Lincoln's Haberdashery

Background: 
Lincoln's Haberdashery opened just this month in South End, right down the road from Chef Michael Shortino's first restaurant, Futo Buta. Futo Buta has long held as my number one favorite restaurant in Charlotte--in fact, it was the very first post here on our little corner of the internet--check it out here (and also see our our style has changed since August 2015!). We also talk more in depth about Lincoln's on this week's episode of the podcast!

Decisions, decisions 

Lincoln's Haberdashey feels like it belongs in a much larger city than Charlotte, and that's one of the many things I love about it. It is part restaurant, coffee shop, retail space, ice creamery, wine bar, well--you get the idea. It reminds me a lot of Bi-Rite, one of my favorite San Francisco spots. The vibe is hip, yet cozy, and I can't wait to spend an afternoon there reading or doing blog work. The other night, Scallionpancake was absolutely honored to be invited to their media preview, and although we had already visited once the previous week, the media night gave us even more to love about Lincoln's Haberdashery. Read on to see what this new space has to offer Charlotte. 

Peep that beer ice cream float!

Eat This: 
Lincoln's Haberdashery makes all of their bread in house, as well as their ice cream. Whatever they don't make from scratch, they source from the best of the best. For example, the olive oil they use on "The 13th" sandwich is from award-winning Queen Creek Olive Mill in Arizona, and the mozzarella on that same sandwich is made in-house. It's all just a wonderful amalgamation of the best things--both made and curated. By the way, that olive oil is the absolute best I have ever tasted--it's so spicy and fresh! We were given a bottle to take home, and I finished a quarter of mine in approximately four days. A bottle of that, some flaky salt, and a fresh loaf of bread makes for a great breakfast the morning after your visit. Here is a snapshot of everything we sampled, from both our solo visit and the media night:

Mornin':

Mary's Muffin

Scrambled egg, tomato, Duke's mayo, with a choice of "protein" (Hickory Nut Gap ham, bacon, or avocado)

Sticky Biscuit

Hickory Nut Gap ham, rosemary cheddar biscuit, and wildflower honey butter

Stuffed Flapjack

Lemon ricotta, pure maple syrup, and berries

Let's get a close up on that, shall we? 

Avocado Toast

Lemon EVOO, baby arugula, shaved onion

Take it to the Bridge
 

ACME smoked salmon, house toast, dill, red onion, capers, and Ikura (salmon caviar) 

Sandwich & Soup: 

Grilled Cheese

Gruyere, shallots, and thyme

The 13th

House-made mozzarella, La Quercia prosciutto, fresh basil, Queen Creek EVOO

Dessert: 
Oh my god, the DESSERTS. Ugh, all of the pastries are made in-house, and they are beyond delicious. 

Carrot cake pie

With pistachios

Pistachio strawberry choux

Are you drooling yet?

I want to live in this pastry case, thanks 

Assorted ice creams

Ice cream flavors rotate, and the flavors range from the classic (vanilla peach) to the adventurous (mushroom! bacon!). 

Case of dreams 

Drink: 
Lincoln's Haberdashery offers a small selection of wines by the glass, and some beers and local favorite Updog Kombucha on tap. They also have an enormous selection of bottled and canned beer and bottles of wine for purchase. And don't forget the beer float--you can get a chocolate porter with vanilla fig soft serve and have the best float of your adult life.

Stovepipe Latte

Pure Intentions espresso, steamed milk, honey, & cinnamon

And don't forget the coffee! They have two signature espresso drinks, the Stovepipe (espresso, steamed milk, honey, & cinnamon) and the Mary Todd (espresso, steamed milk, lavender, & house-made lemon sugar). And they sprinkle cinnamon on top in the shape of Lincoln's head. Well then. 

Buy all the booze!

Apple spice kombucha!

Atmosphere: 
The marketplace portion of Lincoln's Haberdashery offers so many fun things--pet treats and accessories, candles, magnets, keychains, mimosa kits (!!!) and more. Also, there are tons of cool details, like a refurbished bureau with tiny "thumbs up" knobs. 

