An OFFAL Evening with Block & Grinder – Charlotte Elite Event

I’ve gotta be honest, I was a bit nervous to attend this event because I didn’t know what «offal» meant and this was the first Elite event I attended without a plus 1… but I had a fantastic time! Not having a plus one forced me to meet other elites, all of whom are fantastic! I made several new friends as a result of the event. In addition to enjoying my company, I loved the food and managed to find options that filled me up despite being on the Paleo diet. The drinks were my favorite part, I’m craving the orange/​jalapeño drink we had with our last course right now & wish I could recall the name.
Block and Grinder is in my neck of the woods, I can’t wait to return and try other adventurous food and drink options!

It was my first Unilocal Elite event — I came to Block & Grinder and had a drink at the bar while meeting some of the other Unilocalers. Once we were seated, there was bacon and crispy pig ears on the table already. The pig ears were a little chewy for me, but the bacon. THE BACON! King of Bacons. I am going to need to come back to their butcher counter just for that bacon. I think I had at least 4 sticks…
Course 1: Chicken Heart & Mushroom Salad with Endive & Framed Egg
The chicken heart was diced and blended nicely with the mushroom. It was a little hard to pick out individual pieces of heart, but they gave the mushrooms a rich, earthy element.
Course 2: Pork Belly with Sorghum Bourbon Glaze & Green Slaw
Other than the bacon, this was probably my favorite course. It hit both salty & sweet and had just a hint of bourbon as well. Yum!
Course 3: Georgia Fried Chicken Skins with Mike’s House Hot Sauce & Deviled Egg Smear
This was a few bites of down home Southern cooking. The hot spice spiced it up and the deviled egg brought the heat back down and added a creamy element.
Course 4: Boston Wedge with House Cured Lardons & Bleu Cheese
By this point, I was starting to fill up. Not wanting that to happen, I took the hit and didn’t eat all my lettuce. The lardons were delish and the bleu cheese dressing was chunky and tasted house-​made.
Course 5: Berkshire Rib & Baked Pork Skin with Pickled Slaw & Sorghum Shellac
Sorghum shellac was sweet and the pickled slaw made an excellent acidic counterpoint. Meat was cooked well.
Course 6: Sweetbreads with Mustard Remoulade & Sweet Corn Shoots
I was pretty excited for the sweetbreads, which I thought were thymus. However, as you’ve probably read: they were brains. I’m not a big fan of brains, but I ate them & pretended to be a zombie. :) They weren’t bad, which is about the highest praise you will hear me give brains.
Course 7: Wild Game Meatloaf with Bost Mill Grits Hush Puppies & Bourbon BBQ Sauce
By this point, I had eaten so much, I felt like I was about to explode and yet, I wanted to keep on eating this. The game meatloaf was delicious and the hush puppies were perfectly fried.
Course 8: Secret Chocolatier Chocolate Mousse with Orange Infused Whipped Cream & a Chocolate Half Shell, plated on raspberry & chocolate sauce
This made my taste buds do a little jig. The mousse was fluffy and cleaned my palate, while the the shell was rich & velvety.
In between every course, we sampled house drinks like the Chupacabra, that combined Tito’s vodka, hot pepper syrup, & passion fruit. The drinks were imaginative & I could see myself coming back to the bar for drinks before dinner. They’re conveniently only about a mile from my house, so that will probably happen very soon!

What a terrific evening!
Put together seven courses of amazing food, four creative cocktails, and a group of fun & friendly people — seat them out on a patio on a perfect spring evening, and give them a well organized dining experience to remember! If that doesn’t spell Terrific, i don’t know what does?
what made Offal awesome:
— how well it was organized & how efficient the service was!
— the food! (which was unlike anything I’ve ever eaten.)
When it comes to eating meats, I tend to stick with the safer bets like chicken or fish. For this event, I stepped out. way out of my comfort zone and am I glad I did!
I ate foods that I would never have imagined ever eating.
From pig ears & pork belly to sweet bread and meatloaf made with boar, bison and beef. I’m glad Block & Grinder is where I tried it all.
The event commenced with delightful desserts thanks to ‘The Secret Chocolatier’ & last but not the least we also got some sweet Unilocal elite swag!
I’m delighted to have been able to experience this, and am waiting eagerly for the next phenomenal, Ben organized, Unilocal event! :)

