Background:
AHHHHHH Haberdish. That’s how this restaurant makes us feel right now.
I see the lights, I see the party lights
Haberdish is owned by Jeff Tonidandel, who also owns Growler’s Pourhouse and The Crepe Cellar--sooo, he basically owns an entire block of NoDa. While Scallionpancake likes Growler’s, and is so-so on The Crepe Cellar, we were blown away by Haberdish. Haberdish was poppin’ on our first visit on a Friday night, right around two months after their opening in December. Like many others that night, we were drawn like moths to a flame to a Charlotte Agenda instagram picture floating about of a gorgeous pink cocktail adorned with one of their signature flower ice cubes. We saw the picture, we made plans to go--just like the rest of Charlotte on one fine Friday night (cue two and a half hour wait). Read on to see why this place is our new jam--we have been back once more since our first visit, and it’s one of our new go-to spots.
Rose gold silverware and flowers in my drink: is this heaven?
Our second visit was during the thick of tax season--it’s possible Jason and I bickered like everyone’s favorite married Jewish couple, and it’s also possible he fell asleep at the table. Yay, March! The best part? My dad was in town! Yeah, Wayne!
Wayney is here!
Eat This:
Brined Smoked Chicken
Tossed in Alabama white sauce
Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish?
Fried Chicken
Brined, battered, fried
You know I like my chicken fried
Sweet Potato Dumplings
Hand-spooned with brown butter, sage, parm
The dumplings are so good your camera hand shakes
Mac & Cheese
with optional spicy crispy chicken skin--not included in this picture
Better than the blue box
Tater Tots
Housemade tater tots
Are those housemade tater tots, or are you just happy to see me?
Hushpuppies
Fried cornmeal dough with sweet tea butter
Photographers were not quick enough for how fast this dish went
Biscuits & Bacon Jam
Snowflake flour, lard & butter/served with homemade bacon jam
My favorite
Pickled Candied Striped Beets
Wayne's favorite
Dessert:
We have yet to try dessert here, because PopBar is right across the street. Have you guys been to PopBar?! It’s the freaking best. We are hoping to get sponsored by them, considering we go two-three times a week.
#fulldip
Drink:
UGGGHHH the cocktails. Colleen Hughes is the mixologist with the mostest--she also is in charge of cocktails at Tonidandel’s other restaurants, but she has outdone herself here. The cocktail menu had changed from one visit to the next, but some amazing staples remained, like Daniela’s favorite, the house mint julep, aka “the adult slushie.” The drinks are fabulously strong and the flavors are inventive--no basic sweet concoctions to be found. Two and a half hour wait? No worries, we will be posted up at the bar!
Ransom Old Tom Gin Smash
Bartender's Best Friend
Atmosphere:
With its tall ceilings, exposed brick, and steel beams Haberdish nods to NoDa’s history and aims to call to mind the textile mills of the 1800s. The lighting is soft and romantic, and it’s the kind of place you want to linger (much to the chagrin of others waiting hours for a table).
These two lovebirds certainly up the atmosphere quotient!
Southern Hipster Hospitality:
The servers and bartenders are nice, but they certainly seem harried--which makes sense considering how slammed they have been lately. You do get the feeling they want to rush you out the door a bit, and on our first visit our server forgot a dish (and still charged us for it). She was super sweet and took it off right away, but it feels like they still need some time to adjust to just how popular this place is going to be on Friday and Saturday nights.
The beast emerges from his tax-season lair. Do not approach or look directly in the eye!
Apologies on behalf of my dad (The Wayner) who simply cannot understand the fast-talking youth of today, and asked our waitress if she was speaking Polish. We laughed; she didn’t.
Frankie’s Notes:
When Charlotte Agenda posts, the whole of Charlotte responds like lemmings; If Jason will wait more than once for two hours for a restaurant during tax season, you know it is legit; It’s way better to be in a faux-textile mill in 2017 eating fried chicken than working in a real mill in 1887, worried about losing a digit; I am sure Wayne would hate Gilmore Girls; Wayne lost his life alert; Wayne drank several glasses of fifteen-year-old bourbon; Are the last two things related?