Humbug + Counter- Monday Throwdowns
One thing we are constantly asked is; will you ever have liquor?
The answer is probably not, and definitely not for a while.
We always want to do everything we approach to the highest level of execution. Despite, our inability to do this at the restaurant, it has now opened the door for an insane collaboration with the Humbug team in Plaza Midwood!
Larry and Andrew opened Humbug just a couple of months ago, and from day one have put out high-level cocktails while operating out of aN unique pop-up space. Larry and Chef Sam have known each other for a while in the Charlotte scene, and this pairing couldn't be more perfect.
Each week the Counter- crew will create a menu that is perfectly paired by two signature cocktails of the Humbug crew. You will receive a full meal and two cocktails for ONLY $55!
We know, it’s insane, but who are we kidding, it's Counter-.
Each week will have a different menu, and with each menu, we will NOT be able to accommodate any dietary restrictions due to the size of the space and nature of the venue.
Week 1: Bulgogi
Week 2: Yakitori
Week 3: Paella
Week 4: "BBQ"
Week 5: Teriyaki
Week 6: Tacos
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS!
See ya goofs soon!
-Chef
Join Biblio's exclusive Wine Club!
We are thrilled to invite to the now live Biblio website, and with it the first people to gain access to our Biblio Wine Club!!
This will be orchestrated by our Wine Director Bill Cox, who will personally and uniquely design each box of 4 or 12 wines every month for you!
Pricing varies over our two different options. Pick up is included! Shipping and delivery available upon request.
Enjoy!
counter- pop ups and private events!
The Counter- team is still in disbelief that last Saturday was our last day of service.
Thank you for supporting us during our beginning act and we can't wait to bring you all in to 2.0 for truly a magical space. In the next two months of us preparing for the new location, we have a few pop-ups organized around the Carolinas.
First up will be a pop up next Tuesday, August 9th with the incredible staff at The Anchorage at their new space called Mr. Crisp. We will be doing an eight course dinner with wine pairings in conjunction with Gourmet Greenville. For ticket information go to the instagram page @gourmetgvl. It is sure to be a blast cooking along side Chef Greg McPhee and team.
Second, will be our Greensboro pop up Next Saturday! We have two seatings. One at 5:45 and the other at 8:15. This dinner will have ten courses along with an option for pairings. Tickets for this dinner are available on our Tock page at Greensboro Pop Up Tickets
Next up and for our last event this month, we are going down to Charleston for an entire week with our good friends down at Sorghum &Salt. This will take place August 17-20. We will be doing a collaborative ten course tasting menu with optional wine pairings. Click this link to reserve!
Sorghum & Salt / Counter- Collab Tickets
Finally, we would love to do private events with anyone interested in August or September! If you would like to host us at your home or at a small event we would love to chat!
Thank you again for supporting us over the past two years and we can't wait to see yall in the new spot!
Best
Sam
Chef looks ahead as restaurant closes one chapter, preps for the next
Read the full article at Charlotte Business Journal.
Read a free excerpt on the WSOC-TV website.
Counter- pop-up in Greensboro!
During our team sabbatical in August, as we prepare to open Biblio and Counter- 2.0, the team will be traveling around the country doing Pop-Ups! The first one that we will have available to purchase tickets is for our event in Greensboro.
August 11th-13th.
We will have one seating on the 11th and then two on both the 12th and 13th. These dinners will be a ten-course Counter- experience, but with five of the dishes being upcoming menu items at Biblio by Chef de Cuisine John Cruz.
We are so pumped to bring Counter- to Greensboro!
Click here to reserve your tickets to our Greensboro dinner.
Best,
Chef Sam
counter- is moving! Help us say goodbye to the old home this summer!
We are just 43 days away from closing the doors on Counter- 1.0, Its crazy to believe that the beginning is almost over. We first want to express our gratitude to those who have dined with us dozens of times for the continued support, those who celebrated a monumental occasion for the leap of faith, and also those who are planned to visit us for the first time next month. Each one of you has played a massive part in our first chapter.
July will be a bittersweet month; however, the menu planned is spectacular. The entire team and I are filled with excitement to revisit these courses. We hope to see you then and in just a few months time, see you at our new forever home.
Click the box below to reserve your ticket to our Greatest Hits dinner.
counter- group demands $15/hour minimum wage from their food, service providers
Our restaurant group is keen to redress wealth distribution, specifically as it happens in the restaurant business. We will no longer work with companies that do not pay their employees at least a $15/hour minimum wage.
Rewatch Chef Sam’s Instagram Live on this topic.
restaurants focused on social change
Chef Sam is in Chicago this week for the 2022 James Beard Awards. While in the Windy City for the awards, Sam has been catching up with other chefs and learning about the social impact they have in their communities.
Restaurants are providing food to shelters, creating safer places to work, and building urban gardening for their communities. We are amazed and excited to be part of an industry that is leaning towards a healthier, more inclusive future.
But more work needs to be done, and our restaurant group knows there is more than we can do, too. This is why we are requiring all the companies we source from--be they farmers, wineries, linen suppliers, or manufacturers--pay all their employees a minimum of $15/ hour.
minimum wage in north carolina restaurants
The minimum wage in North Carolina is just $7.25/ hour, the current Federal Minimum Wage rate. The tipped minimum wage--i.e. the minimum wage for workers who could receive tips for their work--is even lower: $2.13/ hour.
Low minimum wage contributes to the egresses wrongs of wealth distribution in the United States and across the globe. The 500,0000 to 1 million documented and undocumented workers that tend the farmers, manufacture and package the proteins and transport the food to restaurants make up a large percentage of the workforce that is undervalued by low minimum wages in this county.
changing the way we purchase for our restaurants
We have focused on what we prepare in our restaurant and how we prepare our food; we've been mindful about who we have in the kitchen, actively considering the diversity and inclusion in the industry; and we have addressed how we pay our 11 employees.
Now we are focusing on the companies we do business with, holding them to our own standard of payment. So we are changing the way we purchase, only purchasing from companies with at least a $15/hour minimum wage for their hardest-working employees.
We're excited to continue working with Freshlist (https://freshlist.com) as our primary source of local North Carolina-grown foods. As well as Halperns (https://www.halperns.com) for our locally raised proteins. Rare Tea Cellar (https://rareteacellar.com), which provides us with a lot of our "luxury goods," exceeds our new minimum requirement for their employees.
sourcing struggle
This is not an easy decision to make. Our day-to-day work at the restaurants will be more difficult and expensive. We've yet to find a linen service that has a $15/minimum wage and a place to get the basic goods for the kitchen like salt and oil.
Our initiative is to source 100% of our goods and services for the restaurant group from companies with at least a $15/ hour minimum wage by Sept 9, 2022, counter-'s second birthday.
A restaurant can't operate without electricity just like it can't operate without the people preparing the food, transporting the food, and cultivating the food. They are a necessity too and should be valued as such with their compensation.
Greatest Hits Release
It's hard to believe that we are only 60 days away from closing our doors on Counter- 1.0. To celebrate we will be releasing our Greatest Hits Dinner for an entire month! Here is a link to purchase your tickets for our final menu before the move. We have both a ten-course and fourteen-course options available.
Our Sommelier Michael Myers and Wine Director Bill Cox have also created a new Vintage Pairing that will be available for the 14-Course, where you dive into the absolute best wine of our cellars.
Tickets are available below and use promo code CURTAINCALL to get a little discount on the house for coming back in!
Thank you for all of the memories.
Best,
Chef Sam