Fort Mill and Tega Cay would be considered by many to be bedroom communities of Charlotte. Meaning, people live here but work in and around the city. This is not the case for everyone of course, but it’s true for a great many people who live in the area.
It’s also true that a large number of those residents are adults with kids. Again, not everyone, but it’s safe to say this area has become a destination for families due to the great schools, low crime rate and general value received for your real estate investment.
Communities that experience large growth in a short period of time usually experience a housing boom. Houses, townhomes and apartments are built at a rapid pace in order to keep up with the influx of new residents. There’s of course impacts to schools and traffic, both of which are negatives. We’ll steer clear of this for today.
Instead, we’ll discuss the positive impact of the growth being experienced in the form of our burgeoning restaurant scene. I’d like to focus in particular on a restaurant my wife and I visited late last week, FM Eatery in downtown Fort Mill.
FM Eatery or Fortes Mill Eatery (the restaurant gets its name from the head chef/owner, Jon Fortes) is an upscale dining experience without the fuss. Having taken over the much loved space of Local Dish, I was skeptical that it could ever live up to the former tenant. I’m happy to say I was proven wrong.
With a menu designed to provide a tasting/small plate experience or traditional sit down meal, you get to choose how you want your night to unfold. You may want to share with your date, spouse or friend and try a few different things. You may prefer to order something and have it all to yourself. Either is possible and I have no doubt you’d leave satisfied no matter which way you choose to go.
We opted for small plates to be brought out as they were ready. The first plate arrived with bacon wrapped figs, followed by scallops and pork confit and braised short ribs on a bed of grits. If this all sounds delicious, that’s because it was.
If you had to make me choose, I’d probably go with the braised short ribs. The rib itself was fork tender while the grits had a perfect balance of salty and sweet. The large diver scallops were cooked perfectly but the pork confit swimming in peach preserves was both unexpected and delicious. The bacon wrapped figs could’ve doubled as a dessert, they were that good.
We each had a glass of wine with dinner but their cocktail menu is filled with tasty and creative concoctions. Cocktails weren’t in the cards on this particular night, but I speak from a previous experience to confirm the small bar in the back is more than equipped to meet your needs.
Although we didn’t order dessert, the temptation was definitely enough to consider packing on a few more post holiday pounds. We mentioned the cornbread (apparently an in house favorite) and our server almost talked us into it but we were able to fend off our inner sweet tooth.
The interior of the restaurant would be at home in any downtown throughout the country, including of course our city neighbor to the north. It’s comfortable with booth and table seating and provides a chic 1940s modern vibe. Getting there before the rush, we sat by the window looking onto main street. If you need a little romance in your life, this table is the place to be.
With 3 small plates and wine for each of us, we were able to stay under $90 total after a tip. Another plate and/or dessert would’ve taken us over the $100 mark, but this would’ve been perfectly reasonable given how good the food was, the atmosphere and service provided.
Make this your next date night destination but keep your Charlotte friends at home for now. Let’s keep this our little secret for awhile longer.
