Batson's Blog

Thousands of people were in Concord for the Bank of America 500 this weekend. I made a stop, just south of the Speedway, at Granny Mac's Bake Shop . I wasn't really sure what to expect going there. Had I checked out their website, I probably would've had a better idea. Once you walk in, there are donuts, cookies and other goodies to the right. The cupcakes are to the left. I started walking to the display case and quickly noticed that these cupcakes are huge! They’re Perkins Mammoth Muffins huge or Sam’s Club huge. One thing's for sure: you don't need too many of these cupcakes to make a hearty dessert. Strawberry Cupcake This cupcake was potent! I could smell it in my car on the way home even though the cupcake was securely packed into a plastic bakery box. There's a nice strawberry flavor to it. In searching for awesome cupcakes this year, I've realized that some strawberry cupcakes have a really strong strawberry flavor (almost to t...

In addition to Novel Sweets, you can find Cloud 9 Confections at 7th Street Market . It seems they have more of a permanent set up that Novel Sweets does. While Novel has a stand that is set up each day in the middle aisle, Cloud 9 has a spot along the wall, complete with a display case and kitchen. I’d stumbled upon their website a while ago, but it seemed they only worked weddings and other large-scale events.

If you forgot to celebrate National Ice Cream Day (it was on Sunday...sorry folks), here's the next best thing: tomorrow national hot dog day. If you're intending to celebrate accordingly, there are a few options for you. Kangaroo Express (find your location here ) is celebrating by offering .25 cent hot dogs. Hard to beat that deal, huh? If you're looking for more of a sit-down experience, try stopping by Miller and Kasper's hot dog shop in Gastonia. I was intrigued after reading about the new shop in the Gaston Gazette , so I stopped in for a bite last week. It's located in the heart of Gastonia's downtown at 101 W. Main Street . It's a small, old school-style diner, with about a dozen stools for counter seating. There are some freebie newsletters and magazines to read while you eat. Of course, if you have your smart phone or an e-reader, you don't really need the freebies. Since it's not the largest shop, there are only a few hot d...

May 31 is National Macaroon Day, so Happy Macaroon Day! What better way to celebrate than with a stop in NoDa at Amelie's to try a macaroon for the first time? I stopped by earlier this week because I knew there was a large selection to choose from. I'd always looked at the cookies in their display case and wondered what they tasted like. I was always a little hesitant to try them. Something about the name -- "macaroon" -- reminds me of something that should taste like a nut. Almonds, walnuts. It's strange, I know, but I'm not the biggest fan of nuts, so I didn't want to have a cookie that tasted like one. Upon closer inspection a few weeks ago (there was a long line at Amelie's, so I was right in front of the cookies for about a minute and a half), it didn't look like they were made of nuts at all. Instead the macaroons looked a lot like a whoopie pie, except not as soft. There were a wide selection of pastel-colored macaroons at...

Making a trip along South Boulevard this week, I noticed a large cupcake sign sitting on the side of the road . I figured I’d better stop and check it out. Sure enough, there’s a small dessert shop called Kai’s Kookies and More . There are some small tables with two chairs each inside . While there are cookies and brownies and bars and other goodies, cupcakes certainly seem to be a staple of the shop. There’s an entire list of flavors. Not all the flavors are available every day though. I immediately noticed a strawberry cupcake that Strawberry Shortcake herself would have probably had in her house. They were supposed to have a Marble Cupcake and an Oreo Cookie Cupcake that day, but they were already out, so I settled for a Red Velvet instead.

I'm a big fan of Mickie James, but I won't be able to go to this event. For any other Mickie James fans in the Charlotte area, however, here's the info you need. Going back to the 5 W's for this blog post: Who: Mickie James What: Mickie James will give a performance of her single "Somebody's Gonna Pay," she'll throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and she'll take part in an autograph signing. When: Friday, April 12 7:00 PM Where: Knights Stadium 2280 Deerfield Drive Fort Mill, SC Other Info: Tickets are on sale at www.charlotteknights.com or by calling 704-357-8071 (ext. 2106). Mickie's album is scheduled for release on May 7.

It's been almost a week, but Pink's performance at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte still has me amazed. I had previously mentioned that I had a small amount of hope that Pink would soar high above the arena the way she does in her televised performances. I wasn't actually expecting it, however, so when she ended up doing just that, I couldn't have been more surprised and entertained. The entire night was like a string of some of her greatest hits, performed just as she does them on TV. In "Try," Pink used some of the same choreography she used during her AMA performance last year. The stunts in "Sober" were changed from her VMA performance, but it worked well. She She added a few new twists though. "Family Portrait," for example, which was performed halfway through the show, was a stripped down ballad, accompanied by a piano. I actually like that version better than the original, which as never been a favorite of...

