beautiful food court with mediocre food

SouthPark’s new food court opened recently, and this lady who wrote the article below shares my disappointment with the food choices. Although she’s making a little much of Chick-fil-A. The old food court wasn’t as dingy as she said, actually it was quite nice in a 1988 sort of way. I miss when they used to have Bananas /Everything Yougurt, Bain’s Deli, Mrs. Field’s and Flamers (circa 1996). They were good.

Trust me on this one. If you’re there and hungry, go with Maggiano's, Cheesecake Factory, Arthur's in Belk and Nordstrom's café.

Please read the article below, and tell me what you think.

Posted on charlotte.com on Fri, Jun. 18, 2004


THE SKINNY ON DINING -- HELEN SCHWAB

Can't the food match the court?

I, apparently the only woman in the free world who did not care when Nordstrom agreed to a SouthPark site, have since eaten my words: cool shoes.

But the words turned out to be tastier than anything I tried at the recently opened SouthPark food court near Nordstrom. Aside from Chick-fil-A -- the once, current and future king of fast food, in my opinion -- the food emporium, as it were, has no clothes.

Which is not to say it doesn't look great. It does. Really great. Airy, clean-lined, studded with palms and with a double-high central area delineated by handsome columns. Matte-silvery chairs with blond wood seats and a cream-and-white tile floor aid the light-filled feel of the place, a vast improvement over the dingy original. It'll connect to an outdoor plaza, slated to be done by September, if not sooner.

But the food?

Bistro 7 isn't open -- and probably won't be until fall, since it just began construction. It'll offer rotisserie meats, soups, salads and sandwiches. Nestle Tollhouse Cookies/Auntie Anne's Pretzels also isn't open yet, but we know what those are. I'm a fan of the buttery pretzels with varied toppings, but they're no vibrant surprise. Neither are the places staying from the old food court: Great Steak & Potato Co. (eh), Villa Pizza (ecch) and Showmars (yum).

But -- and here's the sad thing -- neither are the new places: Maki of Japan, Chinese Gourmet Express and Subway.

Subway you know. Chinese Gourmet Express offers a steam table with two- and three-item combos and the like. Strictly average on my visit. Maki of Japan may bear watching. At least sushi and tempura are on its menu, though the first was prepackaged and average, and the last not offered when I went. Bourbon-glazed chicken was OK, noodles greasy, but plans do call for on-site grilling when more equipment is in, says mall director of marketing Julie Harrell.

And that could be as good as it gets for court-eaters. Sit-down dining, joining Maggiano's, Cheesecake Factory, Arthur's in Belk and Nordstrom's cafe and E-bar, is still planned at the mall's west end, with details out maybe next week, says Harrell.

Nordstrom taught me to wish for shoes that go with what I'm wearing. Now I wish we'd gotten food to match the court.