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Caramelized Queen Scallops with artichokes, broccoli rabe, and warm harissa vinaigrette.

NOW OPEN TKTKTKTKTKt GOING SOUTH (OF THE EQUATOR) IN UPTOWN

Mico merges spicy Argentinean flavors with Bohemian design inside uptown’s newest luxury hotel

BY TAYLOR BOWLER PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER TAYLOR

IN A NEIGHBORHOOD already packed with luxury hotels, trendy restaurants, and rooftop bars, The Grand Bohemian still manages to stand out. Each room in the building, part of the Marriott’s Autograph Collection, teems with glitzy accents and custom Bohemian chandeliers. Its ground-floor restaurant, Mico, is one of three dining options inside the hotel, which opened in uptown last August.

Chef de Cuisine Whitney Thomas (right) garnishes dishes like lamb kofta kebabs (below) with edible flowers. The restaurant has a sleek floorto-ceiling wine display (right) and custom Bohemian chandeliers (opposite).

MICO RESTAURANT

Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte 201 W. Trade St. 980-999-5550 kesslercollection.com/ bohemian-charlotte/dining

Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Mico (Spanish for “monkey”) feels like both a restaurant and a museum with its rich wood oors, blue velvet seating, and vibrant Argentinean paintings. The South Americaninspired menu is full of complex avors and unexpected food mash-ups like harissa creamed spinach and brown butter bread crumbs. Chef de Cuisine Whitney Thomas arranges each dish with edible owers and vibrant vegetables that frame the plate.

Start with a cerveza, a glass of Argentinean wine, or a specialty cocktail like the Trade Street Sangria ($14). Order some lamb ko a kebabs ($15) for the table, and dip them in muhammara, a walnut and hot red-pepper spread that’s sweet, savory, smoky, and a little bit spicy.

There’s plenty of fresh sh on the menu, but don’t expect fried fare from a seafood shack. The Caramelized Queen Scallops ($36) come with Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli rabe, roasted carrots, lemon, and warm harissa vinaigrette. The Pan Roasted Grouper ($36) is dressed up with a medley of colorful vegetables and leche de tigre (“tiger’s milk”), a spicy citrus marinade used to cure sh in Peruvian cuisine.

The asado side of the menu features Argentinean barbecue, with beef ribeye ($39), let ($42), or skirt steak ($29) grilled and slathered in chimichurri, charred onion, roasted garlic, and a potpourri of exotic spices. For a less adventurous palate, there’s steak or lobster (market price) with tru e blue cheese fries and chimichurri. Additional sides like smashed sweet plantains and crispy Brussels sprouts are $8 each.

Dessert at Mico is the highlight of an already decadent meal. The Iguazú Falls ($12) is a sphere of vanilla bean cheesecake with sweet potato mousse, oat streusel, candied ginger, caramel sauce, and edible owers. The Glaciar Perito Moreno ($12) is autumn on a plate, with cinnamon apple purses, apple cider mousse, and cinnamon ice cream. But the Pampas ($15), a ourless dark chocolate cake garnished in gold leaf, is the dessert you’ll think about long a er you leave.

If you’re not ready to call it a night, ride the elevator to Búho (Spanish for “owl”), the hotel’s roo op bar, and enjoy another cocktail or small plate by the re pit. If you plan to stay at the hotel, visit the on-site Starbucks in the morning or grab a grain bowl at The Bohemian Garden’s walk-up window when it opens for the season.

A hotel this grand is a draw for outof-towners, but Mico will be a mainstay for locals who want to feel like they’re out of town. It’s still the reliable dinnerfollowed-by-roo op-drinks routine that Charlotteans love, but perhaps the most un-Charlotte of uptown’s nighttime hot spots.

Don’t leave without trying: the Pampas ($15), a ourless dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate chili sauce and vanilla ice cream. The beef ribeye with a side of crispy Brussels sprouts and smashed sweet plantains (top). The Pampas (above), a flourless chocolate cake garnished with gold leaf.