Charlotte’s top dining destinations: The Palm

The Chef: Chef Colin Johnson

Executive Chef Colin Johnson has been in the restaurant industry for 23 years. Chef Johnson joined The Palm in 2002 before being promoted to executive chef of the Charlotte Palm in 2007. Johnson believes food is a joy of life that makes people happy and takes pride in creating every single Palm dish. Johnson draws influence and inspiration for food from Italian food and Chef Mario Batali. The love, passion, and enthusiasm Johnson has for food is contagious and, on many nights, can be seen out in the dining room mingling with guests and making them feel comfortable and welcome.

The Look: Artsy Atmosphere

Palm Restaurant is known for being a good time from the minute guests walk in. The walls are adorned with cartoons and caricatures that have become a signature decoration of Palm. When The Palm Restaurant was first opened in 1926 by Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi, they had no money to decorate. However, their location near King Features Syndicate in Manhattan attracted many artists who exchanged drawings for their meals. Today, this art fills the walls in Palm locations across the country and help give the Palm an exciting vibe that customers continuously want to be a part of. The Palm aims to treat each guest as though they are family, serve great food, and exceed expectations. Due to the exceptional standard of hospitability established by its founders, The Palm Restaurant is able to continue serving as a fun and relaxing second home to countless patrons.

The Dish: Prime New York Strip

Palm boasts a USDA 18 ounce Prime New York Strip Steak as their signature dish. When the original Palm restaurant opened, it began as an Italian restaurant; steaks weren’t offered on the menu. The lack of steak didn’t stop guests from ordering it, however, and when they did, the chef would run next door to the butcher shop and cook the steak, made to order. Eventually, steak became a regular menu item, and the restaurant evolved into a steak house with Italian flair. The steak served at The Palm has abundant marbling that makes the beef tender, juicy, and flavorful. All beef served at Palm is corn fed, hand-selected, and aged a minimum of 35 days.

The Palm: 6705-B Phillips Place Court, Charlotte.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 11:32 PM.