Mint

(see explanation of ratings below) 4 of 5 stars (very good, fine dining). Most entrees priced at more than... more

I cannot say enough good things about this place. The wine selection is excellent and comparably priced. The staff is knowledgable but not hovering. The bar upstaris is excellent and the drink prices are little steep but it is a downtown place. The food was excellent and the chef was more than accomodating. I ordered off the menu but asked for some modificatoins. HE came out and asked if he understood what I was asking for and I recieved just what I wanted. It is not just food you can get that anywhere. It is a date night experience and if you like the speedy run of the mill place you will not like this and you should stick wtih applebee's and Panera... more

I went to the Mint on 9/17/2011, and can not say enough positive things about it. I wanted a romantic night out and the ambiance was perfect. We started with a cocktail upstairs in the bar which was lovely. the musician was fair but enjoyable. We then went downstairs for dinner. We were in one of the booths in the back and it was quiet and romantic. Matt was our server and was excellent. He was attentive but not over bearing. He had wonderful suggestions. we started with the duck small plate and it was delicious. I'm not the biggest fan of duck, but it was cooked perfectly and was very good. I ordered the flounder with mushroom risotto. The best risotto I've had and the flounder was excellent as well. My date had the ribeye with perfect marbilization. The side of mushrooms with the red wine reduction was an amazing pairing. The drawn butter on the side added a richness to the whole meal. Everything was cooked perfectly and amazing. The wine list is great and the dessert was fabulous as well. We had the chocolate cake, which I can never resist. Yes, it is a bit on the pricey side but so worth it. Lovely ambiance, amazing food, and great service. The only thing that made it better was the company I was with! Go check it out. more

My husband and I went to The Mint twice in December, about a week apart. We had been there for a drink on the patio when they had a guitarist playing, and loved that experience. Unfortunately, we'll be sticking to just ordering drinks from now on....the food, both times, was sub-par, which was incredibly disappointing. We don't mind spending a bit of money on good food, but overdone steaks and lobster aren't worth the $130 and $150 we payed each time. The other problem that I have is that things don't come out according to what is on the menu. The first time my husband ordered the lamb which is according to the menu ""baby lamb, bone-in, with baby carrots"". When it arrived he took two bites and, after first saying it was overdone, realized that it had a mustard sauce on it- and he hates mustard. If only that had been on the menu (especially since mustard is one of those condiments that people either love or hate). The rest of the food was just okay- nothing special, and nothing particulary great. \r \r We really hoped that our first experience was just a fluke and that we would really be wowed the second time. I was especially disappointed with the lobster on our second visit. We asked the waiter if anything came on the lobster, learning from our first experience to ask, and were told no, it's just grilled and served with butter. Perfect! That's what the menu said as well, so we both ordered it as well as a baked potato. Nope, it came out with heaps of pesto on top, and was incredibly overdone- no taste and chewy, as if someone had forgotten they were being cooked and left them on way too long. I'm not sure why one would want to mask the sweet, natural flavor of lobster tail with pesto either.\r \r So, after two visits in two weeks, trying to have a good experience since we like the atmosphere so much, we have crossed it off our list. It may be a good place for a martini on the patio, but we we'll find food elsewhere.\r \r more

We went for dinner at the Mint during Triangle Restaurant Week and ordered their $30 3-course menu. The starter course all four of us loved: the guys had the mac and cheese with truffle oil and the girls had the mixed greens and the yellow tomato soup which was amazing. For the entree however, I was the only one who thoroughly enjoyed their meal. I had the stuffed chicken breast over risotto with marinara sauce; it was delicious. My boyfriend had the lamb shank and unfortunately half of it tasted like fish and parts of it were tough. The other guy with us had the prosciutto wrapped salmon but wasn't all that impressed and his wife had the ramen noodles with salmon. Her salmon was dry and fairly tough on the outside. Needless to say we were a bit disappointed that everything wasn't quite up to what a restaurant like this should be serving. more

The Mint is truly a spectacular place to have lunch or dinner! I eat at the restaurant often, was one of the first customers on its opening night 3 years ago, and I've never been disappointed! The Mint offers a variety of menu options, that change occasionally, and if you like Mac and Cheese, they have the very best truffled mac and cheese, I've ever eaten anywhere in the world! The atmosphere is elegant and glamarous, the staff is friendly and polite, the service is very attentive, and the food is simply incredible! If you're looking for a place to impress a date or a place to have a family celebration meal, or just a place to have a drink in the upstairs bar, The Mint offers something for everyone! Published by Kevin Coats Raleigh NC more

