Counter-

We have been here twice - once for "Curry" and for "Titanic"Curry we liked more but you will be hard pressed to find another restaurant as inventive as this place. The staff is fantastic, the dining area is unique and the food is bold. The wine is overpriced but they make up for it in pairing and service of the wine. Best restaurant in metro Charlotte.

Counter was a birthday gift event for me and It was a really great experience. It's located in a business park and all very dark ! It's pretty much reservation based and you pay I think when you make your reservation. It's a set menu and fixed price with several courses. You can add wine pairings . We chose to go with a Botrle for the meal. We went when it was the last day of the Scandinavian pescatarian menu. They also have another one going on at the same time which is on a much bigger scale in the other side of the building many more courses at the ciunterand more staff involved I think. This one was a quieter sit down at a table set up. This menu was 4 courses with a snack to start with. The snacks were amazing ! So different and took me out of my box a little. You get 3 each and they are little works of art . The first was a white anchovy on seaweed . Totally not my thing but did I like this ? Yes ! Not very fishy and not too salty like I had thought it may be. Nice crunch on the seaweed. I really liked this and I feel it opened my palate. Next was the trout roe and rye. This popped on my mouth , loved that. Nice subtle flavors. The third was the beets and black currant tart. I loved the crunchy base and the beet flavor with the tartness mixed with a little sweetness. This was a little flavor bubble. If these snacks were anything to go by we were in fir a treat next few courses. First course was Gravlax with citrus, dill buttermilk and cucumber. Light refreshing with the little trout roe bubbles. Almost a salad type dish. Nice opener. You could also upgrade each course but we stuck with the plan. Next course was scallop with kohlrabi, sea buckhorn, ramp and cream. Not sure what ramp is, but this was a nice rich sauce, I love scallops, so this was my favorite course. This scallop literally melted in my mouth. Next course was the rainbow trout. With black currant scarlet kale, potato, caulini and cremini. Wow, who knew trout could be this good. This was a seriously great tasting dish,the trout was perfectly cooked, I loved the base of the sauce and veggies. Still light but like a main course. Last course was the black currant and red currant tart, with lingonberry. I loved the what I think was ice cream on the side! The tart crust was nice crunchy, and the currants were a nice tart and sweet gel like jam kinda thing! Loved this. Such a great meet of sweet and salty. Great last course of an amazing dinner. Every course was really well executed, and thought through. Loved this menu and presentation. The whole experience was really nice, I'd have to say though we were kinda disappointed in the sommelier. I felt we knew as much as he did.he didn't really help out when we asked for opinions on wines, and kinda took his time finding a cooler for our wine. We did get two little to go boxes of cardamom buns which was a nice gesture, we had to ask for a third, as there was 3 of us and we paid for 3 people, shouldn't we each get a to go box? We got a third when we asked. Otherwise counter was something different in Charlotte. Great concept . Chef here is on point with the times. Would love to try another menu .

Wish I could rate this higher than a 5 - a culinary experience that rivals any other I have had. I truly will remember it forever as it left such an imprint on my culinary heart. We went to the Divas dinner and the focus on making every detail women-focused was impressive. The wine, the music, the art and the food - the stories and knowledge the staff had on all of it was remarkable. The food is almost indescribable. Sam and his team have curated dishes that I could never imagine putting together - the flavor combinations are truly inspiring. We can't wait to go back!!

Maneki Pop-Up at Counter was everything and more. Chef Kenny and the Maneki team showed OUT and shared why this is a foodies happy place. I had the opportunity to be at first setting of this concept and watched as they moved effortlessly through course after course. From vegetarian to meat options and soup. This was my first time at the Counter as reservations go as soon as they pop up. I used to frequent their sister Biblio before they closed and loved it. I am looking forward to the next pop up experience.

