A night to remember: A look at our exclusive dinner at Restaurant Constance
Wine, wagyu and food-focused conversation filled the evening at an exclusive dinner hosted Monday night by The Charlotte Observer and CharlotteFive at Restaurant Constance.
Rana Cash, the Observer’s executive editor, welcomed the intimate gathering of subscribers and introduced chef Sam Diminich, a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast to kick things off.
As the assistant editor for CharlotteFive, I led a brief get-to-know you chat with the chef, who told the crowd all about his upbringing in the restaurant business in Myrtle Beach, the inspiration for Restaurant Constance — named after his daughter — and the attention his James Beard Award nomination has brought.
“We’re the lucky ones because we get to make an impact on people through food,” Diminich told the crowd.
“We do this to take care of people and nourish people,” Diminich added. “Really just trying to stay in service.”
That sentiment makes for a perfect match with Charlotte’s hometown newspaper, dedicated to serving readers with stories that help keep them informed about what’s going on in the city with news, business updates, food and entertainment — and a whole lot more.
“We work so hard to try to tell the stories that matter to you and the stories that make a difference in your lives and help you better understand Charlotte,” Cash told the group.
What we ate
The five-course fine-dining dinner at Restaurant Constance featured a choice of wine or CharlotteFive-themed non-alcoholic pairings to match. The guests indulged in dishes specially curated for the evening:
- Sea scallop nori wraps with cucumber, kimchi and seasoned rice
A sea scallop nori wrap at Restaurant Constance. Tonya Russ Price CharlotteFive - Balsamic bacon and plum tart tatin with pesto and creme fraiche
A balsamic bacon and plum tart tatin at Restaurant Constance. Tonya Russ Price CharlotteFive
- Char-grilled beet and tomato salad with kombu labneh, citrus and Ikura
Restaurant Constance’s char-grilled beet and tomato salad. Tonya Russ Price CharlotteFive
- Grilled wagyu beef with pimento cheese croquette and bordelaise
Grilled Wagyu beef, topped with a pimento cheese croquette, at Restaurant Constance. Tonya Russ Price CharlotteFive
- Salted chocolate miso caramel shortbread tart with mirin sweet cream and chocolate sauce.
Restaurant Constance’s salted chocolate miso caramel tart. Tonya Russ Price CharlotteFive
Join in on the fun
We spent the night deep in conversation about food: Favorite restaurants, Brunswick stew and barbecue sauce preferences, where to get the best desserts in town and so much more. I put a few new spots on my mental list of places to get to and shared a few places that I frequent, too.
At the end of the day, making connections are what really matter in events like these — and we plan to keep it up. Whether you’re a longtime Charlotte resident, a newcomer or somewhere in between, the Observer and CharlotteFive can help you find new restaurants to explore, plenty of arts and entertainment options and highlights about what else is going on around town.
You can also take that to the next level with a few free newsletters keeping you in the loop:
If you’d like to attend events like this in the future, give us a shout at charlottefive@charlottefive.com and let us know what’s on your mind.
Restaurant Constance
Location: 2200 Thrift Road, Charlotte, NC 28208
Cuisine: Modern American
Instagram: @restaurant_constance
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 12:24 PM.
