Aless B.

Sole Spanish Grill

I took some friends here and we had an absolutely delicious meal. Three of us did tapas, the other two had full course meals, and all agreed that it was simply extraordinary. I especially enjoyed a tasty shrimp with paprika appetizer, and a really fantastic Brushcetta offering that featured prosciutto, roasted red peppers, and juicy tomatoes. They have an extensive wine and beer list, and sangria!

Wolfman's Pizza

The pizza here is generic and overpriced. They take themselves very seriously for a chain pizzaria. I've ordered from this one, expecting a step above Dominos and Pizza Johns, and was disappointed.

I'm not a huge fan; I'd definitely recommend Brixx, a better chain overall with more creative pizzas at lower prices.

Tiger Noodles

These guys don't claim to be anything more than a mid-class, mostly take out restaurant, but for the money you get really excellent (if generic) fare. They cater to students and take prox cards for payment. Great for anything from a last-minute, late night snack to a huge order for hundreds of people.

Olives Deli & Bakery

Olive's cookies are a campus favorite, but I've never really figured out why. Their cookies are thick, doughy, and bland -- not very tasty.

But I will admit that their deli food is really fantastic-- I love some of their pasta salads; there's a Balsamic Chicken one that's great and a Cajun creamy penne salad that's just to die for. The people there are very nice.

Panera Bread

I love this panera mostly because it is conveniently located right across from campus. Many early mornings, I've slipped in to grab a coffee and a bagel to finish off a night of studying. I really like some of their (admittedly mass produced) soups and sandwitches, too. The Tuscan Chicken is a fav.

Panera Bread

The review below me is a little flowery in its praise... Panera is a chain, and it feels like one, even if they do bake and make on-site. They however have the ultimate plus of free WiFi which gets me in here on a weekly basis. The sandwitches are great, as are the soups, and I love the Pick 2 option for ~$7 where you get 2 of any of the following: half salad, half sandwitch, or soup.

Apple Store

I like Apple stores, and this one is all right, but the quality of their salespeople is a little spotty.

I brought a broken iPod in here to get their opinion on what was wrong; it was an off day and the store was almost empty. I went to the (empty) counter and was redirected back to a computer to sign in and get an appointment for 2 minutes later. So then I stood there, chatting with a sales rep, and the guy behind the counter noticed me and said "Are you the 2:15?" and decided to begin to help me. He then told me my repair was $120. I decided to ask his technical opinion on getting the part myself and fixing it myself, and he said "You can't do that." I got the party-line salesperson response every time I asked.

As a side note, I talked to a sales rep in a different store who did the correct thing: *recommended* the Apple way, warned me of the dangers, and gave me an informed opinion on what I could do. I don't mind being sold a product, but I hate going into a computer store and being told something that doesn't sell their product is wrong or impossible.

Their salespeople are more interested in selling designer products than in treating customers like people. Apple stores are supposed to treat you like a unique person, not a cog in the machine.

Cass & Co

This store is a little snobby, but all cigar stores are like that. They have quite the collection of all sorts of tobacco, from cigars to cigarettes. I was impressed by the selection.

Carolina Place Mall Pineville

This is the mall I most like to shop at in Charlotte. Southpark is really snobby and upscale, but the selection of stores here is far better and the prices are actually reasonable. This mall has stores like Forever 21, Delia's, and Wet Seal as well as lots of department stores and various other shops.

Bank Of America

I go in all the time to make deposits. There's nothing spectacularly good that sets this location apart, but the people here are competent. I've always been treated, mostly, courteously.