This creative restaurant serves bacon-wrapped meatloaf with Funyun dust, PB&J Wontons and more.
Black history is for every month — not just February. And just outside of Charlotte sits Kounter, where you can have a memorable dining experience year-round while visiting an important site in civil-rights history.
If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s worth the drive to Rock Hill for this restaurant, which pays homage to its background as the site of the 1961 Friendship 9 lunch counter sit-in protest. Chef Rob Masone opened Kounter in Rock Hill in late 2020, just as restaurants that had closed for in-person dining during the COVID-19 pandemic slowly began to reopen to a “new normal”.
The Rock Hill native’s culinary concept includes a mix of small plates and larger entrees. Think: American food with a creative bent — and a few surprises, like Smoking Tuna Poke served under a cloche that fills the air with orange wood smoke when lifted.
Presentation isn’t ordinary here, so get ready to Instagram it all. Beef and chicken sliders are served on cake stands. Salads come in Mason jar shakers. Even the meatloaf is dressed up, sprinkled with Funyun dust like a coating of spring pollen.
“You can’t go anywhere within many miles and get the same thing you’re getting here,” Masone told The Herald.
Civil-rights history
The backstory: Kounter is located in the former McCrory’s Five and Dime space, the site of the Friendship 9 lunch counter sit-in on Jan. 31, 1961, that gained national attention for its “Jail, No Bail” strategy after about a year of similar protests in downtown Rock Hill. The tactic lessened the financial burden on civil-rights groups as similar protests spread throughout the South. Now, the site is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places and as part of the African American Civil Rights Network.
Before you eat: While you wait for your table, you can grab a drink and browse the recently opened “Jail, No Bail” exhibit in the vestibule outside the restaurant. Inside, you can check out the lunch counter — original, but restored — along with the stools and footrails.
Who are the Friendship 9?: Members of the Friendship 9 — all but one who were students at Friendship Junior College — included John Gaines, Thomas Gaither, Clarence Henry Graham, W. T. “Dub” Massey, Willie McCleod, Robert McCullough, James Wells,, David Williamson, Jr. and Mack Workman. They were sentenced to nearly 30 days’ hard labor in the York County Prison Farm, but were released a few days early to avoid media attention.
The food and drink
Brunch: Sunday brunch is available weekly from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Expect upgraded classics like Asparagus Quiche Oscar, with roasted tomato, red onion, white cheddar and hash served with a roasted tomato hollandaise sauce ($14) and the Monkey Business, a caramelized banana-stuffed challah with Nutella mousse, Chantilly cream and fresh berries ($14).
Cocktails and mocktails: You’ll find a variety of craft cocktails on the drink menu, such as the Twisted White Russian ($9), with Sqrrl peanut butter whiskey, Kahlua and oat milk. There’s also a featured community cocktail, which rotates monthly and raises funds for a local charity. Mocktail choices include a Pear + Lime Spritz, with pear nectar, lime, Angostura bitters and soda ($7).
[Related: Mocktails, anyone? Here are 11 flavorful, alcohol-free beverages to try around Charlotte]
Shareables: Popular choices include the aforementioned Smoking Tuna Poke ($16), the Chicken + Waffle Sushi with pink peppercorn butter and maple horseradish syrup ($13) and the Black Wings, with citrus and ginger ponzu, served over grilled pineapple ($13).
Entrees: Notable entrees include the Seared Scallops, which rest on white cheddar grit cakes with candied bacon jam, pimento cheese and a roasted tomato basil vinaigrette ($29), the memorable Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf served with cilantro crema ($15) and the Shrimp + Grits — also available on the brunch menu — with bourbon butter grilled shrimp, fried collards, white cheddar grits, tasso ham gravy and crispy shallots ($21).
Dessert: Don’t skimp here. There are options for something you just can’t get anywhere else, like PB+J Wontons ($6), a classic slice of Mom’s Chocolate Pie ($5), or an upscale reimagining of a Southern favorite in the Whipped Key Lime ($7).
Kounter
Location: 135 E Main Street, Suite 101, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Neighborhood: Downtown Rock Hill
Cuisine: American
Instagram: @kounterdining
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
