Rue Cler Restaurant

My perfect day in Durham is going to the farmer's market Saturday morning - just a few blocks from this restaurant - and then heading over to RC for brunch. A few reviewers here have complained about the dinner menu not being special enough, but the key to understanding RC is that it really is a SIMPLE FRESH country-market inspired food. This means perfectly fresh ingredients, and combinations of 2-3 ingredients plus sauce - you wont find heavy food here (if you want that kind of gut-busting butter-laden culinary experience, try Nana's or Magnolia instead). Yes, dinner can be a little rushed and loud in this warehouse space, but thats part of the fresh-market concept. I personally love the quiet slowness of lunch and brunch are these are easy, and not boisterous - and you can hang out reading a book in the sunny cafe windows afterwards. The waitstaff are excellent, the best I have seen in Durham (along with Pop's - which makes sense as this restaurant has the same owner.) What to get: anything with the hollandaise sauce is FANTASTIC - they serve it with fries and with asparagus (my personal fave). I've also had the delicious crepes: duck crepes, the asparagus crepes, a special artichoke crepe (AMAZING, not heavy, delicate flavors). Note that some dishes are served luke-warm, not hot - like the asparagus crepe - on purpose - they are supposed to be that way. The salmon/potato/frisee dish (forgot the name) is delicious. If you want something stick-to-your-ribs heavy for brunch, try the Oefs Rue Cler - eggs benedict - which also comes with their signature hollandaise sauce with a soft fried egg on top -- YUM!! The coffee is strong and delicious - made for late-rising brunch eaters like myself. Did i mention that the brunch goes until 2PM????!!! I love you Rue Cler.\r Pros: DELICIOUS food served FRESH, WONDERFUL Brunch, waitstaff are unpretentious and social, lovely sunny atmosphere for brunch and lunch -GREAT VALUE $ Cons: a little lound and rushed on Friday and Saturday nights , but so is every place in durham! more

After reading Greg Cox's great review about Rue Cler I couldn't wait to check out another French restaurant opening in the Triangle. Unfortunately the food was mediocre and service average. I found the dinner menu very limited and the quality of food not up to ""French standards"". Old butter served with the bread (which was great - nice and fresh), whipped cream was bad in the strawberry crepe, had to ask for water to be refilled. Very loud and rushed. I'll stick to the authentic French restaurant in Raleigh, not worth the drive to Durham. Pros: Great bread, pleasant personnel Cons: Noisy, rushed, inconsistent food quality more

I had been dying to try Rue Cler since people had raved about it. It was a little more ""industrial"" in feel than I had expected, but then I hadn't been to downtown Durham in a while. Very simple but tasteful surroundings. The wait staff was friendly and welcoming. I was going to have the duck confit crepe but decided on L'Escalope de saumon ($14, the most expensive lunch entree) once the server described it. They had 1/4"" thick slices of seared salmon cooked PERFECTLY over delicious handmade potato gnocchi and steamed asparagus. What made the dish absolutely wonderful was the sauce, either a light hollandaise-type or a beurre blanc which pulled everything together. The service was efficient and we were in and out in an hour, having had a gourmet meal without feeling rushed. Pros: Excellent food, cool ""vibe"" Cons: I'm not sure it was that ""romantic"" more

My husband and I went for lunch one day, and it was great. The place is a bit smaller than I imagined, and the tables are a bit close, the noise level is a bit high, but the food was GREAT! We can't wait to go back for dinner. I definitely recommend this place. I want to go back to their bakery and try their beignets. Pros: Wonderful food and service Cons: tables are a bit close more

Very simple: great place if you can handle no reservations and some noise. We had the Prix fixe menu. I had arugula salad & goat cheese, my wife smoked salmon. Both excellent and to the point. For the 2nd course, I had a seared scallop with tampanade, my wife asparagus under a fried egg. Both were super - the scallop was really striking. And we both had sea bass, zuccini, and mushrooms for the main course. Superb. They used a broth (beef?) that knit things together very well. And for dessert, my wife had a chocolate terrine, I a creme brulee. Both were just as they should be. Very egg custard feel to the creme brulee. Great French pressed coffee. \r \r Wine was a 2004 Dom du Closel Savienierres 2004 (Clos du Papillion). Superb food wine - ideal with all of our courses. \r \r The place is noisy, but the service was superb. About a 10 minute wait at 6:30 on a Saturday night. We'll be back. Pros: Fantastic food; well chosen wines; easy parking in downtown deck Cons: No reservations; Noisy; small (but well chosen) wine list more

I was excited to try Rue Cler this week! I ordered the French Onion soup which was very good, probably the best part of the meal. For my entree I ordered the Salmon. Unfortunately it arrived luke warm at best. Probably had been plated for a while before the server picked it up. I mentioned this to my server and she took it back to the kitchen. Quickly it came right back, apparently the kitchen just threw it all back in a saute pan to heat it up. But it ended up over cooked and oily and the presentation was lacking greatly. Very disappointed in the entree. Our server was pretty cold, running around to and fro with little to no sense of warmth. Would not recommend this spot if you are looking for a great french meal, try St. Jacques in Raleigh instead. more

I was pretty excited that a French restaurant was coming to the Triangle. I went this past Monday night and it was great. I had the soup, followed by the gnocchi and then the veal. All three were excellent and very moderately priced. I can't wait to go back\r \r I live in Glenwood and was sort of skeptical about going to downtown Durham at night. It was very safe, and convenience with the parking deck across the street from Rue Cler.\r \r I look forward to going back in the future. Pros: the food was great and very tasty, hard to find french cuisine in the triangle Cons: I wished it was in Raleigh! more