Late to the party.
I had an awesome time at the OFFAL elite event. Since I didn’t have my regular +1 (and security blanket) I was able to let some walls down and meet other fellow elites that I hadn’t met before. That was great! The setting was good and I enjoyed viewing and sniffing some of the food that was offered. My favorite dish of the night was the wild game meat loaf. I am on the Paleo diet so some of the items I couldn’t eat so I can’t comment on those. Seems like everyone who did partake said it was delish!
I did cheat and had the sweetbread. *hanging head* I told myself I was just going to try a small bite. Next thing I knew the whole thing had been eaten… by me. THAT was GOOD.
I am always open to trying new things including food. I’d like to go back and see the selected meat offerings and dine on some of the items on the menu.
Thank you Block & Grinder for hosting a fabulous evening, thank you Ben G… our fearless leader, and to The Secret Chocolatier… I cheated and inhaled that sweet treat too. *hanging head*

This incredible evening, put together by our illustrious King of Unilocal Charlotte (AKA Benjamin G), was one that will forever live in my memory as one of the best and most unique meals of my life.
B&G’s Chef Kent obviously keeps an eye on the latest edgy trends to sweep the nation. On this night, he presented his own take on a foodie trend that I’ve noticed is popular with 20 and 30-​somethings in my other home in L.A. (For a direct comparison, throw «Animal N Fairfax menu» into the Googs.) That is, presenting less common parts of the animal throughout a meal, either prepared traditionally or with the chef’s own twist. For this meal, we feasted on dishes that ranged from pig ears to sweetbreads to chicken hearts.
The homemade bacon and deep fried crispy pigs’ ears were a delightful porky snack to begin a tapas-​like meal that highlighted the pig. The first course, a chicken hearts and endive dish, wonderfully combined the melt-​in-​your-​mouth, savory quality of the hearts with the brightly bitter quality of endive. This was followed by one of my many favorites of the evening, a pork belly taco. The pork belly was so succulent, so flavorful, I would have been happy chowing down on it alone for the next several hours.
The next course was a small plate of fried chicken skins with hot sauce and a deviled egg smear. This I found to be good, but the skins were perhaps a bit over-​fried. The egg smear was awesome though: tangy, creamy chicken ovum. A Boston wedge with blue cheese and lardons followed, which was a nice twist on a classic, though not incredibly remarkable.
Next came the Berkshire ribs with baked pork skin. The ribs were coated in a sorghum shellac that was beyond belief — so tender, so sweet and so unusual. The baked pork skins, were interesting, but beyond crunchy. Perhaps I was eating them wrong — I ended up just popping them in my mouth and eating them like chips! This was followed by the sweetbreads with a *heavenly* mustard remoulade. I actually had sweetbreads at the aforementioned Animal in L.A. back in June and was not impressed. The sweetbreads at B&G, however, completely blew me away: tender, flavorful and balanced perfectly with the remoulade.
Our final savory course was a wild game meatloaf that was mostly wild boar, along with a celeriac purée. Both were phenomenal (and, as I understand it, one of Chef’s signature dishes): the meatloaf was so tender and sweet, it was almost dessert, while the celeriac purée was a delight.
We had dessert supplied by The Secret Chocolatier next door, which was very good.
ALSO: there were drinks. Sweet Jebus, were there drinks. If you go to B&G, MAKE SURE you ask the head bartender if he’ll make you a Snowbird.
As for the rest of the restaurant experience, the service was impeccable, the outdoor patio was perfect on this warm evening and the indoor set up was pristine. If you want to, you can just come by to pick up some meat from their butchery and bring it home to experiment with your own ingenious ideas for carnal enjoyment.
Finally, many, many props to Ben G for arranging this event! I am truly honored to be included among the Unilocal Elite ranks.

