So I finally made it to Second Empire last night! My wonderful wife was nice enough to take me there for my birthday (#27), and we were lucky enough to have a gift certificate she had previously received to help offset the bill... The Atmosphere: We arrived at 7:30 with reservations for two and were promptly seated. The decor is amazing - beautiful 12' ceilings, hardwood floors, extravagant woodwork, and lots of brass trim. I noticed that the majority of the artwork around the restaurant is by local artists, including some pieces I'd seen at Artspace previously. Each table had a candle (although ours seemed scented, for some reason), and the light was dimmed noticeably as it got later. Jazz standards were played softly through the house PA throughout the evening. It seems we were smart to make reservations. I never thought this could happen in Raleigh on a Monday night, but all of the tables were filled during the course of the evening. You could tell several of them were legislators and lobbyists, but they were quiet and unobtrusive (thankfully). I wore a denim shirt and khakis, and I was the only guy I saw there without a tie on; if you decide to go, I'd also recommend you wear a jacket. The Food: I started with a first course of seared sushi-grade tunaloin strips with bits of corn, cucumber, and mango, topped with frisee and a raspberry vinaigrette. The tuna wasn't overwhelming, and the raspberry flavor worked nicely with the mango and cucumber. Hilary had the bluefin crab salad, which included seaweed, rice wine vinaigrette, ginger, wasabi, and frisee. The dishes resembled each other to some extent but had remarkably different tastes. While this dish was really good, we both agreed that Magnolia Grill probably could've done it better. We were offered two choices of bread with our first course: kalamata olive & rosemary bread or honey cornmeal gread, both of which were warm and delicious. My main course was the beef tenderloin with sugar snaps, wax beans, and yukon gold mashed potatoes with gorganzola, all served in a reduced cherry port sauce. Wow - talk about delicious! The port sauce was thick and sweet without overwhelming. The beef, which was maybe 3" across and 1.5" thick, was cooked to a perfect medium. It was a fairly large portion - guess what I'm eating for lunch tomorrow? Hilary sampled the vegetarian pasta - baby pattypan squash, french green beans, wax beans, grilled fennel, sun-dried tomatoes, and pasta ribbons served over grilled onions in a butter sauce. Very, very good, but very rich with the butter sauce. Definitely not your lowfat fare... The presentation was elaborate - my the food on my dish was stacked in a vertical column, which looked really cool, but it was a little difficult to get started on. Dessert was a tough decision. We opted to pass on the Chocolate "Second Empire" Torte in favor of the Peach and Blueberrry Crisp, the more seasonal dish which played to my weakness for peaches... It featured a thick, sugary crust topped with fresh fruit and homemade vanilla ice cream. The dish was extremely tasty, but it's only detraction was its serving temperature. It would've been superior if it had been served hot instead of at room temperarture (I know, picky picky picky). The Service: I guess the service was okay... I was a little put off by waiting 30 minutes before our orders were taken, but then again our server and his assistant were responsible for five tables who were each seated around the same time. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the service was just "good." There didn't seem to be much "hustle" in the staff - everyone was professional and efficient (and the glasses *did* stay full), but it was a little looser, more relaxed than other places I've been to, even in this area. The Damage: two entrees, two appetizers, one dessert and one bottle of Merlot: $104. Don't get me wrong - Second Empire is one of the premier dining experiences in the Triangle area, by far, and it is most definitely *the* flagship restaurant for downtown Raleigh. But I do think that, for the money, better values are offered at Magnolia Grill, Nana's and Margaux's. Here's a caveat: Second Empire does have a beautiful wine cellar and a basement bar below the restaturant. The bar features a full beer, wine and liquor selection, and you can order selections from the restaturant's dinner menu or the bar's lighter bistro offerings. If you want to sample the flavors, head down here with a group of friends one evening and split something from the kitchen. Eric
Raleigh-Durham, NC
Second Empire review
