Enlarge Dawn Manion at Pizza and More

Posted: September 28th, 2009 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

The Crossroads Correspondents will be previewing restaurants for the Oct. 8 Taste of the World. For more info and to make a reservation, click here

Pizza and More

7008 E. W.T. Harris Blvd.

Dawn Manion, co-owner

For Dawn Manion, the restaurant business is all about family -- hers and yours.

In the early 1990s, she and her husband were living and in Albany, NY. She stayed home with their three children -- now 17, 20 and 21 -- while her husband worked the second shift as a state employee and made his way through culinary school.

They wanted a different life for their family and thought owning a restaurant would allow them to spend more time with their kids. But, she says, they had to move because "in New York, there's a pizza place on every corner."

In 1996, Charlotte's demographics and, what she calls, "the great migration from the north" attracted them to the city. They recognized that the area they chose to move to was changing, but they were drawn to the middle class families and wanted to give them a place where they could enjoy a meal and have some fun without spending their entire pay check.

What's more, Manion says, is that they feel like they're a part of the community.

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Posted: September 28th, 2009 Ayofemi Kirby

The Crossroads Correspondents will be previewing restaurants for the Oct. 8 Taste of the World. For more info and to make a reservation, click here

Conga's Cuban Café

Inspired by La Bodeguita Del Medio, the oldest and most popular restaurant in Cuba, the team at Conga's Cuban says it offers customers the best the country has to offer.

“If you want to get the real food, you have to go where the people are,” said Julio Iglesias, co-owner of Conga's Cuban.

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Posted: September 27th, 2009 Ayofemi Kirby

The Crossroads Correspondents will be previewing restaurants for the Oct. 8 Taste of the World. For more info and to make a reservation, click here

Ben Thanh
4900 Central Ave.

Phung Nguyen and Mai Duong, husband and wife family-owned restaurant

The dining area and stainless-steel kitchen of the Ben Than Vietnamese restaurant is brought to life by a variety of fruit and vegetables almost as colorful as the lighthearted chatter heard as they prepare the food they serve to customers.

Like a paint-by-numbers, Ben Thanh offers an assortment of meals customizable to omnivores and vegetarians alike.

“Anything we eat, or our family eats, we can put on our menu,” said Phung Nguyen, co-owner of Ben Than, the restaurant he manages with his family.

Menu items such as Sautéed Spinach, Ginger Stir Fry, or a guest favorite - Pineapple with Pecans (see video), can be prepared with chicken, shrimp, beef or flavored tofu and include a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and spices. All meals are served with white rice - a staple in most Vietnamese meals.

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Posted: September 26th, 2009 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

The Crossroads Correspondents will be previewing restaurants for the Oct. 8 Taste of the World. For more info and to make a reservation, click here

Pollos Mario
6023 Albemarle Road

Manager: Fernando Correa

Pollos Mario isn't new, nor is it unique to Charlotte. The restaurant is a staple in Colombia, South America, where it has fed locals for more than 50 years.

It made it's North American debut more than two decades ago in New York, where there are still five locations in Queens and two in Long Island. There are also two locations in New Jersey, one in Orlando and, of course, Charlotte's location on Albemarle Road.

Since the word "pollo" means "chicken" in Spanish, it isn't surprising to learn that most of the dishes served at Pollos Mario in Colombia are chicken-based. When the restaurant came to the States, the owner wanted to add different types Colombian dishes, says Fernando Correa, manager of the Charlotte location.

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