On Thursday night I had the great pleasure of attending an Offal event and found myself pleasantly surprised.
The event as a whole was beautifully organized. There was no wandering around wondering where to go or what you were supposed to be doing. This dinner flowed, started on time and each course interchange was fluid. I believe there is something to be said for a wait staff ability to make this happen. As with any Unilocal event, I am delighted by the company of foodies I get the pleasuring of dining with. Ben’s name cards made the worry of not knowing someone and where to sit quite easy.
Now let’s get down to business, the food! Overall, the food was quite tasty. Each dish lovingly prepared by a chef who clearly has a passion and a vision. Just ask him about your dish and you will agree. The shining star of the evening would have to be the Pork Belly deliciously prepared and laid on top of a perfectly moist corn bread pancake with fresh green slaw. I am still dreaming about this dish. Your first bite is met with crunch from the juicy pork belly and slaw, but then you get the lingering subtle sweetness from the pancake. It’s perfection. My other favorite, the Boston Wedge– and I don’t even like Bleu Cheese!
As Unilocal Eliters, we were also given the pleasure of tasting some delicious cocktails uniquely prepared by the B&G staff courtesy of Tito’s Vodka. Another positive of the restaurant would have to be the cocktails. Delicious with flavors melded together in harmony.
Chef Kent Graham clearly knows what he is doing when it comes to wild game. His dishes brought me back to restaurants like Cochon in New Orleans where a chef dares to go beyond the standard pork chop and offer you a little cheek or belly in an innovative way– something I believe Charlotte was severely lacking until now.
To top off the night, The Secret Chocolatier provided a decadent dessert leaving you comatose in a chocolate haze for the remainder of the evening.
All in all, the night was as perfect as it could be! Great food, atmosphere, company and swag!

This event deserves a full 5 stars based on food, service, and ambiance. I was hesitant to roll up to Block & Grinder for my first Unilocal event, but by the end of the evening, I’m glad I did.
FOOD: You can get a fairly accurate review of the food from fellow reviewers, but two things stood out to me: 1. Chicken heart tastes good. I usually avoid food that gives me a bad image like veal, foie gras, frog legs, etc. Naturally, I would avoid chicken hearts, but gave it a go, given then event. Chef Graham did a fine job of preparing a salad using it! 2. While the pork belly «tacos» were delicious, I don’t think I’d order it off the menu. I don’t know how much this item would be priced at (or even if they are offering it), but if you’re paying for a premium for the pork belly, it’s probably not worth it. The pork belly is fairly sparse and the fatty flavors are masked a bit by the stuff that came with it (sorry, I was a few drinks in at this point). That said, food was good and prepared with some ingenuity, but the 8-​course meal didn’t WOW me. Food alone is like a 3.5 honestly.
SERVICE: Very attentive and friendly. Perhaps extra attention for us bc of the event, but that still takes effort. I think the bar staff had a chance for a change of pace and mixed up some concoctions of the Vodka variety… nice range of tastes! Kudos to the staff for drinks and service.
AMBIANCE: This is more about the Unilocal event itself. It was a nice dinner at a new place meeting new people. Talk about stepping out the comfort zone. As we got into the drinks and conversation, it just occurred to me how knowledgeable all the reviewers are about Charlotte. I’ll definitely be attending more events just to glean knowledge from these Charlotte sages. In fact, future plans at some point to grab some «PIMPIN FRIES» (Tonya P.!) Everyone that I met was friendly and talkative and chats ranged from everything to nothing. Thanks Ben for setting this up – pretty friggin’ dope!
dmo out

Wow, what an eveing! Sublime spring evening spent on the patio devouring Chef Kent Graham’s eight course meal and sipping 4 cocktails featuring Tito’s vodka with dessert from Secret Choclatier!
The team at B&G really outdid themselves! The menu featured chicken heart and mushrooms with e with endive, fried sweetbreads (brains), glazed pork belly and cole slaw and fried chicken skins with house made sauce.
My favorite cocktails were the Tito’s vodka lemonade with cherry liquer and the Snowbird, sips of citrius heaven with blood orange bitters and juice!
Block and Grinder has been on my radar for a bit and the good buzz is well-​deserved. Modern and much cozier than expected with lots of light and a swell bar area in front across from their full service meat counter!
Don’t skip the pork belly or fried chicken skins! If your brave, give the deep fried sweetbreads (aka BRAINS) a try. Crispy on the outside and full of flavor on the inside. Just don’t think about it, pun intended hee hee!
Thanks to Ben for an exeptional eveing and the socks. It was great meeting new elites, including another Nicole, spelled with a «y!» First spelling like that that I ever met!

