Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
I’d visited this restaurant in the Aloft Hotel downtown after Helene, when it was barely open and still bringing in water to cook with. No restaurant is to be judged during that time. I needed to revisit.
Billed as “vibrant cuisine, world-class desserts, and an award-winning wine list in a lively atmosphere,” I was curious if the result lived up to the hype.
The lively atmosphere was certainly an apt description. Saturday was hopping, with boisterous tourists and even came equipped with a “lively” bachelorette party. To be fair, it was Saturday night, and people were partying like it was 1999 … in Charlotte. The decor and overall result were akin to that aesthetic.
For drinks, we began with an absinthe cocktail, which was good enough, and a glass of Italian Barbera red wine, which was outstanding in flavor and offered at an excellent price point. I had seconds.
For food, we started with the local artisan cheese board. The Romano and pecorino were tasty, as were the spicy pecans, raspberry jam and spicy pickled onions; however, there was too much spice going on for pairing with said wine. The oddest part was the pickles. I think they must’ve run out of the “artisan” dills and sent someone to Ingles for some Laura Lynns as a substitute, which, to be fair, is technically a local offering.
Next was the roasted bone marrow. It was perfect, served with a delightful parsley caper lemon salad and toasted baguette, slightly seasoned and absolutely delectable. This dish could not be improved upon. I’d have it again. I might even reminisce about it on occasion.
For salad, we had thinly sliced roasted red and golden beets, shredded zucchini, spiced pecans, pecorino romano, chopped crispy pancetta and an olive oil emulsion. It was tasty, but felt a little too similar to the cheese board, since the same cheeses were used. It also could’ve used a bit more of the pancetta to give it a heartier contrast to the other flavors.
On to the entrees …
The crawfish-stuffed flounder with potato hash and a beurre blanc (butter, white wine, vinegar and shallots) was a bit of a mess. Hash was certainly the appropriate nomenclature. It was a mish-mash of flavors that was just confusing to the palate.
The steak was a bistro tender, which is a cut from the chuck (shoulder) that is flavorful like a tenderloin, and usually more affordable, but they still charged $46 for it. This may have been acceptable if it had not been drowning in the demi-glace (French for A1). Typically, a demi is thinly topped on the steak or even beside the steak on the plate. Not Blackbird. They drenched it like it was a bourbon teriyaki sauce in a salmon at TGIFriday’s. I always ask for medium rare, but even through the sea of brown viscosity, I could taste that it was overcooked to medium. Adding insult to injury were the saltless al dente fingerling potatoes and the tough spears of asparagus. This was all completely disappointing.
The nightly catch was the salmon, and the fish was the standout. Soft and juicy white on the inside and crispy on the outside, served with the same saltless fingerling potatoes, but with southern-style greens that were acceptable.
For dessert, we had the bourbon chocolate cherry cake with vanilla ice cream. This was the only dish of the evening that felt decadent, which is what I’m always going for. It paired well with the Glenlivet and Amaro. There was also a salted caramel ice cream that was exceptional.
I wish this place were new. If that were the case, I could hope for them to figure it out, but it’s not. It’s been there long enough. This is a place for unsuspecting tourists with little “artisan” dining experience and a fat wallet, ready to throw money around on vacation. Like much on Biltmore Avenue these days, it’s not really for the locals. Regardless, in this economy, it’s too overpriced for me to wholeheartedly recommend a full dining experience. That said, I’d definitely grab a stool at the bar, have a couple of carefully ordered apps and unwind with more of that soft red wine if I were killing time before a show at The Orange Peel.