For da pugs 

Two thumbs up for Lincoln's Haberdashery 

Mr. Ed

#justiceforbarb

Shortino Hospitality: 
Just like at Futo Buta, Shortino's staff is gracious and quick to offer suggestions and recommendations. You can tell that everyone enjoys working here, and the vibe is chill and relaxed. 

Frankie's Notes: 
2015 blog was so yesterday, so yesterday--just like Hillary Duff says; Is it wrong to drink olive oil straight from the bottle?; I still haven't finished Stranger Things Season Two--does Barb come back from the Inside Out, or what?!; If Abraham Lincoln and Barb had a baby, would it be a ginger?; We think they should sprinkle a cinnamon pug's head on at least one beverage. 

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

 

Charlotte Gets Social

This article also appeared in the January/February 2018 issue of Epicurean Charlotte magazine.

All images courtesy of the QC Social Lounge Instagram page. 

If you ask any Charlotte native just how far our city has come in recent years in terms of dining and recreation, they will tell you without hesitation that Uptown has evolved substantially from what it used to be, that is--a ghost town outside of the hours of 9-5pm. Now, we have a rapidly growing dining scene bolstered by the proliferation of high-rise apartment buildings and hotels. However, anyone who frequents Uptown after dark knows there is still a need for something more in order to put us in true competition with larger cities. However, Charlotteans can rejoice in the New Year, as we now have the perfect player to capture our city’s enthusiasm and desire for innovation in our city’s nightlife. Enter: QC Social.

QC Social is, at its essence, an “enthusiast’s lounge,” describes General Manager Morgan Leitert. Every moment of a guest’s experience at QC Social is curated and finely tailored, from the drinks to the culinary selections. At once a bar, lounge, and venue, QC Social draws on collaboration from its creative team, staff, patrons, and our city’s local talent to ensure each visit offers a snapshot of the Queen City at its very best. This ethos is evident everywhere from the innovative cocktail menu to the vision for the lounge’s place in the community. QC Social will feature local artists and artisans everywhere--from their menu and talented bar staff to their walls and stage area, where they will host artists, musicians, and performers. “We want to highlight people's’ talents and what they can bring to the table,” says Bar Director Jade Finn. The feel of the lounge is above all intimate (think: cozy lounge seating), but the vibe can change night-to-night, depending on whether QC Social is hosting live music or showcasing a local artist.

Charlotte’s storied history will also take center stage, from the design of the building to the cocktail menu. In the building process, QC Social worked to preserve the history of their space rather than tearing it all down and starting fresh; the team sought out local metalworkers and woodworkers to enhance the original exposed brick and wood in the open and airy lounge. Celebrating Charlotte’s past is central to QC Social, and this philosophy is realized most fully in their graphically designed libations and elixirs menu. Going far beyond a simple description of their cocktails, Finn crafted a vision for a menu that is at once an illustrated history of Charlotte and an inspired list of libations whose creativity and style goes well beyond what we have seen from any cocktail menu in the Queen City.

Part cocktail menu and part graphic novel, the list of drinks is sorted into sections, each inspired by a piece of our city’s history. The opening part of the innovative menu describes Charlotte’s founding days and is titled after our city’s most famous (and infamous) descriptor by General Cornwallis of our city as a “hornet’s nest of rebellion.” The cocktails in this section draw from a well-curated spirits list and are inspired by Charlotte’s fiery beginnings, like the Yeoman’s Uprising and the Whistle-Belly Vengeance. Finn describes this section of the menu as drinks you would find “in a tavern in colonial North Carolina, but with a modern twist.”

Although just that amount of originality would be enough to impress, the cocktails are even more than their clever names and adherence to the local theme--they take the art of mixology to a new level. For example, rather than using only egg whites, the Yeoman’s Uprising incorporates a whole egg, and all of its ingredients are shaken with whiskey barrel aged wood chips which imparts a woodsy, smoky flavor profile to the finished product. Cocktailers create their own shrubs, cordials, and barrel-aged spirits for all of the 32 cocktails spread across four menus. The themes of the other menus relate to the ascendency of Charlotte as a banking empire and celebrate our city’s diversity with globally inspired cocktails.

