11/05/07

FINALLY A NYC BRUNCH IN CHARLOTTE!!!

by skijason2

My girl friend and I are steriotypical NYers, I openly admit that EVERY chance I get. One thing that I have missed more than any since moving to Charlotte from NYC is sunday brunch (or saturday for that matter). I finally found it at LULU! The menu is simple but yet increadibly creative and even a bit humerous (in a good way) with it's combinations. I've been back 3 times now for brunch and everytime I have tried something different and everytime it's been great. My favorite so far is the green eggs and ham (not like your thinking though!). I hope you take my advice and go for brunch because it's great! I haven't been for dinner as of yet but I will soon.

• Pros: Finally a brunch in this city!!!!
• Cons: unless you live on central you have to drive there which means only 1 belini

10/12/08

Kitchen Nightmares...look out!!!

by tickedoffeater

We went there thinking this would be a nice little restaurant with good food, considering the prices. We don't mind paying those prices as long as the food is comparible. I ordered the appetizer with the fried green tomatos. Ick! Way too many flavors on one little plate...none of which even remotely compliments the others. My husband commented that someone must have taken their shoe off, as he could smell nasty feet. It was my appetizer!! For my meal, I selected the $17 eggplant lasagna. What I received was a tiny little dish filled 1/2 way down with stewed tomatos. I removed those and piled them on the side plate. The lasagna ended up being two pieces of undercooked lasagna noodle with spinich and what tasted like feta cheese between the noodles. But no eggplant.

The best part of the meal was the $8 half-glass of wine and the unlimited water. On a positive note...at least we learned never to return!! Gordon Ramsey would have a field day with this place!!!

• Pros: The water was very good.
• Cons: The food, the layout of the restaurant.

08/01/08

a gem in the charlotte crown

by alexanderjoe

I am writing more or less to counter some of the previous comments I was reading on other posts. To the woman complaining about the chicken issue...I know for a fact that Chef Jacksina uses only Poulet Rouge chicken. These chickens are about the highest quality chicken that can be purchased in the United States. So I don't think 16.50 is an exorbitant amount of money to pay for such a fine product. Also 99% of people will tell you that the dark meat chicken is twice as flavorful as chicken breast meat. I for one only eat dark meat chicken. I also prefer all of my meat on the bone because it is another way of extending the flavor of whatever meat you're eating. Anywhere else in the world people put a higher value on bone-in preparations and consider many Americans to be lazy at the table. I have eaten at Lulu's many times, brunch, lunch and dinner and have never been dissappointed. Chef Jacksina's hollandaise is one of the best in town; I could eat the merguez sandwich everyday; and he has a wide price point variant on his menu to accomodate many budgets. My hat's off to Jacksina and crew. Thank you for being here.

• Pros: eclectic menu
• Cons: no full bar...yet!

04/02/08

Spot On!

by paulhoneycutt

One of my all time favorite places ever, and the best I?ve had in Charlotte. I've been numerous times and the place always pleases me and my dinning companions. I've noted a review by one user who has left the same review in a few spots and have to assume he/she works for the competition. The chicken that is served there is an heirloom bird and I doubt you'd ever find it in a store let alone at the price stated. It is my wifes favorite dish and has ordered it there almost every time. She says ?look at the bottom of the chicken? to find the breast meat, it is whats holding all that warm gooey brie in place ;) And being a big chicken fan, she says it?s not the breast meat that?s the ?most flavorful? but the dark meat is.

Me? I love the calamari, any of the lamb and duck dishes they've offered and recently have been hooked on the Fat Vinny <how could you NOT love that name?>. I also love the fact that they use local produce and local pork, and the creme brulee is perfect! As for the soda thing, the last time I ordered one it was from a small producer and not coke or pepsi from a fountain, so I'm sure the cost has to be different for a product like that. I know the Jasons Deli serves the same soda and they charge a bit more than the $2.50 that was stated. I know when I'm in a place thats not a Ruby Tuesday or Chili's I always ask first anyhow. I'm glad Charlotte has a place like Lulu's.

• Pros: Fine dinning quality at everyday prices
• Cons: they don't deliver?

