LittleSpoon Eatery

Breakfast-and-lunch spot brings Los Angeles flair to Myers Park

LittleSpoon Eatery is not easy to define—the cuisine is somewhere between globally inspired and fusion—but so is managing owner Alesha Sin Vanata. Although she grew up in Washington, D.C., and upstate New York, she moved to Charlotte from Los Angeles, where she worked in culinary production, food styling, and event design. The restaurant, Vanata’s first, is a reflection of her personality and aesthetic. “I picked out every fixture, every glass, every plate,” she says. “This is the kind of place I miss.”

The eatery, which opened in July, took over the former FABO Café spot on Selwyn Avenue. Vanata gutted the space, adding an 800-square-foot kitchen, reclaimed barn-wood accents, and tables by Landrum Tables out of Charleston. Oversized windows open on pretty days to give the restaurant an urban, open feel. The finishing touch: a constantly changing music selection that matches the staff’s mood. “When I throw dinner parties, music is like the first dish,” Vanata says. “It sets the tone.”

Managing owner Alesha Sin Vanata

LittleSpoon is open for breakfast and lunch. The menus are the collaboration of Vanata and executive chef Miles Payne: They’re petite but still manage to seem generous, with simple dishes like cinnamon toast brûlée (breakfast) and a smoked lamb meatball (lunch). Vanata plans to change the menu “on inspiration,” so diners should know not to get too attached to any of the dishes—although some items, like the quinoa breakfast porridge and house-made pop tarts and hot pockets, will always be available, just in different incarnations. House-made pies, such as s’mores (dark chocolate, cayenne, marshmallow meringue, graham cracker crust) and rum-salted caramel with a shortbread crust, will be added soon, along with craft sodas and handcrafted cocktails. In lieu of regular dinner service, Vanata plans to create a roster of dinner events in partnership with local and visiting chefs. She envisions each event like a dinner party. “It gives you a reason to get a babysitter and a blowout,” she says. “I want it to be kind of an open stage.”