlotte, 1000 North Carolina Music Factory Boulevard. $42 and up.

Fashion and Hair Show - The Alesia Thomas Foundation, Inc. hosts the Tresses & Threads Hair and Fashion Show. The theme for this year's show is "A Ribbon of Many Colors.” The event will raise money for people with illnesses and conditions that cause hair loss such as Alopecia, Lyme Disease, along with other illnesses including treatments for Cancer. The host for the evening will be Davita Galloway, owner of Dupp & Swat Creative Agency & Boutique. 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., Sachi Enterprise 1801 N. Tyron St.


Charlotte Black Gay Pride - Get a head start on celebrating Charlotte Black Gay Pride at the Black Tie Gala and Award presented by CBGP. The organizations celebrates the 10th anniversary of Charlotte Black Gay Pride. The gala features a   Black Carpet and will honor community members who have helped build CBG Pride. Includes dinner and entertainment. 8 p.m. - 10 pm. The Venue, 1801 N Tryon St. Details.

Sunday

Fallen Neighbor - The NoDa community is rallying around Joe Borruso, who was struck by a drunk driver while walking along Parkwood Avenue on Sunday. Borruso was seriously injured in the accident. The Benefit Show for Joe Borruso features an acoustic set by Taking Back Sunday, Animals, Paint Fumes, Modern Primitives, Fat Geoff & more. 6 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre. $20 - $30. Details.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

St. Patrick's Day Celebrations today

It's raining, it's pouring, green beer is flowing. Grab your umbrellas and head out to a variety of St. Patrick's Day Celebrations. Let's get this party started. See you in the streets.

Beer Crawl - Rare kegs tapped every two hours at different locations in South End. Take the free trolley between the eight stops from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Live music at every stop. Free. See the list of bars here. Parking available.

St. Patrick's Celebrations

Family Fun - The Charlotte St. Patrick's Day Parade & Charlotte Goes Green Festival is an annual event held in Uptown Charlotte. The parade will feature four pipe and drum bands, Ceol na Gael, Charlotte Fire Dept. Pipe & Drums, Jamestown Pipe & Drums and Grandfather Mountain Highlanders. Festivities include 2015Charlotte Goes Green Festival area from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parade starts at 11 a.m. at N. Tryon St. and 9th Street in uptown.

St. Pats Hooker – The Saturday party is going to huge. It's an outdoor block party with  food trucks, lawn games, and live music. Doors open at noon Saturday. Don’t miss Kegs and Eggs at 8 a.m. March 17. Galway Hooker Irish Pub, 17044 Kenton Dr, Cornelius. Free both days.

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Rich and Bennett's St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl – This is billed as the World’s Largest Pub Crawl. It draws people from throughout the country. Check-in is from 12-3 p.m. behind Dixie's, directly across from the 7th street parking deck, 219 E 7th St.

Gone Green - The Rusty Rudder will be green for the Ruddered Green Party. 10 p.m., Rusty Rudder, 20210 Henderson Road # 101, Cornelius.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Music, cupcakes, rollerskates and naked people

I told you earlier this week that this is an artsy weekend. It starts off with two gallery crawls tonight. If you're looking for something a little more adventurous, I have something here for you to. Let's get this party started. See you in the streets...

Art & Food - "Live music, free booze, naked people" - What more do you need? It's the Southend Gallery Crawl. It's also Food Truck Friday so it's a double whammy to your senses. Food Trucks line up at 5 p.m. and galleries open at 6 p.m., Camden Road area off South Tryon St. Free street parking.

Skate Party - The ladies of Charlotte Roller Girls are busting out the 'Nsync, Backstreet Boys and more at their '90s Rollerskate Party. Jam skaters, inline skaters and regular ol' skaters are welcome. This is an occasional event at their practice facility. Don't miss it.  8 p.m. Shark Tank, 3701 N. Davidson St. $10 cash only. #TJturnup

It's a Party! - There's so much going on at The Mad Ones Revival that you'll need to be there to understand. It promises to be fun. Featuring the works of local artist Matt Myers, Painter, Amy Bagwell, Amy Wyckoff & Ghost Trees Brent Bagwell & Seth Nanaa with special guest Andy Thewlis. Bull City Ciderworks will provide nibbles and cider libations. Special guest appearances from the cast of XOXO_Ensemble Performance. 6 p.m. Frock Shop, 901 Central Ave.

Don't Forget! 

Symphony For Novices - Charlotte Symphony makes the genre less intimidating for newbies with A Waltz to Remember, part of Knight Sounds Series. Along with soaking up beautiful music, attendees will see a performance by the Metropolitan Ballroom dancers. It ends with a champagne toast. 12 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. $15.50, $29.

PM Art Crawl - Head over to Plaza-Midwood for the Crawl B4U Ball Art Crawl at Pint Central, Salon 1226, Tuft and Fumanchu cupcakes. Starts at 7 p.m.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Uptown jazz festival, around the world at Whisky River

Hey jazz fans, the Jazz Diva just announced an uptown summer jazz festival. Details are a little vague, but the QC Summerfest lineup includes Najee and Keiko Matsui. Stay tuned for more details next month. 

If you're looking for a non-traditional game-watch party this weekend, there are quite a few happening. Take a look. 

Now, let's get this party started. See you in the streets...

Theater In Southend - An ASC grant, and a collaboration by Donna Scott Productions and Historic South End are bringing the staged reading of “Carrie Ann’s Kiss” to the Charlotte Trolley Museum. The play is is a mockumentary-styled comedy about five cosmetic consultants on their way to a national convention It  was written by Charlotte playwright Tonya Bludsworth. 8 p.m., Charlotte Trolley Museum,  1507 Camden Road. $10.










For The Family - Giant animals, silly clowns, deftifying feats highlight "The Greatest Show On Earth." Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is here until Sunday. Various times and dates. Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 East Trade St. $15 and up.



Don't Forget

Music Benefit - Reverb Fest is a benefit concert for the Chronic Illness Relief Fund. The show features Diarrhea Planet, Bo White's Patois Counselors, Junior Astronomers, Museum Mouth, Serfs and Southern Fernisphere. 7:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theater, 511 E. 36th St. $10/$12. 

Food Event - I don't usually equate Whisky River with food, but this is different. Sample food from throughout the world at Taste Your Way Around The World. 8-10 p.m. Whisky River, 201 East Trade St. EpiCentre. $20. Paid and valet parking available onsite. #TJTurnup

Happy Hour – Haunt totally surprised me. A DJ and craft cocktails at Earl's Grocery, 1609 Elizabeth Ave. Judging from my FB friends who are going, this should be a great crowd. 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Earl’s Grocery.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com