Wow, just wow. This was one awesome Elite Event and much props go out to Ben, Block & Grinder, Tito’s Vodka, and The Secret Chocolatier. And my hats go off to the amazing service staff who were flatware ninja’s, replacing forks and knifes with uncanny speed, dexterity, and silence.
This eight course meal introduced me to a variety of ‘offal’ dishes, from chicken hearts to sweetbreads to fried pig ears. But before going into details, I should introduce the word ‘offal’.
As my culinary in-​sophistication required a perusal of Wikipedia to fully understand what ‘offal’ means, I learned a few cool things. First, offal refers to most internal organs other than muscle and bone. Second, and perhaps more trivial pursuit-​worthy, is that offal is a mass noun meaning there is no plural form of offal. Whether you have 1 offal or 5 offal, it remains offal. And I can see why, ‘offals’ sounds like a failed sesame street character.
There were a few stand outs for the evening. First, the chicken hearts with mushrooms and endive. I never had chicken hearts before and I never expected to actually like them. For the faint of heart (pun intended), don’t worry they are chopped up and blend in with the mushrooms. A fantastic dish.
Second shout out to Pork Belly with green slaw. It was like a southern cornbread taco bursting with refreshing and bacon-​like flavor. I could make a meal of just those.
Finally, the wild game meatloaf ridiculously good. However, the accompanying hush puppy blew my pallet. Usually hush puppies are harshly fried, resulting in that hard casing of friedness. However, this hush puppy had an outer panko-​like delicate fried texture that stood out. It was divine.
Oh, and the cocktails! I am not usually a cocktail person, finding that overly sweet drinks upset my delicate stomach. However, this night held not one, but TWO of the best imbibed drinks that have ever graced my lips. First was Tito’s vodka with rhubarb and hibiscus syrup. Imagine the best rhubarb pie you’ve ever had. Now add alcohol. After this drink, was a cocktail with pureed Anaheim peppers, passion fruit, and vodka. I could have suckled from that fiery cocktail all night. The bartender must have gotten a PhD in Mixology because these inventive flavors somehow all come together to work.
All in all, fantastic Elite Event! Thanks Ben!

I’m still amazed that I get to attend events like this! I had been dying to try Block & Grinder since it opened, so I jumped at the chance when the event came up, but talk about getting me out of my comfort zone. No +1s and offal meats? Yowza!
Ben immediately made me feel welcome, and it was great to meet some fellow Unilocalers. The staff at B&G were phenomenal, and it’s so apparent that they not only care about the food, but also the customers.
Every course was carefully prepared, and the accompanying drinks from Tito’s Vodka were different than most other cocktails I’ve ever had… definitely my first time have hot chilis in a drink! The fried pig ear «appetizer» was pretty chewy, but everything else was amazing — the pork belly, fried chicken skins and sweetbreads (who knew?) were my favorites. And who would’ve ever thought of a deviled egg smear or a spicy mustard remoulade for the sweetbreads? Oh, right — Chef Kent!
Although our event was outside, inside was hopping, too. I loved the layout of the restaurant and the sleek design. I can’t believe it was ever a Panda Express.
A HUGE thanks to Ben, Unilocal,Block & Grinder, The Secret Chocolatier and Tito’s Vodka for an incredible night. Coincidentally enough, the Observer’s review of B&G was in today’s paper, and they thought it was as amazing as I did, and as the other Unilocalers did. I can’t wait to go back and spread the word about how great this place is.

This was one of my favorite events to date. The small invite list, the great weather and pleasant company are a few reasons this night was so special.
The eight course meal really tested my bravery in trying new foods. Some of my favorites were the Pork Belly and the Boston Wedge. I enjoyed a few of the paired cocktails, especially the Snowbird.
The tasty treat from the Secret Chocolatier was a nice way to finish the meal.
Thanks to Chef Kent Graham, the staff at Block & Grinder, Tito’s Vodka, The Secret Chocolatier, and Tonya/​Poprock Photography.
Special thanks to Ben for organizing a great evening for food, fun and friends.

