Sep 30, 2015 - Food and Drink

The best luxury dinner deal in Charlotte you’re missing out on

Amanda Shortall McLamb

On Selwyn Avenue, there’s a red awning across the street from Reid’s Fine Foods that has been serving chocolate and wine to the Charlotte community since December 2010 and just signed another seven-year lease.

I have driven passed Petit Philippe more times than I can count and heard wonderful reviews from people who have visited (including this awesome round up of wine bars from Katie Levans), but had yet to visit the shop and wine bar that is also home to 20 Degree Chocolates.

Behind the tall, tinted windows of my view from the street was a spectacularly open space that somehow manages to pull off a zen-glamour ambience. The huge chandelier resides resplendently over a large wooden farm table seated with metal chairs with two orchid plants blooming in a large, mossy arrangement surrounded by pillar candles. The only thing missing seems to be a roaring fireplace and a couple of afghan hounds gliding in the background.

After meeting in San Francisco, husband and wife duo Mark Meissner and Casey Hickey moved to Charlotte to pursue their passions in wine and chocolate, respectively. It was abundantly clear how much they both share a love for French culture, which influences much of what they do in the shop.

Lumiere + Petite Phillipe 5 course dinner

Both Meissner and Hickey have worked hard to secure the training and accolades that confirm they are experts in what they provide – Meissner, a Level 1 sommelier from Court of Master Sommeliers and Hickey, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and recipient of the professional chocolatier certification from École Chocolat.

What’s extraordinary beyond the tasteful offerings in their shop is that the couple truly embraces the entrepreneurial energy of the Queen City. Meissner and Hickey are always humbly heralding the foodie gems of their fellow business owners. They support the quality and craft of their food and beverage comrades and work alongside many for events like their famed wine dinners.

I had the opportunity to attend one of said dinners when Petit Philippe partnered with Lumiere French Kitchen, featuring small production winery, LIOCO. The five-course menu with wine pairings (plus a half hour of passed hors d’oeuvres also paired with a wine) featured delicacies ranging from foie-gras, langoustines, magret de canard (duck breast from a bird raised for foie gras) and a chardonnay I will continue to dream about (2013 LIOCO Hanzell Vineyard, $59/bottle).

With six glasses of wine retailing between $43 and $60 a bottle and five full courses supplemented with four appetizers, it is safe to say that the $95 price (plus tax & gratuities) is a deal.

As you scroll through the photos from the dinner below, make sure you sign up for the Petit Philippe email list so you never miss another opportunity to experience highbrow feasting at a discount.