A Charlotte country club has rebranded with a new name and a new fine dining restaurant
Firethorne Country Club has unveiled a new name this week — Country Club of the Carolinas at Firethorne — and along with that has come extensive work on the property and a new fine dining space, Palmetto & Pine.
But the changes don’t end there: There have also been plenty of enhancements to the club’s golf and racket sports facilities amid a “multimillion-dollar, multi-stage elevation of its membership experience.”
“We’re excited about the future here,” general manager Brian Reppart told CharlotteFive. “With the reinvention of all the different amenities here, I think it’s time — and this has gone on for a few years — I think it’s it’s time to welcome our members home.”
Fine dining with a view
Among the biggest upgrades is a new focus on fine dining with the Palmetto & Pine restaurant, named for the state trees of South Carolina and North Carolina. You have to be a member — or a guest of a member — to dine in the space overlooking the golf course. But the menu led by executive chef Mateo Huerta makes seeking out that invitation worth putting on your to-do list.
Elevated starters include the cake-like Fresh Skillet Cornbread, concocted by Huerta’s pastry chef wife, Rebecca. Seasonal butter and honey top the shareable dish, which calls you repeatedly to take bite after bite of the soft, sweet and distinctly light crumb.
Other selections are elevated deviled eggs, topped with blood orange trout caviar, and Low Country Arancini, with Gulf Coast shrimp, roasted corn, crispy bacon, sharp white cheddar cheese and creamy middlin.
With a knack for melding flavors together, Huerta focuses on seasonal produce and local ingredients from throughout the Carolinas. Palmetto & Pine’s elegantly plated main course options include dishes you’d likely find at some of the best restaurants Charlotte, including Colossal Prawns, Herb Rack of Lamb, Creekstone Filet and Slow Braised Short Rib.
If you can manage to save room, the tempting dessert menu offers a Cherry Almond Tart, Crème Brûlée and a Hazelnut Fudge Tort and more, along with 21+ options such as the Tennessee Cream Float, made with Old Smokey Butter Pecan and White Lightning moonshine, and the Espresso Affogato with New Amsterdam vodka.
Live music lovers will want to consider dining on Saturdays, when acoustic music is often on tap, along with free Bramble-Berry Buckle desserts for those who purchase two entrees.
What else is new?
Other dining updates include an expanded patio that’s shaded and heated at the club’s casual dining restaurant, Griffin’s, so dining al fresco with a view of the course is an option. Members and guests can enjoy live music there on Friday nights.
At the club’s family-friendly space, you can get shareables including Firecracker Shrimp and Buffalo Chicken Nachos, a Spicy Porker Pizza or Steak Frites. Other options include salads, sandwiches and bowls.
Elsewhere on the property, changes include:
- Work with 21-time PGA Tour winner Lanny Wadkins to elevate playability and provide an accessible challenge for members and their guests
- Golf course renovations that involved leveling and re-sodding tee boxes
Shortening the ninth hole to allow for an adjacent short-game practice area where members can work on both short and medium-length bunker shots, as well as pitch shots from up to 75 yards
New carpet and layouts in private event spaces
New LED lights at all eight tennis courts
Palmetto & Pine
Location: Country Club of the Carolinas at Firethorne, 1108 Firethorne Club Dr, Marvin, NC 28173
Cuisine: Southern, American
Instagram: @country_club_of_the_carolinas
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This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
