If you're too impatiant or lazy to cook up your own spinach dishes, here are five excellent options at Charlotte restaurants. There are plenty more, but we've tasted these (well, most of them) and find them pretty extraordinary.
Spinach patties
Tropical Delights Jamaican Restaurant
Made with onions, garlic, eggs, matza meal, salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice, the spinach patties at this Jamaican restaurant in the University area are simple but absolutely delicious.
Where: 9211 N. Tryon St.
Hours: Mon. (closed); Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday; 8:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday
Spinach artichoke dip
Brixx
You'll find spinach artichoke dip at serveral area eateries, but the dip at Brixx, in various locations around the city, is magical. We're partial to the Dilworth spot.
Where: 1801 Scott Ave.
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Spinach asparagus leek soup
Amélie's French Bakery
With potatoes, onions, rice, heavy cream (sorry, vegans), chicken stock (sorry, vegetarians), and the titular spinach, asparagus, and leeks, this is a dish that gives you one of those OMG-this-is-so-awesome experiences the moment you put spoon to mouth.
Where: 2424 N Davidson St.
Hours: Mon.-Sun. 24/7
Spinach Florentine bagel
Einstein Bros.
Purists will tell you that, in the beginning, God created only two kinds of bagels: plain and egg. And they're right. You don't really get bagels at chains like Einstein Bros., even if they did name the place after the second-most-famous Jew behind Jesus. You get doughnut-shaped, bagel-like bread. That said, we can't resist the spinach Florentine doughnut-shaped bread (a veritable amalgam of cultural appropriation!) at Einstein's.
Where: 1501 South Blvd. (and other locations)
Hours: Mon.-Thursday 5:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 6 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Spinach pie
Ilios Noche
OK, full disclosure: We haven't actually tried this one yet. We just heard that the spinich pie at this Quail Corner restaurant is to die for. And we got it on good authority: Mom. So we're gonna take our own recommendation here and go try it one of these days. Moms don't lie. Well, actually, they do, but not about things like this.
Where: 11508 Providence Rd. and 8426 Park Rd.
Hours: Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Thurs. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. - midnight; Sun. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
