Since moving to Charlotte (from Atlanta) a little more than three years ago, my biggest complaint about the Queen City is that the place lacked a lot of cool-looking spaces. I won't name any spots here, but I've been pretty damned underwhelmed by the interiors of many of the city's supposedly hip restaurants, nightclubs and lounges. Honestly, a lot of locales here just seemed content to be raggedy little jook joints.
All that being said, I'm happy as hell to report that — when it comes to the city's approach to design — things are changing. And I saw two examples of this change this weekend when I visited the new eatery The Liberty and the new art gallery/lounge Twenty-Two.
I popped in The Liberty on Friday. The restaurant (which opened nearly one month ago) is situated on South Boulevard (where the now-defunct McIntosh's used to reside) not too far from my home, so I had been curiously passing it for months as it went through major renovations. Well the renovations paid off ... big. As soon as I walked in, I was smacked in the face by the look of the place — chocolaty-brown hues and giant white lettering splashed on the walls, rustic wood panels floating above tables, columns made of beer kegs, amber-colored lights peppered about the room, and more cool-looking stuff.
Oh, and while this NOT a review of the food at all (I'll leave that to our food critic), I did dig the vittles. The menu (of the gastro-pub variety) seems to be filled with adventurous dishes. And, yo, they make their own pickles. Can't beat that.
Saturday, I took a trip to Twenty-Two; like I said a few paragraphs up, it's an art gallery/lounge that lives where the old Lotus store used to be — right below Soul Gastrolounge. The folks behind Twenty-Two have been tinkering with this place for a loooonnngg time, but their efforts paid off because it looks amazing. The entire space appears wide open with walls pretty much made of glass. (So, like, if you drive by on Central, you can see everything going on inside.) Inside, the concrete floors are coated with a shiny glaze, the non-glass walls are covered with paintings and the bar area appears to be encased in stone. The whole look is modern, but still cozy. (One gripe: Turn up the music ... please?) This latest addition to Plaza Midwood adds even more value to an already cool neighborhood. I look forward to regularly downing big-ass bottles of Fat Tire at Twenty-Two and then climbing the stairs up to Soul (which also looks amazing inside) to sip on some sparkling sake.
So, yeah, things — and places — are looking up (and better) in the Q.C. Get off your butt and go see for yourself.
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