Cornelius Has One Of The Best New Restaurants In US: Eater

CHARLOTTE, NC -- While new restaurants come online with regularity, it is a rare find to find chef’s willing to express themselves honestly on the plate. So says Eater food critic Bill Addison, who has outlined what he says are the 18 best new restaurants that opened in the U.S. in 2018. And one Charlotte-area restaurant — Hello, Sailor located in Cornelius on Lake Norman — made the coveted list.

“These chefs and restaurateurs stand out by gamely revealing themselves — by showing heart in their hospitality, remarkable ingenuity, and individuality on their menus. They are, each of them, leading lights and future influencers,” Addison said.

Here’s what he had to say about Hello, Sailor:

“Throughout my career, I’ve been surprised that when readers ask for restaurant recommendations, they’re most interested in learning about seafood options. If only I had a place like Hello, Sailor to suggest in every community. Perched on the edge of a 34-mile, man-made lake, it’s the second local restaurant from Joe and Katy Kindred. The couple’s firstborn, Kindred in nearby Davidson, helped boost Charlotte’s national dining profile when it debuted in 2015. For their fish camp reverie — a midcentury modern vision of geometric patterns with a tongue-and-groove cathedral ceiling — they reeled in Craig Deihl, a Charleston heavyweight, to lead the kitchen. Regardless of the time of year, meals here feel like an escape into summertime. Anything with crab (deviled in a dip with pimento cheese, presented as claws arranged on top of a pool of wasabi tobiko mayo) brings joy, as do platters of impeccably fried shrimp and flounder and lobster rolls featuring Joe Kindred’s famous milk bread. Cocktails show pluck, with some Tiki numbers whose tongue-in-cheek glassware reinforces both the restaurant’s design and nautical themes.”

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Here is Eater's list of the 18 best new restaurants for 2018:

• Bavel, Los Angeles
• Bywater American Bistro, New Orleans
• Canard, Portland
• Carnitas Lonja, San Antonio
• Cote, New York
• Dialogue, Los Angeles
• Elda, Biddeford, Maine
• Frenchette, New York
• Kamonegi, Seattle
• Hai Hai, Minneapolis
• Hello, Sailor, Cornelius, NC
• Majordomo, Los Angeles
• Nyum Bai, Oakland
• Maydan, Washington D.C.
• Suerte, Austin
• Theodore Rex, Houston
• True Laurel, San Francisco
• Pacific Standard Time, Chicago

SEE ALSO: Highly Anticipated 'Hello, Sailor' Eatery Opens

You can read more about Eater’s list here.

Photo by Patch Editor Kimberly Johnson