Truffle-ruffle rap dropped

Bagatelle co-owner Remi Laba had charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest against him dropped over his bust last August for carrying a jar of truffle paste onto a flight. We reported last summer that Laba was en route to St. Maarten from New York, with a layover in North Carolina, with a glass jar of truffle paste in his carry-on. He cleared his bag through security here with no problem, but in Charlotte, security officers told him he couldn’t fly with it. So Laba left his bag behind against police orders and took off for the gate. Cops then booked the restaurateur. But last week, Laba appeared in a Charlotte-Mecklenberg court and the charges were dropped. His lawyer, Bradley Smith, told us: “TSA says there’s continuity for airport to airport, but this is an example as to why there’s not. In New York the [truffles] weren’t deemed dangerous or hazardous; in Charlotte they were. The only thing Remi did was try to explain himself.”