Herons

My husband took me to Heron's for my 50th birthday. Everything about the restaurant was flawless. The waitstaff was very attentive and efficient, the food was interesting and delicious. This restaurant is a culinary delight. Manhattan and Paris have nothing on you Heron's. more

I recently visited this restaurant as part of a mother-daughter-granddaughter annual tradition. We missed our existing reservation, and the manager of the restaurant informed us that he was doing his last lunch seating. He then said that it would be in our best interest to dine in the bar and lounge. The manager's tone and choice of words were very demeaning (don't tell me what's in my best interest). Also, we had my 2-year-old with us and she did not need to be at the bar! Everyone that was already seated in the restaurant, to put it frankly, did not look like anyone in my family and from my experience, we were made to feel unwelcomed. Thanks to Matthew at the front desk, who was very friendly, I may visit the spa again, but NEVER the restaurant!! more

Our anniversary celebration began in the bar lounge area. Very nice, elegant area. Our table in Herons was ready promptly. Overall it was a very good dining experience. Presentation was lovely. First courses: steak tartar; sea scallops. Second course: frisee salad; signature ceasar salad. Third: wild striped bass; pheasant breast. Good selection of wines by the bottle. We enjoyed the Patz & Hall Pinor Noir Chenoweth Ranch ?07. The only misstep would be that the pheasant, although moist & tender had been over salted. During the course of the dinner I had commented to my husband that I wanted to return the following weekend with family who would be visiting, who also enjoy fine dining. The wonderful experience ended abruptly when our server, after coming to the table to ask if the check was ?set to go? and my husband replied that it was, returned to our table and said in a very unpleasant voice that could definitely be heard by the next table, ?Mr.____, unfortunately you didn?t give me anything to process.? as she held open the check wallet for all to see. My husband assured her that he had given her his credit card. Just then another server came up behind her & handed her our card. Apparently she dropped it on the floor. We felt humiliated by her actions. A better approach would have been to discretely return to our table & excuse herself, stating the problem. When she returned she gave us a quick ?sorry? and was on her way. We then retreated to the outdoor patio to enjoy our wine by the outdoor fireplace. As we sat there I became more bothered by the way we were treated. We brought it to the attention of the hotel manager, who passed us on to the restaurant manager, who also doubles as the sommelier. We explained our discomfort & humiliation to him. He also said that he was sorry, but in a way that was lacking any sincerity. He said that he would speak to the server, but that ?unfortunately the situation does not warrant any type of compensation.? We were not looking for a discount, but some type of good will gesture that would redeem the restaurant for their servers? lack of tack. We have been patrons of the Umstead in the past, both spa & dining and will not return. My husband?s go-to choice should have been mine as well; The Second Empire, where service and food has never disappointed. more

Okay, we were told that we could only get a 7:30pm reservation. We get there and the place is empty. They sit us next to the door. The food is terribly overpriced. They also have really no good vegetarian options. Beware the root vegetable option for $28 is laughable and insulting to vegetarians. I'm surprised the chef couldn't think of something better. more

Had I been in France, I might have expected the slow service. I realize preparing great food requires time, but this was almost insufferable. I think they had to go outside to the barn and garden to gather up what they needed once we got there! Pros: good bar service, food attractively displayed/served Cons: slow as Christmas more

There is a new Chef at this place and let me tell you he on top of his game. I had a great lunch with friendly service and will return for dinner. It is nice to have such a fine-dining place here in the Raleigh area. Pros: Some of the freshest food in Raleigh Cons: a little expensive but worth it more

You can thank the manager of Heron's for losing two stars, otherwise I would have rated this a 5-star. The restaurant is not only beautiful but the food was fantastic. Our waitor was very kind, helpful and knowledgable of the menu and food items. The only problem I had with the restaurant was the manager. He seemed to follow around the employees like they were children, which made me very uncomfortable. I also caught him yelling at one of his employees in clear view of the restaurant. To me, it seemed as though he was very unprofessional for such a high class eating establishment. If they were to lose the manager and get a decent replacement, this restaurant would sure be a 5 star. Pros: Beauty of the restaurant, amazing food, great environment Cons: Manager was very unprofessional and ruined our dining experience more

My friends and I dined at Heron's tonight for the first time. What a disappointment!!! Our initial reception was excellent which led us to expect a wonderful evening, but it was not to be. Our waiter was obsequious at first and then seemed to forget that we were there. My salad came out 10 minutes after everyone else had been served and when it arrived it was both hot and cold. A friend ordered the ""Fire and Ice"" which he promptly sent back as inedible; frozen lettuce with hot bacon grease poured over it. Think about it. My husband said it looked like something the chef had fished out of the trash. Our main courses all arrived at the same time, but not one of them was warmer than room temperature. Just think about room temp lobster in butter sauce. We were so disgusted by then that we skipped dessert. We had already spent $100 per person for bad service and worse food. Our waiter, however, did know his wines and when they were out of the one we ordered, he recommended an excellent replacement; the one highlight of the evening. We asked him to write it down for us, but, of course, that never happened. I recommend you spend your money elsewhere. There are really good restaurants in the area. We get much better food at home. Pros: nice ambiance Cons: bad service, worse chef more

