You can choose a tabletop inside or a table outside if the weather is nice enough. I did feel a little cramped and it was awkward that there was a soda machine close-by but was only for servers to use; I felt like my table was near the server prep station, not in my own part of the restaurant.  The service is just okay here, not as good as it used to be. We’ve eaten here before and wonder if the restaurant is under new management.

For our meals, we each selected the Pollo Cardinale sandwich. It had sundried tomatoes and chicken on it so it was my obvious choice. I wasn’t sure how it was going to taste since it also had eggplant, hummus, ranch and pesto. I was pleasantly surprised that this cacophony of ingredients blended well and was rather tasty!

We ate up our sandwiches and chips and sodas and then left. While the sandwich I had was tasty, I don’t know that I would eat here often as our entire meal cost about $25 after chips, sodas and a tip for our “one-stop” server. It was a little pricey for me considering it’s just lunch.

We ordered the Tomato and Goat cheese Bruschetta (I love bruschetta!) as an appetizer and two fountain sodas to start. The bruschetta came out and it looked good but unfortunately it missed the mark a bit. The balsamic dressing was actually a balsamic syrup which was a little too thick. This was not the best bruschetta I’ve ever eaten. Moving on to dinner!

My boyfriend ordered the prime rib and I ordered the baby back bbq ribs. While we waited for our meal, I noticed that while the restaurant has an upscale, classy look to it, many little corners and areas of the dining area have dust and dirt in them. There is also a slight mildew smell in the restaurant which was a little off-putting when mixed in with the smell of the food. We were served a portion of bread or rolls while we waited.

Our server was nice but was really busy with a bigger table next to us. While we were able to get our appetizer, drinks and pre-dinner bread in a fairly timely manner, it could have come a little faster.

Our food came out and we dug in. My baby back ribs were crusty on top which for me is a sign of burnt. I picked off most of the charred fat/skin/meat and didn’t have much left to eat. The bbq sauce wasn’t what I was expecting, it was more like a bbq-like sauce. I didn’t like the cole-slaw and so I munched on my fries which were probably the best part of my meal. Hello $25 french fries.

The prime rib looked good and tasted alright but was a little on the fatty side. We’ve definitely had better prime rib than the one we had here at Winston’s.

Once the plates were cleared it was time to order dessert: the awe-inspiring, amazing, wonderful, must-have Bananas Foster. I’m not a huge fan of bananas anything but I was willing to give it a shot. Out came a huge glump of banana-y deliciousness. I’m not sure what went into it but imagine a sweet puff pastry of sorts with bananas and drizzled in caramel with a lump of vanilla ice cream. Or maybe it was whipped cream. Not sure. Probably both.

Dessert was indeed good. For $8, it better have been good!

In all we spent $75.43 before tip. If the food had been delicious and we’d eaten all of it, it would have been worth it. Unfortunately, Winston’s just seemed to be a whole lot of pretentiousness that left me wanting more: if not for dessert I would have left hungry.

We arrived around 7:15 and the place was busier than I thought they would be. We have driven past the plaza a few times and it usually seems pretty empty, but that night we had to drive around a few times to find a parking spot.

Lafayette Village is really a unique place with several shops and restaurants. There’s a fountain in one of the courtyard areas and the way the building is designed, you really feel like you are in a European village.

We walked over to Paparazzi and were greeted by two hostesses. You could smell the woodfire grill cooking up something delicious and I couldn’t wait to see the menu. We didn’t have a reservation but were seated in less than five minutes (which is a bit of a miracle for a Friday night).

Our server arrived and launched into his welcome, handing us the menu and detailing the specials. I had to ask him a few times to repeat a few items he mentioned since he said the dish names with a bit of an accent and I had no clue what he was talking about.

He asked if we’d like a drink and I deferred to my date: “Hmmm, I don’t know. Are you going to get something?” He said he was fine and would start off with water and looked back to me for what my final choice was but the server muttered a “very well” and went off. I supposed I’d be getting a water as well, unless he could read my mind and was going to bring me the amaretto and cola drink I was craving (he didn’t).

I tried to find something familiar on the menu but didn’t have much luck. A lot of the items sounded good but had ingredients that I were unsure of. I hate to eat something if I don’t know that I’ll enjoy it, especially at a restaurant where I have to pay for something I end up not liking. I didn’t want seafood, pizza or steak and was hoping for a cheese-stuffed pasta. Fortunately one of the specials of the day was a 4 or 5 cheese ravioli so I decided on that and my date picked a chicken Parmesan dish.

