Mr. Rogers Welcome Here

The massive Carolina Medical Center facility in Charlotte, NC is a city unto itself. Set off Morehead St. in the Queen City, it houses quite an array of eateries and a phenomenal cafeteria which serves pretty much everything.

Except beer. Which, being a hospital that promotes good health, seems to be at odds with the nutritional benefits of our favorite beverage. But, I won't cause a ruckus. I get it.

The principle, that is. The beer I get at a place great place just three blocks from the massive complex, called Dilworth's Neighborhood Grill. After many trips to CMC Main, as its known, to finally see my son get the kidney he has been waiting for for two years (story here), I just now realized there was a beer place I could have repaired to during all the down time--and there was a lot of that.

So the day after the surgery I was craving a good meal and some good beer, and the angel who donated her kidney to my son, Alix, suggested Dilworth Neighborhood Grill.

I owe her big time for two things now. DNG is a most welcoming place and far larger, with its subterranean room, than it appears from the outside. With its many seating areas, including some delightful outdoor spots, the place is actually capacious. Twenty-plus big screen TV's inhabit the place, and almost everybody who works there is named Ashleigh--in one spelling or another. But even those NOT named Ashlee are super-friendly and accommodating. More importantly, they are beer knowledgeable.

Some, like Rachelle here, are beer nuts themselves, and when I ordered a Wicked Weed Freak of Nature from the extensive beer menu, she gave me a knowing smile and hurried off to fetch it. She had another in front of me as I was finishing the first, feeling two years of worry and frustration wash away from my soul.

The food was very good. My Philly Cheesesteak could have hailed from the City of Brotherly Love itself, though the delicious cheese grits that came with it were native. The missus raved about the Spicy Shrimp Tacos, and how well they paired with a Blue Moon. (Hey, give me a break. It took me thirty years to get her off Budweiser.)

So enjoyable was our experience, that we brought a caravan of family members who were visiting our two warrior heroes to DNG just two days later for lunch. To say that the management and staff were pleasant, friendly and accommodating would be an understatement. And when they learned why we were all there, they were astounded by the story. Manager Zack said that everybody in the place was going online to read the story in the Charlotte Observer.

One server, a boundless source of positivity named Tattoo Troy, absolutely energized our entire table. One of his comments stuck with me: "At Dilworth Neighborhood Grill, we emphasize the word "Neighborhood. We want to make sure you return--and with friends. You're a stranger here just once."

It's a neighborhood Mr. Rogers would definitely approve of. I knew he would.