My wife and I had the privilege to spend our 10th wedding anniversary dinner at Herons last Friday August 22. This is by far one of our best dining experiences that we ever had. We both have years of experience in the food and wine industry in Los Angeles, New York City and Raleigh, both in front and back of the house. Pros: Food, Service and Ambience more

I was pretty disappointed with my experience here. My meal was only $200 for two, so for an upscale dinner that isn't too bad. I felt like they wanted so badly to be Manhattan and are not even close. I paid $16 for a scallop appetizer. Two scallops, tiny, cold, and gritty. My wine was not brought to the table before any course, the food always made it first. Tut tut. To their credit they did remove the scallops from the bill. The hubby ordered Lamb chops with braised lamb on top. $32, for one small chop and perhaps two tablespoons of braise on top. Not really tasty or exciting either. See what I mean? You expect to pay a lot for food in NYC, but not in BFE Cary. Someone send these nice folks an Atlas please. Pros: Pretty dining room Cons: overpriced, stuffy, was afraid to laugh outloud more

We had dinner w/ a couple of friends from out-of-town and had a magnificent evening. The staff was attentive w/o being stifling, knowledgeable w/o being pretentious. The amuse-bouche was a delightful shredded apple treat that set the standard for the meal. Each of us ordered a fish entree and we were completely pleased w/ the freshness and perfect preparation. We have eaten in every restaurant in the Triad and Triangle which seems to be generally considered ""outstanding"", and none exceed the experience we enjoyed @ Heron's in October, 2007. The entire restaurant appeared to be populated w/ an array of laughing, comfortable patrons. Perhaps the spectacular wine list was the catalyst. Pros: complete package more

My friends treated me for the afternoon tea. I can say it was pricey, but worth the atmosphere, and the courses served with the tea selection were excellent. A classical guitarist was playing softly, the day we visited. I would come for special occasions only, because of the price. Pros: Ambience Cons: Price more

We visited Herons based on the hype and excitement around its grand opening and was quite disappointed. The service was indeed excellent and the servers were attentive and friendly. However, the food was horrible. The seafood dishes were extremely bland and others were either too salty or flavorless. We ordered the Kobe beef which was tender, but was not cooked properly. The lamb chop did not taste fresh and was very gamy. The fish was bland and tasteless. The soup was very salty. We thought that perhaps they had a off night and gave it another try couple of weeks later but yielded the same results. If you do decide to visit the restaurant, expect excellent atmosphere and service, but the food is very far from a 5-star restaurant. There are many other high end restaurants with excellent food and service in the triangle area that makes this restaurant forgettable. I would highly recommend seeking other notable restaurants in the triangle before considering this one. Pros: Excellent Service Cons: Bland dishes, salty soup more

I went last night with my best friend and we had a very nice experience. The staff is attentive without being over-bearing, everyone from the host to the woman who brought us the bread was very congenial. We had the chef's tasting menu, which was probably the best meal of both our lives. Every detail was perfect, the wine was wonderfully matched. The place is expensive, but it's a five star restaurant, so we were prepared. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants a lovely meal and who wants to have good service and an all around good experience. Pros: wine, food, valet, service, ambience Cons: not the cheapest more

First of all, I booked this reservation on the Open Table. When we showed up, the hostess didn't have any record of our reservation. There were at least 20 tables still available and she made a big fuss about having to 'find' us a table. I had ordered the lobster she crab soup for appetizer and my husband ordered the foi-groie for appetizers. The soup was overly salty. We couldn't drink enough water for the entire night because it was so salty. The foi-groie was not good...didn't have any flavor to it and it wasn't seared enough. Guess the heat wasn't high enough. My husband had the sirloin. The meat was cooked just fine but there were too many flavors going on in that dish. The saying, ""Less is more,"" should be applied to the dishes here. I had the seared tuna. The tuna was cold and dried. Again, the other ingredients used for this dish was too over powering. There were too many other ingredients in this dish. I tried Heron during the first month it was opened. I didn't like it then and thought that they would have to work out the 'kinks' in opening a new restaurant. Well, I was, again, disappointed when I went this past weekend. Save your money and go elsewhere. For a $200 meal, I would expect much more than what we experienced this past weekend at Heron. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Value more

My husband and I had a very disappointing meal here. More effort has gone into the decor of the restaurant than the quality and taste of the food. Nice presentation, but I've had much better food for half the price in the Triangle. And this is from someone who truly knows food. Any honest food critic not swayed by the pomp of this place would confirm this. more

Herons is a beautiful restaurant. The service is fabulous and the menu is wonderful. I love dining while watching the chef prepare his creations. I have dined at Herons twice and enjoyed it immensely. The first time the restaurant was rather new, it was a Monday and we were one of only 2 tables. The staff gave 100%. The second visit was a busier weekend night and the service was equally impressive. We once enjoyed drinks on the patio. The view is lovely and relaxing. What a treat to have this fabulous hotel and restaurant in the Raleigh area. Pros: Service, beautiful environment, more

beautiful food but pricy, small menu and limited on selections. Service friendly but not polished serve wrong food to wrong table. Maybe in few month of practice they will get better. more

Had a wonderful experience, food was excellent. Staff was friendly and attentive. Great wine selection. Pros: Atmosphere, Staff more