Restaurant Constance — Restaurant in Charlotte

This was the first meal in Charlotte where I felt that the $250 price was justified. We had the hamachi sashimi and clam/shrimp appetizer. Both were very good. We ordered 3 entrees.. the scallops were fantastic. The red wine braised short ribs were perfect. It’s was a unique style as they had some succotash with the potatoes. Then finally we had the tomato risotto with shrimp. We brought our own bottle of wine and they opened it and poured for us even before our table was ready. Will definitely go back. Reminded me of dining in Charleston.

Edit for second trip

Looks like google won’t let me leave a second review, so I am adding to my first. I recently dinned here again on Friday sept 13. I think my first time was a couple months ago. This time my family was visiting town and went out for my sister’s birthday. There were 5 of us. I was really excited for the family to eat here as it’s hard enough in Charlotte to find somewhere that’s really good. My second experience could not have been more different than my first. As soon as we sat down we were told you have 90 minutes to finish and leave… but “we will give you an extra 15 minutes because of the group” we are very aware of the time limit when making the reservation. I cant recall if this was mentioned my first visit.. if it was it was done in a way that did not make us feel rushed. We immediately felt rushed after sitting down. (I am aware of the economics of having to turn table a certain number of times per night etc.. this is a wider restaurant problem). We ordered focaccia, lobster quesadilla and the fried okra salad. The quesadilla had no flavor, like it just didn’t taste. That’s a weird way of describing it, but it really had no taste. Not spicy, smoky, salty, or otherwise. Literally just tasted like a tortilla. The okra salad I didn’t eat but others seemed to enjoy it. The focaccia, others seemed to enjoy as well. I thought it had too much oil on the bottom. Looked like it was fried almost. The main entrees were simple. 4 of us got the NY strip and my mom got the short rib. The short rib was fantastic, as it was last time. They changed the style a bit but still very good. The problem came with the steaks. We were told they would be cut and served. We all assumed sliced. It came out cubed tossed in with the gnocchi and topped with Parmesan. It looked like it was a steak bowl. The taste overall was a bit meh, the “wine glaze” added nothing to the dish. Looked like it was thrown in just so it sounds better. The biggest problem however was every steak was burned. The inside was rare to med rare, which is fine that’s how we asked them to be cooked. But looks like they had the heat too close. There was thick char on every steak. I think it was a pepper crust maybe… either way we had to cut the tops off all the steaks to even eat them. Mine was pretty tough. The others said there was tender enough. For the birthday “dessert” they brought out a 1.5x1.5 square inch piece of jelly candy with a candle. It was the lamest excuse for a birthday dessert I’ve ever seen. It was tasty at least, we all shared it. The other dessert was the peach Melba. It was not enough for me to even mention at this point. Overall for $500+ we had a terrible experience, felt rushed and food was less than mediocre, except for the short rib. The following night we ate at firebirds and the food was better than dinner this night, which I’m very disappointed to say. All in all I regularly spend $100+ per person when I go out, and it’s getting harder to justify doing that in Charlotte. The star ratings I will adjust to reflect this most recent review. I also think they need to describe the dishes better to reflect what you are getting. I would not have ordered the steak had I known it looked...

We arrived at 6:30 for our reservation and only had to wait for 3 min before our table was turned over. Unfortunately, it was situated directly under the AC vent and I remained cold the entire time. I decided not to request a different table and just deal with it as I didn't want to stress the servers.

The space is small and well-appointed with personal touches. The music was 90s rock which was unexpected but may reflect the personalities of the owners.

Our server was lovely and very knowledgeable about the menu options. They have a very diverse selection of drinks but we only wanted unsweet tea which they do not serve. We stuck with water.

You order all courses at the same time and they bring them out in a staggered fashion. As a starter we ordered the Shrimp and Lobster Toast. It was served on a piece of fresh brioche which was soaked with a soy "au ju" sauce poured on top. It was very flavorful but the bread became soggy toward the end. Still one of the best things we tried.

We split the kale salad. It was very good but a bit too sugary for me. I would have loved something a bit more savory/salty to balance it. The cheese was grassy and the greens were very flavorful.The sweet potato croutons were not crunchy but I appreciated the effort.

We both got the Mahi Mahi entree. The field peas, limas, rice, and edible flowers/herbs were delicious. It was really like tasting summer! However the vinaigrette was soy-based too and tasted exactly like the sauce from our starter. Still good but I would have loved something different. The fish itself was bland but when eaten with the rest of the dish it worked.

For dessert I got some of their delicious coffee and we split the Chocolate Miso Tart. It was a black sesame shortbread crust with a very thick layer of caramel, topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache flavored with miso and topped with sea salt flakes. It was delicious but so rich both my husband and I could not finish it together.

Overall I would try Restaurant Constance again in the fall when the menu changes and request not to sit underneath the AC vent.

Definitely worth it to experience unique flavor parings and fresh,...

Celebrated our anniversary at Restaurant Constance recently - a nice touch by the entire staff with a signed anniversary card on the table when we arrived. The food is beyond exceptional and deserves a 20+ star rating - Chef Diminich is a master at flavors and ingenuity and creating masterful dishes that are well beyond most culinary experiences. The food is some of the very best that Charlotte has to offer! So why not 5 stars across the board? Restaurant Constance's policy (clearly stated when making reservations and explained when you are first seated) is a 90 minute dining experience, which results in "feeling rushed" and not relaxed. The prices match the quality of the food and experience; however, when paying that level of pricing, you should be able to have a relaxed and enjoyable dining experience and not feel like you are being rushed throughout your dinner. Appetizers served, but not even halfway through, salad was served (and the server asked us if we wanted the remaining appetizers boxed up); followed by entrees served before finished with salad, and once again, asked if we wanted our salads boxed up. A repeat of food being served, rush to eat, asked if we wanted any remaining food boxed up and next serving brought to the table. NOT A RELAXING DINING EXPERIENCE AT ALL!!! Also, not all tables treated equally - another table of 4 were seated well before we arrived and were still enjoying a relaxed dinner after we were rushed out.

Overall - beyond exceptional food; attentive service (maybe a bit too attentive in terms of rushing you through your meal). If you are looking for one of the best food experiences in Charlotte and beyond, Restaurant Constance is the place to go - but be prepared to be rushed through your dining experience (90 minute limit for some but not all tables). Would love to go again, but not unless the policy is changed on the 90 minute dining time (what about...