Albertine Now Open in Charlotte With Mediterranean-Meets-Southern Menu | Eater Carolinas
"Tucked inside a glass cube on the southeast edge of Uptown Charlotte, this new fine-dining room marries Old-World, clubby elegance with a South-meets-East-of-the-Mediterranean cuisine. The interior feels deliberately special and exclusive: an earth-toned bar flanked by two massive marble slabs (with faint snowy-mountain veining), bright front-room seating with wool-lined café chairs and banquettes, and a dim, intimate main dining room of scalloped-edge tables, plush semi-circle booths and a raised private space crowned by an antler-like light fixture reportedly also owned by Gwyneth Paltrow. Conceived by a chef-designer duo as their first full-service downtown fine-dining project, the menu centers on meze and shareable plates—Carolina conch pea hummus, green schug, zaalouk with warm pita—alongside starters like razor clams escabeche and showstoppers such as a crispy South Carolina quail (brined in pickle juice and buttermilk, seasoned with chermoula, bathed in Aleppo pepper oil, drizzled with hot honey and set on labneh) and a date stuffed with savory chorizo in peanut muhammara. Mains range from a $98 bone-in ribeye to a $54 gamebird mixed grill with merguez and potatoes and a $44 grilled short rib with peanut dukkah and fattoush; desserts include a grilled Nutella babka—ooey and gooey like sticky toffee pudding mixed with chocolate Krispy Kreme—and cocktails span the citrusy Bohemian to the smoky, bitters-forward Bourbon Renewal. The overall aim is to transport diners with an interpretation of Mediterranean flavors while remaining rooted in Southern sensibilities and the city’s downtown setting." - Shindy Chen
