Evan Diamond Ate an 18-Course Willy Wonka Dinner at Counter-

Evan Diamond found a golden ticket at his seat. It marked his place at the open kitchen at Counter-, a restaurant at 2001 W Morehead St in Charlotte, for a dinner called Pure Imagination.

Counter- turned a tasting dinner into a Willy Wonka story

Evan says the menu looked like it came straight out of Wonka's factory. The chefs also made fake magazine covers with the team on them.

The first round was snacks. He names 24 Flavors of the Future, a liquified tomato sandwich and a caviar tart. Later courses include a candy cane plate, a cheese course with dry-aged ribeye and a Gougère Burger that looks like a plain golden puff.

Two courses played tricks on the eyes and the tongue. The Green Curry came with a clock-like guide to where each flavor sat around the bowl. For the Miracles course, guests ate a miracle berry first, which Evan says made sour citrus taste sweet.

He ends with what the night was about. In his words, the dinner captured "imagination, surprise, temptation and just enough danger."

Where Counter- fits in BellyUp! Charlotte

Counter- is in our Charlotte directory in the FreeMoreWest neighborhood, and our roster lists it as open. Evan's post gives the address, the restaurant's website, a Tock reservation link and its Facebook and Instagram pages.

What we could not confirm: the post does not give the date of the dinner, a price, or whether Counter- will run it again. We did not attend. Check with the restaurant before you plan around it.

Evan writes Charlotte Foodie Guy on Substack and says Counter- is now listed on Evan's Food Guide. Read his full post, linked on this page, for every course in order. Then open his profile in the Local Creators directory for more of his Charlotte restaurant writing.