This was a fabulous event. I was a little nervous at first to be without my +1 but I really think it turned out to be a good thing. It forced me to talk to others and gave us all a chance to get to know each other a little better. I loved the more intimate setting and the idea of being served an 8-​course, sit-​down meal was RIGHT up my alley!
The atmosphere at Block and Grinder was truly unique and of course the food was very adventurous for this area! I did the best I could to step outside of my comfort zone and enjoy the tasty treats prepared by Chef Kent Graham.
I love food and I love people that love food. I thought Chef Kent Graham was adorable because you could sense the passion and effort he pours into each and every dish. He takes pride in what he does and wants his customers to have a fabulous experience. Although I am not big on fried food and some of the things I tried I would not necessary want to try again… I enjoyed myself thoroughly and found the experience to be enchanting.
I loved the wild game meatloaf, the bacon was out of this world, the sweetbreads were shockingly amazing and I even tried the pig ears! The chicken skins were divine!
I would like to come back and try a few items off their regular menu as well to get the full picture but I think they have a good thing going here and I wish them lots of success!
The service was phenomenal!!! I can’t believe how they handled a party our size… it was amazing!!! You can tell they all take pride in this local hot spot and they have every right to!!!
Thanks Ben for putting on this fabulous event!!! It exceeded my expectations!!!
And btw… SCOOOOORE on the Unilocal elite socks!!! Loves!

My life would not be as full without my friend, Ben! He takes care of our dinning and drinks needs with flair and us Elites love him for it.
Thank goodness Ben was able to hook up with Block & Grinder and put this affair together for some of his favorite peeps. It was great to be able to sit with about two dozen fellow Elites and be served 8 courses and 4 drinks by Franklin and Alexander and more staff. The manager, Charlie, had enough staff there to take care of us and the patrons inside. The courses came one right after another so we were not without for long.
We were served chicken heart and mushroom salad, pork belly, fried chicken skins (yum) with Chef Mikes hot sauce underneath, Boston wedge, ribs, sweetbreads and a wild game meatloaf with a potato croquette. So great! Throughout we got cocktails, each one different from the last. My favorite was the Chupacabra which is currently not on the menu but needs to be. It was habanero puréed with passion fruit I think with TITO’S! Yay! For dessert we got a dish from The Secret Choclolatier of chocolate mousse, orange infused whipped cream served in a chocolate shell on raspberry and chocolate sauce.
Stellar event Ben! Keep up the great work. :)

Chupacabra for the win. This was no goat sucker, but there was plenty of sucking here, and not due to poor flavor. Nay, it was from everyone sucking their ice cubes to get every last drop before the glasses were whisked away by the afore-​mentioned flatware ninjas (glasses aren’t flatware, but they weren’t picky, they were just doing their job, and what a great job it was!).
Take a look through the pictures to see to get an idea for what was served — it’s not precise, but you get an idea: Chicken hearts and mushrooms, pork belly, fried chicken skins, sweetbreads, nicely accompanied by things like endive, slaw, and sauces galore, all presented wonderfully and in a great setting on the patio in front of Block & Grinder.
One of the best events due in no small part to the staff explaining each and every dish (and the cocktails that went with them), but also to Ben for assembling an intimate gathering of elites to their mostly assigned seats and giving us a chance to gab it up while we gobbled it all up just about as quickly as it could be placed in front of us. And don’t forget the socks. Wear the socks with your Sunday best, or with nothing else at all, the socks make the outfit.
Huge kudos to Block & Grinder for the meal and the drinks, The Secret Chocolatier for dessert, Poprock Photography for capturing it all and of course our Bearded Leader Ben for putting together another wonderful event!

The bar continues to be raised with this event. A private dinner and seating of an intimate group of Elite, old and new. That’s a great start to begin with. Now combine that with great and creative culinary creations only to be washed down with equally unique libations. Having been to Block and Grinder prior to the event I knew we wouldn’t be let down.
8 courses of glorious food — chicken heart & mushrooms, pork belly and braised ribs, sweetbread, and finally the meatloaf. Ma… Meatloaf! Everything was so good and the cocktails were equally delish.
I want to also note that in the beginning I was anticipating the staff to become quickly overwhelmed because of the volume of not only our group but the fact that they had a pretty steady stream of patrons coming in, not Unilocal related. I was wrong, Franklin and Alexander did a fab job at keeping the dishes rotating.
This event totally rocked… PS. I’m wearing my socks as I’m writing this…:)

