Sonoma

We went for restaurant week. The Tuna tartar was to die for the best I have ever had. The sliders- were ok- though the guy next to me thought it was the great. Entree and desert were both quite good I will definitely return. One of the better restaurants I have eaten at downtown. Pros: nice atmosphere, good service Cons: parking more

We planned a Bobcat game at 7:00 pm so arrived at 5:30 pm and informed our very friendly waiter of our need. He was helpful and we received our food well prepared and in plenty of time to make our game. I had read two negative reviews of the restaurant on the web site but elected to give the restaurant a try anyway. Our group of three was entirely satisfied with the service, the food, its presentation, and the price. I've had better food but at a higher price. The very critical reviews posted smacked of ""sour grapes "" to me. more

First visit to Sonoma Modern was a recent Saturday night for our daughter's 22nd birthday. We had show tickets and had been told this was a ""great restaurant for pre-and-post-show"". Made reservations earlier in the week, so this was not a last-minute choice (we were in from out of town for the weekend...we live about an hour away). Anyway....the hostess seemed surprised that we were there, even though our name was clearly on the reservation screen, and she seemed bewildered as she mumbled ""well, I don't know where I'm going to put you"". She took us to a table, and we proceeded to wait for a server. After about 10 minutes, a woman came by, asked us if we wanted drinks (we declined at that point, but ordered a bottle of wine later), and disappeared. Finally someone came by to take our order, did not tell us about any specials, and seemed in a hurry to move on to the large party in the back room. Long story short, we had allowed an hour and a half for dinner before the show nearby. After an hour, we still had no food, and I had to speak to the manager, who SUDDENLY got very busy bringing out our food. We had to eat it in 10 minutes in order to make the show. All this, for $179.00!! Save yourself some aggravation and go somewhere else. We have eaten in some of the top restaurants in the country, and don't mind a substantial check for a great meal. Unfortunately, we had no service and average food. Definitely not worth the money, or the disappointment of our daughter who was looking forward to the evening. Pros: can't think of any Cons: very loud, inattentive wait staff more

This is my first review of a restaurant ever. But this experience was so uniquely bad, I had to spend the time to pass it on. I was alone having a meal at the bar, Wed. 6JUN07 around 8:30pm, the restaurant relatively empty, and the owner (I later find out, Pierre Bader) comes in, sits at the bar two seats away, and proceeds to spend the next HOUR venting about how bad a server and their manager performed at some VIP event he just came from (presumably at his other restaurant or an event he catered),...in the foulest language, literally every third word being f...this, or mf...that. Not once did he acknowledge my presence (I could have leaned over and touched him), or even ask about my meal. So, 1) he's having a business meeting in front of a customer, 2)using language that only a sailor can be proud of, and 3)speaking it to his female manager, Briana, who had to listen to it for over a half-hour. The rest of the hour he vented to his chef, Tim Groody, who came out and sat ONE seat away, (and also never asked me about my meal). And all the time PB's going on about how employees need to care, and how important the customer's experience is!!! I feel sorry for the employees, who seemed to have the role of doing nothing but mollifying this clueless owner, (evidently someone was to be fired immediately) but please Charlotte, don't eat there. Support someone less self-centered. (Oh, yes btw, Tim, the food was very good, thanks for asking.) I didn't say anything then on the fear of getting into some sort of argument. In this effort, I've learned that Charlotte doesn't have a good venue for restaurant reviews. So, the editor of the Charlotte City Magazine asked for a copy of this review, as well as the Charlotte Observer. If this prime example of owner narcissm ever reads it, I only hope something sticks. (MORE: I actually went to Tavern 100 first, (also owned by U-Know-who), ran into the dirtiest bar I've ever seen. No excuse even if they assumed no more biz at 8:30pm. Pros: Food's good but read my review. Cons: Please read my review re: the owner. more

