Bruce Moffett’s new cocktail lounge channels Charlotte’s prohibition-era party scene
Bruce Moffett, chef and founder of Moffett Restaurant Group, is adding another concept to his portfolio, a neighborhood wine and cocktail bar called Sala — Italian for lounge — where guests will be transported back into another time when intimate spaces were created for connection and celebration.
Sala will open late this spring or in early summer next door to sister restaurant Stagioni when it joins the Moffett Restaurant Group collection — which also includes Barrington’s and Good Food on Montford. It will occupy the former Toccare Day Spa space, which, along with Stagioni, is located inside the historical villa of the late Charlotte socialite Blanche Reynolds-Gourmajenko.
The new addition will consist of a 13-seat bar and 20-seat lounge, as well as a small private dining and event space. Sala will feature a curated wine list that will showcase varietals from Northern Italy and Southern France, but also selections from Spain, Portugal and Greece.
“I like to take people out of their comfort zones and introduce them to things that they haven’t tried,” Moffett told CharlotteFive about the wine selection.
Cocktails will remain simple and approachable with several classics, such as a light and refreshing spritz or a perfectly bittersweet negroni, along with another six to seven seasonal creations. Guests can also expect to sip on opulent liquors, particularly tequila, including Casa Azul, Don Fulano and Arette, as well as whiskey, including Buffalo Trace.
“I’d like the cocktail program and liquor selection to forge its own identity over time,” Moffett said.
Drinks will be accompanied by a small snack program featuring marinated olives, stuffed piquillo peppers, cured meats and cheeses, as well as dips and spreads such as cauliflower purée and hummus.
Fresh focaccia will also be available, along with strip pizza, a rectangular cut of focaccia topped with tomato sauce, dusted with grated Parmesan cheese and served at room temperature. These little bakery bites will pay homage to Moffett’s Rhode Island roots and showcase his love for Italian cuisine.
The space will be adorned with marble sconces, warm wood accents and blue hues that exude elevation and comfort.
A throwback to Charlotte’s Prohibition-era parties
With Reynolds-Gourmajenko being known for throwing eccentric and lavish parties at her estate during prohibition times, Moffett expects the history of the house will help dictate the ongoing design process.
According to Moffett, Reynolds-Gourmajenko had a faux-bookcase: Behind it was a hidden enclave where she stored her liquor. Moffett intends for Sala to be reminiscent of these earlier days.
Charlotte’s first in-ground swimming pool was located at the house, The Observer reported in 1992.
In the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, the house was home to several local restaurants, including The Saucy Crepe, Khaki’s, Jenko’s, Nickelby’s, Blanche’s and Uncle Milt’s Grill, The Charlotte Observer reported in 1993. Catering company Something Classic began serving food at the Villa in 2001.
During the Something Classic era, The Observer reported, live music on the patio was a frequent occurrence — and belly dancers would just show up to perform, even though they hadn’t been officially booked. “Now, Blanche was a woman who’d appreciate belly dancing — and probably the Villa Hummus Plate, too,” Helen Schwab wrote in August 2001.
In 2010, Something Classic announced it was closing its Villa location and moving to East Boulevard, Charlotte Magazine reported at the time.
Moffet opened Stagioni in 2014 in the historic villa. Charlotte restaurateur Martin Sprock opened Ruru’s Taco & Tequila in 2015 on the back side of the Reynolds-Gourmajenko House. Meraki Salon has a space there, as well.
Blanche still occupies the home — her ghost does, anyway — according to SouthPark Magazine.
‘I want to build on what we have at Stagioni’
Moffett hopes that Sala will also enrich the relationship with the neighborhood and the community that Stagioni has established.
“I want to build on what we have at Stagioni, where my staff know everyone who walk in. They know their name, they know about their family, they know what they like to eat and they know what they like to drink,” Moffett said. “I want to keep that rolling.”
Moffett has spent almost three decades embracing life in the South and helping to define Charlotte’s burgeoning epicurean landscape.
Moffett moved to Charlotte in 2000 and opened Barrington’s, a fine-dining establishment named after his hometown. Nine years later, he opened his second restaurant, Good Food on Montford, which specializes in global and ever-evolving small plates with one goal, “taste without borders.”
In 2013, he launched Moffett Restaurant Group ahead of the opening of Stagioni, featuring traditional Italian dishes steeped in legacies of flavor. Many of his beloved recipes can be found in his cookbook, “Bruce Moffett Cooks: A New England Chef in a New Southern Kitchen”, which was published in 2019.
The James Beard Award semifinalist anticipates Sala to be an inviting neighborhood attraction, whether it be a place to enjoy drinks with friends after work or to wander for a digestif at the end of the night. The setting will welcome conversations that start early and end belatedly.
“It’s cliché, but you connect over the food and drink, and have conversations and get to know more about people than you would in most other settings,” Moffett said.
This convivial experience will not be confined to the evening hours of wine and cocktails. Moffett plans to eventually serve coffee and pastries so guests can enjoy a beverage and light breakfast in the lounge, or outside in the portico as they watch the sun rise.
An official opening date has yet to be announced, but Sala is hoping to welcome guests beginning in June.
Sala
Location: 715 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207
Cuisine: Italian cocktail lounge, bar bites
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 4 p.m.-11 p.m.
Melissa Oyler contributed.
This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
