Celebrate Valentine's Day at Vivace Charlotte

There is no better way to say ‘I Love You,’ than over a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner with your spouse/significant other. As the holiday draws nearer, the search is on for the perfect spot to celebrate the occasion. Apart from a romantic ambiance, one is looking for a restaurant that serves up an exquisite meal along with attentive service.

In Charlotte, savvy diners now have a new address to go to this Valentine’s Day – Vivace. After years of perfecting the art of fine dining with a host of other popular restaurants, The Urban Food Group has opened the second Vivace in Charlotte (the first still remains one of Raleigh’s most popular Italian restaurants). Kevin and Stacy Jennings have created a contemporary dining space in the heart of the midtown area in Charlotte. Designed by The James Beard award-winning restaurant design firm, The Johnson Studio, Vivace has a wide variety of dining options. For Valentine’s Day this year, you could go formal and opt to take your meal in the dining room, or keep it more casual and intimate and choose the mezzanine lounge area instead. One can start their feast with a sampling of traditional Italian wines and liqueurs at one of the two creatively designed bars. Urban Food Group’s Sommelier, Scott Luetgenau, has worked closely with the restaurant to create a prized 500bottle, all Italian wine collection that is proudly displayed in a specially built temperature-controlled wine cellar. As the views of Uptown Charlotte vie for your attention, you can enjoy some of the delicious Tuscan specialties on the menu.

Meaning “lively” in Italian, Vivace lives up to its promise of a stylish Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian cuisine. The menu designed by Executive Chef Jeremy Sabo, and Chef de Cuisine Andrew Schaumann boasts a variety of traditional Tuscan dishes. Choose from seasonal specialties, classic thin crust pizzas, homemade pastas and an extensive house-cured meat and cheese selection. Like all good Italian cooking, the menu at Vivace is a study in balance. Each ingredient is used to complement another and none will overpower the rest. The magic of Italian food is superbly mastered at Vivace. What stand out most is the simplicity of the food and the stellar pairings of tastes and textures. Inspiration and skill work in tandem to create a meal to remember.

The dining experience at Vivace is the celebration of both chefs who are truly passionate about what they do. Just like in a traditional Italian household, every dish is infused with love and diners leave with the feeling something special has transpired over the course of a meal. What better place then to spend Valentine’s Day with your loved one than at Vivace? Just remember this is a popular night for dining out, so reservations are strongly advised; Call ahead and make this Valentine’s Day one to remember.

Authentic Italian Food for Charlotte Diners

Italian cooking today encompasses a wide repertoire of cuisines. One thing any discerning diner will realize is that there is no one singular dish that is exemplary of Italy. And while there may be many an Italian restaurant that passes off stodgy cream laden dishes and marinara sauce infused pastas and pizzas, true Italian cuisine is so much more.

Since Italy was made up of several regions before it was unified in the 19th century, each area has its own special way of cooking and using the fresh local ingredients available. In the region of Tuscany, for example, cooking is more traditional whereas dishes from Bologna are more experimental. But, one thing all authentic Italian cooking has in common is a balance – of flavors, tastes, and textures. Each ingredient is used to complement another and not allow one to overpower the rest. This is the magic of Italian food. Using the freshest ingredients possible that are bursting with flavor, everything is freshly cooked and served up.

In Italy, salads are all about the vegetables and rarely the dressing. Pizzas are never greasy and the dough kneaded in a precise manner to emerge from a wood fired oven, perfectly thin and soft. Pastas are cooked al dente with light sauces that titillate the taste buds in anticipation of more culinary sensations to come.

In keeping with this tradition, the Urban Food Group will soon open its latest Italian restaurant in Charlotte - Vivace in November 2009. Proprietors, Stacey and Kevin Jennings also own the wildly popular Frazier’s, Porter’s City Tavern, Coquette, and Vivace all located in Raleigh, NC. Now setting their sights on Charlotte, Vivace will soon open in the heart of the midtown area. Meaning “lively” in Italian, Vivace promises to be a stylish Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian cuisine. The menu has been designed by Executive Chef Jeremy Sabo, and Chef de Cuisine Andrew Schaumann. Vivace boasts a traditional Tuscan menu with seasonal specialties, classic thin crust pizzas, homemade pastas and an extensive house-cured meat and cheese selection.

The dining experience at Vivace is the celebration of chefs who are truly passionate about what they do, which is evident in every menu item. Just like in a traditional Italian household, every dish is infused with love and diners leave feeling like something special has transpired over the course of a meal. As Chef de Cuisine, Andrew Schumann so aptly puts it, “If you can think of it we can probably do it… This is not some empty mission statement meant to entice, you are truly welcome here."