Q: negative

A: I used to be a real gym rat. 6 days a week, 4 hours a day. Hey, going amateur body builder takes a lot of work. Too much really. As I became a husband, and now father, those aspirations are gone but I still like a good gym and got tired of paying the high prices for the YMCA. Golds became Peak, Peak became ZX, who knows where ZX is going to go but here we are. ZX in Matthews is a quite spacious gym, originally a selling point was a climbing wall that never was realized and I'm still disappointed by that. The bathrooms are adequate but I don't feel as comfortable cleaning up here as I was other gyms. Not quite sure why that is. The equipment is about a decade or so old. I've been to gyms out of our area that have modern equipment and I am amazed at how this budget gym has stuck with things out of the late 90's early 00's that really need to be refreshed. This is a sticking point that is growing greater and greater each year. I understand it's a cost thing but at some point you want to have an upgrade path and I for one want new equipment. The staff is friendly but a bit disconnected. When you see someone slinging weight around or mal-handling equipment staff should be helpful on getting people on track and they for the most part do not seem to be so inclined. At one point they were canvasing the gym constantly for training signups but that seems to have been relaxed--it was an annoyance for a while. I'm no longer certified by I was a personal trainer. It's clean and they have what you need to get the job done for a budget price. Could be better, could be worse. Wish they'd reinvest more, but you get what you pay for.

Q: positive

A: Very tasty! I'm in love with their brioche bun which is very soft and moist, and the bun is not cut across all the way so when ur eating the ingredients are not going to fall out the other side, genius! They have a special Shack sauce, which actually kinda tastes like garlic infused mayonnaise. The Shack burger will come with cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce, but if u want to add pickles or onions, they most definitely can. The cheese fries sauce are hot when they are served to you which makes it so much better, it's sort of similar to a nacho cheese. There are of course tables to sit at but there are also some lounge areas without a table. But I don't see it being a problem since your food is served to you on a metal tray which u can set in ur lap. Service is very friendly. It is located right outside the New York New York hotel right by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Q: positive

A: They have Nintendo and beer. That should've been enough, but fine. They have plenty of great bottles of beer, a great welcoming and knowledgeable staff and a nice handful of beers on draft. Charlotte does have several good bottle shops now (none of which are really close to my home), but Salud still just feels the most inviting and is my top choice to go if i plan to hang out for a beer before taking some home. It would be cool if there were more comfy seats around, but they do quite well with the space they have, including an outdoor space which i'm yet to utilize. They also have a mirror in the bathroom with its own Twitter account (@saludmirror)...so what more do you want? Go and enjoy yourself.

Q: positive

A:
Le Pommier is a cozy French restaurant that only serves dinner. I will start off by saying that all of the staff are friendly and helpful and the environment is warm and inviting. I chose the fixed price menu, which included a salad with chevre cheese, Steak with "pomme frite" (french fries), and a dessert (Les Smores). The salad was tasty, especially with the cheese. The steak was cooked well, but the french fries sort of took over the dish. I was slightly disappointed with my dessert. "Les Smores" was a few slices of toasted marshmallows with hard graham cracker-like cookies topped with bitter orange sauce. My date ordered the mussels to start, which are served with arugula and sausage in a very tasty white wine and butter broth. We used the leftover broth to dip our bread! For the main course he chose the pheasant, which was cooked perfectly. He also chose a delicious seasonal dessert: a squash creme brulee. It tasted like creamy, spicy, autumn-y goodness. We also shared a nice bottle of Riesling. Overall, I was pleased with Le Pommier but found that it was a bit pricey for its small portions and limited menu.