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The unofficial kings of uptown's East Fifth Street are expanding their brand across Tryon Street. Tommy Timmins, Kevin Devin and Maynard Goble - owners of Madison's, Connolly's, The Attic and Southend's Tyber Creek Pub - are branching their successful bar brand into a small-plates restaurant concept. Dandelion Market is tentatively set to open in early December on West Fifth Street in the old Latorre's Restaurant site.
The name comes from the marketplace by the same name in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1970s, and just as the original Dandelion Market served as a popular meeting place for friends, Timmins says he hopes Charlotte's version becomes a similar destination.
"Residents and visitors alike need a central meeting place to eat, drink and socialize, so it's our goal to provide it," he says.
Chef Katie Formuzis, formerly of Washington, D.C., has crafted a menu of about 30 small plates including Aged Cheddar and Fat Tire Ale Fondue, served with grilled baguette slices and caramelized apples.
"It's a straightforward menu with ingredients you can understand," Timmins says. "We're taking the intimidation out of it."
Dandelion also plans for 75 percent of its food to be supplied by local farmers and for much of its beer selection to come from Carolina breweries.
Fans of the partners' pubs will find a similar lively, party atmosphere at Dandelion, despite the addition of cuisine and servers. Two full bars - one downstairs and one up - will have 24 craft-style beers on tap, along with an affordable wine list (no bottle over $25).
"We're still going to do what we do after dinner (served until 11)," Timmins says. "We're not going to get away from what we're good at, but this gives us another angle."
So at a time when businesses are struggling to stay afloat, how do the guys manage to keep their bars hopping and add a restaurant to the mix?
"We do our best to make friends with our customers and take care of them," Devin says. "That's always No. 1 to us."
And while opening a new business in any economy is always a risk, Timmins says the moderately priced menu (plates range from $4 to $15) is what uptown needs.
"We think that's going to give us a nice jump-start," he says. "People will be more apt to check us out not just only on special occasions."
