CLOSED: Bardo
Sea Trout with compressed watermelon, pickled rind, summer corn soubise, lime, pickled Fresno peppers, puffed sorghum, and trout roe
If you’re craving a great meal that’s packed with variety — Bardo is an excellent choice on the South End of Charlotte. This super small restaurant holds a bar and probably 12-ish tables. They frequently change the menu and are continually rated as one of Charlotte's best and most inventive restaurants.
Worth the wait
Ever since I moved to Charlotte, I’ve wanted to go to Bardo. Somehow my plans kept getting disrupted — a tornado came through the area, a friend canceled our plans, COVID-19 closed the place down for a while…. FINALLY, I made it. I’m so happy I finally went, as this place did not disappoint. They serve food small plates style, like tapas. You can order several items and share or try a few just for yourself. My friend and I decided to share….so we ordered the whole menu — except the salad.
Excellent food, fantastic service
I’m always looking for the home run — and this was it. It was such a great meal of excellent food, and the service was fantastic! There were some dishes that I liked more than others, but there wasn’t a single one that I disliked. They serve the dishes from lightest to heaviest, coursing out each dish so as not to overwhelm or clutter your table, but rather let you enjoy each course. It takes about two hours to get through the full menu.
Small plates, big flavor
Here’s a list of the dishes from my favorite to least favorite (again, they were all good – I’d happily eat any of them again).
Savory
Short Rib: 24-hour sous vide short rib, kimchi Carolina gold rice porridge, charred & fermented cucumber.
Going in, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this dish. I love short rib, but kimchi doesn’t always do it for me….oh how wrong I was with this one! It ended up being my favorite dish of the night – not only because it was excellent, but also because it surprised me. The short rib was incredibly tender after cooking for 24 hours in sous vide – it was a perfect medium-rare. The outside had a nice and quick sear for color. The rice porridge reminded me of risotto – creamy and sticky (in a good way). The kimchi gave it a full flavor and bit of heat, which perfectly complemented the beef and cucumber.
Sea Trout: compressed watermelon, pickled rind, summer corn soubise, lime, pickled Fresno peppers, puffed sorghum, trout roe.
I knew I was going to like this dish. It’s basically all of my favorite things. The chef impresses with this one. He takes a beautiful piece of trout and gives it an INCREDIBLE sear – he crisps the top without overcooking and destroying the beautifully delicate piece of fish below. It was garnished with compressed watermelon (one of my all-time favorite summer foods), pickled peppers for a slight kick, and a summer corn soubise (essentially a bechamel sauce made from butter, flour, and milk, which the chef then added summer corn to). It was delightful.
Shishito Peppers: charred & tempura fried shishito peppers, XO sauce, and sesame.
Another AMAZING dish. So simple, yet complex in flavor. You get the unmistakable flavor of the pepper, yet somehow, it’s not as spicy as usual. There is a little heat; however, you pick up more of the charred flavor in this dish. The XO sauce gives it a chipotle smokiness, but also a bit of sweetness. The sesame adds a slight toasted flavor, which is then accentuated by the tempura. The peppers have a perfectly crispy exterior, while still maintaining a tender structure below. They were so good and easy to eat, we debated getting an order to bring home for a late-night snack.
Crudo: local flounder, avocado, Fresno peppers, lime, toasted coconut, and grapefruit.
Usually, I am not a fan of flounder, as I find it has a very pungent flavor, but I wanted to try the whole menu, so we did. I can no longer say I don’t like flounder after eating this dish – it was delicate, with yet another perfect pairing of flavors melding together. The flounder was still pungent – but less so. With that said, if this had been made with fluke, seabass, amberjack, or really any other fish, I have no question that it would have been my favorite dish.
Grouper Cheek: smoked spec, zucchini salad, burre monte, and citrus.
Fried grouper cheek, zucchini noodles, spec, butter, and citrus — what isn’t to love? I’d never had grouper cheek before, but I’ve heard great things about it. The fish is much meatier than I expected – in my head, it was going to be light and flakey, like haddock. It instead reminded me more of Mahi, but with a flavor closer to sea scallops. Overall, the flavor of this dish was spot on yet again. It was bright, sweet, and delicate. The sauce was creamy, without being overpowering. You could still taste every element in this dish.
Egg & Grain: jobs tears, farro, quinoa, bulgar, puffed amaranth, escabeche, confit yolk, herb oil, and crispy kale.
The chef’s signature dish is tasty, but I found the proportions off. It was the richest of any fare served, making you want to have just a bite — more than that, it’s a bit much. It’s creamy with a slight acidity in the finish. Split between four people, it would be the perfect amount of food. Split between two, I wish there was half the amount of grain and triple the kale. Just sayin’.
Beef Tartare: local beef, chorizo aioli, cured yolk, pickled shallot, and crispy shallot.
The flavor is rich and creamy, and those crispy shallots offer the perfect texture contrast. When this arrives at the table, make sure to mix it up before eating, so you experience all the flavors and textures at once. My only gripe with this dish is that the beef lacks a uniform texture. It's cubed rather than ground – which is great because I prefer it this way. Still, some pieces were incredibly tender, while a few others were too tough for my taste.
Sweet
Summer Corn: Korean chili chocolate cremeux, summer corn, and churro.
This was my favorite dessert. I love corn. I love chocolate. And I love churros. Essentially this dish is a corn churro made with a touch of chocolate and chili and served with ice cream. The hot and cold, savory, and sweet contrast is perfection. The pairing of flavors is interesting… it’s very delicate. I do wish there was more chocolate and that they punched up the chili flavor a little more.
Brown Butter Cake: charred pineapple, white chocolate ice cream, chili, and basil meringue.
The cake is good; it wasn’t my favorite, but my friend loved this dessert. It was light, sweet, bright, and citrusy. With that said, I did not pick up on the chili at all. I also think the ratio of ice cream to cake was off here – there were two nice scoops of ice cream, while only a couple morsels of cake…don’t get me wrong, it was good; however, don’t call it cake if it’s 65% ice cream.
Cocktails
Wandering Wahine: emulsion gin, basil, passionfruit, pineapple, honey, and egg white.
This was my drink for the night — it was SO GOOD! If I could, I’d make it at home. It was crisp and refreshing and then faded into a light sweetness. About 15 seconds after taking a sip, that sweetness turns into almost a fruit rollup flavor (and I LOVED fruit rollups as a kid). It’s the best drink on the menu, no question.
No Fig Deal: old forester signature bourbon, balsamic glazed fig, honey, and bitters.
My friend ordered this drink, and it was a good, smooth bourbon drink. Strangely, there’s no strong fig or honey flavor to it – it was much closer to an everyday old fashioned.
Paradise Paloma: illegal mezcal, kombu, watermelon, and lime.
I have to admit it – this drink was terrible. In terms of ingredients, I love everything in this drink; however, the mezcal that was used was WAY too overpowering. Not from an alcohol standpoint, but rather the smokiness. I couldn’t taste any other flavor aside from smoke. It was almost as if I put the ask from a BBQ in my mouth. If a subtle mezcal was used and maybe a bit of simple syrup to punch up the flavor of the watermelon, it could have been a beautiful drink – instead, I felt like I smoked a cigarette. When I mentioned this, the restaurant was incredibly nice and quickly switched it out to a new beverage.
Overall, I would definitely go back. It’s one of the few restaurants in Charlotte that can actually cater to foodies and deliver on that promise. My only question is: How soon is too soon to go back and try their brunch?
Update:
Bardo is now a tasting menu restaurant, serving 3, 5, 7, or a Chef’s 12-course menu.
