48-hour guide: How to spend the weekend in Charlotte with Bardo’s Jayson Whiteside

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It’s been a strange few months for all of us. As our stay-at-home order lifts in phases, we’re all slowly easing back into normal life and perhaps reuniting with friends and family we haven’t seen in some time. Our 48-hour guide series is here to help.

Meet your tour guide

Who: Jayson Whiteside

Job title: Managing partner of Bardo restaurant and the soon-to-come VANA

Neighborhood: Cornelius, North Carolina

Itinerary ideal for: Foodies with kids

What he loves about Charlotte: It just feels right. It’s an easy place to live. It’s growing really fast, which is great to see, but even with the growth, it’s an easy place to live.

What he’s working on: The biggest thing is getting Bardo back up to the level it was at before all of this. We want to come out better. Then the biggest thing outside of that is launching VANA. We were so close before all of this happened. This has pushed us back a bit, but we’ve been able to be a little more prepared for when we are able to open. We’ll be ready to go. We’re shooting for a middle or end of June opening.

(Jayson’s responses have been lightly edited for clarity. During the coronavirus pandemic and North Carolina’s phased reopening, certain restaurants may have adjusted hours. Check with individual restaurants for the most up-to-date information.)

Now that life is slowly resuming in Charlotte, what’s your go-to weekend itinerary for visitors?

FRIDAY: Evening in Lake Norman area

Dinner: Since I live in Cornelius, we’d start there on Friday. We’d try to get a good table at Kindred to start the weekend off.

Beer: Then we’d probably mosey on down to Barley Market. It’s a bottle shop that we spend quite a bit of time at, so I’d love for out-of-town guests to see that.

Cocktails: Cool Fish is another place right in that little circle of places we like to go. We spend a lot of time there winding down. They’ve got a great cocktail program. That’s a great Friday when I’m not working.

SATURDAY: Time outdoors and brewery hoppin’

Brunch: We come into Charlotte quite a bit on the weekends, and we’d probably start with brunch. Lincoln Street Kitchen & Cocktails is the go-to for brunch. I always order whatever the special is. I always want to try the new things.

Whitewater Center: In the summer we would probably head from brunch to the Whitewater Center. We hang out there as much as we can when the weather’s warm. Our five-year-old daughter loves being outside.

Breweries: It’s also great that the breweries are so kid-friendly. We spend a lot of time there and would probably hit Wooden Robot. Either location (NoDa or South End) is great. I’m good friends with some of the guys there. They’re really good people.

Ramen or bao buns for dinner: For Saturday dinner, we’d keep it low-key. Futo Buta or Seoul Food Meat Company (the place I missed most during the stay at home order). At Seoul, we’d get the kimchi fries, for sure. We also always get the pork belly bao buns. Those are my jam. Then we get at least one order of wings. The wings are the best around.

More beer: Then we’d head to Hoppin’ after dinner.

SUNDAY: Brunch and some lake time

Brunch: For Sunday brunch, that’s pretty easy. We live near a place called Barrel & Fork. We like to stay in the neighborhood for brunch, so we’d go over there. (Check out Barrel & Fork’s Roaring 20’s brunch menu here.)

Lakeside afternoon: Then we’d head to Hello, Sailor. It’s pretty easy living up there, and Hello, Sailor is also kid-friendly.

[Related Agenda guide: 15 things to see, do, and eat in Davidson]

Want more ideas for out-of-town guests? Here’s how Agenda co-founder Katie Levans, FOX 46 meteorologist Nick Kosir, and event planner Katrina Hutchins would spend their weekends.