I eat at the Mint nearly once a week, and have never felt the need to write a review because everything is always good, but I came across these reviews, and felt the need to defend one of my favorite restaurants...\r \r First of all, the portions are appropriate. Have you people ever traveled outside of the United States? The portions in this country are disgusting, and the amount of food that the Mint offers is what a person should be eating. Granted, the appetizers are not as big as your head, but I think that is ok, because who needs to get their daily allowance of calories in their appetizer? Further more, the salmon that one reviewer mentions is my favorite thing on the menu, and it is delicious, and the potato portion is about the size of a baked potato, in mashed form. This salmon is also a part of their 3 course menu, which is only $30. $30!!! At a fine dining restaurant! Even if all you get is a salad with salad dressing and dinner and a dessert, at a fine dining restaurant, that is still a great deal. If you are looking for a dinner with huge portions of food and bargain prices, there are plenty of great restaurants out there. If you want to go somewhere trying to offer you a superior dining experience in a beautiful place, ignore the reviews and give the Mint a try... Pros: Excellent service. good food, REASONABLE prices! Cons: Apparently mean customers more

Portions are teeny tiny. A $10 salad consisted of a small head of romaine (still intact) wrapped with a single chive with less than a 1/4 teaspoon of balsamic on top. Nothing else. No other salad ingredients or dressing. Total rip-off. \r \r Asked for more bread and they said they'd have to charge $2. Came with olive oil to ""dip""... it was more like a single wipe. Salmon was delicious with soy glaze, but along with the piece of fish was <2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, 2 slivers of squash, one sliver of carrot. That's it. Lots of white space on the plate. Even with the delicious Mac n cheese as a $7 side order, I was actually hungry after my dinner. Apple tart sounded yummy but was lukewarm when served. Ice cream didn't even melt on it. \r \r After dessert, a guy came out to serve another two fresh plates with our dinner...they couldn't even keep track of the orders. About 3 different people stopped by the table to ask us how we were doing. They immediately smiled and walked away without really listening. The waiter (Richard) was nice, friendly and attentive. Beautiful surroundings. Very relaxing. Overall, would not recommend it except for anorexics. Pros: Nice atmosphere, tasty food, nice waiter Cons: Charged for bread, portions microscopic, felt cheap more

Some girlfriends,and myself dined at the Mint twice! Each time was horrific, I would never recommend to anyone. The manager Betty was the worst,she was very rude,and rushed us the entire time. We were unable to enjoy ourselves from conversing about the terrible treatment we were getting! Pros: ambiance Cons: pricey, rude management,horrible food more

Went for lunch first, and was pleased with the prix fix menu. The tomatoe soup was delicious and the scallop salad was fresh and very tasty. Surroundings are without compare on ""Fayetteville Street"" and could not be any happier with the service. My brother's in law own 7 restaraunts in Oregon from Eugene to Bend and THEY would be impressed!! Pros: THE best pear martini in town. more

The food was perfect. Our service was not annoying but attentive. The outdoor seating is great for watching folks mill around Fayetteville Street. Pros: Food and atmosphere Cons: a little pricey more

$6 per scallop on the lunch plate. Need I say more? Turkey wrap was huge, but bland and uninspired. Truffle macaroni and cheese is very, very nice. Pros: Tasty, nice presentation, reasonable prix fix Cons: Overpriced more

Recently I attended a national conference held in Raleigh. Thursday night, five long-time friends and I made a 6:30 reservation at the Mint. We’ve attended the same conference held in various locations for over six years and eaten together during these meetings. We were seated promptly and our waiter promptly started pushing a drink order. We should have ordered drinks I think. It would have made the evening go more quickly. Five of us ordered the three-course dinner. Our sixth friend thought the three-course would be too much food. He was wrong. It took over an hour for our appetizers to appear, most were cold or barely warm. I had the truffle-mac and cheese. There is nothing worse than cold mac and cheese. The shrimp and grits weren’t much warmer. Another hour wait for our entrees. A third hour wait for our desserts. The restaurant was busy, but tables filled and were served around ours. We were like an island in the ocean. Our waiter disappeared. When contacted, a man who identified himself as the manager offered to take 10% off our bill. Very spotty service, small portions, high prices. You make the call! Our conference next year is in Colorado Springs. Yea! Pros: Atmosphtere, live music Cons: poor service, cold food more

