"A daring revamp of a long-running Durham institution, the relaunched restaurant preserves its seasonal Southern roots with French and Italian influences while wearing a swanky modern makeover. The new operators kept and reworked signature old-school dishes—such as shrimp risotto and chicken liver mousse—while introducing inventive South-meets-Old-World plates like rye tagliatelle with duck ragout, muscadine saba, and cracklins. The experience is intentionally of-the-moment yet rooted in local history: start with a super-crisp martini and finish with a theatrical hot chocolate bombe accompanied by bourbon caramel ice cream." - Erin Perkins