Review of La Residence, Chapel Hill

            La Residence has a reputation as THE fine dining establishment of Chapel Hill.  Since 1976, they have been serving an American twist on French food.  I know that La Residence was even the place our former governor took his granddaughter for her graduation from UNC.  However, once we got there, we found La Residence to be stunningly…average, at best. 

            Upon walking in, an older female, that appeared to be the manager, asked us if we had reservations.  No greeting, just an annoyed look, as if we were wrong to be customers wanting to eat.  We did have reservations too.  Then, since they open at six and we were there right on time, they sat us right next to (almost on top of) the only other people in the place.  Since we had different waitresses, some personal space might be nice, even one table in between might have been nice.  Still speaking of the manager, during our appetizer course, as she was patrolling the only two occupied tables in the place like a hawk, the cell phone of the woman at the other table rang loudly, playing some rap song.  The manager, rather loudly while walking away, muttered “well, that’s nice” to the woman, as if to scold her for getting a phone call.  Yes, her phone should have been on silent and she should not have been updating her Facebook at dinner, but for the manager to publicly scold a customer, that is rather uncalled for and unforgivable. 

            For our appetizer, we ordered the beef short rib.  The shredded short rib was combined in a circle mold with blanched carrots and celery.  The potato gnocchi, blue cheese crumbles, and microgreens were also included mixed into this dish along with a brown sauce.  The short rib was flavorless and barely at room temperature.  The carrots and celery added an unwelcome crunchy texture to what should be a smooth short rib.  The blue cheese crumbles were so minute that we actually had to search the dish to find them.  The gnocchi was overly salty.  Also, I will swear that the sauce was just room temperature beef broth.  While the chef seemed to want the ingredients to stand on their own merits without spices or flavorings, they flopped in taste.  It was a rather pathetic excuse for fine dining cuisine. 

            Megan ordered the Seared Scallops.  For the $26 price, she received three large scallops.  They were served along with small rock shrimp over fregola pasta with truffled lobster cream.  It was adorned with radicchio and a few sprouts, as well as a few golden chanterelle, that were actually very dark brown, not golden at all.  By sprouts, they apparently meant brussel sprouts, which Megan actually detests.  It would have been nice if the menu were more clear in the descriptions.  We didn’t actually find any hint of bacon in the fregola or anywhere else in the dish.  The scallops were cooked well and were quite sweet, but again, there was no seasoning in this dish.  The lobster cream looked more foam-like than cream based and also lacked any lobster flavor.  Don’t get me wrong, the ingredients in this dish are fairly exotic, but their quality or perhaps the quality of their cooking did not live up to even the mildest expectations. 

            I ordered the Vermillion Snapper.  I would have expected a $25 price for Red Snapper, which grows larger and has a more full flavor than the more common Vermillion Snapper.  However, I got neither.  After ordering the dish, our waitress told me that they were substituting Monkfish.  Reluctantly, I went with it anyway.  The fish was a meatier fish, but the skin was still on it, which is repulsive to some customers.  The fish could have benefited from seasoning (again) and an actual sauce.  Technically, it came with a sauce vierge, but the “virgin sauce” was just a light drizzle of lemon juice without the traditional olive oil, chopped tomato, or basil.  My potato and dill gnocchi were sautéed until they were blistered crunchy, instead of the soft, pillowy goodness that they should be.  The remainder of the dish was carrot shavings, pearl onions that were only partially cooked, and peas. 

            I should have read the reviews before we went.  Everyone kept saying that they restaurant has been in an accelerated decline in the last few months.  With the super rude, condescending manager, a waitress that was polite but rather uninformed about the dishes, sub-par food being billed as fine dining, and the persistent flies around the restaurant (we killed three during our dinner), we will not be coming back, ever.  This was one of the most unsuccessful meals from start to finish that we have ever reviewed.  Their reputation is that of a great restaurant, but our experience couldn’t be further from great. 

Category	Scale 1-5 stars
Food Quality
Food Creativity
Service
Atmosphere
Value for the price

Review of The Midtown Grille, Raleigh

            Let’s start off by getting right to the point.  Chef Scott James, quite possibly, is the best chef at the best restaurant in all of Raleigh.  Yes, it was just that good.  I’ll understand if you stop reading now, as long as you are on your way to the Midtown Grille.  Without question, if there is a special occasion or even an elaborate date, then this is the place to go. 

            Our waiter, Chad, was incredibly informed.  He had previously sampled all of the dishes, could explain any ingredient, and could offer an honest opinion on the dishes.  He made our dining experience very pleasurable and was one of the most helpful waiters that I have ever seen.  The regionally seasonal menu that they have left us with many fresh and creative options to choose from.  In fact, we had much difficulty deciding what to choose given all of the appealing options.  

