Chef Kent Graham is no longer with Block & Grinder, he said; after leaving the relatively new South Charlotte restaurant for personal reasons, he's taking a little time off, going on a back-roads culinary trip to Charleston, then figuring out what's next. "I'd love to find another restaurant to go into and still be part of the restaurant scene in this town ... It's fun, the direction: It's so vibrant." He said he's also looking at corporate work.
B&G owner Jed Kampe says the restaurant "won't be changing anything with regards to our philosophy and direction." The upcoming summer dinner menu will feature game -- elk, bison and venison over the course of the season -- and the already-up lunch menu includes lighter salads, new burgers and a crawfish roll and Cuban sandwich, among other additions. 2935 Providence Road; 704-364-2100.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Updated: Chef, Block & Grinder split
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3 comments:
That was quick - and an ominous sign. I suspect the owner wants to cut corners for money reasons and Graham's standards were too high
I suspect the owner's standards are too high for Graham... Our food was completely wrong, and LATE! two of the three times we've dined there, and Graham was off hamming it up with other tables. Will be happy to give Block & Grinder another chance now.
It is a big blow to them and I was so sad to hear of all the changes at Block & Grinder but I am not surprised. The owners of the restaurant seem like fish out of water. In all the times that I have dined there, I have never seen anyone other than the chef work the floor and ask how things were. My final time in there, I heard that 3 kitchen staff had left after Chef Kent did (with more to come) and my favorite bartender also quit. If these exoduses as well as lunch specials like a strip and eggs(creative ideas from Waffle House now?) are a sign of the "non changes to philosophy or direction", I predict that Block & Grinder will be a memory in six months, much like New York Butcher Shop was.
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