Q: Do you know if Bar One in Uptown is closed for good?

Tom: It sure looks that way. Northpond Partners, the Chicago-based real estate management company, terminated the leases of both restauratuer Steven Jensen’s uptown concepts, Bar One and 800 Degrees, citing default on terms and a nearly $300,000 lein. Jensen initially said he was hoping to reopen Bar One, but has since deleted the restaurant’s social media accounts. Google Business reports the two restaurants as “permanently closed.” The SouthPark locations of both concepts remain open for now.

Q:  What are the most common cuisine types in Charlotte? Do you think any are oversaturated or undersaturated?
Tom: I guess you can say the most common cuisine at Charlotte restaurants is “Modern American” — which would include steakhouses, seafood houses, American bistro, and Southern-style farm-to-fork. Outside of that, there has been a surge of Mediterranean concepts in the past few years, including places like Mazi, Albertine, and Chapter 6. Sushi places abound in the Queen City as well, notably Prime Fish, Yama LoSo, and Yume. Italian is a popular cuisine in most cities and Charlotte is no exception. Stagioni, Mama Ricotta’s/Little Mama’s, Ever Andalo, and Aqua e Vino are all worth checking out. You can say the same about Chinese food. Actually, Kristen and I had a fun converation the other day about it. Ho Ho Cherry House is a total guilty pleasure for both of us. On the higher end of Chinese cuisine, Lam’s Kitchen and Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles, both in Matthews, are certainly worth the trip. Tacos are also high on everyone’s list. Check out our taco guide. True French cuisine is a hard find in Charlotte. Coquette, however, is a very nice French bistro Uptown and Adam Reed’s Santé in Matthews is probably the most under-the-radar fine dining restaurant in the area.

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