Thanks to Groupon we decided to eat dinner here before the Charlotte Checkers Pink in the Rink game. Not even a mile from the Panthers stadium and uptown, it's conveniently located without the hassle of being in uptown proper. This was our first time here, but it was noticeable that the place recently expanded to accommodate more customers. We sat on the original side, just outside the kitchen and were wowed by the smells while we had a beer and waited for a our food. The menu is somewhat limited, but it's often good to stick to a few things and do them well. That's what Savor Cafe does.\n\nI ordered a sirloin burger with swiss cheese and mushrooms. It was a thick 8 ounce patty for about $8. I'm not sure if the meat is ground in house, but it's well done. And contrary to urban legend, it doesn't matter if the meat is ground in house - ALL ground beef in NC must be cooked to 155 degrees at restaurants. You can't legally order a rare or even medium rare burger in NC. Contamination occurs in the actual grinding process, so it doesn't matter if it the meats ground 100 feet or 100 miles away. The proof is here: <url> Anyway, the burger was just how I like it: crispy on the outside, cooked through on the inside, flavorful, and not greasy (definitely not a fried burger - it had to have been grilled). You can get a kaiser or wheat bun. I got the wheat bun which was toasted and absorbed some of the mess of the cheese.\n\nOnto the side - the vegetables. Too often I've gone to southern style diners where people have raved about their vegetables only to find out they're frozen or worse - from a can - and taste awful. Such is not the case at Savor. There was fresh asparagus, green beans, carrots, and brussel sprouts in the mix. They had little to no seasoning but still tasted great because they were fresh.\n\nThe wife had the sweet chili glazed salmon which said was very moist and flavorful. The horseradish mashed potatoes that came with it were awesome - fresh mashed potatoes with lumps, skin, and a kick of horseradish. \n\nWe got the Coca-Cola cake dessert. It wasn't they type of Coca-Cola cake I had growing up but was still good. It's easily enough for two and was a mixture of a brownie with nuts, devils food cake, and a little whipped cream with a hint of coffee. It was good, but I'm not crazy about devils cake so I can't say it was awesome.\n\nThe only thing I'd like to see added to Savor is some local beer to go with the local food. There are 4 breweries in Charlotte with at least two more on the way, so it would be nice to see them carry them. Right now, they only have bottles but at least they have Fat Tire.\n\nAnd one other thing - as good as Savor Cafe is, don't anybody go calling or emailing Guy Fieri about it. I want to see them succeed but I don't want to wait an hour to enjoy it just because someone saw it on the Food Network.
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