Each cocktail is made using an advanced ice system--purified water is used to create hand-cut ice cubes for each drink. QC Social’s attention to each detail, right down to the ice, ensures that each cocktail’s flavor profile is well-balanced. Sometimes, the ice even is used to enhance the flavor of the drink, like in the Uptown Cavalier, which uses a hopped grapefruit bitters-flavored ice cube to add both flavor and chill. Another cocktail, the Mecklenburg Farmer #4, uses hand-shaved ice flavored with sage, cucumber, and Aviation gin.

Beyond cocktails, QC Social serves a variety of wines and beers. The tap beer menu is “regional and rotational” says Leitert, and the bottle menu is also regional, unique, and includes Belgian and Trappist beers. The feel of the menu is “curated and not overwhelming,” says Leitert. The wine selection is focused on small Italian producers and unique varietals. QC Social is passionate about highlighting smaller producers on all of their menus, and there are plans to host tastings to introduce the Charlotte community to their selection of wine and beer.

The Shareable plates menu will adhere to the finely curated feel of the beverage menus. Food options are small plates with a focus on local and seasonal items, many of them plant-based. Leitert and Current Culinary Olympic Team member Master Chef Jason Hall developed the menu to incorporate items from local growers and producers. Their charcuterie plate will feature cheeses from their neighbors at Orrman’s Cheese Shop, and their produce will come from local farms. Look for inventive shareable plates like a polenta and white bean tart, or a beet and apple mille feuille. The menu items will surprise even those already familiar with the North Carolina farm scene--like a vegan cheesecake made with (wait for it) North Carolina passion fruit (when in season). Their signature dessert is also plant-based and pure decadence: a chocolate chestnut tart with shortbread crust. QC Social’s small plates menu has an attention to detail and excellence writ large in the experience of the lounge as a whole.

With their grand opening this at the end of this month, QC Social is breathing new life into Uptown Charlotte, and its creative and management team believes in the Charlotte community, “We feel strongly about promoting our scene and talent here,” says Finn. He recognizes that many people from larger markets are moving to Charlotte, and they arrive and want that same dining scene that they are accustomed to. People are ready for creative food and drink options, and they do not want to be limited in their choices. “It’s a good time to be in Charlotte,” says Finn, “and we want to be a part of that movement.”

QC Social is ushering in a new era with their social lounge concept by providing a place for patrons to enjoy great drinks, small plates, and music in a relaxed atmosphere. Gone are the days when Charlotteans have to venture out of town for an experience that is a cut above--QC Social provides something for everyone. Each evening at QC Social, the team will go out of their way to ensure guests have an experience that is at once unique and focused on excellence, and that philosophy is ultimately what will put Charlotte on the map as a destination city.

QC Social is located at Northside Station 300 N College Street Charlotte, NC 28202

The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden

Background: 
The Barcelona Burger and Beer Garden was opened in Mooresville in May of 2017 by Michal Bay, who also owns the wildly popular Aliño Pizzeria, which is located right next door. Basically, Bay is going to have all of your food desires covered in one square block. Bay developed the menu with chef, writer, and TV personality Jenny Brule, and together they have really hit all of the flavor bases on Barcelona's menu. When we were invited the other week to check out this relatively new spot, we jumped at the chance. All of our über-cool blog buddies had already told us how rad it was, so we couldn't wait to see for ourselves. 

Love the font

The kitchen team hard at work

Eat This: 
The offerings are hearty, healthy, and everything we tried was a full-on flavor bomb. My mouth is watering just thinking about all of it again! The main choices are between the burgers and the rotisserie chicken, and for vegetarians and/or people concerned with fiber and things, they offer a killer-sounding black bean and quinoa burger, as well as three yummy sounding salads. 

Perhaps one of my favorite things about Barcelona is that all of their burger offerings are grass-fed, and their chicken is antibiotic and hormone free, which is always something I look for in the meat I buy at the grocery store, but it remains elusive when dining out. We wanted to try both a chicken dish and a burger, so we could be thorough and responsible food bloggers. Or heck, maybe a salad! Soup! However, when it came time to order, well...we both just wanted a burger. We each tried to talk the other into getting the chicken, but no dice. Neither of us would bend on our burger dreams. So, here are our two beautiful burgers, but I promise the chicken was seen and noted as looking most delicious. Get the chicken, people! Live your truth. Our truth just happened to be two burgers and fries, gosh darn it. 

