Chris H.
Yelp
A wonderful 4.5 stars for this gem in downtown Durham. My wife and I stopped for a quick dinner on Friday prior to attending a Yelp event at Hi-Wire Brewing, which was a short distance away. We don't often venture to Durham for dinner but, I read previous reviews and we decided to give this place a try.
They don't take reservations and we planned on getting there around 6pm. The restaurant was busy. Luckily for us there was an open table and we were seated right away. The interior is nice with an urban artsy look to it. I really like exposed brick walls, especially in older buildings like this. It added to the eclectic art on the walls and the drawn up cocktail menu above the kitchen serving station. The bar setup was really nice too with the exposed brick walls behind the shelving for bottles. Throwing in the subtle lighting effects adds to the ambiance of the place.
My wife and I each started off with a specialty cocktail. I went with the Figgin' Nuts (Rye, Fig, Black Walnut Bitters, Fig syrup and orange bitters) my wife ordered an Aunt Ginny (Conniption Gin, Cranberry Compote, Barrel Rested Gin, Lime and egg white foam). Both were really good. With the fig syrup, I figured the drink would be sweeter, but it wasn't. I tried the one my wife got. It was a bit more tart but still really good.
For an appetizer we split the roasted Brussel Sprouts. They were seasoned really nicely and had parmesan as a topping, nice touch. For dinner my wife went with the Black Trumpet Meatball Bucatini. She said it was delicious. I sampled a bite and I concurred. There was a nice balance with the meatballs that are made with beef, pork and veal. When we go back I may get this. I went with the Steak Frites. The hangar steak was cooked perfectly. The fries were crispy and seasoned just right.
The desert menu looked fantastic but, we skipped desert on this visit. On the next one we will definitely be splitting one.
We enjoyed our pre-yelp-elite event dinner here. We will, without a doubt, be back again.