P!nk is coming to Charlotte in one week. She'll be performing at the Time Warner Cable Arena next Saturday . I got my ticket last year, so I've been looking forward to this for a while. I went cheap on this one, so I won't be getting an up close view. One thing P!nk has proven over the years, though, is that you never know where she'll end up during one of her performances. She may go right past me as she's flying through the air. I'm not sure what to expect with this concert because I haven't read any of the reviews of her previous concerts on this tour. Hopefully the entire night will be a nice surprise -- from the set list to the spectacle of the show itself. Pink is widely touted as one of the best live performers around today. To get ready for the concert, I've been watching some of Pink's previous performances. The concert is seven days away, so let's take a look back at seven of Pink's best performances. 7. God Is A D...

After a somewhat disappointing stop at Suarez Bakery last week, I gave Tizzerts a try this week. The two bakeries share a home at the Park Road Shopping Center. The display case was filled with delicious looking cupcakes. I bought three different cupcakes from Tizzerts. Strawberry Swizzle This one looked appealing. With pink white-chocolate shavings sprinkled on top of the pink frosting, it looks like a designer cupcake. It's a chocolate cupcake that's filled with strawberry pastry cream. The cupcake wasn't bad. It wasn't extremely moist, but it was soft and tasty. The frosting had a little bit of flavor to it, but what I particularly noticed is that it was the most silky smooth, creamy frosting I've ever had. If Cool Whip got together with butter and a little bit of pink food coloring, the Strawberry Swizzle frosting at Tizzerts would be the result. Salted Caramel Cupcake The cupcake was really, really savory. It was so good you could prob...

The search for Charlotte's best cupcake is on! I was doing some Googling the other day, looking for someplace to get a cupcake, and realized just how many cupcake shops there are in Charlotte. There's quite a selection to choose from. Where to go? Which one is the best? Those are the questions I intend to answer. Each week I'll go to a new bakery and test out a new cupcake (it's a rough job indeed). So, without further ado, let’s get to the cupcakes! First up: Nona’s Sweets Bakery and Cafe I’ve driven by Nona’s, located in the University area, several times. I’d never stopped before though. From the outside it looks like Nona's has a decent amount of store space, but I wasn’t expecting such a large selection of sweets when I walked in. They’ve got cupcakes, cookies, whoopee pies, chocolates, fudge, caramels, cake and mini-cheesecakes, among other delicious looking treats. I was literally like a kid in a candy shop – or in this case an adult in...

Much like my HeroesCon adventure a couple of weeks back, I found out last week that there was a pro wrestling show in Charlotte last Friday night. I ended up having the night off from work, so I figured I’d check it out. It wasn’t my first indy wrestling experience, but I haven’t gone to a show in a long time. See, I’ve been working at getting into World Wrestling Entertainment as a creative writer for the past few years. I networked my butt off for the last four years. It kind of culminated with a backstage interview with a member of the production team at a show WWE had in Sioux City, Iowa . It was a live Raw and a taping of ECW as well, so things were a bit hectic. I had my interview early in the afternoon and went home before the show started. Timing wasn’t right. They weren’t hiring. That’s what I was told anyway. WWE has been to the Time Warner Arena twice since I moved to Charlotte, but I couldn’t bring myself to go. It would've been hard to enjoy the show...

Since moving to Charlotte over a year ago, I quickly noticed that the rules of the road are a little bit different here. You pretty much drive where you want to, when you want to. If someone driving a big old Caddy wants to pass a CATS bus, they will. Oncoming traffic be damned! The double yellow line in the center of the road is more like a guideline, anyway, right? Then again, sometimes I don’t blame the drivers of Charlotte. I blame whoever designed some of these roads! Take a look at these two intersections – two of them I frequent more often than I’d like. Now you tell me that isn’t an accident just waiting to happen. It’s at spots like that where everyone sits in their car going, “Whose turn is it to go again?” But, along with the crazy road designs come some pretty fun signs. This one, for example, highlights one of the many complicated intersections in Charlotte. You’ve also got your odd speed limits… …and, of course, the crazy street names . No mo...

Last week I'm at work and someone starts talking about people dressed up in crazy costumes. My first thought was, "Sounds like a comic book convention," but I figured I wouldn't be that lucky. What were the chances? A comic book convention in Charlotte? I immediately Googled "comic book + convention + Charlotte" though. Sure enough! HeroesCon was in Charlotte! A real comic book convention. I'd heard about Comic-Con and WizardCon, but they were usually in cities like Chicago and San Diego. I'd always wanted to go to one of them, but the opportunity just never came up. Well, I got the chance last Saturday and I took full advantage. I went to the Charlotte Convention Center , descended the escalator and walked onto the red carpet that was set up in front of me. At the end of the walkway, there was a large portrait of the Charlotte skyline. Immediately I saw, perhaps, the best part of my day: a giant Hulk -- painted green and everything...