It’s only Wednesday but I’ve already hit up two new Charlotte restaurants this week. Before I share my experiences with these restaurants let me give you my take on the Charlotte restaurant scene as a whole…I do not love it. We have a ton of restaurants in Charlotte and while I feel grateful for the selection, many of them underwhelm me. I get really excited about eating out in cities like Charleston and Asheville. The food is so fresh, local, creative, well-thought out, etc.
I rarely get excited about restaurants here in Charlotte. That said, I grew up in a small Georgia town and it’s absolutely wonderful to have access to as many restaurants as we have in Charlotte. Especially when it comes to ethnic spots. We’ve got some good sushi, Indian, Thai, Greek, pizza (that doesn’t even count as ethnic anymore but whatever), Vietnamese and more. But those restaurants where everything you take a bite of makes you open your eyes wide and say “this is so good” are few and far between. I’ll write a post soon about my favorite Charlotte spots.
This week I visited two recently opened spots, Fahrenheit and littleSpoon.
Fahrenheit actually opened earlier this year but it was my first time there so it’s new to me! It’s located on the 21st floor of the Skye Condominiums building and has become quite the hot spot here in Charlotte. I visited on a Monday night so things were relatively calm but apparently it’s quite the place to be seen on the weekends.
I claim to know nothing about “places to be seen” in Charlotte and this is about as dressed up for dinner as it gets for me! 🙂 The #1 thing that Fahrenheit has going for it is the incredible view and outdoor area.
We requested a table by the windows which I 100% recommend doing if you visit Fahrenheit. It makes the crazy expensive price tag a little more worthwhile. After browsing the wine menu we decided on The Big Easy which is a big, bold, delicious red blend. I will say that the wines were expensive and I saw a few bottles that I know I can buy myself for $14 going for upwards of $50. I know there is a markup on wine but that’s a little much.
We split this salad to start and it was plenty big enough to share. It was arugula dressed in a lemony vinaigrette with a big ball of fried goat cheese, pistachio brittle, prosciutto and cherry tapenade.
I had the 8-ounce filet for my entree but with substitutions. It was served with a shallot-caper relish over garlic mashed potatoes. I asked for the cauliflower mash instead with a different sauce since capers are one of the only foods on earth that I cannot get on board with. The steak was cooked perfectly. The BBQ roasted carrots that accompanied it were not really roasted at all and still quite crunchy but the steak made up for that.
Fahrenheit was opened by celebrity chef Rocco Whalen. I thought the food was really good but not outstanding and very, very expensive. You’re definitely paying for the view here but I would return for the view, small plates and drinks in the future.
The next day I met a friend for breakfast at littleSpoon. It’s a new breakfast/lunch spot that just opened in the same building as the gym so it’s super convenient for me. First impression walking in is that I love the space. It’s warm and cozy and I love the coffee bar. They also have ample outdoor seating. littleSpoon’s mission is to “educate and encourage eating local, urban farming and sustainability through example. with the passion and support of our local farmers we are thrilled to offer a continually changing menu that highlights the delicate flavors only found in locally-grown produce and protein.”
The menu is limited but has some really great options including homemade pop tarts and hot pockets, eggs and egg sandwiches, quinoa oatmeal and more.
I had two soft boiled eggs with flakey sea salt and toast points, black coffee and a side of cinnamon toast. The coffee is served in giant bowl-shaped cups with no handles so picking it up and drinking it is an experience.
The cinnamon toast was the star of the show! So buttery and delicious. I enjoyed my breakfast at littleSpoon but it was pricey. The egg dish was $7, toast was $3 and coffee was $3…and when I got home I made a green smoothie because I was still hungry! I would return to littleSpoon again though. It’s a great spot to hang out solo or catch up with a friend…and I want to try their lunch.
So there’s my take on two new Charlotte spots. Local readers, let me know if you’ve tried either of these spots and what you thought.
The views look incredible! Wine mark-ups can be ridiculous. The worst is knowing a glass costs as much as a botttle would at the store.
i completely understand the restaurant mark up on wine (typically about 100% over retail cost) but that seems really excessive! it is nice to a spend a summer night at a rooftop bar though…
I am so not a caper fan either…way too salty for me! And after a breakfast out it always disappoints me when I am still hungry…That breakfast definitely would not have filled me up, but I have a ravenous appetite lately. LOL!
ohhh not a fan of really pricey restaurants that are really only expensive because they can be. WE have a few of those in my city and as much as the food COULD be good, I’m always a little bitter with the price tag. I am happy with a great meal at a good price..can’t go wrong! That breakfast did look good though 😉 Would love to hear more about where you like to eat in case I ever journey to Charlotte!
