Description
The name seems odd, but you won't get burned when you eat at Charcoal. The restaurant, which Gary Sumihiro opened in September 2011, takes its moniker from the charcoal-powered, custom-designed bincho grill, an Asian innovation that creates intense heat. And chef Patrik Landberg, a native of Sweden, uses that grill to good effect in many of Charcoal’s dishes. The menu has a distinctly Scandinavian feel, with an emphasis on seafood fired on the grill or pickled; but there’s also New American fare, including pork belly with waffles, and gnocchi with braised oxtail. The boxy dining room is large and sleek, with a good view of both the exhibition kitchen in the back and the bar to the side, separated from the tables by a glass wine case and a good place to grab an after-work snack. But the real deal are the bincho boxes at lunch; each features a soup or salad, an entree, a seasonal vegetable, a starch and an extra side.
