About counter-
counter- is an intimate, full sensory experience featuring themed tasting menus created by Executive Chef and Owner Sam Hart. Designed to evoke emotion throughout the experience by utilizing sound, taste, and art as a vehicle for storytelling, the menus rotate quarterly and are driven by sense-based storylines such as music, modern art, and mental health.
Once seated, guests will experience meticulously coursed-out dishes and wine pairings presented by Hart and his team. The wine program is proud to feature a diverse offering that includes female, LGBTQ+, and minority winemakers, alongside a thoughtfully curated non-alcoholic pairing option.
Hart aspires for counter- to be an incubator for rising star chefs, providing them a place for empowerment, guidance, and inspiration to open their own concepts in Charlotte, while also elevating his hometown’s experiences.
counter- menus
At counter-, the story, cuisine, and presentation are ever-changing, rotating every three months for a completely new, sensory experience. Taking a modernist, playful approach to dining and exploring diverse global cuisines, each menu theme is artfully curated to evoke emotion. Utilizing music, art, and food as a vehicle to guide guests through the story, each plate is perfectly timed down to the minute to a pre-set playlist, tailored to help tell the story behind the plate. No two themes are the same, and dishes are never repeated after the end of the three-month period, ensuring that guests will have a completely new experience each time.
Previous themes include Curry, which highlighted the vast cuisines of India and South East Asia that are commonly generalized as curry in the United States, Terroir, which showcased the bounty of North Carolina, Colour, which served as an opportunity to generate awareness surrounding mental illness, and The Wall, a tribute to the famed Pink Floyd album.
counter-’s complex and flavorful dishes are complemented by its wine program which features a diverse offering of female, LGBTQ+, and minority winemakers, alongside a thoughtfully curated non-alcoholic pairing option.
Experience counter- in charlotte, nc
Located on West Morehead in Charlotte, the space is purposefully designed to mimic a blank canvas. Designed by Chef and Owner Sam Hart, counter- features muted concrete floors, white linen concrete countertops, and simple grey walls, allowing the story being told through art, food, and music to shine. A true chameleon, counter- is intentionally easy to transform to fit the rotating menus, tableware, and art that accompany each quarterly theme. Once the theme is completed, all the revolving items are sustainably recycled, sold, or donated to local nonprofits. Aptly named, the space seats 18 guests per service at a U-shaped counter that faces the open kitchen where the team prepares, plates, and presents each dish.
Reservations are required and can be made via Tock.