The royal treatment

Editor’s note: Earlier this month, TFS:CLT closed up shop. With two of the bureau’s three team members more gainfully employed than when the standalone newsletter launched in March—and subscription sales failing to keep pace with professed local interest—it made editorial and financial sense to ditch the experiment. But The Food Section was fortunate to hang on to longtime Charlotte Observer food editor Kathleen Purvis, who’s joining our crew of city-based correspondents. That means she’ll contribute the occasional feature—starting right now.

When a person goes by the name The Queen City Hag, how do you address her? 

Your hagness? The less formal “Q.C.”? Maybe “Your Majesty” – there is something a bit Lady Whistledown about a restaurant reviewer whose anonymity allows her the freedom to say what she wants for the good of Charlotte’s dining society. 

It gives her the freedom to write things like this in her May 19 newsletter, about a trout dish at Spaghett: 

“I’m sure there’s some technique here that is maybe supposed to impress me but it looked like the contents of a cat food can were plopped onto the plate – a desecration of trout. It wasn’t at all redeemed by the flavor either. I couldn’t tell you a single thing about the rest of my plate because I blacked out with rage. My cat would have loved it.”

Or how about this, on the Instagram-famous kale Caesar at nationally lauded Bird Pizza:

“It’s a salad that dares to show you what happens when you never say ‘when’ to the person grating parmesan over the top of it. Unfortunately, the limit does exist and was very much surpassed . . .  I can recall having better experiences eating at a Sbarro in the mall.” 

As “Bridgerton’s” Queen Charlotte would say: Delicious. 

And don’t worry, it’s not all bad: Rada, The Story of Mi Carino, Albertine, Restaurant Constance and Leiluah Hall, among others, have come in for praise. She’s also has a soft spot for popups, like Burial Brewing and the now-defunct Hello Uncle. 

When the Hag herself met me for brunch at Grey’s Diner – her second visit, my first – we agreed not to reveal her identity. Why spoil one of the only brutally honest dining voices around here? You’ll have to chew on these facts: She’s a Charlotte native. She’s 37. She has professional writing credits at several local news sites but currently works as a graphic designer. She’s married to a fellow graphic designer who’s just as enthusiastic about good food experiences as she is. 

Most importantly: She pays her own way so she’s free of influence. 

“I’m not trying to be a brand,” she says. “Not having my name attached gives me freedom.”

Anonymity is having a small moment in Charlotte these days. There’s the often-priceless local mockery of The Charlotten, a nameless/faceless Onion-esque humorist. There’s . . . OK, it’s not officially a trend, because we haven’t spotted a third one yet. 

 Q.C. says she has a simple mission: To tell the truth. 

“I care about Charlotte a lot,” she says. “You’re watching a city you love grow rapidly, and there are growing pains. I got tired of Insta reels making things look great and then going to the restaurant and having a sub-par experience.” 

After all, she’s spending her own dime. She calls her newsletter “a free Charlotte food and drink diary.” Since going live on Substack on Jan. 7, 2025, The Queen City Hag has only attracted 185 subscribers—not exactly the definition of going viral. She and her husband have to budget for their restaurant adventures, just like the rest of us. That makes it tricky to try the really expensive places more than once. One of her only regrets was her single visit to Michelin-star rated Counter-. She still worries she was overly influenced by the flashiness of it.

“It’s a performance, and I feel like I got taken in by that.”

Still, she managed to write this:

“Plates are served with a cocky smirk that says, ‘Yeah, this is cool, right?’ There’s something exciting about being in the fray, but also something overwhelmingly impersonal. Every piece of the experience serves as a reminder that Michelin is the guest of honor, not you. You’re just lucky to have a seat at the table.”

Of course, there isn’t just secrecy in anonymity. There’s also safety. The history of restaurant reviewing is larded with incidents of threats and even physical violence to anyone who dares to point out, say, floppy pizza slices. In our age of “everybody gets a participation trophy,” woe to those who say the kid can’t hit. 

“The internet is ruthless,” Q.C. said. “People are mean.”  Even her name was chosen to deflect the haters: “If I’m calling myself a hag, what else can someone else call me?”

“I like her ethics, I like the way she works,” he said. “She’s calling attention to herself in a way that isn’t calling attention to herself. That’s super smart. She’s an engaging writer and she’s very honest.”

In his travels around the country – Sietsema was also a member of the James Beard Foundation’s restaurant and chef committee – he hasn’t seen many other writers following this model, and he hopes it will grow. 

For her part, Q.C. says she just wants to see Charlotte’s restaurant scene become all that it can be. 

“Can we be better than this? We have great people, great restaurants. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose this. We’ll be an amalgamation of every other food city.”