Go Inside: Bar Marcel, a new restaurant from the owners of Vivace, now open in SouthPark

“We’ve had our eyes on the SouthPark area for a long time,” said Bar Marcel owner Kevin Jennings. “When I saw an ‘available’ sign on the former Another Broken Egg space, I felt like it was the right spot for us. We love the location, and we’re excited about the space, the concept, the menu and the team we’ve assembled.”

Bar Marcel focuses on European dishes with a heavy influence from Italian, Spanish and French cuisines, and the owners described it as “ European cafe oriented.” The menu, which will rotate seasonally, consists of roughly 15 small plates, four pastas (made in house), seven large plates and five desserts.

Noteworthy dishes:

• Waygu beef carpaccio – tomato jam, grilled toast, whipped herbed ricotta, smoked cured egg yolk ($15)
• Mussels – pomme frites, tomato, white wine, garlic butter  ($12)
• Marcel salad – avocado, spiced cashews, red onion, cucumber, tonnato dressing ($8)
• Beet and burrata salad – pickled beets, pistachio pesto, mix greens, currants, shaved fennel, red wine vinaigrette ($12)
• Octopus gallego – blistered tomatoes, capers, shaved fennel, frisee, orange segments, sherry vinegar, pickled shallots ($17)
• Tuna tartare – potato chips, cucumber, onion, fresno, coconut milk ($15)
• Valenciana paella – ham, chicken, mussels, clams, shrimp, peas, tomatoes, peppers, saffron broth, asparagus citrus salad ($28)
• Tagliatelle – shrimp, caper, kale, brodo, cured lemon, chive ($20)
• Zucchini vermicelli – garlic oil, EVOO, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, pine nuts and parmesan ($16)
• Bone in ribeye – basil whipped mashed, crispy shallots, demi ($39)
• Tagliatelle – shrimp, caper, kale, brodo, cured lemon, chive ($20)
• Grilled pineapple tartare (dessert) – mano, mint, raspberry, blueberry, coconut, chocolate ($7)

Location: The exact address is 3920 Sharon Road, Suite 160. It’s two doors down from Sabor in the same shopping center as Earth Fare, Yama, Yafo, Barnes & Noble and Tandur. Hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Lunch service will be added in a few weeks.

Space: It’s beautiful inside. The 3,900-square-foot restaurant features an open floor plan with three leather booths, high top tables, 15-seat bar, 5-seat pizza bar and courtyard patio. Including the bar, there are about 120 seats inside and another 40 on the patio.

Ownership: Bar Marcel is the 10th restaurant in Stacey and Kevin Jennings’s Urban Food Group. The husband-and-wife team also owns Civetta Italian Kitchen + Bar and Vivace — as well as restaurants in Raleigh, Wilmington and Denver. The kitchen is led by executive chef Josh Oakley.

Agenda related story: 17 best new restaurants in Charlotte

Name: Bar Marcel is named after one of Stacey Jennings’s relatives, Marcel Joseph Krummenacker (1918-1968). He was born in France, sent to a concentration camp during World War II and survived.