Hi -- Glad you had a good experience at Second Empire. We went there a couple months ago with an out-of-town guest. It was a nice dinner, but not spectacular. A lot of money was paid for a decent dinner and so-so service. We'd give it another try, but we didn't think it was the greatest. We've had similar experiences at La Residence, 411 West, Olive's and at Margeaux's (although that was their easter brunch, so I may give them another shot). We lived in DC before moving to the Triangle, so we had gotten used to good restaurants. Our experiences with "fine" dining in the Triangle has been mediocre for the most part. We have however had really nice dinners at Cafe Parizade, Aurora, Tartine's, and Fearrington House. Those would top my list of favorites so far for a special occasion dinner. Katie On 11 Aug 1998 16:24:36 -0400, [email removed] (Eric Lamb) wrote: > >So I finally made it to Second Empire last night! My wonderful wife was >nice enough to take me there for my birthday (#27), and we were lucky >enough to have a gift certificate she had previously received to help >offset the bill... > >The Atmosphere: We arrived at 7:30 with reservations for two and were >promptly seated. The decor is amazing - beautiful 12' ceilings, hardwood >floors, extravagant woodwork, and lots of brass trim. I noticed that the >majority of the artwork around the restaurant is by local artists, >including some pieces I'd seen at Artspace previously. Each table had a >candle (although ours seemed scented, for some reason), and the light was >dimmed noticeably as it got later. Jazz standards were played softly >through the house PA throughout the evening. > >It seems we were smart to make reservations. I never thought this could >happen in Raleigh on a Monday night, but all of the tables were filled >during the course of the evening. You could tell several of them were >legislators and lobbyists, but they were quiet and unobtrusive >(thankfully). I wore a denim shirt and khakis, and I was the only guy I >saw there without a tie on; if you decide to go, I'd also recommend you >wear a jacket. > >The Food: I started with a first course of seared sushi-grade tunaloin >strips with bits of corn, cucumber, and mango, topped with frisee and a >raspberry vinaigrette. The tuna wasn't overwhelming, and the raspberry >flavor worked nicely with the mango and cucumber. Hilary had the bluefin >crab salad, which included seaweed, rice wine vinaigrette, ginger, wasabi, >and frisee. The dishes resembled each other to some extent but had >remarkably different tastes. While this dish was really good, we both >agreed that Magnolia Grill probably could've done it better. We were >offered two choices of bread with our first course: kalamata olive & >rosemary bread or honey cornmeal gread, both of which were warm and >delicious. > >My main course was the beef tenderloin with sugar snaps, wax beans, and >yukon gold mashed potatoes with gorganzola, all served in a reduced cherry >port sauce. Wow - talk about delicious! The port sauce was thick and >sweet without overwhelming. The beef, which was maybe 3" across and 1.5" >thick, was cooked to a perfect medium. It was a fairly large portion - >guess what I'm eating for lunch tomorrow? Hilary sampled the vegetarian >pasta - baby pattypan squash, french green beans, wax beans, grilled >fennel, sun-dried tomatoes, and pasta ribbons served over grilled onions >in a butter sauce. Very, very good, but very rich with the butter sauce. >Definitely not your lowfat fare... The presentation was elaborate - my >the food on my dish was stacked in a vertical column, which looked really >cool, but it was a little difficult to get started on. > >Dessert was a tough decision. We opted to pass on the Chocolate "Second >Empire" Torte in favor of the Peach and Blueberrry Crisp, the more >seasonal dish which played to my weakness for peaches... It featured a >thick, sugary crust topped with fresh fruit and homemade vanilla ice >cream. The dish was extremely tasty, but it's only detraction was its >serving temperature. It would've been superior if it had been served hot >instead of at room temperarture (I know, picky picky picky). > >The Service: I guess the service was okay... I was a little put off by >waiting 30 minutes before our orders were taken, but then again our server >and his assistant were responsible for five tables who were each seated >around the same time. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the service >was just "good." There didn't seem to be much "hustle" in the staff - >everyone was professional and efficient (and the glasses *did* stay full), >but it was a little looser, more relaxed than other places I've been to, >even in this area. > >The Damage: two entrees, two appetizers, one dessert and one bottle of >Merlot: $104. > >Don't get me wrong - Second Empire is one of the premier dining >experiences in the Triangle area, by far, and it is most definitely *the* >flagship restaurant for downtown Raleigh. But I do think that, for the >money, better values are offered at Magnolia Grill, Nana's and Margaux's. >Here's a caveat: Second Empire does have a beautiful wine cellar and a >basement bar below the restaturant. The bar features a full beer, wine >and liquor selection, and you can order selections from the restaturant's >dinner menu or the bar's lighter bistro offerings. If you want to sample >the flavors, head down here with a group of friends one evening and split >something from the kitchen. > >Eric >-- > > >------------------------------------------------------------------- >Eric Lamb [email removed] >Raleigh, NC http://www.pagesz.net/~ejlamb/band.html >------------------------------------------------------------------- Our e-mail address has been modified to derail those dreaded spammers. To reply by e-mail, take out all of the x's.