My husband and I went with friends to The Mint Saturday night. We had a wonderful waitress, attentive but not pushy. We enjoyed the Flight of Your Fancy wine option (three 2oz. glasses of wine from their wine by the glass menu). Everyone ordered different meals, both from the fixed price menu, the small plates and the large plates section. The appetizers and entrees were wonderful, I will caution that the ""large"" plate isn't so large so you'll want to order a side with it. Both the coconut cake and banana bread pudding were perfect but stear clear of the chocolate lava cake, it was way over baked leaving it dry and bitter. Overall, it was a wonderful meal and we will be back. Pros: Great food, good atmosphere Cons: Pricey so will reserve for special occasions more

we went to the mint with some good friends because we had heard it was great. we were totally not impressed. the food was bland, the waiters and hosts pretentious, and the portions were extremely small. our waiter talked to us like we were idiots, yet mispronounced half the words he used. when we asked questions about the menu, he had to go in for reinforcements. meanwhile, our friend ordered a meal that came with a side of brussels sprouts, and when it came, there were 1.5. he asked for more, and they brought more, 20 minutes later. the experience was just not good. the bill, however, was quite large. i agree with the other reviewer who said they had put so much effort and money into the appearance of the place, there was little left for the actual food. overall i would say--don't waste your time here--there are many better places to go. Pros: the decor Cons: overpriced, snooty and pretentious more

I've traveled the world, eaten in 4 and 5 star restaurants and spent years cooking professionally. I know good food.\r \r The chef's tasting at The Mint, together with the expert service made for the best meal my wife and I have ever had. I'm glad our favorite food destination in the world is only 45 minutes from our home.\r \r If you haven't been to The Mint, you absolutely must. If you're feeling shy, you can test the water by sampling dishes from the brilliant bar menu. The beef tartare, black truffle mac and cheese and the fois gras are among the amazing dishes on the ""lounge menu"" that will bring you back for a full meal.\r \r Trust me, you'll be a better person for the experience. Pros: genius food, amazing service, ambience Cons: none whatsoever more

Me and my girlfriend had the pleasure to visit The Mint over the summer and we were completely impressed with the service, decor and the food. The service was prompt and very attentive, they were very happy to answer questions and talk to us about the menu. The decor was amazing and the live music was an added bonus. I had the Filet Mignon and my girlfriend had the salmon. The salmon dish was served with a form, yet it didn't add much flavor to the dish, but it was perfectly cooked. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly and extremely tasty. We tried the Chocolate cake and Creme Brulee for desert and were both pleased with the flavor of the dishes. A very great place to have a special occasion dinner. Pros: Service, flavor, decor Cons: Pricey more

First of all I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. The food is not what you pay for. You get bland tasteless food, and not much of it. I believe they put way too much money into making the restaurant look good, and not enough into the food. I don't know about others, but I go out to eat for the food, I would much rather go to a standard place with great food than a place that is pretty with horrible food. The service is another thing. They have 4 people stand at the front door. When you go in no one greets you. When we entered they were all standing around and a fat guy in a suit (manager maybe) just looked at us, as if to say what do you need? He didn't move or say anything, but nodded to a host, who, in turn, passed us to yet another that took us to the table. I have never written a bad review, but I felt I needed to give everyone an idea of how this place works. I will never eat there again, not only because of the food, but because of the manager at the front, I have never had such a rude welcoming. Pros: Leaving Cons: The food and service more

The food and service is simply amazing. There is a bar upstairs too that can be pretty busy. The decor is absolutely stunning. This is definitely the place to go if you're looking for a great meal in a wonderful environment. Pros: valet parking more

The decor was very elegant, luxurious, and modern. Our server Matt was extremely knowledgeable, and vividly described his favorite entrees and how they were prepared using molecular techniques such as dehydrating and pickling watermelon. \r My favorite appetizer, The Butter Poached Lobster with pureed popcorn, miso caramel, and peanut butter was the perfect balance of sweet and savory.\r We also sampled the Duck Foie Gras with huckleberries, the Watermelon Gazpacho which is served chilled out of a tea kettle, and both the Baby Lettuce and Crab Salad. Even if you never accept freshly ground pepper on your salad, you absolutely have to at The Mint just to experience how truly awesome their pepper grinder is. I don't want to ruin the surprise just trust me and accept the pepper, or you'll instantly regret it when you see someone else get it.\r For our entree we shared the Filet Mignon, and Matt offered to have it split for us on separate plates. Wow. It was so buttery and just melted into my mouth. The accompanying beet sauce and hollandaise were incredible with the foraged mushrooms. All of the plates were eclectic, and beautiful works of art.\r My Husband and I both agreed that we were way too full for dessert but ordered the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake anyway, which is made from scratch and baked while you wait. Now, normally in most situations you would not want to wait fifteen minutes for dessert at a restaurant. But it was a wonderful idea, since we sipped our espressos and let the overwhelming ""fullness"" subside. With the rich raspberry sauce, subtle citrus and vanilla notes it was both simple, light, and seductively decadent. \r Chef Jeremy Clayman knows what he is doing, and we enjoyed our dinner so much I felt like I was on vacation and forgot that I was in Raleigh. Matt was a great server, and all of the staff that we met really went out of their way for us. It was a magical evening. Pros: Valet, Ambience, Food Presentation more