Rating: 5 / 5 stars
My boyfriend and I have a monthly bet to see who can get in the most miles of cardio. The reward for the winner is a meal at a restaurant we pick at the start of the new month. I love this bet because it keeps us both moving, feeds my competitive nature, and ends in a delicious meal.
In August, we picked The King’s Kitchen and, on Tuesday, the loser (him) finally treated the winner (me, obviously*) to her southern fare.
I initially choose The King’s Kitchen after finding it on Instagram and drooling over the upscale versions of my favorite southern classics. What I didn’t know at the time is that The King’s Kitchen is much more than just a restaurant. According to their website,
Far too many of our fellow Charlotte residents suffer from extreme life-challenges such as poverty, homelessness and the slow, uphill battle of recovering from substance abuse or incarceration. Our vision and goal each day at The King’s Kitchen is to raise funds to feed the spiritual and physical needs of those who have the least in our community and to train and equip those previously unemployable in the restaurant trade.
This means that 100% of the profit from our dinner went to feeding the hungry, and the people behind the scenes making it all possible are getting a second chance. As someone who likes to think of herself as a fairly active, loving member of the Charlotte community, I’d happily come back and pay for a meal to support this initiative again and again.
As for the food, it was amazing from appetizer to dessert.
We started with the crab cakes, which our server recommended based on the fact that their seafood is sourced every 48 hours from the coast. The crab cake itself had a ratio of approximately 80% crab to 20% filling, which is ideal, and served on a tartar sauce that is perfectly flavored. I’m recommending it to anyone based on the fact that my New England-raised boyfriend gave it his stamp of approval, which is not easy to get when it comes to crab.
Then it was onto the plate that I spent the entire day dreaming about – fried chicken, mac & cheese, green beans and mashed potatoes. Let’s be honest, the only healthy thing about this meal was what it did for my mental health, which was make me instantly happy and nostalgic. This exact meal takes me back to my childhood like no other can.
The chicken itself was crispy, juicy, flavorful and not bogged down by a thick batter. It was everything fried chicken should be, but the sides stole the show.
The mac and cheese was creamy, the mashed potatoes were covered in white gravy, and the green beans were cooked with bacon. It was everything a true southern meal should have been – flavorful, well-cooked and very cravable.
His burger was equally as delicious as were the fries, which were crispy and not at all greasy. The only change I’ll make next time is my decision to order the cornbread instead of the biscuit as it was a little dry. The cornbread didn’t matter though because after clearing my plate, I was too full to think about it. We took the chocolate moose to go and, despite it’s small size, enjoyed it’s rich decadence for the next two nights.
If you’re in Charlotte looking for some southern comfort and a way to give back, I would recommend The King’s Kitchen every time.
*I actually lost our September bet and now owe him Cowfish. More on that when we finally make it to Cowfish.
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