“We could’ve gone to a lot of different cities, but Charlotte just felt right,” Chef Troy told CLTtoday. Restaurant and development lovers sank their teeth at this news — Michelin-recommended steakhouse Guard and Grace is sizzling Charlotte’s food scene starting Thursday, Oct. 1, becoming the restaurant’s third location nationwide.

CLTtoday spoke with Guard and Grace chef and owner Troy Guard throughout the process of opening in Charlotte, how this vision came to life, and the culinary experience guests can expect.

Editor's note: Some answers were shortened for clarity and brevity.

Picture yourself dining at Guard and Grace this fall. | Renderings via Guard and Grace

Q+A with Chef Guard

What led you to choose Charlotte as your next location?

"Charlotte’s got a great downtown scene, as you know. Business-wise, banking-wise, and tourism-wise. It’s our first [location] not on the ground floor, so going ten floors up, having beautiful views, beautiful common areas, beautiful patio scenery... There were a lot of exciting new things, but still having the comfort of the city, literally a five-minute walk away. And to see it come to full fruition is pretty spectacular."

Fun fact: The outdoor patio features a viewfinder, so guests can peer into Uptown.

The decoration is very intentional. Walk us through that process.

"Gold was first found [in Charlotte] in the first gold rush, not San Francisco or Denver. So there's a lot of gold in here. We were very intentional in our designs all the way through the restaurant to create movement while also honoring its history."

Can you walk us through the menu?

"If you've visited our other restaurants, you'll notice about 80% of the menu is the same, like our signature staples, and 20% changes based on location. We might have a few more smoked items or Gulf seafood in Houston or a little bit more venison in Denver. Here, you'll find pimento cheese, country ham, deviled eggs, Carolina trout — the Southern classics."

Will the cocktail menu also feature local flavors?

"When I go to a new city, I really want to find out what they're known for, what they have. I found out that North Carolina is one of the biggest exporters of sweet potatoes, and everybody loves sweet potatoes here. So we were like, 'wow, we need to incorporate this.' So, we have a sweet potato espresso martini."
Editor Maria here. I can confirm this is delicious.

A display of two cocktails, a steak, mac and cheese, and deviled eggs. — During my preview, I sampled two cocktails, a steak, mac and cheese, and deviled eggs. | Photo by CLTtoday

Local recommendations

Editor Maria here. I sampled the deviled eggs, a filet, and mac and cheese paired with two cocktails: the sweet potato espresso martini and the Lion Tamer, which was a cocktail with a roasted shishito pepper. It was super flavorful and not at all spicy. I'd highly recommend this as a go-to order.

Don't take my word for it — we asked our friends who also sampled the restaurant before its opening for their recs:

"Guard and Grace is absolutely beautiful, but the food also holds up. Our filet mignon flight was cooked to perfection and came with our choice of topping and paired perfectly with my Uptown Cabaret Margarita with coconut on the rim. We finished things off with the gooey cookies and vanilla milkshake. 10/10 experience!" — Andrea Fox, @dailydreclt

"We shared the Filet Flight, which came with three 4-oz steaks ranging from prime to Wagyu. We paired it with the potatoes pavé and finished with the chocolate chip cookies. It was just the right amount of food to share, and those patio views at sunset were spectacular!" — Karla Hsu, @charlottemama