Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
Issue link: https://ballantynemagazine.epubxp.com/i/605964
ambiances and accouterments that take barbecue from picnic fare to prime time. On a Tuesday night at Smoke Modern Barbeque in StoneCrest, couples cozy up at high-top tables and sip barrel-aged Negroni cocktails. The lighting is low, the music a steady parade of Buck Owens and Huey Smith. This sleek dining room, where hanging globe lights hover above a glossy, 25-foot- long bar bookended by two walls of wine, is the brainchild of Charlotte restaurateur Dennis Thompson and his longtime chef friend and business partner, Jamie Theriot. That wine? It was handpicked by sommelier and general manager Jef Wakem to pair well with your slow-roasted main course, which by the way does not have to be pork or beef (salmon also gets the smoked treatment). At the back of the restaurant, a gleaming kitchen radiates a white glow. Alongside it, a high- tech stainless steel smoker slowly cooks brisket, bone-in pork butts, chicken, sausage, Top, Right: While the decor of Smoke Modern Barbeque is crisp, the Smoke Signal signature cocktail exudes smoke. The drink also contains Jack Daniels, pecan syrup and lemon juice. Left: Among the StoneCrest restaurant's well-known dishes is barbecue chicken salad. "I wanted to create a neighborhood place where you could be a regular, where the food was fun and where I could cook the food I grew up with, the food I love." — Jamie Theriot, Smoke Modern Barbeque 38 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE WINTER 2015-2016 BALLANTYNE | feature