Breaking news on The Stanley: We've got the menu, planned opening date and a big chef surprise

Three big things to know about The Stanley, Paul Verica's big move from Waxhaw to open a fine-dining restaurant in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood:

1. The opening date: Tentatively May 15.

2. The menu: Verica is still working out some details, but he shared it with The Observer, including prices. See those below.

3. And finally, a big announcement: Ben Philpott, formerly of Block & Grinder and Lumiere, is coming on board to work with Verica and his sous-chef son Alex, who's been working for chef David Quintana at Dot Dot Dot while waiting for The Stanley to be ready.

More on all those things below. In the meantime, here's how close Verica is: While we were there for an interview Thursday afternoon, Sammy Koenigsberg of New Town Farms in Waxhaw showed up with a big box of long French radishes, round Parisian carrots and small Hakurei turnips, the first batch of food to go into the newly inspected kitchen.

On Thursday, Verica was rushing to finish the details, clearing inspection hurdles and urging workers to solve last-minute problems.

"Duct tape?" he teased one contractor trying to settle an issue with a front-door latch. "Can't you use duct tape? Look what MacGyver did with it."

Outside on the patio, Kim Shaw of Small City Farm was watering the plants she put in a few weeks ago. Shaw will create the large flower arrangement that will greet you at the door and also handmade the aprons for The Stanley staff.

Inside, even with a little construction rubble, The Stanley is almost ready. With a color scheme of deep burgundy, purple, yellow and gray, the look is a mix of retro and contemporary. Verica has saved the details of the building, once an old grocery, including the glass storefront and the tin ceiling, while brightening it up with the colors, hanging lights with a mid-century vibe and a long white marble bar where beverage manager Larry Suggs will serve a short list of cocktails based on seasonal flavors and produce. (Cocktails will be in the $10 to $15 range; one Suggs is playing with is a Fernet Branca and coffee drink with a sweet vanilla milk ice cube. It starts out bitter, then slowly gets sweet and creamy.)

Verica, whose food is often a blend of fresh, local and seasonal ingredients with cutting-edge molecular science flourishes, has had nine months to research, scribble and dream for the menu. While it's not set in stone quite yet, he let The Observer have first look at it, including the price ranges.

A few innovations and details: The Stanley will serve dinner Tuesday-Saturday, with plans to eventually add a Sunday brunch. Reservations will be available on the app Resy, which many local restaurants are using to replace Open Table. (You can download a free app for smartphones.)

Inspired by Holeman & Finch in Atlanta, Verica plans to have a late-night special dish, only available after 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Expect playful riffs, like haute hot dogs. One they're playing with (he admits it's not quite there yet): A version of chicken nuggets made with chicken tenders marinated in buttermilk and truffle oil, dipped in dried truffle and served with a foie gras ranch dressing.

Beers will mostly be provided by Free Range and Blue Blaze, with more offerings in bottles and cans. The wine list, chosen by general manager Steve Johnson, another Heritage vet, will focus on small boutique wineries with a long list of wines by the glass in the $10 to $21 range. (That $21 is Italics Proprietary Red Blend from Napa.)

Philpott's role will be to work in the closed kitchen during the day, making sauces, stocks and soups and breaking down the meat cuts.

"It's the perfect job," Philpott told The Observer two weeks ago. "I'm super stoked." Working during the day will let Philpott be home with his family, including two young children, at night, while using his skills to do things he loves.

"(Paul) and I had talked a couple of times and joked about it," Philpott says. "I could really be involved with something really, really special without sacrificing my family. I'm excited and I think he is too. I just want to make that restaurant amazing." (Yes, he'll bring his renowned chicken liver mousse to The Stanley menu.)

On that Stanley menu: Expect a lot of surprises. For instance, the house soup will be "chicken and noodle, where the noodle is the chicken," Verica says. He got the idea from a dish made by Wylie Dufresne at the WD40 in New York.

The menu is broken down into several sections:

The Play Ground: A kitchen "improv" tasting menu, similar to one they used to do at Heritage, where you let the kitchen surprise you. That will be $40 for three courses, $52 for five courses and $69 for seven courses, "plus treats."

Small Plates: $9 to $17. A few on the list:

▪ Foie gras funnel cake with strawberries and mint, $17.

▪ Beets, blue cheese, herbs "and stuff," $10.

▪ Pork belly steamed bun, $10.

▪ Gnocchi, peas and country ham, $12.

▪ Ben's Chicken Liver Mousse, $13.

▪ If I Ate Breakfast — rice grits, egg, pork belly, maple syrup and greens, $12.

"Other Stuff" (large plates), $28-$52.

▪ Risotto with shrimp, peas, asparagus, egg yolk and "good cheese," $25.

▪ Roasted FFC Chicken with Chef's Sides (meant to be shared), $52.

▪ Strip steak, root puree, vegetables and a red wine sauce, $37.

▪ Pork chop, apple sauce, cider and greens, $28.

▪ Trotter confit, sweet breads, foie gras, green, pickles and No-Waste Relish and egg, $25.

▪ Trout, beets and spinach risotto, $28.

Sides: $8 to $9, or a group of any three for $24, all featuring seasonal local produce. Verica is especially excited to have those. "We couldn't do it at Heritage. We didn't have the space."

Desserts will be made by Verica and Morgan Romeo, formerly of Amelie's and Kings Kitchen. Romeo also will be the bread baker.

The No-Waste Relish will use the stems, roots and leaves of the fresh produce they use daily, designed to reduce waste. Koenigsberg dubs it "leaf to root."

"Everybody is talking about whole animal," Verica says. "Why aren't we talking about whole vegetable?"

This story was originally published May 4, 2018 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Breaking news on The Stanley: We've got the menu, planned opening date and a big chef surprise."