Albertine — Restaurant in Charlotte

Fine dining in Charlotte is A JOKE. I'll start with the food because I don't have any real complaints about it. It was fine, 7/10, presented nicely and priced appropriately for the quality/portion size.

However! This restaurant wants you in and out as fast as they can turn the table and they don't even try to hide it. You could probably have a more leisurely meal at McDonald's.

When we arrived at 5:30 PM, our party of 4 was only 2 due to a last minute cancellation. I felt badly and I thought they might move us to the bar area instead, which would have been a little disappointing but understandable. However, they let us keep the 4 top, and I thought that was nice. The restaurant was beautiful. But then I sat down, and my head began to spin.

Instantly, multiple servers were on top of us asking questions. I will say that everyone was very polite, but the pressure to order ASAP was intense. I appreciate having water and menus right away, which we got. I also appreciate having a few minutes to look at them so I can decide what I'd like without feeling rushed, which we didn't. I ended up ordering a glass of red wine, which I later regretted, as it didn't go with the entree I ordered. But at that point, I had no idea what entree I wanted yet because I hadn't had time to look. I just wanted the server to quit stopping by the table to ask if I was ready when I was clearly still holding a menu in my hand and reading it.

We ordered a starter (chicken liver toast - thankfully, the red wine went well here) and it was pretty good. Heavy on the horseradish, but a nice flavor overall. After we ordered the starter (or maybe at the same time? It's a blur), the server encouraged us to order our entrees immediately as they "often run out." The time was now 5:40 PM. I quickly chose the rock crab pasta, not thinking about how gross a Gamay would be with that, because I didn't have time to think.

At some point while we were eating the liver toasts, the server checked on our progress and explained courses to us, saying that the entrees typically take 15 minutes to make. Ok, and? Isn't that what you want between courses so that you can digest and cleanse your palate a little, unless you have explicitly stated that you are in a rush? We were NOT in a rush. Our show started at 8 and we had planned to be at dinner until 7. We still had half of the starter left to eat. I think she fired the entrees anyway.

The liver toasts finished, I thought I had a few minutes to finish my Gamay and find another wine to drink with my main course. Wrong! Almost as soon at the starter plates were cleared (and the crumb scraper used - nice touch!), the entrees were dropped off. The time was 5:57 PM. We looked at each other and laughed and talked about how they clearly wanted us gone since we were 2 people hogging a 4 top. Meanwhile, a 2 top off to my right remained unoccupied for the entirety of our visit. The food was good, if not life changing. We each ordered another drink (chenin blanc for me this time). By 6:15 PM, we were finished eating our entrees.

Dessert menus were brought and dessert was ordered. We shared the babka thing, which was good. However, WHILE we were eating it, the server asked us if we wanted the check. Ma'am, I'm still putting food in my face, no I do not want the check yet. Can you allow me to finish? Of course I didn't say that. We said "sure" because at this point, it was a joke, and we were tired of being hustled through what should have been a nice, somewhat leisurely dinner. We had planned on ordering one more drink afterward, but decided to go elsewhere for that as Albertine clearly did not want us.

We paid and left the restaurant a little before 6:30 PM. That's right: we had 3 courses and 2 rounds of drinks in under an hour, and not by choice.

To summarize, I do not understand how such a beautiful space with decent food and staff who are not technically rude (minus the hosts who were truly lovely) can still manage to leave such a bad impression. Another...

Came in for my birthday and had an incredible experience. 10/10 will come back. I'll talk about the amazing service at the end and start with the food.

First the food: Razor Clams 10/10 - my wife and I had never had clams before and I am not a big seafood guy. These were light, refreshing and so full of flavor I wanted so savor every morsal. These alone would bring me back. You'd have to order a lot to get full, but the flavor was incredible.

Mezzes Whipped Feta 1000/10 - If I ever end up on death row, this will be a part of my last meal. My wife immediately asked how far my office was away from the restaurant and the potential to regularly bring this home. Do not leave without getting it.

Zaalouk 9.5/10 A real surprise in own right. Eggplant is easy to avoid because it can be suspect in taste depending on how it is prepared. This was smoky and delicious. My wife does not like smoky foods and drinks and this was so good we both wiped the bowl clean.