Madrid burger

American cheese, caramelized onion, roasted tomato, spicy pepper sauce

Gibralter Burger

American cheese, avocado, peppadew peppers, lettuce, onion, salsa verde

Bird's eye view (check out that side of Spanish beer cheese sauce and truffle sauce

Loving you is easy 'cause you're beautiful

That cheese melt though

America, America, God shed his grace on theeeeee

The whole spread 

Now with 50% more booze!

Truffle Fries

Classic french fries topped with a creamy white truffle sauce

Everything was to die for. The burgers were upscale, but they were still easy enough to eat with your hands (super important), and they tasted recognizable as a traditional, crave-able burger--sometimes I feel like fancy burgers, while tasty, are so fussy that they cross burger territory into something else entirely. The flavors were straightforward and not muddled. 

And those fries. Wow. They were perfectly crispy and equally good with or without the truffle or beer cheese sauce, although, let's be honest, a little sauce never goes unappreciated (they also offer a brown gravy option). Barceona also offers sweet potato *waffle* fries! I know. We were almost swayed by the waffle fry siren song, but ultimately decided to stick with OG white potato. Other side options include fried pickles, onion rings, baked mac and cheese, kale salad, roasted veggies, and Spanish chicken soup. I swear I almost got the kale salad. I had the intention. But then when I ordered, the phrase truffle fries tumbled out of my mouth, unbidden! I was bewitched by the truffle pig gods. They are always watching. 

Dessert: 
Barcelona offers tons of delicious looking dessert options, some of which are pictured below. However, as we had not yet visited Aliño, we popped over there for a cannoli and gelato, both of which are made in house. You can actually get the same cannolis over at Barcelona, but not the gelato, so it was worth the five step pilgrimage. Does that count as working up an appetite? 

Torte, torte, torte, goose

Chocolat

Crostada nation

Revolving container of gelato dreams

cannoli

gelato

The cannoli and gelato, like everything else, exceeded expectations. The pistachio gelato was so nutty and fresh. As the gelato is made daily, the flavors will rotate. The sweet gal who helped us said her favorite was tiramisu, which they didn't have that night. Just one of many reasons why we will be back to Barcelona and Aliño soon! 

Drink: 
Bay told us that we had to try their El Jefe, a tempranillo wine that pairs beautifully with a wide variety of cuisine. This is also the wine they use in their sangria. I am just now getting (back) into red wine--for many years I abstained as it triggered my migraines. However, I tried a glass a few weeks ago with a delicious Italian meal (had to), and with just one glass I suffered no ill effects. Hoping this is a trend that sticks, because I truly love a good glass of red with a meal. 

The boss (not Springsteen)

Jason, teetotaler that he is, enjoyed the ever-living heck out of this coke freestyle machine! Viva America! 

The dream of every eight year old (and Jason)

Atmosphere: 
Barcelona is so chill. The food hall vibe and long cafeteria-style tables make this a very relaxing environment. We saw many couples on double dates who were splitting a bottle of wine and chatting, and also lots of families with kids enjoying a quick bite. If you feel like sticking around with a beer or a glass of wine, there are lots of TVs (if there is an international soccer game on, they will be showing it) you can watch while you sip. 

Mooresville Hospitality:
The gal we ordered from at the counter was beyond helpful, and told us all of the most popular menu items and was super patient as we had our "who is getting the chicken" debate. There were lots of employees helping to keep all of the tables wiped down and the condiment area clean. The cool folks in the kitchen even gave us a wave! So nice. 

Decorative bikes feeling oh so European

Frankie's Notes: 
We don't always have fights at the ordering counter, but when we do they always end in the death of one more cow at our expense; I am writing this in a vegan café in Kansas City and feeling very guilty for the meat-eating sins of yester-week; Truffle pig gods actually rule everything around us, you just don't know because they are very secretive and good at their jobs; Frankie once applied to be a truffle pig, but they said flat-nose dogs are not helpful in that field; I wouldn't say Frankie handles rejection poorly, but he hasn't gotten off the couch in weeks; Oh wait, that's just how a twelve-year-old pug lives his life; Decorative bikes are cool and all, but I would really like to take that mint green Huffy for a spin around the block, you know? 

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.