Foxcroft Food & Wine

Wine Discovery and Dining for Everyone

Visible behind the bar is Foxcroft’s temperature-controlled wine preservation system, which allows for more than 40 wines to be available by the glass.
Visible behind the bar is Foxcroft’s temperature-controlled wine preservation system, which allows for more than 40 wines to be available by the glass.
A small plate of sliders, made from locally raised Angus beef and topped with cheddar cheese and bacon jam, makes a savory starter — and a great accompaniment to wine.
A small plate of sliders, made from locally raised Angus beef and topped with cheddar cheese and bacon jam, makes a savory starter — and a great accompaniment to wine.
A perfectly cooked New York strip, also from locally raised Angus, is served with a velvety Diane sauce and a French onion potato gratin, evoking steakhouses of yore.
A perfectly cooked New York strip, also from locally raised Angus, is served with a velvety Diane sauce and a French onion potato gratin, evoking steakhouses of yore.
Tangy feta and a yogurt flavored with vadouvan spices, a French version of masala, add smoke and spice to pomegranate-chili glazed brussels sprouts.
Tangy feta and a yogurt flavored with vadouvan spices, a French version of masala, add smoke and spice to pomegranate-chili glazed brussels sprouts.
The braised shortrib, available on Foxcroft’s winter menu, features charred bok choy with a soy reduction and is served atop coarse, thick grits.
The braised shortrib, available on Foxcroft’s winter menu, features charred bok choy with a soy reduction and is served atop coarse, thick grits.

Even amid terrible weather — pouring rain and abnormally low temps — the high tops and tables of North Hills’ popular Foxcroft Food & Wine are busy and the bar buzzing. Though sitting outside on the large, dog-friendly patio — one of the restaurant’s beloved features — isn’t possible, it doesn’t matter. The scene inside is cozy, and thanks to the temperature-controlled preservation system behind the bar, there are nearly 50 wines available by the glass, thus plenty of ways to warm up.

That selection is only the tip of the iceberg. Alongside all the wine-by-the-glass options (available in 6-ounce glasses or 2-ounce tastes), there’s a menu of carefully curated wine flights. Plus, you are literally surrounded by wine shelves featuring hundreds of bottles available to drink with your meal or take home.

The layout encourages patrons to interact while wandering through the racks on your way to a table and picking up bottles to explore the extensive offerings. Ben Sidebottom, the shop’s retail manager and wine buyer, is there for questions or suggestions. He also leads Foxcroft’s masterclasses and a monthly drop-in wine tasting, which for only $5 offers a great opportunity to sample new wines and learn about particular regions and producers. It’s also a fun date option or excuse to gather with your friends.

Ideal for intimate diners or energetic groups of friends, there are plenty of hidden nooks among the wine racks for quiet celebrations.

Now with six locations, Foxcroft was founded in Charlotte 22 years ago by North Carolina native Conrad Hunter, a former musician who wanted to merge his love of wine and community. “Every step along the way has been an intentional act to break down the barriers between customers and the wines,” he says.

Tired of pages-long, monotonous wine lists that “cause your eyes to roll back in your head,” Conrad sought to take the intimidation factor out of wine. He jokes that the motto of Foxcroft is “We’re serious about wine, so you don’t have to be.”

But it’s true. The Raleigh location, opened a year ago, is not a spot where anyone is going to shame your chardonnay. Instead, the delightful staff will ask what you like, listen, and respond, gently encouraging expansion with a taste of something new, or steering those who know toward a special bottle that is sure to delight. Knowledgeable and kind, they will gladly offer up as much information as you would like, making discovery a possibility but not a requirement.

Raleigh’s Foxcroft not only makes wine accessible; it makes drinking it while dining interactive and fun. Having a bottle shop fully integrated into the restaurant not only offers a seemingly endless selection of wine; it also means the menu has been crafted by Foxcroft’s Culinary Director Stephanie Klos with pairings in mind. Chef Jarrad Gwaltney heads the kitchen in the Raleigh location, bringing that vision to life and adding occasional daily specials.

Thankfully, the small plate of hand-cut truffle fries is big enough to share.

While Foxcroft started in Charlotte as strictly a retail wine shop, today it has expanded upon the domain of good wine with good food. You might think it to be a typical bottle shop where the selection of eats is limited to maybe a little charcuterie. But this is where Foxcroft really surprises, offering separate daytime, weekend brunch, and dinner menus with extensive options that lean toward new American cuisine and span from comfort foods, like their award-winning burger, to impressive entrees, such as a roasted whole fish.

The dinner menu’s servings are, for me, meant to be shared. Even small plates are sizable enough for a couple to share, which is exactly what I want to do when leisurely trying new wines — a bite of this, a sip here, seeing how flavors expand and pair. Obviously, the menu is ready made for wine, although you certainly don’t have to drink to enjoy it.

For starters, there are bright options: a smoked burrata and roasted beet panzanella, citrusy marinated olives, and a zesty, house-made ricotta, perfect with the Pecorino and Coteaux du Giennois Blanc wines I sampled. The vadouvan brussels sprouts are a dish not to miss, savory and earthy, with just a hint of sweetness from a pomegranate-chili glaze. I love the kale Caesar as well, its toasted pistachios, kalamata breadcrumbs, and pickled red onion adding texture and acidity.

The Foxcroft burger is, for many, a known entity. One bite lets you know why: Beef sourced from Sherrill Ford’s Little Mountain Farm is ground in house and paired with truffle aioli, yielding a perfect mess of savory succulence.

There’s an option to add a salad or fries, and I think you already know what you need to do: the fries. These are a thing of beauty — hand-cut steak fries that are, of course, double fried, served sprinkled with parmesan and oregano atop and even more of that incredible truffle aioli on the side for dipping. Thank goodness these fries are available on their own as a small plate because you will not want to share the ones that came with the burger.

Things start to get serious after the burger. There are homemade pastas (ricotta dumplings!) and an impressive array of entrées that change with the season.

Foxcroft is for dates, brunches, lunches, and dinners — or for just having a glass of wine after work.

My favorite part of the wonderful braised shortrib, featured on Foxcroft’s winter menu, is the charred bits of bok choy nestled in the grits. Like the burger, both this shortrib and the New York strip (served with a thick Diane sauce and a heavenly potato gratin) are sourced from Little Mountain Farm, which delivers its cuts twice a week.

A bold companion to both dishes, the Herald Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Alexander Valley, is one of seven exclusive labels for which Foxcroft either collaborated with the producers to create or is the only NC retailer. Other offerings include Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Rosé and a chardonnay and pinot noir from Burgundy. Diners receive a discount on bottles, so it’s certainly tempting to take a few home.

Like a sunny patio, Foxcroft is all about inspiring casual comfort. Along with everyday access to all kinds of wine, the friendly staff will make wine lovers at any level feel at home. “We’re a neighborhood place,” Conrad says. “The original (Foxcroft) is kind of like Cheers. There’s guys that have their regular seat at the bar. … They even go on vacation together now.”

He hopes the Raleigh location inspires the same sense of community — and from what we see, even on a rainy winter night, it does.

foxcroftwine.com

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