03/17/08

Unusual food, you should like veal and game, duck and wild boar, Watch out ordering soda

by Craig100

We were invited to LuLu's Restaurant for the 1st time by some freinds of ours for dinner on an early Friday Evening. The food was good but a little on the pricey side. My hamburger was $11.00. Prices are probably less during lunch hours. My wife found something on the menu for her vegetarian tastes and was happy. The one reason I wanted to leave a review on this restaurant because our group does not drink alcohol. We had three waters and I had a diet coke that came in an Wine Glass (approx 10 oz). Later on during the meal the waitress came over and asked me if she could get me another glass of soda and I said yes. When the bill came, the price of the soda was $2.50 times 2 = $5.00. They charged me for 2 sodas! I asked the waitress what this was about and she said they do not give refills. If she had mentioned that when she ask me if I would like another soda, I would have not ordered it. So watch out non drinkers, a 10oz class of soda is $2.50 each time it is filled.

• Pros: Different type of foods
• Cons: Charging you for every 10 oz soda, $2.50 no refills

01/14/08

Sunday Brunch is a must

by dulcita518

While in town for the weekend, two servers recommended going to Lulu's for Sunday brunch. We took their advice and made it over around noon. We managed to beat the crowd by about ten minutes, although the restaurant was fully seated and we had to wait 15mins.

They do a great job of keeping the flow of customers going smoothly, and everyone was happy.

The food: delicious. I had the creme brulee french toast with sausage. It was the best french toast I have ever had... the custardy texture of the bread made it seem more like a pudding than breakfast. My sausage was not the typical sausage link you find in the grocery store. They tasted homemade and were delicious.

My husband tried their Omelette du jour with andouille sausage, crawfish and cheddar cheese with morning fries. He enjoyed his omelette... and I couldn't stop stealing fries! They were tiny and perfectly seasoned. Even the coffee was good -- and that's a good sign for a breakfast/brunch spot!

IF we're in Charlotte again, we will definitely go back to Lulu's... and everyone should try it. You won't be disappointed

• Pros: Great service, delicious brunch
• Cons: come early. tiny parking lot

11/03/07

good french!

by sophie8888

P.S unforunately , people are so parranoied by fat in this country,all they want to eat is untasteful chicken breast... french food is all about confet,which is cooking duck or chicken in it's own fat... that is very old traditional and common for french cooking... small portions? i have to disagree. once again portions in this counry are hudge- taste? not so hudge. so you make a choise!

05/30/07

Nice atmosphere, little value

by gapkid

We went to Lulu for a "special" night out. For such a small place, location, and semi-casual dress, I was a bit surprised at the pricing of the entrees. Nevertheless, we were going to give it a shot because the atmosphere of the converted house was charming. The service was excellent and we were promptly greeted and seated. The appetizer we ordered, calamari, was very enjoyable. It came with a unique sauce (spicy with nutmeg?) that I had never experienced before, but it really complemented the calamari. And the wine selection was reasonably priced and varied.

Unfortunately, the main entrees were just...okay. They weren't anything spectacular other than their presentation. And questionably, for the few people in the restaurant, they took quite a long time (somewhere between 45 and 60 minutes!) to be served. Thankfully, we weren't in any hurry.

I ordered the chicken stuffed with brie. It was a chicken leg and thigh. I guess I was expecting too much. However, when I?m paying $16.50, I expect white flavorful chicken breast, not the part of the chicken with the skin still attached that I have to eat off the bones, around the fat, and can buy (but don't) at the grocery store for $0.69 a pound! It was unsatisfying. The small portion of mashed potatoes served with it were tasty, but the collard greens (?) were bitter and didn't fit in with the higher class that the restaurant menu is shooting for.

My dining partner ordered the lobster at $22. It came on a small plate with an even smaller portion of the entree on it. He's not a big eater, but he was still hungry after finishing his meal. And this was off the "large entrees" menu. I can only imagine what size the small entrees come out as.

So, all in all, the ambiance and service were great (overlooking the delayed food), and we might try brunch there sometime, but I definitely wouldn?t return for dinner. The menu would have to be upgraded a bit for me for the prices charged.

• Pros: Service, ambiance, setting, flower planters, wall art, decor
• Cons: Value, "large" entree portion size, ingredient selection