Our server returned to take our order. I thought it was weird that he asked my date what he wanted first (I’ve almost ALWAYS been asked first what I want, and when I worked as a server, I also asked the female first out of courtesy.) and that he didn’t have eye contact with me when I placed my order. Whatever, I figure he’s just busy. Unfortunately he came off as pretentious.

We were so hungry and were hoping for some bread (other tables had a tin of what appeared to be bread, but it was a few minutes til we got one. It contained 3 slices of cold Italian style sliced bread, no butter). We also hoped there would be a salad with our meal but there wasn’t.

We devoured our bread and weren’t given a refill which was disappointing. Maybe they wanted to keep us waiting for our meals so we’d eat everything? Our meals finally did arrive and looked delicious. My sauce was wonderful – I think it was a vodka sauce. The ravioli were a little too al dente for my taste; had they been any more so I would not have been able to eat them. The cheese inside was heavenly though!

My date enjoyed his chicken and pasta. I took a taste but didn’t care for the sauce that was used. It was a red sauce with red pepper which isn’t something I was used to. If you enjoy that sort of sauce, you’d really enjoy this dish.

In all, eating at Paparazzi was a bit of a fizzle for us. Their slogan is “Where every guest is treated like a star.” Unfortunately, I felt more like the hired help. We had to wait for refills on our water, never got more bread and didn’t hear from our server sans order taking and delivery.

The atmosphere is really neat when you walk in, but the two-top tables are so large, you can’t hold an intimate conversation since you are so far away from each other. You have to speak loudly over the noise of other diners and it is likely those seated next to you would be privy to your conversation.

Another thing we did not like is the server and management staff standing against the wall behind our table. One set of managers (shirts, ties) appeared to be discussing business while the server just chilled out and kept an eye on the dining room. I felt like we had to hurry and eat so we’d be out of their way. I didn’t feel like I could relax at all. One server was filling the water glass at the table next to us and went too close to the top of the glass with the water level. Our server stood behind the patron making the “stop” motion (she didn’t see him because she was looking at the glass). The water didn’t spill but he took the glass away and brought a new one out filled within about a half-inch of the top.

This restaurant is a bit of a paradox to me: you’re supposed to be treated like a star and waited on hand and foot, but you gotta wait for a refill of water and don’t get seconds on bread – if you do I’m wondering if I have to ask for them? If not, please take away the empty bread dish. I’d really have liked a salad, too. If your management and staff are going to hang out in a casual manner and discuss business so close to your patrons, then make your restaurant more casual, not a presumptuous/stuffy/high class/laid back sort of place. I felt really confused by the whole experience.

Having said all that, I’d say the place warrants another trip in the future. This time I’ll bring my own bread to snack on while we wait, though.

Tap City is located in the Falls Village shopping center, just off of Falls of Neuse Road (there’s a Chick-Fil-A there and a Panera Bread). We’ve been excited about this location because it’s nice to have a more local bar and grill that doesn’t require a trip downtown if we don’t want to drive, park and walk.

Tap City is a brand-new addition to the North Raleigh food scene and we have to say we haven’t been disappointed thus far. Aside from boasting more than 30 beers on tap and another more than 30 bottled, you’re sure to find something to drink that you really, really like.  If you don’t care for beer, you can get any other beverage or mixed drink from their full service bar.

Enough about imbibing:  let’s talk food.  Our first experience left us drooling for more. We had their southern wings with their sweet with a bit’o'heat Wango Tango sauce. Just the smell gets your taste buds revved up for the burst of flavor you get from this dipping sauce. I don’t do spicy but with a bit of ranch to cut the heat, I enjoyed these wings!

Our second trip was almost a complete bust until our server saved the day. I wish I remembered her name come to think of it…  Anyway, one of us ordered the roast beef sandwich and the other a fish sandwich. I have to tell you that the roast beef sandwich wasn’t good. At.All. It didn’t taste like a flavor I thought should be associated with roast beef. Whether it was my own flavor and taste preferences getting in the way or if Tap City just happened upon a not-so-good flavor combo I don’t know, but I was disappointed and picked at my french fries. I figured I’d just get the sandwich to go and leave well enough alone.

