Line Dempsey
Google
Somewhat disappointing experience. The ambiance and location are spot on for a cool Durham location, and the rooftop bar is very nice. Unfortunately, what is made up in esthetics, fell a bit short for my tastes with my entree. I tried out the linguini with clams and fennel. I was a bit skeptical at first, and those fears proved true. The marriage of the licorice flavor with the sungold tomatoes was just more than I could handle. Alas, the flavor of the dish without the twi would likely be too bland. The wife had the roast chicken and she was quite happy with it. I tried several bites, and it was cooked to perfection, quite juicy. We did have a NC smoked fish dip with chips, and it was decent, but not enough to warrant a second time if we were to return. As far as cocktails, I had a negroni (with aperol as requested) while my wife had a specialty cocktail (the botanical). While acceptable, in this day and age of craft cocktails, this is where this restaurant could shine. Finally, Phoebe Lawson is known for her Scratch bakery ( which is aptly found at "pie fantasy" dot com)... but no such pastries were to be found on the menu. The only baked goods were a shortcake (covered with stone fruits and olive oil ice cream or a brownie with milk chocolate peanut crunch). Mediocre and we sadly won't likely return for another $70 meal.