Wow! I wanted to come up with a really great word to describe this event and since I’ve never used this word in a review before I think it’s time to throw it out there as those folks in Hollywood would say «Amazeballs».
Block & Grinder has been on my list of must try new restaurants in the QC and what better way to try this joint but with an 8 course meal surrounded by fellow Unilocalers! Ben you did a great job putting this event together and even if we didn’t all follow directions and sit where we were suppose to I must say I saw a lot of new faces last night and made many new connections! That was one of the perks of this event — intimate and cozy enjoying good eats on the beautiful patio outside.
Now for the food Chef Kent Graham did not disappoint as he went through in detail of what he was serving and why — his presentations were great and the food was unbelievable. I got to be honest I was brave last night I’m not sure under other circumstances I would have ordered sweet breads but they were delicious. My favorite dishes of the night included the pork belly, the wedge salad, and the meatloaf there were so many dishes it was too hard to pick just one favorite.
What’s a party without booze? Ben keep the Tito’s coming to all these events it makes me a very happy girl! Thanks to Tito’s the bartender whipped up four tasty beverages I don’t remember what was in them all but let’s just say I had four empty glasses by the end of the night! The bartenders here really know what they are doing and they are super friendly I highly recommend going there and having a drink at the bar before dinner I had ordered a specialty cocktail before we sat down for dinner and the gin basil smash was killer!
Special shout out to The Secret Chocolatier for ending our night with some heavenly chocolate and to Tonya P. the rock star photog.
Overall great atmosphere, amazing food, and friendly service 5 stars Block & Grinder!

Ok, I’ll admit it this event had me slightly out of my comfort zone, this was my first interaction with variety meats or offal. Eight courses later I can honestly say I enjoyed the experience. Some of the meats I’ve had before –pork belly, and some I haven’t been courageous enough to order– sweetbreads, but all were delicious and my taste buds were rewarded for their sense of culinary adventure.
It is clear that all parties involved have a real passion for the dining experience. From the delicious farm-​to-​table plates, to the perfectly poured concoctions, these were creative choices that really made for a special dining experience. The service was impeccable, and as a result you could really feel the enthusiasm from the entire table. The dinner was unlike any I’ve had in Charlotte– it’s a new concept, and Block & Grinder is not afraid to test your palate– which is a great thing!
I enjoyed that this was an «intimate» event. It gave me a chance to get to know some new Unilocalers, and the focus was truly on the meal set before us. Ben, you are my personal hero.
My favorites of the night were the last three beverages (because choosing just one is too difficult to do), the incredible bibb lettuce salad with that thick chewy bacon and the creamiest most delicious dressing, and also surprisingly I am team sweetbreads all the way!
I will also mention The Secret Chocolatier who provided a delicious dessert to cap off the evening. It was wonderful, but thankfully not too overly filling following seven courses.
I am planning on visiting again soon– to try one of their hand-​ground burgers. I left a party of one at home and he sounded pretty jealous so I need to make amends!
Thanks to Unilocal,Ben, The Entire Block & Grinder Staff, Tito’s, Miss Tonya of Poprock Photography and of course my fellow Unilocalers who were a joy to meet and eat with.

Meat, glorious meat! And so many different cuts and preparations of it in 7 different courses were what we sampled at this freakin fantabulous Unilocal Elite event.
This was a small event. No plus 1’s at this event as 24 of us were placed snuggly on the Block and Grinder Patio. Not only were there meat courses out the ying yang but 4 cocktails to sample all featuring Tito’s Vodka.
Some of my favorite items were the bacon samples put on each table, the wild game meatloaf, the mushrooms in the first course, the blue cheese in the Boston wedge that seemed like it was made on site. Yes, I even tried the sweetbreads and while I wasn’t turned off by the taste, i think it was the idea of what I was eating that stopped me from eating more.
And then there was the fabulous chocolate mousse provided by The Secret Chocolatier. So delish, I could have licked off the dish.
The staff at Block and Grinder was amazing and attentive. Everything flowed so smoothly. And it was great that the chef, bartender, line cook, etc all took time to spend a few minutes with us.
And just when I think Ben organizes an event that can’t be beat, he does just that. Kudos Ben. Thanks to Tonya with Poprock who always has her camera ready!
Met some new Elite Unilocalers. Great times. Looking forward to the the next one!