Daniel B.
Yelp
We had an enjoyable meal at Tandem in Carrboro. This is a New American restaurant and bar located in Carr Mill Mall - same development as Harris Teeter, CVS, and Weaver Street Market. There's plenty of free parking.
I recommend Tandem if you're looking for a nice meal out in an elevated, yet relaxed, atmosphere. It's an ideal date spot.
Tandem opened April 8, 2016. It replaced Cafe Symmetry. The restaurant is beautiful and elegant. It's situated inside an old cotton, hosiery, and woolen mill / brick building. Inside, the dining room and bar feature exposed brick and ductwork, old hardwood floors, a large button banquette, starry lighting on the ceiling and Edison bulbs at the bar, pretty flowers, and a picturesque outdoor patio. The outside patio has sun shade sails, but is not covered from rain.
I suggest calling the restaurant at 919-240-7937 or filling out the form on their website at https://bit.ly/3rPe5CY and making a reservation.
At the time of writing this review, Tandem has four food menus: lunch, dinner, light fare, and brunch. I believe brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am-2:30pm. Check Tandem's Facebook (https://bit.ly/3fp6FRO) and Instagram (https://bit.ly/2VrvWUm) for the latest news and specials.
During our visit, daily specials included:
' Tuesday: Half-priced bottles of wine
' Wednesday: Farmer's Plate (I saw on their FB - looks amazing)
' Thursday: Tagine Thursday (I saw on their FB - also looks great)
' Friday: Shrimp & Grits
' Saturday: Saturday Wine Feature
' Sunday: Rose all day
My wife and I visited on a Sunday during the restaurant's "light fare" service, 3:00-5:00pm, between brunch service and dinner service. Here's what we got:
Cocktails:
* Watermelon Spritz ($11) - Libelula tequila, watermelon, lime, chartreuse, sumac-salt rim
* Blue Crush ($12) - Gordon's gin, blueberry-balsamic shrub, Frenet-Branca, lemon
Light Fare:
* Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs ($10) - Latta Farm Eggs, peekytoe crab
* Salmon Rillette ($11) - fresh and smoked, Pernod, creme fraiche
* Burger ($17) - green tomato relish, white cheddar Mornay, "extra fancy" sauce, fried shallots, brioche bun; side choice: fries
* Smoked Pork Ribs ($17) - ginger glaze, herb coleslaw, smoked potato salad
In short, we liked and recommend everything above but the Salmon Rillette. The rillettes looked really good, but unfortunately they didn't taste as good as they looked. The crostini looked like they had been brushed with olive oil. Sadly, they were very hard and stale. The rillette wasn't terrible, just too salty for both of us. I'm usually the first to say if I think something is too salty, rarely my wife. However, this time she agreed with me, so the rillette really must have been quite salty.
All the dishes were plated and presented beautifully. The cocktails looked terrific too. Everything was photogenic.
My wife liked Tandem's Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs. An example of deviled eggs she loves are the ones at JCT. Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta. What I thought was cool about Tandem's deviled eggs is the eggs, which were described as "Latta Farm Eggs" on the menu, are local, organic eggs from nearby Latta's Egg Ranch in Hillsborough, NC. Peekytoe crabs are the same thing as rock crabs or Atlantic rock crabs. Four deviled eggs were served with our order.
Tandem's burger looked amazing and it was very tasty. The patty could have been seasoned better, but the meat quality was good with rich, beefy flavor. We had the burger cooked medium and it was cooked just right. The toppings were wonderful from the zingy green tomato relish, which did a good job of balancing out the overall richness of the burger, to the creamy, luscious, and delectable Mornay sauce. Yum. The fried shallots were a nice touch too, especially texture-wise because of their crispiness. We had a choice of salad or fries to go with the burger and went with the fries. They turned out to be a yummy mountain of salted, skin-on fries with bits of parsley and a side of ketchup. Satisfying comfort food.
The Smoked Pork Ribs, herb slaw, and smoked potato salad were fantastic. The ribs were meaty, seasoned well, flavorful, and tender. They came with a side of BBQ sauce, but they were so tasty on their own, they didn't need it. The herb coleslaw and smoked potato salad were true to their names. The slaw was fresh and crunchy with parsley that definitely made it taste appetizingly herby. The potato salad had a very noticeable and delicious smoky flavor to it. Well done.
Both the Watermelon Spritz and Blue Crush cocktails were excellent. The latter was a recommendation from our server and I'm glad she recommended it because I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise. I saw folks at the bar enjoying their Blue Crush cocktails as well. Both drinks were well-crafted, cold, refreshing, and gratifying.
Service was outstanding. Our server was Ariel and she did a great job. Ariel was really friendly and attentive. She enhanced our dining experience. Thank you, Ariel!