My server wouldn’t hear of it though. She noticed I hadn’t eaten much of my food and asked me if I didn’t care for it. I told her it wasn’t a flavor I was enjoying very much and she IMMEDIATELY got a menu, removed my current plate and helped me pick out something else to eat. I had the Funky Chicken sandwich which hit the spot!

They removed the meal I didn’t like from our bill and couldn’t have treated us better if we’d eaten one of everything off the menu.

This type of excellent customer service will get me to go back to eat at Tap City again. (Don’t worry, our server got extra in her tip for her fantastic efforts).

I recommend you give Tap City a try. It’s a fun little spot with a unique menu and fun wait-staff. Prices are comparable to other similar spots in the area.

The atmosphere at Champs is always energetic, and this day was no exception. The FIFA World Cup was playing on several tvs, and the ceiling hosted flags from the nations represented at the games. Our server was fast and friendly but not overbearing. We ordered chips and salsa for our appetizer as seems to be our trend. I tried out their berry-lemonade (pricier than a soda with one free refill) which was very good and not too tart or acidic at all.

My super-cute date ordered a bacon cheeseburger and I settled on the Cuban grill. It wasn’t a traditional Cuban – which I’ve been craving lately – a pressed Cuban bread sandwich with ham and (usually) pork but sometimes turkey. Slap on some mustard, cheese and a sliced pickle and voila. 

Champ’s Cuban grille takes a little different approach – their ham is paired with a sort of pork-bbq with chopped pickles mixed into the sauce. It certainly didn’t sound like what I wanted, but I was so hungry I figured it would do.

The sandwich didn’t just “do” – it was amazing and delicious. The pickle-bbq-whatever-else-is-in-it sauce was the perfect addition to the ham and the bread. It wasn’t your traditional Cuban obviously, but it sated my longing for one and I’ve been craving another ever since. The chips and salsa were equally delicious, and my date’s burger was also tasty.

The biggest complaint about Champs would probably be that it’s a little on the pricey side for lunch. We paid about $35-40 (after tip) for the burger, sandwich, chips and drinks, what I would have expected to pay for dinner of the same value.

There are three Kanki locations in the Raleigh-Durham area; last night we ate at the Old Wake Forest Road restaurant.

The fun begins as soon as you arrive and walk in past a lovely little koi pond just outside the main doors of the restaurant. The interior is decorated with modern fixtures with a twist of old Japan: super-neat samurai pictures and a set of samurai armor.

We wanted the whole show for our Kanki experience, so we waited for a table with a  grill ready for making teppanyaki fare. Other patrons opted for the bar area or the sushi bar. The grill tables seat about 8 adults, so you may have to wait a minute for there to be enough guests to fill up one table. Waiting doesn’t take long and within a few minutes we were seated with other guests.

Our orders were taken and our hostess brought us hot towels to wash our hands. Two kids at our table ordered cherry cola drinks and were treated to cola with cherry syrup and cherries on top. (It’s nice to note that Kanki did not charge extra for these ‘specialty’ drinks but charged regular drink price).

The sushi menu is quite extensive at Kanki, and there’s a nice selection of sake as well. The dinner menu is easy to interpret and diners can chose from hibachi steak, chicken or shrimp for entrees.

I chose the hibachi steak which was on special, and my date ordered sushi and hibachi chicken and shrimp. We were served soup and salad, portions just large enough to get you from “ohmygoshI’mstarving” to “I’m ready to eat!” without filling you up too much.

Our chef arrived with a cart full of meat, rice and veggies. He was really funny and engaging even though he didn’t speak much English. He interacted with the children at the table, evoking squeals of delight as he flipped knives and griddle flippers and made an onion volcano complete with pyrotechnics. He made a snowman of rice, cracked eggs in midair and made little jokes throughout. He also tossed a bowl of chopped onions into the air and caught it in the top of his chef’s hat. Depending on your chef, some will make rice balls to toss into your mouth, or throw shrimp tails at you.

Everyone gets two shrimp pieces for an appetizer of starts, then a mixture of onions, zucchini and we think cucumber. Next comes the rice and egg combination, then your meat (steak is cooked to order) and finally some grilled mushrooms. You can eat as you go or wait until they’ve cooked up the entire dish.

What we think may be the best part of the Kanki experience is the yum-yum sauce. We don’t know the exact ingredients, but we can say this thin dipping sauce is packed full of delicious yumminess that makes you an instant addict. Your chef will keep your yum-yum sauce (really, that’s the name for it) bowl full, as well as another bowl with a ginger/teriyaki style sauce. If you suddenly find you can’t live without yum-yum sauce, you can purchase a small mason jar of it.

