Hi Tide Poke & Raw Bar Offers a Fresh Take on Charlotte's Poke Scene

Background: 
Hi Tide opened in Dilworth in late 2017 during a poke explosion in the Charlotte area. However, Hi Tide stands apart, as it is owned by Meat & Fish Co. founder Michel LaVecchia. LaVecchia teamed up with Jeff Van Dyke, Jeffery Schreiber, and Raquel Arreola to bring high end meat and fish to the poke scene. Meat & Fish Co. used to be in the spot where Hi Tide is now, but it has moved upstairs. This proximity ensures that all of the fish used at Hi Tide is ridiculously fresh. We have visited Hi Tide on our own and, more recently, as part of a blogger event in mid-August. Below is a combination of items from both visits. 

Eat This: 

Oysters

Oyster Happy Hour runs every Monday-Friday from 4pm-7pm

Lobster Lollipop

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Lobster Avocado Toast

Millenials everywhere are crying tears of joy

Hi-Tide Lobster Roll

Served with seasoned chips or fries. Lobster rolls are only $15.99 all day on Mondays.

Ahi Tuna Burger

Served with seasoned chips or fries

Rainbow Poke Bowl

Salmon, Hamachi, Ahi Tuna, Scallions, Pickled Red Onion, Red Cabbage, Sweet Corn, Cucumber, Limu/Ogo, Carrots, Mandarin Orange, Jalapeno/Serrano Salad, Shuyu Sesame Oil, Seasoned Milky Queen Rice

Build-Your-Own Poke Bowl

All sorts of goodness in this bowl

Poke Nachos

Crispy wontons, Ahi Tuna, Avocado, Scallions, Crispy garlic, Cucumber, Seaweed Salad, Hawaiian Sea Salt, tomato, pickled red onion, Creamy Togarashi & Unagi Sauce

Dessert:
There is only one dessert option, a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. It is dang good, though. Cookie is not pictured since I ate it faster than the speed of light.  

Drink: 
Hi Tide has tons of canned beer options, plus wine. Our favorite drinks are the non-alcoholic drinks on tap--specifically the coconut milk cold brew. They also offer a POG (pineapple, orange, guava) juice, a peach honey green tea, and a strawberry and candied lime juice. 

HAWAIIAN cold brew with COCONUT milk

Life-giving

Atmosphere: 
At Hi Tide, you order at the counter and they bring your food out to your table when it's ready. There is not a huge amount of seating, but I think you will likely be able to avoid a wait, as a large portion of their business seems to be carry out orders. 

Raw Hospitality: 
The team at Hi Tide obviously takes great pride in each dish they serve, and it's clear they aren't solely trying to get people in and out quickly, but rather their focus in on serving a quality product to each customer. We have received impeccable service on every visit. 

Frankie's Notes: 
They have a POG juice, but why don't they have a PUG juice?; That cold brew coffee has gotten me through a lot of sleepy afternoons; There is nothing more exciting to a millennial gremlin than lobster and avocado toast, and when you put those items together, you create a hole in the universe that is a portal to a world where 90s Nickelodeon shows play all day and the skies rain with Fruit by the Foot & Surge; I brought home this tuna burger to Jason for dinner, and that earned me 33 Wife Points. When you reach 75 Wife Points, you get a dinner out and a pedicure. 

 

Zeppelin

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!

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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. 

Rating: 

5 out of 5