Last updated: December 6, 2023

In the Weeds

When Ellen Davis bought The McNinch House in 1978, it was in disrepair. It took an optimist to look at the late 1800s structure and see something beautiful. Yet she bought the home and went to work, slowly cleaning decades of grime off of the beautiful woodwork and tile and turning it into the stunning dining room it is today.

That dining room is perhaps the biggest draw of The McNinch House, which celebrates 30 years in January. Each table is set differently, with antique china in colorful florals or deep jewel tones that match the table cloth. There are magnificent fireplaces throughout the restaurant, and the detailed molding and original floors are a monument to the beauty of Victorian architecture.

The McNinch House serves one of the few tasting menus in town, and has since it opened. The lightest option, a four-course meal, is $105 without wine pairings, an additional $65 with them. Diners choose two opening courses, an entrée, and a dessert, with a palate-cleanser served in the middle. The grand menu includes an additional opening course and a cheese course for $125 (pairings are an additional $85). There is also a chef’s tasting menu, which is five courses served at the discretion of the chef and includes wine pairings for $185 per person.

The prices aren’t unusual for a tasting menu. Yet the experience of a tasting menu has evolved, and The McNinch House doesn’t seem willing to adjust. Among the options on the menu are classic entrées, served in smaller portions to adjust to a tasting menu style: filet mignon, duck breast, lobster carbonara. A tasting menu should be something exciting, a meal that takes you out of your comfort zone and into the mind of a brilliant chef. That’s not to say that there isn’t talent in the kitchen here; chef Matthew Shepard is young, but shows much promise. Still, there are some hiccups; on one recent meal, the foie gras was undercooked, and the sorbet was too frozen to eat comfortably, and the price tag demands near perfection.

There’s an expectation that comes with paying $150 per person at minimum. Having good food no longer cuts it; the dishes need to be inventive and unique, something you can’t get anywhere else, served consistently and cooked well. And many of the dishes on the McNinch House’s tasting menu can be found at the numerous modern, Southern restaurants around town with veterans of the Charlotte dining scene in the kitchen.

Not all change is good, though, and the fact that the service at The McNinch House hasn’t is one of the biggest reasons to splurge for a night out here. There’s something romantic about servers dressed in black-and-white, bringing you new silverware for each course and a rose at the end of dinner. The staff is incredibly detailed, and wine steward Wes can talk at length about any wine on the menu. He’s also hands-on in the dining experience, so if he notices you don’t like a wine pairing, he’s happy to provide another.

Sitting down for a meal at The McNinch House in the painstakingly restored dining room is unlike any other experience in town, simply for its beauty and service. There’s a reason this place has been open for 30 years, and it’s worth visiting if you can afford it. However, to stay open in this rapidly changing restaurant environment, adapting to change is important. We hope the service never changes, but would be happy to see some innovation on the menu. Without it, it’s hard to justify spending the money to visit more than once. —Kristen Wile