Charlotte, North Carolina, should be added to your list of America’s underrated foodie destinations, especially now that it’s received its first ever Michelin star at Counter-. “This ambitious, mercurial project from Chef Sam Hart is sui generis,” according to the Michelin Guide. The restaurant is all about the unexpected combined with the artistic and delicious, and the restaurant’s Instagram page describes it as “Full-Sensory, Story-Driven, Musically-Paired, Tasting Menu.” There’s plenty of places that have a tasting menu paired with wine, but to pair it with music as well? That’s going above and beyond, and it’s this kind of in-depth creativity that helped put Counter- and its chef on the map.
Hart was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef in the Southeast in 2023 thanks to Counter-, where he’s created a truly special dining experience. The multi-course tasting menu rotates every three months, and it’s always based on a theme. Their themes are eclectic, varying from “Curry” to Pink Floyd’s album “The Wall.” The menus themselves are little works of art, often colorful and playful.
Here’s an example of some of the types of dishes to expect: For the “Counter- presents John Williams” menu, there were 10 courses all based on the composer’s songs. The “Kali Ma” course, as a reference to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” was beef heart, Peruvian potato, and aji verde. And the “Bangarang” course, a reference to “Hook,” featured roasted chicken with butternut, pea, tarragon, and onion. Dishes never get repeated beyond their one season so there’s always something new.
Upscale Counter- is deeply connected to culture and the Charlotte community
While you won’t ever know exactly what you’re going to eat at Counter-, you do know that you’ll be amazed. Everything is thought out and choreographed, from the plating to the movements of the servers through the restaurant. Even the dash in the name has a purpose. “The dash is a prompt, a reminder that there’s always more to the story, always something unexpected. We want people to walk in and find preconceptions erased,” Hart explained to The Charlotte Observer…