Miro Spanish Grille
Enjoy authentic food, wine and hospitality at longtime standout restaurant
By Courtney McLaughlin | Photos courtesy of Shrimp & Grisettes
PROMOTION
“The Farm,” hanging in the lobby of Miró’s Spanish Grille, is a colorful clue into what type of dining experience you can expect at the restaurant. The painting is by famous Spanish artist Joan Miró, the restaurant’s namesake.
The artist Miró had a close relationship with American writer Earnest Hemingway, who said of the painting: “It has in it all that you feel about Spain when you are there and all that you feel when you are away and cannot go there. No one else has been able to paint these two very opposing things.”
Both Mirós — the painting and the restaurant — elicit unforgettable, authentic Spanish experiences.
Miró Spanish Grille is a dining tradition near the Ballantyne® campus. It opened in 1999 in Stonecrest under the Luong Family and moved to Toringdon in 2016, Miro recently changed ownership to three Ballantyne area residents who spent years working under the Luong family. The three new owners, Felipe Alvarez, Erwin Del Pozo and Aldo Caballero have over 30 years of restaurant experience in the South Charlotte area and will continue to carry on the traditions, values and philosophy that the Luong family started over 20 years ago. This cozy neighborhood eatery offers sophisticated dishes for date nights, time with friends, business dinners, entertaining out-of-town guests — and all occasions in between.
There you can relive that memorable trip to Spain or plan your next adventure over a full-bodied Spanish wine. “This is what moves us: the food, the wine, the hospitality. That’s what makes us happy,” says Felipe Alvarez, sommelier and one of the owners and operators of Miró.
Erwin Del Pozo, fellow owner, operator and chef de cuisine, meticulously oversees the inspired menu. He and the tenured staff prepare classic dishes hailing from the Basque, Andalusian, Galician and Valencian regions of Spain. “Everything we make here is from scratch,” says Del Pozo.
Not sure where to start? Just ask. The staff is happy to share recommendations or create a dish to your taste and dietary requirements. “Education is what we do,” he adds.
All three owners enthusiastically recommend the Zarzuela de Mariscos, a traditional Spanish seafood stew cooked in a clay casserole pot with fish, shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams, scallops and lobster meat in a tomato broth. Miró also serves traditional dishes, including paella, calamari and flan. You must complete your meal with their homemade staple tres leches cake, which many say is the best in Charlotte.
Diners are also treated to a weekly specials menu. Oftentimes, these dishes become fan favorites and are eventually added to the permanent menu.
Miró has your tapas and cocktail cravings covered, too. “Our wine is a very sophisticated topic,” says Aldo Caballero, entrepreneur and the third owner of the restaurant. Spanish wine is diverse, and Spain is known as the largest producer of organic wines. Each pour reflects the aroma and taste of the climate, terrain and weather conditions of the grape. No two bottles are the same. Many guests have discovered the magic of Spanish wine at Miro!
Dry and bold or light and crisp, the staff or resident sommelier will help you find a bottle to suit your tastes. “People get to try something new; our wine makes us special and differentiates us from other places,” Caballero adds.
Miró continues to give guests ample reasons to return again and again with locally sourced menu items, live flamenco guitar on Thursdays and attentive service delivered by staff who have made their career at Miró. The restaurant is closed on Sundays so staff can spend time with their families and reconnect with what’s important. “We offer a good quality of life,” says Felipe. “If we take care of our employees, they will take care of our guests.”
Whether it’s your first trip to Miró or your hundredth, who you dine with makes all the difference. “When you sit down for lunch or for dinner, make sure you are surrounded by people you love,” Felipe says with a smile. “Food will taste so much better.”
Miró Spanish Grille is located at 12239 N. Community House Rd., Ste 102, Charlotte, NC 28277, in the Toringdon Market Shopping Center. It is open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 8:45 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 9:45 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. (704) 540-7374.