A 1920s-style cocktail bar is coming to Ballantyne
Get ready to travel back in time at Fiore, a 1920s-style cocktail bar opening in July and serving tapas, entrees, craft cocktails and a collection of diverse foods.
Owners Dean White and Sharon Conklin partnered together to create Fiore, which they call a “full-on adult lounge.” They’re seeking an older, more sophisticated clientele who are no longer interested in the nightclub scene but still want to go out and have fun.
“A lot of the market down here is underserved because they don’t have access to that stuff, or they don’t want to drive into downtown on a Friday night,” he said.
“It has a very warm feel when you walk into it,” White said. “And it’s a place you just want to hang out.” According to Conklin, a past patron said the bar was beautiful and she relaxed from the minute she walked in.
A 1920s feel
The bar is designed like a 1920s dinner lounge with chandelier paintings and a fully restored bar they got from Chicago. “We’re really trying to channel that elegance that you got back in the ‘20s and ‘30s, when going to a dinner lounge or drink lounge was an event,” White said.
The idea behind the bar was to have people come with friends and family to enjoy time together and share food to bring back the sense of community lost through the COVID pandemic. There are no LEDs screens or TVs in the bar.
“We’re not trying to make it a place where you can watch the football game,” White said. “This is a place that you can come and enjoy with others.”
The menu
The bar will serve mostly tapas-style food, with 15 small plates that are meant to be shared among everyone at the table.
“It’s designed so you can take a tour of culinary styles and different types of food,” White said. Entree style food is offered as well, with about six to choose from.
The bar has electronic menus so people can see what the food looks like. Here is a sneak peek of the menu:
Salads
Presidential Caesar — Romaine lettuce topped in a crouton ring with shaved Parmesan cheese and housemade Caesar dressing.
Baby Iceberg Wedge — Iceberg lettuce topped with crispy prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, croutons, green onions and Sharon’s bleu cheese dressing.
Roasted Beets — beets served with shaved fennel, arugula, bleu cheese, toasted walnuts, blood orange and aged balsamic vinaigrette.
Shareable Plates
Salmon Carpaccio — paper-thin sliced salmon drizzled with anchovy, caper, herbs, lemon aioli and served with crostini.
Korean Crispy Pork Belly — crispy pork belly, sweet Thai chili and Gochujang sauce served with pickled radish and pickled onion.
Classic Peruvian Ceviche — ceviche cooked in lemon served with aji peppers, onions, cilantro and “Leche de Tigre.”
Entrees
Filet Mignon — 8 oz. aged, grilled Black Angus filet served with asparagus and drizzled with an aji Amarillo sauce.
Drunken Salmon — Salmon top crusted with a secret house spice blend on an aged rum, vanilla bean and black garlic molasses sauce.
Pollo Limon — chicken breast fried with a tortilla, served over a lemon cream sauce and heritage rice.
Drinks
Old Fashioned — White said it’s expected to be the most popular drink on the menu. The drink is smoked in a glass teapot, then poured tableside. Japanese brown sugar and Earl Grey tea are used to get all of the flavors.
Mojito — Plantation 3 star, lime juice, simple syrup, club soda, mint leaves, Moroccan Mint Meritage tea and garnished with lime and mint flowers.
Fiore
Location: 14825 Ballantyne Village Way Suite 135, Charlotte, NC 28277
Neighborhood: Ballantyne
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 7:05 AM.
