My editor’s note from Charlotte magazine’s January issue. Cover image by Peter Taylor.
DAVE CRANDALL can tell you anything about the cocktails from The Summit Room. Want something fruity but not too sweet? Try the Kilimanjaro, one of its seven cocktails named after the tallest peaks on each continent. “I’ve been in the business forever,” says Dave, a server at the Dilworth restaurant. He glides across the dining room floor with a Cheshire Cat smile, explaining the must-order drinks—and dishes—to every customer. The thing is, though, he’s never had a sip of any of them.
For our Best New Restaurants list, I wanted to talk to a server who has seen the changes in Charlotte’s food scene—someone with a different perspective from chefs and food writers. When I sat down with Dave at Mama Ricotta’s in November, I figured I could still write that story. But I didn’t want to. There was more to Dave than the food industry.