I didn't mean to sound so negative in my post. It's just that I think some of the nicer restaurants around here are overpriced for what they offer. I expect a lot, including professional service, when I go to one of these places. We always hear great things about restaurants and build them up in our minds, and then when we get there our experience doesn't live up to the expectations. You're right about Margeaux's, though... we'll have to try them again one of these days. My husband's actually the one that likes the fancier restaurants much more than I do. I don't mind paying if they have good food and provide a good experience, but more often than not, I feel annoyed with the cost. That's what happened to us at Second Empire. I agree with you that it's really a lovely house, the woodwork is beautiful, and it's very classy... but my dinner there was just okay, my husband says his was good (not great), the waitress was so-so... had our dinner served about 5 minutes after our salads. She couldn't open the wine bottle. You see what I'm saying... It was a pleasant evening, but we paid a lot for it and it could have been better. Personally, I'd rather pay half the price and get a great meal at a little ethnic restaurant like Mi Tierra. Katie On 13 Aug 1998 15:41:09 -0400, [email removed] (Eric Lamb) wrote: >Someone wrote: >>Hi -- >> >>We've had similar experiences at La Residence, 411 West, Olive's and >>at Margeaux's (although that was their easter brunch, so I may give >>them another shot). > >Ouch. I hear their special occasion brunches are insane. Go on a normal >night and see if you like it any better. I went to Parizade during Duke's >graduation weekend and said I'd never go back, but then that really wasn't >a fair audition, was it? > >La Res used to be a lot better, too. > >Eric >-- > > >------------------------------------------------------------------- >Eric Lamb [email removed] >Raleigh, NC http://www.pagesz.net/~ejlamb/band.html >------------------------------------------------------------------- Our e-mail address has been modified to derail those dreaded spammers. To reply by e-mail, take out all of the x's.
Eric L. wrote: > Ouch. I hear their special occasion brunches are insane. Go on a normal > night and see if you like it any better. I went to Parizade during Duke's > graduation weekend and said I'd never go back, but then that really wasn't > a fair audition, was it? I'd have to concur. I went to Parizade last year for a department lunch at work, and also said I'd never go back . . . It was disappointing even with the company picking up the tab. The decor was interesting, but that's not enough to bring me back to eat. Kent [email removed]
On 11 Aug 1998 16:24:36 -0400, [email removed] (Eric Lamb) wrote: > >The Damage: two entrees, two appetizers, one dessert and one bottle of >Merlot: $104. > >Don't get me wrong - Second Empire is one of the premier dining >experiences in the Triangle area, by far, and it is most definitely *the* >flagship restaurant for downtown Raleigh. But I do think that, for the >money, better values are offered at Magnolia Grill, Nana's and Margaux's. >Here's a caveat: Second Empire does have a beautiful wine cellar and a >basement bar below the restaturant. The bar features a full beer, wine >and liquor selection, and you can order selections from the restaturant's >dinner menu or the bar's lighter bistro offerings. If you want to sample >the flavors, head down here with a group of friends one evening and split >something from the kitchen. > >Eric I tried it when it first opened and although the decor was nice, I was very unimpressed with the food. But, that was a while ago and I am hearing pretty good things about it lately. I'm considering trying it agian. I strongly disagree that it is *the* flagship for downtown Raleigh whatsoever. 518 West, 42nd Street, 607, and Wicked Smile are all within a couple of blocks of Second Empire. I have always been happy with all of these restaurants. I would place the Wicked smile and 607 as being a finer restaurant anyday. Not to mention, Glenwood Grill and Bloomsbury Bistro which are right up Glenwood. Until I try Second Empire for a second time, all of these restaurants have been better dining experiences for my wife and I.