NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 14:40:13 EDT Organization: Road Runner - NC Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu triangle.dining:16100 I realize that this restaurant in Hillsborough has only been open for 3 weeks, but they have a long way to go to meet their "dine in casual elegance" moniker. This is not the place to go if one truly enjoys good food, particularly steak, which is supposedly their specialty. I ordered a 7 oz. filet mignon, which turned out to be the absolute worst piece of beef I've ever been served! It was overcooked, tough and resembled a hamburger patty! I had to drown it in steak sauce just to chew the steak and give it some semblance of flavor. If I go out to a "good' restaurant and order beef, I expect it to 'melt in my mouth'. Don't count on this at Heartland. Sure, I'm willing to say that I caught the cook having a bad day and the Host did cut $15 off of the price. My wife had stuffed chicken and it was very good. We had crabcakes and salad as appetizers, which were for the most part good. Our waitress was new, but very courteous. It appears their entire staff are fairly new at the restaurant 'biz', including host staff, so hopefully they'll improve over time. Another couple of peeves and I'll let it go. They still have no after dinner coffees, i.e. espresso (coming soon) and no presentation wine list (the waitress has to pull a card to show you their selections). I'd rate Heartland no more than a fork & a half. Hopefully, they'll improve with time...
Raleigh-Durham, NC