Stuffed Dates 9/10 Listen, the only reason these aren't a 10/10 is because not everything can be, though these deserve to be. I am pretty much ranking things at this point. Don't leave without an order. Huge mistake if you do.

Lamb Kefta 8/10 Probably the best I ever had. Somebody got a little happy with the fennel topping on ours but scraping off the excess (I only mention in case this is normal), the meat was just flavorful and not dry like so many others I've had. If you like lamb, definitely worth an order.

Hanger Steak Frites 8/10 For not being a steak restaurant, they sure know how to cook one perfectly. Mine was perfectly medium rare as ordered and the bordelaise was divine. The smash potatoes were so crispy and would have easily been a worthy stand alone side. They included a seeded chermoula and I don't know if it was meant for the steak or the potatoes so I dipped each and it really elevated both foods. I'm going to be craving those combos.

For dessert we had a cheesecake and it was THE creamiest cheesecake I've ever had with an incredible crust. They don't skimp at all on the pistachios. If I have ever hear of this winning an award, I will be the least surprised person in the city.

The service: I don't make a big deal out of my birthday anymore. A nice delicious dinner with my wife, sometimes with friends, is all I care about. When I tell you this place knocked it out of the park, I would be under exaggerating. And the best part is, observing other tables, it was pretty on par service everyone gets.

We technically have an assigned server, and he was so spot on with recommendations, but it is closest person to the kitchen when your order is ready that is bringing it out. First person to see your water glass is empty is filling it. If you go to the restroom, first person that sees that is refolding your lap napkin.

I swear we probably had 9 different people come by our table to take care of us. Each one taking the time to wish a happy birthday. There a lot of other nuances that just made this such a delightful experience. The staff should know they crushed it.

We could observe the kitchen and most of the staff and there was a noticeable lack of frantic, high pressure energy I've seen at other fine dining places. Everyone moves with purpose but patience. There is an episode in FX's The Bear where a character spends time at another restaurant to learn how to make the meal an experience for patrons. The owners down to the staff must have watched on repeat because that is exactly how this felt.

Would return for the food alone (some of the best middle eastern food ever). I would love to sit in the beautifully elegant, yet comfortable, ambiance again. But the service will make me recommend people trust Albertine's for special occasions, out of town guests, business meetings or even a treat...

Whoa!!!! Albertine might be my top 3 in Charlotte, NC. I knew it was going to be fabulous since it’s from the Kindred team but 🤯🤯 The space and ambiance is top notch. They spared no expense. When you walk in, they have a lounge area that’s very bright with a beautiful bar. The dining room is past the bar. It’s a little darker with accents of brown and green. Very clean looking and inviting. They had a good menu of wines by the glass- wines that aren’t basic. They also had an incredible cocktail list with lots of different flavors and spirits. I went with the classic dirty martini with blue cheese olives. It was very good and the blue cheese olives were delicious. The best I’ve had in Charlotte. The food was absolutely spectacular. The menu was broken down by seafood, small plates, pasta, larger plates and sides. We had so many amazing things. First off, the dips came with this seasoned pita bread. It was like crack. Every dish we had came with a sauce that you needed to dip the bread in. We ordered- Tuna Crudo- the server recommended this. Super fresh tuna. Was chopped super small. So delicious! Red Schug- this was a pepper dip- not really too spicy…. Great texture! Whipped Feta- this was another dip!! It wasn’t chunky but very smooth!! Again, so much flavor. Zaalouk- a tomato base- delicious smoky flavor- Was so good with the pita bread. Stuffed Dates- perfect balance of sweet and savory - they were stuffed with chorizo and ham!! Yummmm! Crispy Asparagus- loved this too- it was fried but not greasy. Came with another delicious sauce Kibbeh Nayen- This was another great dish to dip the bread in! The lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned Fried SC Quail- this was a play on Nashville hot chicken with everyone’s favorite ranch like dressing! Very tender. Lamb Kefta- tender pieces of lamb- perfectly cooked! Samneh Potato- LOVED these! They were fried potatoes- almost like hash browns pieces but the flavor and texture- OMG! Babka- was so fill but the chocolate babka was flaky and not too sweet! Was expensive but worth every penny! Would highly recommend for a special occasion or expense acct dinner! I loved it so much, I made a reservation for my birthday!!

Also BIG LOVE to our server Brandyn. He was a rockstar! Super friendly, gave us great recommendations and...