Rada Is Pushing Culinary Boundaries In Myers Park
Are we ready for it?
Rada didn’t make a lot of noise when it opened in the former Little Spoon space in Myers Park in early January. No grand opening with a big balloon arch, no media previews for influencers and food bloggers. Many nearby residents heard about it on the neighborhood Facebook page only after it opened for dinner service on Jan. 3.
But its location at Selwyn Avenue and Colony Road has great visibility, and the restaurant has just 50 seats, so a quiet opening makes sense. It’s giving exclusivity.
Rada serves up plenty of depth and complexity, but does the experience justify the price? Depends on what’s important when you dine out. You aren’t coming here for live music, eye-popping decor, or over-the-top presentations. The innovative menu is the main attraction.
Owner Eloy Roy previously ran Oggi Ristorante Italiano in Ballantyne.
Rada pulls from Spanish, Italian, and French influences—and from Basque culture, the product of a unique ethnic group whose members live on either side of the French-Spanish border in the western Pyrenees. The Basque are known for distinctive dishes like gilda skewers and pil pil. (More on that to come.)
Owner Eloy Roy, who previously ran Oggi in south Charlotte, hired an accomplished young chef named Callan Buckles to lead the kitchen. Buckles is a New York transplant who’s worked at celebrated restaurants that include Claud, Momofuku, and The Four Horsemen. This menu is a patchwork of flavors and techniques he’s picked up along the way. You’ll find fresh fish, a few Asian ingredients, some local influence, a bit of pasta, several cuts of steak, and a curated list of natural wines. Rada is in the same league as Counter- and L’Ostrica—upscale, pricey, and not what Charlotte’s used to.
The entire menu—cocktails, wines, small and large plates, and desserts—fits on a tidy, half-page card, the kind usually reserved for drink lists or specials. The interior is simple and uncluttered with soft-green walls, white tablecloths, and delicate votive candles. There’s no background music or flatscreen above the bar—nothing to distract you from the meal itself. (Buckles plans to change the menu with the seasons; the following dishes from the winter menu provide examples of what you can expect.)
The San Sebastian Martini, paired with a gilda skewer.
Rada’s wines are mostly European and range from $11 to $18 a glass. Cocktail highlights include the Selwyn Spritz ($14), with tequila, amaro, and cava; and the Picante ($17), a spicy margarita on the rocks. The San Sebastian Martini ($19) is a really dirty martini with anchovy oil and Basque pepper brine and a gilda skewer (usually an anchovy, Tempranillo olives, and pickled peppers) on top.
Snacks & Skewers include Eggplant Escabeche ($12), a pickled eggplant of Argentinian origin, and Croquettas ($14), served with a side of gribiche, a creamy, egg-based sauce common in French cuisine. Squid Pil Pil ($6) is served in a garlicky sauce that gets its black hue from the squid ink.
Don’t leave without trying: The Lamb Bolognese ($24) is a hearty, complex variation on an Italian classic.
Small plates consist of Tuna Carpaccio ($21), sliced paper thin and topped with a drizzle of olive oil and lime, and Coppa ($16), a plate of thinly sliced, dry-cured pork shoulder. The Lamb Bolognese ($24) looks small but eats big, with spiced ground lamb simmered in a rich, herbaceous sauce and tossed with thick, twirlable noodles topped with shaved Parmesan.
Large plates have the most farm-to-table influence, with dishes like Sea Bass ($32), served alongside field peas and chanterelles, and Bavette ($49), a gamey flank steak garnished with a tangy chimichurri. The Chicken ($38) sounds basic, but it’s one of Buckles’ hero dishes. The roast chicken has Swiss chard stuffed beneath the crispy skin, and it’s blanketed in a savory au jus. If you want something larger, the Dover Sole ($77) and Striploin ($110) are both portioned for two.
Larger plates include the Striploin, which is portioned for two.
Servers recommend between two and four dishes per person, so keep that in mind if you want a sweet finale. Desserts include Chocolate Torta ($14), topped with syrup-soaked cherries and whipped cream, and Panna Cotta ($12), with honeycomb and sea salt.
Unless you order the Striploin, this meal probably won’t leave you stuffed, and the price tag will be comparable to a steakhouse. But local foodies will appreciate Rada’s adventurous approach. It’s like an independent film in a field of summer blockbusters. It might not set box office records, but you’ll hear about it during awards season and wonder what it’s about.
