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I had the opportunity to eat at Evoke at the Le Méridien hotel through a Charlotte Food Bloggers event. Evoke was ranked 7th on the 50 Best Restaurants in Charlotte list this year.  Definitely a treat to finally get to eat there!

Evoke is a “new-age steakhouse” whose focus is on steaks, house-made pastas and fresh crudos using seasonal ingredients.

We were given the menu ahead of time (which I loved so I could know what to expect), and the dishes were true to the menu. We tasted five small dishes that gave an idea of the variety on the menu, but also provided enough food for a meal.

Chef Reinken came out to discuss each dish before we ate it. I liked having the expert explain the flavors and learning more about each dish and pairing.

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First out was a small spring greens salad, with radish, snap peas, prosciutto and a meyer lemon vinaigrette. I really liked the lemon vinaigrette – it was nice and light and helped transform the salad dish from something ordinary to something a little more complex.

Next up was the carne crudo (similar to a tartar) dish with lemon, pickled mushrooms, and mustard seed. I absolutely love mustard seed, I’m in a total mustard phase right now. I’ve had tartar a handful of times, and each time I have it, I like it more and more. This dish was a winner in my mind.

We then tried escolar, which is a raw fish, with snap peas, onions, lemons and coriander oil. Evoke has snap peas in many of their dishes right now – loving this seasonal touch!

The next course was a pasta dish with lobster, spring peas, garlic and truffle butter. The truffle butter was a great addition with the lobster. I loved the taste of this dish and it wasn’t too heavy.

Last up was the seafood brodetto, a bowl with scallops, mussels, shrimp, roasted tomatoes and black garlic brodo. Brodo is like an italian broth or soup stock (I did not know this). It was so good to soak up with the toasted bread. Being a Rhode Island girl, I LOVE seafood and loved not having to choose just one dish – this had a bunch of choices in one! The scallop was my favorite.

Overall, everything was very visually appealing, the flavors were great, and the overall atmosphere was enjoyable. I’d recommend coming here for a special occasion, since the menu is a little pricier. Bon Appetit!