09/24/09

Unbelievable

by DTR Diner Patron

Last night (09/24/09) several of my co-workers and I dined in your restaurant. I must say that I was hesitant to accept the invitation as my three prior dining experiences have not been pleasurable…but I decided to give Poole's one more try. Unfortunately I must say you failed miserably. This was my fourth and final time that I will ever dine in your establishment. Each time I have dined in your restaurant your staff tries to encourage my dinner party to split up and dine at separate tables and or eat in shifts. Your staff while they are polite…they are not friendly nor are they focused on making it a wonderful dining experience. The size of your portions have gotten smaller while the prices have continued to increase. For what one pays to dine at your restaurant one would expect a larger portion, a printed menu and a friendlier staff.

• Pros: walking distance from my home
• Cons: wait time, pricing, wait staff

08/19/09

Wonderful anniversary dinner

by natesmom

My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary here on Friday 8/14. It was a pefect evening and we enjoyed every morsel of every dish. We knew Poole's was known for fresh, local, made to order, high qualifty food, and we were not disappointed.

If you want GIANT portions for a bargain price- this is NOT the restaurant for you.

If you are a very picky eater-probably also not the place for you, since the menu changes daily and has a small number of choices based on the availability of local, in-season food.

But if you are a "foodie" at heart- you will be in heaven!

PS....we had great service, and our waiter, Fern, was the best!

• Pros: First class, local food
• Cons: not for Golden Corral lovers

08/15/09

Pooles was a disaster!

by JHW

When we first arrived, the host said the wait was 20 minutes. We waited an hour and a half, but had a drink and were in good spirits. We were seated at the worst table in the place, right by the kitchen with the constant "thunk" of the door and a strobe light that would blind us on a regular basis. But again, the place was busy so we weren't upset.

Then, they told us they were out of the roast chicken. They had previously run out of another one of their five entrees. So before 8:30, this place had run out of two of their five entrees. And, honestly, if you have pretentions of being a bistro, you need to have enough chicken.

This was getting obnoxious, but we decided to stay. Our first course was an heirloom tomato salad. It came and it was pretty good--which means they actually seasoned the tomatoes. But it was listed as a vinaigrette and there was no vinegar, just oil. The waiter came and told us all about the five kinds of tomatoes in the salad, but we could only see three. It turns out they were out of the fancy kind of heirloom tomatoes.

We asked the waiter if they run out of food here often and he replied "absolutely!" as though it was something to be proud of.

At this point, we just wanted to get our entrees, eat and leave because we had been there for two hours already. After the waiter took our salad plates, it was 40 minutes before our entrees arrived. They must have messed them up and re-did them because towards the end of our wait, the kitchen staff kept bringing out plates that we had not ordered and could not eat (because so many people have allergies to shellfish, it is not a good idea to bring out a plate of oysters without asking first).

The whole thing took three hours! By the end, I was just exhausted. Of I decide to devote an entire evening to dining out, I expect an experience. This place gave me an experience, but not one I'm anxious to have again.

• Pros: uh. . .
• Cons: See below

07/17/09

What a great find!

by chclcc

Poole's has a great atmosphere and the food is always amazing! Service can be slow if they are full and it is pricey but we'll definitely go back. The fried oysters on the corn and cucumber salad was a delightful surprise. The beet salad was a great mix of flavors. The mac and cheese was amazing. All in all, a great night out!

• Pros: The oysters, the mac and cheese, the okra
• Cons: Not many beers on tap

06/10/09

Excellent food

by darlla

They like to serve things they make themselves, so they even make their own butter. When the server told me it was homemade, it made sense why it tasted so good and why I couldn't stop smearing my bread with it.

All the dishes I've tried here have been fabulous. Raleigh is lucky to have such a talented chef in our midst.

I felt the service was a tad bit slow when I dined during a weeknight, I didn't necessarily mind it because I wasn't in any particular hurry. We were never treated badly.

I don't mind the chalk board menus, they add to the ambiance of this place and they are easy to see from any table.

I get a little annoyed at the a la carte prices of the sides, and even the bread. I don't think a restaurant should charge extra for bread. But it won't stop me from dining here.

