3rd & Fernwood — Restaurant in Charlotte

A couple of years ago, on the way to Gatlinburg, we stopped at this quirky food spot on the side of the road. He had a slice of smoked pecan pie that he still raves about. So when I saw it on the menu at the new 3rd and Fernwood, we had to go.

This restaurant in The Metropolitan comes from the owners of Leah & Louise and Uptown Yolk, so we wanted to love it so bad!

It was aesthetically pleasing, with tall walls, large open floor plan, a subtly ethnic color vibe, beaded chandeliers, a mural, basket weave inspired seating, fresh flowers on the tables.. very nicely done.

I had been watching the restaurant for over a month, but the waitress said that was all a soft opening, but that this was their grand opening. I was really trying to give it time before going, but somehow we still ended up at the onset. Keeping that in mind, here's my review.

There was a party of about 25-30 people to the left side of the large room, and when I say LOUD, that was an understatement. The acoustics in this room had conversations and laughter bouncing everywhere. Even if the party wasn't there, I imagine it would be much the same. I really think they need to add white noise speakers around the ceiling to muffle that. Very distracting and hard to hear the person/people at your table, let alone the server.

The wait. We were seated right away, but the fact that there were only 2 servers in the entire place, and one had the party, we sat for 40 minutes, watching different tables walking out, before the party waitress came to us to fill our water glass, and to say bread would be out soon. Another 20 minutes, and our waiting being fully motivated by the smoked pecan pie, she came back and apologized, saying she thought the other waitress was going to take our order. She gave us the new menu, and that's when we learned, we couldn't even get the pie because it's no longer on the menu. Wait, WHAT?! It is on the website menu! Had we known, we would've crossed the courtyard to go to Dresslers an hour ago like we watched others do. That's what I was thinking, but of course I didn't say that. It's not her fault, and we're polite, so we chalked it up and placed our order from this new, shaved down, minimal menu.

We never did get bread, but the food came out in about 15 minutes. I ordered the chicken breast, which was small, but uniquely flavored and very delicious. He had the trout, which was small, bland and lacked any seasoning. The greens with turkey meat was amazing, star of the show. They called it creamed corn, but it wasn't creamed, however it was ok. We didn't like the candied sweet potatoes, that were more buttered than candied. I ordered a cocktail from their menu, $15 and it was about 4oz in total. Like really a sip and done.

Fish was comped for the wait and she took off the drink since she spilled some (we didn't complain or ask for that), so we only ended up paying $38.97 before tip, instead of what would've likely been around $70ish. He said he was still hungry, even with eating half of my chicken (I get full eating a sandwich lol).

Everyone was really nice, and the place had a cool vibe. If we returned, we'd sit at the really nice looking bar for what appeared to be...

My husband and I checked out a new restaurant, 3rd & Fernwood, the other day. The restaurant is in Midtown, in the plaza near Trader Joe’s. We were greeted warmly by Seth, and quickly seated at a nice table overlooking the Sugar Creek Greenbelt. They also have a Speakeasy to come and when Seth learned of our interest in the venue, he offered us a tour of the attached space, which should be ready sometime in the fall.

As to the food, all the menu items are served a la carte, tapas style, so you can order as much or as little as you want, and can mix, match and/or share dishes. We came more curious than hungry, so we ordered only 2 dishes, the Fennel Shaved Cauliflower Salad and the Oxtail Meatloaf. . The meal was preceded by a small side of bread and sangria butter, which was sweet and salty at the same time, making for a fun mouth diversion ahead of the main event. On the side we shared a glass of decent red wine that came at a reasonable price tag of $11.

The cauliflower dish came garnished with plump golden raisins and toasted almonds and dressed with a complex green olive dressing that complemented it well. The meatloaf was savory and rich, with a red sauce topping reminiscent of childhood dinners with catsup-topped loaves as the main meal attraction, only this sauce was tangy and delicious. This fare would probably have been enough, except that we were curious to try at least one of the other menu items. With the input from Seth, we chose a dish of Field Pea Mafe, a robust dish that I can only describe as Southern Thai. We couldn’t finish the dish, so we took the leftovers home and paired them with saffron rice the next day for a second tasty meal.

On the way to our speakeasy tour, my husband noticed on a bookshelf a copy of “Savor: Toques in Black,” a collection of stories and recipes from Black Chefs. Greg Collier, the Chef at 3rd & Fernwood, is featured in the book. It also turned out that my husband is a friend of Battman, the photographer and producer of the book, from his photography days in NYC. Small world!

We went on a Monday night, which turned out to be Chef Greg Collier’s night off, but we were not at all disappointed with the food and can’t wait to return to experience a menu prepared directly by him. As a side note, the restaurant has outdoor seating, the view of the greenway is great for nature/people watching, and the plaza features live music on Thursday nights. Go and have...

I stopped by this spot one weekday evening. It was around 5:30pm. When I walked in there were no patrons.

The front desk staff greeted me while he was maintaining a conversation on his cell phone. I only note this because I think it is highly unprofessional. The staff told me I could have a seat at the bar. It was freezing inside the restaurant so I asked if I could sit outside. He advised I could and he would be out in a few minutes. I seated myself outside . The staff came shortly and provided me with a menu. NOTE: he still had that cell phone in tow!

A female waitstaff came over to the table with water. We discussed the menu for a few minutes. I was told they are somewhat like a meat and 3 spot. Essentially you order a protein and the sides you desire. They offer 5 protein options and about 9 side options. They also offer 4 sandwiches that are served with house made chips.

I opted for the shaved salad, and the smoked mushroom burger. After placing my order the wait staff returned to advise they were out of mushrooms. As such I switched my order to a shrimp po boy. In addition to what I ordered I was provided a sample of their bread service.

Regarding the food- I loved the bread and the salad! The shrimp po boy I would not order again. The house made fries were also good. I also ordered dessert to go. It was some type of peach dessert. I see that it is not listed on the online menu. I was told they only have plantain pudding and the peach dessert. The website lists a smoked pecan pie and oat pound cake. I did enjoy the dessert. It was basically like a puff pastry filled with sliced peaches and a cream.

Overall, this spot has potential to be great. The inside decor is stunning. They get a ton of points for the salad- so good! . Areas that could be improved include having items noted on the menu available and a little more attentive service up front.

I don't live in the city, but I would give this spot another try...