            With a plethora of specials to choose from (three appetizers and three entrées), our ears perked up when Chad mentioned the Chef’s Macaroni & Cheese.  While it technically was an entrée, he told us that people have ordered it as a shared appetizer.  Megan and I could not resist it.  It arrived in a large, oval casserole dish.  The Vermont Cabot Sharp Cheddar melted through the elbow macaroni.  The cheese sauce was very thick and stuck to the noodles perfectly.  The dish was topped with finely crumbled Ritz crackers and then lightly browned.  It was amazing.  Megan typically compares Macaroni & Cheese to her Grandmother’s, which is great.  Chef James made the first Macaroni and Cheese that is as good as, if not better, than Gran’s.  That is saying something. 

            Megan ordered the Swordfish as her entrée.  The grilled swordfish was served over a lemon and wilted arugula risotto with a red pepper piquillo butter plated at the bottom.  Roasted red peppers and arugula then topped the beautifully cooked swordfish.  Three jumbo NC white shrimp that were a slightly sweet accompaniment to the dish, then adorned the tower of food. Not only was the meal visually stimulating, but the taste was fantastic.  Megan describes it as being perfect, just perfect.  In fact, I was consistently trying to steal bites of her dinner whenever she looked away.   

            I ordered what Chad said was one of the Chef’s signature dishes, the Seared Diver Scallops.  The scallops were seared golden brown on all 360 degrees, almost appearing as if they were fried, but the inside was fresh, lightly opaque, and deliciously sweet.  The four huge scallops were stacked upon a lattice of asparagus, intricately laid out as if the chef was playfully building a log cabin out the vegetable.  Surrounding the scallops was a cauliflower veloute combined with capers, golden raisins, and pancetta.  This dish was very good.  The scallops were bronzed perfectly, but as with most scallop dishes, the four scallops on the dish made me wish for more, despite their impressive size.  The saltiness of the capers and the sweetness of the raisins were a nice addition to the veloute.  While I thought it could use a little more salt to balance the normally bland flavor of cauliflower, the sauce was unexpected and a perfect accompaniment and balance to the sweet scallops.  I would recommend this dish, but I almost wish I tried the Chef’s other specialty, the Ancho chili and espresso rubbed NY Strip as it looked amazing when our neighboring table ordered it.

            For dessert, we ordered the Vanilla Mascarpone Cheesecake.  Wow!  The cheesecake was super creamy and had a thick graham cracker crust.  (We thought the graham cracker crust tasted like it was infused with a ginger snap taste, but our waiter told us we were mistaken.)  The cheesecake had a layer of vanilla-infused mascarpone on top that was delightful.  The triangular plate was drizzled with strawberry and raspberry sauces with the cheesecake placed on top.  Two raspberries adorned the top of the cake.  It was seriously wonderful and a fabulous way to finish our meal.  

            Our evening at The Midtown Grille was wonderful.  In fact, my biggest and only complaint is that their website isn't updated with their summer dinner menu.  We would gladly recommend this restaurant to everyone.  In fact, for any birthday, holiday, or special occasion, this is the restaurant at the top of our list.  Chef Scott James is an artist who has placed the Midtown Grille at the top of Raleigh’s restaurant world.  While it was an expensive evening, this is the place to go for a world-class meal. 

Category	Scale 1-5 stars
Food Quality
Food Creativity
Service
Atmosphere
Value for the price

Review of Nonna's Restaurant, Lillington

     In Lillington, there are not many restaurants to choose from.  So, when a good one comes along, you had better believe that people notice.  Nonna's Restaurant may have its flaws, but their pizza is definitely the best in Harnett County.  While we have been to Nonna's many times, we tend to order the same things.  Once you make a find, rarely do you need to change it.

     We start off every meal with the Cheesy Garlic Bread.  The picture is of a large order.  Calling a spade, a spade, the bread is a just a fresh sub roll that is split open.  Then it is topped with minced fresh garlic and butter.  It is then topped with the most amazing mozzarella cheese.  Now, I know it is not fresh mozzarella, but this cheese is magical.  Really, the cheese makes this dish.  The bread is then lightly toasted and served with marinara sauce.  The sauce is a thicker tomato sauce, which definitely fits my preference.


     Our main dish is pizza.  The dough is made fresh on site.  The marinara sauce is used on the pizza and then it is covered with the mozzarella cheese.  We tend to order extra cheese on our pizza since it really is a great cheese that they use at Nonna's.  Our other toppings are always pepperoni and black olives.  The pepperoni is great.  Large, thin slices of pepperoni dot the pizza and are then topped with cheese.  The pizza is perfectly browned.  It really is the best pizza in the county.

     While we have tried the pasta dishes and been largely unimpressed, the pizza is spectacular.  I would continue to eat the cheesy garlic bread and pizza every day of the week.    The service can be a little slow occasionally, but the pizza is worth the wait.  Nonna's will be our pizza staple for as long as we still live in Harnett County.

Category	Scale 1-5 stars
Food Quality
Food Creativity
Service
Atmosphere
Value for the price