04/05/09

How kind of them to allow us to dine?????

by RSorrell

For years now, our small group of ladies have dined all around the downtown area prior to attending plays. We can, usually, make reservations (not here) and request separate checks ( also not here). We were haughtily informed of their no reservation policy when we called but chose to dine there in spite of the attitude. The bartender was most accomodating and allowed us to taste several wine selections as we waited for a table. Wish I could say the same for the wait staff. They were aloof and did not volunteer any helpful menu info nor did our server offer to refill drinks. They placed the food on the table and walked away without saying a word. And yes the food was overpriced for what was once a LUNCEONETTE that hasn't really done much at all to improve the original interior - same cheap tables and now chalkboard menus! Please!! The exterior looks like you're entering a "dive". And don't forget the charge for bread even if the "butter is homemade" . Give me a break - what a dissappointment. With the economy in a downturn, one would think they might appreciate the business - but no - we felt as though they were doing us a favor by allowing us to enter in and partake of their fare. Come on - give us good food, great service and a nice atmosphere - then you can charge those chic high prices.

• Pros: Food was very tasty
• Cons: Very snooty servers / too expensive

03/29/09

Inhospitable host?

by StreetSmart

What a grump ... No eye contact nor a smile, let alone a single word uttered from him the entire 90 minutes we were trapped waiting for food. Bearing in mind now, we only ordered eggs! When you are paying over the odds for meals, service is a factor.

It took 50 minutes for two of our party to get their meal and another 10 for the third member. No one could actually eat of course as we didnt get any silverware, so I went on a scavenge.

Also, $4 for two slices of toast without butter or preserves. Tut Tut.

• Pros: Course the food when it finallyy arrived was delish!
• Cons: The Man in Black

02/15/09

Royale is just right! Call them tonight for take out............they won't do it till we ask!

by Weddo

We went to Poole's and had the Royale and the mac and cheese. Both were very good! Unfortunately, about a week later, we had sick kids and called for take out. Whoever answered the phone was totally uncool and said that they didn't "do" take out. I asked them if I ordered there, would they give me a box to put it in and he said "yes", so I said, "go ahead and cook 2 and put them in a box, I'll be there in 15 minutes." He got all whiny and told me that he didn't take orders and I would have to come in to order. I am very surprised that in this economic climate, a restaurant is too good to take the money and run! this being said, I challenge you all to call, whether you want take out or not, and ask for it! If they get enough flack for being so picky, they might actually come back to earth and sell food to their customers, whatever their timeframe may be. Do it, I dare you to challenge their dine in only attitude!!!!

• Pros: Great food
• Cons: Lame service, no take out

02/12/09

yes I was a virgin!!!!! wow

by kekel

It was my first time, but will definitely not be my last. Everything sounded so tempting I wanted to try everything, and I did. Eveything from the starters (the pimento cheese) to the salads ( the bibb) to the sides (MAC AND CHEESE & cauliflower) to the entree the lamb cheeks and then desert, Unbelievable Wow! And yes I could not stand up to leave so I asked the wonderful server if I could press replay. Oh and the wine!!! The exciting thing is that everything is fresh and locally grown and a few items stay on the chalk board, sadly some of the things change, but isnt change supposed to be the spice of life. This is definitelty a must try newer resturant, although you will find the chef Ashley is most certainly not new to us here in raleigh. Cant wait for my next adventure. Enjoy...... Shawn Von Kekel food fanatic

• Pros: wonderful
• Cons: no reservations taken

01/25/09

Beware of the Sneaky Overpriced "Specials"

by LoveMyPug

The short ribs - fantastic - $18. The New York Strip "special" - OK, but not great - $36. Wow, what a shocker. I think I speak for most people when I say that the average restaurant go-er expects that most "specials" be somewhat within the price range of most of the other menu items. Imagine our surprise when the bill came! Furthermore, if you feel that you need to price a special double the regular menu items, make sure the waitstaff is advising people of the prices of the specials when they tell their tables about them. I just found that to be downright sneaky. Otherwise, the food was good and the beer selection was awesome. It's a shame that such an unpleasant surprise sullied what would have otherwise been a good dining experience. ASK about the pricing of the specials because the servers WILL sneak one in on you! $36 for a steak and french fries? Come on...

• Pros: great beer selections, better than average food
• Cons: annoying chalkboard menus, noisy, the "grab you ankles specials"