You go for the experience of fine dining in an intimate setting and tasting fresh, incredible, top notch-ingredients. It is pricey, yes. But if you are willing to splurge, it is worth every penny. Something like 10 courses, delivered promptly all paired with a unique flair. The menu changes constantly, but the chef always delivers. There is an optional wine-pairing as well or you can order by the glass/bottle. This is the closest thing to a Michelin experience in CLT. An absolute must try!

What an amazing experience. I was celebrating my significant other's 50th birthday and the Counter team made it very special. I am in world of event planning and took notice of every single detail, and let me tell you, they put thought and effort into the details. Our server quickly noted the crossword puzzle to help us get clued into what was in store. There were several cards on display that were later helped create the story telling of each tasting. Each tasting was themed to the global favorite dishes. It was very well told, served, and executed. Here are some thoughts coming out of it. -The experience overall is pricey, but they do have a couple of options to chose from and enhance the experience. Specifically, do you want the official counter experience (if its available because they sell out quickly) or do you want a more traditional dining room experience? The counter experience was sold out or else I would have reserved it. Initially I was slightly disappointed because the occasion deserved all the bells and whistles, but we were very pleasantly surprised by our experience regardless.-You can enhance the experience with truffles, DO IT! -You can add on a wine pairing experience with the private room service, DO IT. My "type A" personality made it complicated because I didn't know what we were eating, it is meant to be a surprise! I waited until the day of to figure out what to drink, so we ended up spending more money on a few glasses of wine as opposed to adding on the wine tasting upgrade at the time of reservation. They do allow you to add this wine pairing the day of, but we chose otherwise. The wine was great but just an afterthought I feel like I wanted to share. -The last thing I felt was important to share is that I wish I had gone sooner . All this said, it was such a special experience, celebrating one of the most special milestones in my friends life, I can't imagine anything being different.

This is an experience, and you are paying for the show component of the dinner as well. One feedback: It feels like the chef uses really high quality ingredients and puts them all together expecting it to taste even more delicious. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Sometimes, simplicity is better than bombarding a dish with 6 different items that should be showcased on its own. The creativity was fun and I would definitely recommend others to try this place at least once. The service was top notch and probably top 2 service in Charlotte. They even gave each of us a small cinnamon role to take home so that we could heat up in the microwave for breakfast. That was DELICIOUS. Of note-- the drink paring is extra and they have 3 tiers of options. One nice thing was that they have a non-alcoholic drink pairing as well. My husband said that the non-alcoholic pairing was better than their base alcohol pairing. I would consider going here again.

First rate staff, very engaging and they've worked hard to tell a story with food and wine. Phenomenal.Food was fantastic. We went for the Titanic themed night, & it's obvious they did a lot of research, and experimentation!! They explained that one small bite we had (a bird's nest of crispy potatoes, other things, topped with wagyu beef tongue that was corned) took 9 months, 28 different iterations. That was one bite out of 10 dishes. The atmosphere creates a very connected experience - you're at the counter while they plate your dishes!

Second time here for the Titanic menu. Chef Sam is a culinary gem for the Charlotte community! His staff are clearly committed to their craft, and he seamlessly orchestrated the service with adroit timing and attention to detail. As he's done with other menus, Chef Sam pushes the envelope of flavor, ingredients, and technical cooking- thrusting his guests into new flavor experiences at every course. His Sous Chef, Christian and Pastry Chef Faith continue to demonstrate their imagination with their - roast duckling and duck proscuitto tortellini and a foie gras blueberry and oxalis eclair respectively. I cannot recommend Counter- enough. Book your spot, don't eat lunch, and arrive with an open heart. trust Chef Sam will guide you along through an epicurean story that'll have you reflecting on the dishes days after you've left the restaurant.

The food is as incredible as you'd expect but the attention to detail through the efforts of the staff and owner far exceeded any service that I have experienced. Through the music, showmanship, and conversation, this is much more of an all-encompassing experience than it is just a restaurant. Worth the price and makes 3 hours of your time fly by. Couldn't recommend more!