The portions are HUGE and we all had a hard time finishing our meals. It was delicious however, and we had an enjoyable time. The evening was topped off with Kanki’s “dessert shots” which were a pudding/cheesecake/cookie dessert of different flavors served in shot glasses. We tried the mint chocolate and the s’mores flavor and both were delicious.

Entrees cost about $16-19 and kids meals are about $8 each. The entree includes all of the food listed above in a large portion; if you decide to share there is an extra plate cost of about $5-6. My hibatchi steak was on special for $9.99.

The atmosphere is fun, the food is delicious, and the chef’s routines are pure entertainment.

If you are sensitive to smoke from grills then you should be prepared for eating at Kanki. There’s several chefs cooking up at tables at the same time and even though there are large vents above each table, it can get a little smoky. Also, you share your table with other people if your party isn’t large enough to require the whole table. This usually isn’t an issue as most people are friendly, but if you aren’t feeling social or would prefer a more intimate and quiet dinner with your companion(s) then you may want to alert the staff and see if you can have a table with adults only or other smaller parties, or that you’d like a table without children. (Otherwise, watching the looks on kids’ faces is almost as enjoyable as the chefs themselves!)

We were all a little crowded into our places at the table but it wasn’t unbearable. Our hostess had an emergency and had to leave before our entrees were served, but the management and other staff all did their best to accommodate our table and other tables with drink refills and getting our checks out.

While eating at Kanki frequently is not in our budget, it is definitely a place we’d eat at for a special occasion or if we were craving some of their delicious food. Kanki is a great place for birthday parties, too, and celebrants are treated with a song from the staff and the birthday person gets a little sweet treat.

Check out Kanki’s menu and find a location near you at their website here.

Savoy is a smaller restaurant tucked into a shopping center, but it’s super convenient to get to and there’s lots of parking. For the warmer months, patrons can dine outside in a quaint little dining area. Inside, Savoy is warm and inviting. A blue-lighted fish tank gives a soft glow when you first come in; modern light fixtures and contemporary art give the restaurant a swanky and classy feel. First-class service awaits you from the moment you sit down, whether at a booth, table or the bar.

We were seated and quickly greeted by our server. He gave us the wine list and mentioned a few specials but didn’t go into an over-driven sales pitch that left me with my eyes glazed-over. We perused the menu, debating on what to try. The neat thing about Savoy is you can order your meal by selected course menus, or you can order those same selections a’ la carte.

After getting some information [that is, definitions!!!] we settled on ordering a’ la carte. For the first course, we chose duck confit with truffled honey and apple cardamom chutney. Wow, was it ever amazingly delicious. The duck did indeed taste a little like chicken, and the topping was so sweet with the cardamom adding a bit of ginger-like flavor to each bite.

Next up was Savoy’s French onion soup, which in my opinion should be an award-winning French onion soup. Served piping hot in a bowl shortly after we ate our duck, the soup has “caramelized onion, red wine fortified beef broth, and a baked Gruyere crouton” on top. It was absolutely delicious. The serving size was a perfect mete – enough to satisfy you without filling you up.

Our last course was the Crimini stuffed chicken. The chicken was sliced and stuffed with the mushroom mixture, then served atop wonderful mashed potatoes, and asparagus on the side. I’m not a huge fan of asparagus, but even I couldn’t resist how good they tasted.

Savoy’s bar was well-stocked and ready for any manner of mixed drink. I’m not sure what beers, if any, there may be (we didn’t order beer) but their wine list is pretty extensive.

Not only did we enjoy great service and amazing food, but we were REALLY IMPRESSED with Savoy’s incredibly affordable prices. Our first-class dining experience was definitely affordable.

After we finished up our meal, we were given a little treat to take home: two apple muffins with a sugary topping. A delicious way to end our evening!

Savoy would be a great place for dinner to celebrate any special occasion (they take reservations, too) or just for a nice night out. Several businesses meet monthly at Savoy and enjoy an equally delicious and affordable lunch menu. While we dressed up a little for our special occasion, other diners were dressed casually. There weren’t any children at the restaurant during our visit, and I didn’t see any “kid” sections on the menu, but I’d guess that a well-behaved child would be enchanted with the atmosphere and would enjoy some of the menu items.

You can find coupons, specials and other information at Savoy’s website here. They are also on Twitter: @restaurantsavoy