10 things you must know about Tavolo before it opens this week
By Katie Toussaint
Craving the rich, comfort-foody aroma of tomato sauce? Looking for some Italian wines to swirl in a wide-rimmed glass? Pay attention. Tavolo is opening uptown on Friday, for soft openings through the weekend. It should be open to the public as early as next week.
What you need to know about Tavolo before you go:
(1) It’s pronounced “Tah-vuh-low.”
“Tavolo” means “table” in Italian. This is the first Tavolo Italian eatery of its kind to come to Charlotte. Bonus point: Attire is casual.
(2) It’s an Italian-restaurant-meets-wine bar.
As is obviously conveyed by the corkscrew and fork logo (see featured photo). There are more than 50 wines on the list at the moment. Assistant general manager Kevin Burns said 75 percent are Italian wines and the other 25 percent comes from California.
(3) What’s on the menu.
Lunch and dinner. The lunch menu will be quicker, said Burns, with paninis, salads, wood-fired pizzas and some pastas. Evenings will bring the regular, full-dining menu.
“It’s a family style Italian place,” Burns said. “It’s your classic Italian dishes. When you go to some other places, there’s no real kind of regular Italian place in uptown where you get your chicken parms, your spaghetti and meatballs, wood-fired pizzas… It’s a niche that uptown doesn’t have right now.”
The official menu will be uploaded to www.tavolocharlotte.com soon. The prices of menu items will range from about $13-$30, with items like pizzas starting around $13 and items like seafood dishes in the $20-$30 range.
(4) The chef’s name.
Deacon Ovall. Ovall went to culinary school in Pittsburgh and worked in the New Orleans restaurant scene before meeting Burns and Tavolo general manager Anthony Cardone in the Charlotte restaurant industry over the past few years.
“We’re trying to stick with traditional-style Italian,” said Ovall, who defined his approach as simple. “…I don’t want to over-complicate a marinara sauce.”
(5) Where it is.
You can find Tavolo at 300 N. College St., the former location of Cosmos Café, Charlotte’s first tapas restaurant that came to be known for its salsa dancing and cocktails. As for what will stand out at Tavolo?
“The things that really stand out are — everything,” Cardone said. “Everything’s all made in house, home-made… every ingredient is fresh.”
Tavolo will be sourcing from some local farms. And the only item not being made in-house is the gelato, which will come from Golden Cow Creamery — expect vanilla bean and chocolate espresso flavors.
(6) What the hours are.
Ultimately, the staff plans to keep hours Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight.
“But clearly, if there are people here, and people enjoying themselves, we’re not going to shut down,” Burns said.
(8) This will not turn into a clubby scene after dinner hours.
I often think of uptown places (like Dandelion Market) as dinner establishments that turn into thumping club scenes the second the small plates are cleared. Burns and Cardone are adamantly against that happening here. The vibe will remain family style and the music will remain a twist of jazz and Italian classics.
“There’s no sub-woofers,” Cardone said.
(9) There are two floors.
The upstairs will be treated as more of a wine and cocktail lounge. It can also be reserved for private events, as can the private dining room downstairs. The upstairs area will feature a different menu, heavy on the wood-fired pizzas and small plates, like a charcuterie board and bruschetta.
In 2017, the chef’s table by the kitchen on the first floor will be available for reservations with special multi-course meals paired with wine and presentations by Ovall.
First floor
Private dining room on the first floor
Upstairs lounge
(10) Yes, bread and olive oil will be planted on the tables once you sit.
For those of you who hate paying for chips and salsa at “fancy” Mexican restaurants, you will not find the Italian equivalent here.
