New restaurant and lounge opens soon in uptown Charlotte
The restaurant’s executive chef and co-owner is Jamarr Shular, a Le Cordon Bleu-educated former sous chef at Apple Inc. in Cupertino, Calif., who moved to Charlotte a little over a year ago.
Shular describes Nest as a comfortable hangout specializing in “new American” cuisine, such as shrimp and grits and herb roasted chicken.
“I would describe Nest as a hotel lounge. We’re on the bottom of the condo building, so there’s no loud music,” Shular said. “It’s a place where you can come to get a good meal and a good drink.”
Nest will serve glasses of wine that are $2-$3 cheaper than they are on average at other area restaurants, Shular said. “We’ve done our research,” he added.
Nest has three bars – one in the main lounge, another in its dining room and a third in an upstairs private area, meant for meetings and parties. The restaurant will have seating for about 80 people, Shular said. He’s aiming for a soft opening of Nest on the weekend of Dec. 8.
Shular – who helped open Factory Café and NoCa Uptown, which has since closed – acknowledges that his spot in the bottom of the Courtside Condominiums has been home to a few different restaurant concepts over the years. He said his goal is to cater better to the neighborhood.
And like other entrepreneurs, Shular said he sees Charlotte as a place full of business opportunity.
“It’s up and coming, it’s growing. Everywhere you look, there’s something being built. I don’t think Charlotte’s reached its full potential yet,” Shular said.
This story first ran at CharlotteObserver.com.
Photos: Jamarr Shular
This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "New restaurant and lounge opens soon in uptown Charlotte."