I live here in Charlotte and happened to visit both of these places fairly recently for my first time too! I completely agree with both of your reviews… both were expensive and I personally did not feel Fahrenheit was worth the price tag. LittleSpoon has so much going for it and I love the mission/ambiance, but I too left hungry! There are many more “new-ish” restaurants on my list to try, so hopefully some of those will impress. Looking forward to your post on your fav Charlotte spots!
Hey Jen!
I’ve been a long time reader of your blog. This Sunday, August 24th, my former employer,Great Harvest Charlotte, is hosting their annual Animal Kneads Day with the CMPD Animal Care and Control. Loaves of bread are $10 (there might be other delicious treats for purchase as well). 100% of the proceeds goes to the spay/neuter program. Its from 10am-5pm at their Rea Road location (the Shops and Piper Glen). If you could pass it along and/or check it out its for a great cause!
I had the worst experience at Fahrenheit. I asked to substitute one of the sides that came with my entree and they made a huge deal about it. The service in general was not great. The food was mediocre, but again very pricey for what you got. I lived in Charleston and ate at almost every restaurant there (I’m not a restaurant snob, I promise), and this just did not compare. I don’t mind if a meal is pricey as long as it’s worth it and this is not. With that being said, I would go back for apps and (overpriced) wine anytime! Little spoon looks cute! I keep driving by and wanting to try it. From the name, I thought it might have been a soup place!
Jen
I agree with your feedback on Fahrenheit and Charlotte food scene in general. That said – we really TRY to bring more to the area but i haven’t been overly knocked out by anything and when someone asks my favorite restaurant in Charlotte I can never come up with anything.
I will say though that I have been to Summit Room on east Blvd twice since they opened and I am really loving it! Had a wide selection of their menu and their jalapeno vodka drink with ghost pepper syrup, I dream about.
Would love for you to try it and share your opinion.
Maybe I have an unsophisticated palate, but there are definitely some places in Charlotte that I absolutely love!
hey heather – no, i agree. there are some great spots here in town! i love, love, love good food, stagioni, roosters, sushi guru…among a few!
Agree with Heather, I think we have some fine choices as well. My experience at Fahrenheit was great. Beet salad and scallops over cauliflower purée entree that were both outstanding.
I just actually left Charlotte. I was visiting to see if I liked it for a potential move in the future. I LOVED it and would love more posts on living there even mundane things like how’s the traffic, where do you shop, what’s the housing like, etc. I have celiac and have to eat gf and felt that Charlotte was ok for me for food. I had a hard time finding places to eat or at least places that offered variety compared to some other cities I’ve been to but I’m pretty used to being underwhelmed w food choices compared to my g eating days. I’m hoping before I move if I do things get a little better in the food dept. I hate over priced wine and food as well. Makes it hard sometime to relax and enjoy when I’m feeling ridiculous about the bill that’s coming!
Charlotte is definitely not a foodie city like Asheville or Charleston, but I do like the shift in the last few years in the Charlotte culinary scene to more fresh, local places rather than corporate chains. I also recently went to Fahrenheit and didn’t think the food measured up to the price tag (luckily, we got a deal on our wine, because the wine was crazy expensive too!). I did really like the scallops with cauliflower puree, but I think that there are a lot of other places serving similar, more delicious food that costs less.
You should check out Heirloom, it’s my new favorite restaurant in Charlotte. Emphasis on local, local, local (the menu changes daily based on the ingredients available). It’s a bit of a hike (North Charlotte in Mountain Island Lake) but it’s so worth it!
I just visited Little Spoon for lunch this week and I thought it was adorable! It is definitely on the pricier side for breakfast and lunch options, but it was a nice break from the work day! We split the Lamb meatball for an appetizer then I had the Shrimp Roll. Both were great and it was the perfect portion size, but I definitely would have been hungry an hour or two later if we wouldn’t have ordered the meatball!
OH man, so sad you don’t love any CLT restaurants! I think CLT offers a lot of different and yummy restaurants that hubs and I visit frequently. Maybe it’s your excuse to visit Charleston and Ashville more often! 🙂
i didn’t say that i don’t love any of them…in fact i said there were several that i really enjoy and will blog about at a later date and that i love our ethnic choices!!!!!
Thanks for clarifying!! The first paragraph stated that you do not love the CLT restaurant scene as a whole but I’m glad that you are grateful for several! Have a great day!! 🙂
My sister-in-law ran into the Fahrenheit chef in the elevator and asked for some recommendations. He said his favorite dish on the menu is the scallops. They were absolutely delicious! I want to go back just for them!
I couldn’t agree with you more! Asheville and Charleston are the best! Between Curate, Cha Pani, Limones, Laughing Seed, Plant, the list goes on and on in Asheville. 🙂 It’s really tough for me to pick a favorite place in Charlotte. Spending most of my life in California I am a food snob. And after getting married in Napa, well, say no more. I have some favorite dishes in Charlotte, but I can’t say any restaurant wows me.