Zeppelin
Don't feed this to a Millenial gremlin after midnight
Background:
Zeppelin opened in South End, Charlotte, in late 2017, and shares a building space with the soon-to-open new South End Common Market and the recently opened Bang Bang Bites. Head Chef Vince Giancarlo worked previously at Baku, Aquavina, and Cantina 1511. We found the overall Zeppelin experience similar to Soul Gastro--small plates in a hip and cozy atmosphere with a banging cocktail list. Zeppelin is tiny and super hot right now, so prepare yourself for a wait (and make use of the Nowait app--hear about the trials and tribulations we endured just to get a table on the podcast).
Eat This:
The menu is divided into "Smalls" and "Biggies," and below are our orders from two visits.
Maine Lobster Avocado Toast
Butter poached, homemade brioche, herb aioli, bacon, preserved lemon
The thick and sweet brioche toast with that generous lobster claw? Avocado toast perfection, we say!
Scratch Buns
Sweet miso Heritage pork belly, shaved cabbage, pickled chilis
Love, love, love.
American Wagyu Tartare
Taro & sweet potato chips, black truffle yolk, egg custard, roasted tomato relish
The tartare was just okay--we felt this dish was concerned with presentation over flavor.
Point Judith Calamari
Korean chile, yuzu, pickled bacon dashi gel, serranos, HRF shishitos
Our new favorite calamari in town--sorry to Luca. The dashi gel took it to another level. Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and just lightly fried.
Bacon Dashi
served with the calamari
Pacific Yellowtail Crudo
Coal-kissed, pickled & smoked red onion, sriracha tartare crispy rice, serranos, ponzu, truffles
Delicious--get everything below in one bite, and it's a thing of beauty.
Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese
House-made fettuccine, uni bechamel, truffle froth, brioche crumbs, bacon-poached lobster tail
One of our favorites--we were licking the bowl. Can you blame us?
Notorious P.I.G Puppies
Braised HRF pork cheek puppies, Eastern Carolina BBQ, whipped honey butter, house BBQ sauce
These cute little puppers were a table favorite! The savory barbecue flavor paired with the crispy fritter perfectly.
Dry Aged Crispy Duck
Local wildflower honey, sansyo pepper, coriander, fleur de sel, arnaud olive oil, fresh herbs, compressed persimmon
Only I really liked this duck--other dining companions complained that the flavor was off.
Dessert:
There are currently three options--a chocolate cake with Biscoff ice cream, a Krispy Kreme bread pudding with dulce de leche, vanilla-yuzu ice cream and candied rose petals, and a trio of ice creams (the biscoff, vanilla-yuzu, and a chocolate variety). We loved both of the options below, but if you have to pick just one, we recommend the chocolate cake.
Chocolate Cake
with Biscoff Ice cream
Krispy Kreme bread pudding
with dulce de leche, vanilla-yuzu ice cream and candied rose petals
Drink:
Bartender Ryan Hart crafted a gorgeous and novel-esque cocktail menu with a mix of innovative cocktails ("Remixes") and old school 1900s "Classics" like gin fizzes and sazeracs.
Gin Fizz
Gin, lemon, egg white, sparkling mineral water
This cocktail was rather poorly mixed--some pockets of egg white and lemon were suspended in a viscous trap of blech, but subsequent cocktails were all fabulous (no pictures due to: too lit. Whoops).
Gin Fizz
Behind the magical bar
Atmosphere:
Zeppelin calls to mind early 1900s vibes, and stays on theme with zeppelin drawings and a giant metal zeppelin hanging above the dining area. Random liquor bottles, knick knacks, and the odd bird cage (or three) complete the look, but we felt that the decor went a bit overboard in this respect and was somewhat cluttered (particularly on the empty bottle front). We did, however, love The Savage Way's giant preserved moss "Z," which is certainly the visual focal point of the restaurant.
Wide shot of Zeppelin interior/image courtesy of Charlotte Business Journal
A divider down the center of the restaurant keeps the side farthest from the bar from being to noisy, and creates a private atmosphere for each table.
World War I Hospitality:
Shout out to server Tony, who we have had the pleasure of having on both of our visits. He provided attentive service, always checked in and thoroughly explained each dish to us. We love you, Tony!
Insert big-eye emoji here
Frankie's Notes:
Has avocado toast jumped the shark?; Biggie Smalls is so hot on Charlotte restaurant menus right now; Apparently the Hindenburg was a rigid airship and a zeppelin is a semi-rigid airship; Scallionpancake drops facts like candied rose petals; The romanticization of the turn of the twentieth century needs to be replaced with a renaissance of the Mesozoic Era and dinosaur themed restaurants; Forget about activated charcoal--what about asteroid debris lattes?; No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this post.