As a future foodie bride who recently moved to Raleigh, I was excited at the prospect of seeing the event space and tasting the much acclaimed menu. The restaurant's decor is modern & tasteful. The menu was nicely diverse. The drink ""manual"" is cumbersome and the sommelier overstated the quality of a bottle of wine which we later confirmed retailing at $ 12.00!!! I ordered the Caesar salad and several parties ordered the deconstructed Wedge salad made with proscuitto, and Bibb lettuce. My onion soup was over salted but had all the lovely richness of a good Onion Soup. The lobster bisque was exceptional and the lobster meat sweet. Upon clearing that course, another salad was served to one of the parties instead of the Lobster bisque he had ordered and my Caesar salad was reminiscent of a bottled dressing version. Both the Ribeye Filet and 14 oz filet ordered as medium were served as a rare. So rare that the parties sent back the steaks only to be served again with same level of doneness, rare and now with a tough outer layer. The 20 oz. Rib eye that was ordered was also undercooked. Sides ordered were the Sweet Potatoes Lyonnais, Creamed Spinach and Blue Cheese Potato Puree which were all delicious. The Smoked Paprika Pommes Frites was the star dish of the evening if only they had been served uncovered so that would retain some of the crunchiness. The ""Wild Mushroom"" ragout was the single worse example of ""chophouse"" mushrooms I've ever experienced. They were rubbery and without any flavor. The wait staff appeared to be short staffed. The overflowing garbage cans in the women's filthy bathroom completed the experience. After reading the many reviews, I had high hopes for both the event space and restaurant. Now I have neither, our table's consensus was that the restaurant was on the cusp, either of greatness or the slide into the sea of Raleigh's many mediocre restaurants.
Pros: The space is beautiful, the food presentation is lovely.
Cons: Overall better quality control is needed throughout both front of the house and in the kitchen.
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