Heads: Upscale Soul Warming
Jeffrey’s takes creative approach

By Leigh Pressley

Lake Norman Magazine, July 2005

Jeff Lancaster grew up in the food business, a third-generation restaurateur who learned the ropes at his grandfather’s place, Big Daddy’s, and who started his own restaurant, Lancaster’s Barbecue, 19 years ago. Plus, the burly, friendly fellow with a motivational-speaker mentality on life has the love of grub. “I’m a fat person who loves food and loves to eat,” he says with a laugh. Now Lancaster has started Jeffrey’s, an upscale but casual eatery in Mooresville Gateway, just east of I-77, exit 33. A blend New American cuisine, concentrating on fresh regional ingredients without a shred of barbecued pork in sight, Jeffrey’s opened in mid-February.

“I’ve been in the food business all my life, always striving to be the best, always working to build a reputation for quality food and good service,” he says. “I saw the potential for a nicer restaurant in this area. Every time we wanted to go out to eat, we had to go to exit 25. I thought our area should have the same kind of thing to offer, that Mooresville was just as vibrant and just as much in demand as other areas of the lake.”

Lancaster, who grew up on the North Carolina coast, loves New American cuisine with particular attention to the soul warming south. Jeffrey’s menu has many coastal favorites, such as Crab Cakes, Oysters Rockefeller, Shrimp and Grits, Seared Scallops and Stuffed Shrimp.

The other half of the menu is traditional American, with steaks, salads, pork chops, pasta, chicken and duck. Wes Choplin, who trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., joined Jeffrey’s as executive chef in late June. He also worked at Harris Grille and the original Fuzion Café. “I want the food here to be approachable, not intimidating, just upbeat and fun,” Choplin says. “We’re using high-quality, fresh ingredients, nothing prepackaged. Everything is made from scratch.”
While Lancaster is accustomed to serving Eastern North Carolina barbecue and fixings, Jeffrey’s is quite a departure from that down-home fare. “The core of Mooresville is a meat-and-potatoes kind of crowd,” he says. “Jeffrey’s is on the outer realm of that.”

Each season, Lancaster and his wife, Terry, Choplin, general manager Kerri Williams and assistant manager Bonnie Wolf-Esposito tweak the menu to reflect what’s doing well and what ingredients are available. Choplin also creates several specials each evening to keep the menu fresh. “People talk about the concept of fusion, of putting together uncommon combinations with different ingredients and techniques that you’d normally think of as separate,” Choplin says. “That’s what I like to do.”

“We don’t tie the hands of our kitchen staff,” Lancaster adds. “We want them to have creativity, not a feeling that our food is cookie cutter. They have the opportunity to make decisions – and mistakes – but by doing that, they come to understand the mechanics of what we are.”

The restaurant draws mostly thirtysomethings and older, with many patrons from The Point and the corporate Lowe’s campus. “We’re seeing a more adult crowd from across Mooresville, as well as from Statesville to Huntersville – anywhere within a 30-mile radius,” Lancaster says.

Inside the brick two-story building, the walls are painted pale yellow with black bead board trim and black exposed ducts and piping. Dark wood, khaki leather upholstery, gilded mirrors and oil paintings add a club-like feel. Windows on both sides of Jeffrey’s soar 18 feet and are draped in luxurious window treatments. Lantern-like light fixtures bring a nautical feel.

“It’s designed to look like a dressed-up warehouse, like we took something old and made it new,” Lancaster says. “I especially love the gas lamps on the patio. It makes it a nice spot to sit outside for dinner.”

With the Soul Warming south focus, much of the menu at Jeffrey’s highlights seafood. Seven seafood entrees are available, from seared Ahi Tuna , and pistachio-encrusted Tilapia,  to Stuffed Shrimp,  and Shrimp and Grits in a honey curry sauce. “The Tempura Martini Cocktail  with either shrimp or oysters is a big seller for us,” Lancaster says. “It’s served in a martini glass with a Bloody Mary mix as the base of the cocktail sauce.”

Brie Purses of Puff Pastry feature cheese wrapped in light, flaky dough in the shape of a beggar’s purse. They’re served with a raspberry sauce. Crab Cakes appetizer, also are popular. “Every restaurant has them, but we all do them differently,” Choplin says. “We start with lump crabmeat and put the bread crumbs on top and bottom so it’s not totally enclosed in breading. We flash fry it, then cook the core of the cake in the oven. The blue crab gravy adds a little zing, a different twist.”

Vegetarians will love Jeffrey’s signature salad of Baby Spinach served with roasted red peppers, egg, bacon, black olives, feta cheese and a house dressing. “It’s incredible,” Lancaster says. “The salad is loaded, and the dressing is sweet, with a tangy aftertaste.”

One or two homemade soup-of-the-day choices are the norm. In his first few days, Choplin created cappuccino-style Crab Bisque with cream and nutmeg on top, as well as Soul warming Chicken and Rice full of stewed okra. “My grandmother was a country cook, and she was a big influence on me,” he says. “It’s soul warming. It’s upscale soul food.”

Even the pickiest of eaters should find a treat on the 18-entrée menu. The 9-ounce Filet Mignon is house cut and cooked on a wood-fired grill, served with a mushroom demi-glaze, garlic mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. The New York Strip at 14 ounces comes with a blue cheese coin on top that melts and bathes the meat in flavor.

If you’re not watching the carbs, try the Shrimp and Scallop Fettuccini with hand-harvested, meaty scallops and large shrimp served in a tomato cream sauce.
“That dish really has a combination of spices and textures,” Lancaster says.
For dessert, there’s Crème Brulee, Key Lime Pie, New York Cheesecake and Chocolate Raspberry Mousse.