Counter *

8 minutes ago

4 min read

We knew our visit to Counter in Charlotte, NC would be a unique experience. Counter is part restaurant, part concert, part theater, part art and a completely immersive sensory experience. And somehow, through all of that, the food never gets lost.

If your idea of fine dining is white table linens, hushed conversation and a very traditional progression of courses, this is not that. We love fine dining, but what we really love about elevated dining is when incredible food becomes the foundation for something more. Counter is loud when it wants to be loud. The music matters. The lighting matters. The art matters. The story matters. And Chef Sam Hart and the team are very much a part of the experience. The closest experience we have had would probably be EL Ideas in Chicago, where the interaction between the chefs and guests is also part of what makes the evening so memorable. Counter takes that idea in its own very different direction.

That interaction was one of our favorite parts. Counter seats just 18 guests around a U-shaped counter facing the open kitchen, which means there really is no separation between the dining room and what is happening in front of you. The chefs aren't simply sending dishes out of a kitchen. They are explaining, storytelling and challenging you to think about what you are eating and, at times, making you reflect on food, memories and even life.

We would have to say Counter is themes on themes. Counter changes its theme often, with each experience built around a different story. Our visit happened during AUTUMN: Brutal, a menu focused on sustainability, produce and what can happen creatively when you work within a very specific set of constraints. But then there are themes within the theme. Throughout the evening we explored cohesion, emotion, magic, singularity, nostalgia and precision. Each course had its own story while still being part of something much bigger.

However, we have to say this is the first dining experience we have had that revolved around a mathematical concept: the Fibonacci sequence. Chef Sam has spoken about Counter as a finite project rather than a restaurant designed to simply exist forever. The plan is a 12-year journey from 2020 through 2032 encompassing 100 menus, with the Fibonacci sequence influencing how the project progresses and evolves. That was definitely not information we expected to learn over dinner, but it was fascinating. Each chapter builds from what came before it. Ideas evolve, lessons carry forward and Counter keeps changing rather than finding a successful formula and simply repeating it.

That philosophy makes a lot more sense once you experience Counter. This is clearly not a restaurant interested in playing it safe. We have also never been to a restaurant that already knows when it is going to close and simply no longer exist. You read that correctly.

The three of us loved different things throughout the night, but there was one dish we could all agree on: Nostalgia: Catfish, Potato and Dill. It was phenomenal. The dish was a nod to family fish fries, built around Carolina catfish, something we don't get very often at home, with crispy and pickled potatoes. It was familiar and nostalgic while still feeling completely different from anything we would associate with a traditional fish fry. That balance between memory and creativity was one of the things we enjoyed most about the evening. There were plenty of moments designed to surprise you, but they weren't surprises simply for the sake of being different. There was a story behind them.

Counter really is dinner, art, theater and a concert all at once. Music accompanies the experience, art becomes part of the storytelling and the chefs present the courses directly to the guests. At the end of the evening, we were invited to contribute to a collaborative art piece, adding one final interactive layer to a night that had already blurred the lines between food, music, theater and art. It was probably the most fitting way Counter could have ended the experience.

We have eaten at a lot of tasting-menu restaurants, and we love the precision, service and creativity that come with them. Counter takes those familiar elements and throws out many of the rules surrounding what fine dining is supposed to look and feel like. It will not be everyone's version of fine dining, and that is ok because it is uniquely them. Counter isn't trying to fit neatly into the traditional fine-dining box. It isn't trying to disappear quietly into the background while you eat dinner. It wants you to listen, watch, taste, participate and think.

Our menu for the evening:

Wondermint- magic peonut, tomato sandwich, caviar tart, mangalitsa donut

Imbalance- pear, lemon balm

Sourcing- rainbow trout, melon, cilantro

Precision- osetra sturgeon, caviar, chives

Texture – Celery

Nostalgia- catfish, potato, dill

Cohesion- squab, kabocha, shiso

Honor – ribeye turnip, juniper

Singularity – bear wallow, bannana, black walnut

Magic- Summer berry, thai basil

Emotion- onion, nutmeg