It seems that all of these reviews have been hanging around for a while. Bistro 100 left town almost a year ago and was updated and changed into Taverna 100. This new incarnation is part of the Sonoma restaurant group known for their other ventures, town and Sonoma Modern American. My wife and I are uptown residents and regular customers of Sonoma Modern American & town. We were in the mood for something different and figured that we would give the revamped Bistro 100 a try.\r It turns out that Taverna 100 is a Mediterranean grill of moderate price and great location to the Blumenthal Theaters in Founders' Hall.\r We really enjoyed the dolmas and fried feta appetizers. They are both fun and delicious with the chef's local produce taking the place of some of the more traditional ingredients. I personally like the local swiss chard adaptation of the dolmas over the traditional grape leaves.\r As for the entrees, we shared both the sea bass and the scallops. Both came off of the grill and were delicious. The sea bass was stuffed with herbs, grilled and served with a tomato and olive sauce. The scallops were grilled as well and served with a simple butter sauce and roasted root vegetables. The simple pairing really allowed the huge scallops to shine.\r The wine list is easy to navigate and very diverse. Since we both had lighter seafood dishes for entrees, we opted for a bottle of the Hugo Gruner Veltliner. I was happy to see a great food wine like this on the list by the bottle and by the glass.\r We had a great view of the city and wonderful service to match. Being foodies, we tend to have a lot of questions. The server was especially helpful and polite. They really made us feel at home.\r This is what we have come to expect of any of Pierre Bader's restaurants and Taverna 100 lives up to its pedigree. Pros: Great theater location, excellent food and service. Cons: Make sure to have a reservation on theater nights! more

After reading some negative reviews, I was quite surprised. My husband & I have NEVER been disappointed with Bistro 100 of the many times we've been over the past 12 years. We've always experienced wonderful service and excellent meals, appetizers, desserts, ect... I've never been there for lunch, so I can't comment there. But we've only made reservations once or twice, practically always walked right in and seated without wait. We've eaten in the lounge, out on the veranda, in several areas around the dining room, and always had excellent service. However, we've never went there in a hurry to leave, so I can't remember if we felt that we had to wait too long for anything including checks. Perhaps if you are in a rush to eat & run, this may not be the place to try. Otherwise, I would suggest calling them to find out if there is going to be a crowd from the theaters/plays, etc... Maybe we've been lucky, but it never affected our experiences. We would never hesitate to recommend the Bistro to anyone. Pros: Comfortable, yet fine dine. Dress up or go casual & ENJOY! Cons: Avoid show night crowds from theatre/plays or if you're in a rush, perhaps? more

I was a bit disappointed on the service and quality of food for the prices they have. The crepe i had for lunch was very long to come out and too dry to start off with, the service at the bar is almost inexistant, we had to wait a good five minutes to get our check and an other five to get it picked up. Definitely not what a typical french bistro is about. Pros: decor, menu variety, parking Cons: service, food authenticity, prices more

I was really looking forward to having some food with French flair. I was highly disappointed. Typically French food included rich and tasty sauces. I had the halibut and it was sooo dry. I make it better at home! I could have saved the $23 that paid for it. The desserts were good but you can't survive on dessert alone. I found the service very rushed. The decor was nice with a beautiful mural but it was loud in there. Not recommended for a romantic dinner, and they did not seat us promptly with our reservation. Pros: Bananas Flambe, Decor Cons: , Rushed service, Prices more

Pre-theater crowd and the food reflects that. Quick dishes that are safe, but not exactly wonderful. If you have time to spare, you would do better going to another place for the same amount of money or less. Pros: Service, Wine List, Desserts Cons: Bland Entrees, Value more

......this restraunt manages to serve great food also managing to be both friendly and classy at the same time ...the service could not be better Pros: food prep., service, atmosphere Cons: not cheap but worth i more

The Bistro was suggested by our concierge at the Hilton. We wanted something romantic and unusual but not too unusual. There was not a more perfect restaraunt for our anniversary. We with delicate Lobster/crabcakes and Salad nicoise. I ordered the Steak au Poivre and potato cake ( like a tiny potatoes anna), my spouse ordered Lamb Shank with Vegetables. Both dishes were out of this world, and I honestly don't know which dish I prefered. Our server finished our wonderful experience with a decadent chocolate mouse cake topped with a sparkler to celebrate our anniversary. The service was impeccable, the chef loves his food and the ambience had just the right touch of romance for a special night. We will return every chance we get. One note: despite a sudden rush of people from an evening at the Arts the servers never missed a step. Pretty impressive. more