In my younger, childfree, college days, the Noda Arts District used to be my place. Not very big, but still great for bar hopping, plus Amelie’s French Bakery is open 24 hours for you to eat amazing pastries at 2 am when you’re in dire need of food. The combination of having kids … equating to having no time … and moving to South Carolina placed Noda in my rear view mirror; with Groupon deal in hand, Nathan and I took some time to rediscover it this past weekend.
Davidson Street Public House
Not realizing they served brunch, Davidson Street Public House was a nice surprise. From the description we read online, I was thinking it was more along the lines of an upscale pub, but it turned out to be this awesome chill spot with bomb drinks I enjoyed as well.
Originally going for the Challah French Toast option, Nathan spotted the Biscuits and Gravy option made with Neese’s Sausage … the ONLY sausage I eat, so made a change to my order. Having his mind set on lunch, and clearly not very hungry, he got a plate of the deviled eggs from the tapas menu. There was a four-page long list of drink options, so I just went with whatever the bartender could make that was sweet and Nathan got a craft beer.
Nathan loved his deviled eggs, but the drink was the highlight for me. The biscuits and gravy weren’t bad, the drink just left more of an impression. I saw the selections that other patrons made that I would get next time, but as it stands right now, the ambiance, staff, and cocktails are what would bring me back.
Total for Groupon: $9 for $20 in food and drinks. Paid an overage of $10 for my cocktail and $6 for the tip; please tip on the original total, don’t be a jerk.
Reigning Doughnuts
When I was younger, we used to go to this flea market in Jersey once a month. The same stuff was there every time we went, so I don’t know what my mother was looking for exactly … she only ever bought incense as the “real” take home. The highlight of these trips was the little doughnut stand making fresh cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, and plain cake doughnuts that seemed to melt in your mouth. Think Krispy Kreme “hot sign” excitement, but quadruple that excitement because they’re cake doughnuts and no hot sign was necessary when the doughnuts are always fresh from the fryer. Reigning Doughnuts brought me back to that childhood memory and anything that creates nostalgia for me, I love.
We passed by walking to Davidson Street Public House and Nathan thought it would be a great dessert treat for after brunch. Of course, there was no line when we passed it up in favor of waiting and a line down the sidewalk when we went back. There are no tables or chairs, just an unexpected window along the brick wall of Growlers Pub, so you’ll have to stand around and wait for your order to come up, but that wait is quite worth it.
I got their most popular, cinnamon sugar, and Nathan went for the honey glaze. Mine brought back the childhood memories I mentioned above, so obviously wonderful in my eyes; Nathan enjoyed his, but found it to be a bit messy and was therefore jealous of mine. All in all, these made to order circles of sunshine are everything you need to brighten you up on an overcast day. Bonus points for how cute it is because who wouldn’t be enticed to stop at a cute little window with shutters in the middle of a brick wall.
Not a Groupon, but at $1.20 per doughnut, obviously a deal on its own.
Popbar
As if doughnuts weren’t enough, we strolled past Popbar walking to the trash can. The rows of colorful popsicles drew me to the door and the dipping options drew me in.
Not your ordinary popsicles, Popbar makes their icy treats from fresh, all natural ingredients and you can actually watch them work. None as gelato on a stick, you pick your flavor option and select your dipping options or they have some of their most popular combinations listed for your convenience.
I don’t do well when I’m given loads of options … I basically get option overload, which annoys everyone I’m eating with, so I went with the popular Chocolate Covered Strawberry. I watched as she grabbed the strawberry Popsorbet popsicle, half dipped it in dark chocolate and drizzled it with white chocolate.
If you are a fan of chocolate covered strawberries or any kind of chocolate covered fruit, you will love these treats for being all the yummy without the work of dipping yourself.
Not a Groupon, but well worth the $5
If you live in Noda or Charlotte, have you tried any of the above options? Where else would you recommend? Check out this post for our Plaza Midwood discount date and leave me your suggestions in the comments. As always, thank you for reading!
