Restaurant suggestions in Durham (Magnolia, Ruth: appointed, restaurants, price)

[mizattitude]

I am looking for a restaurant in Durham to go for my birthday. I don't get out very much being a grad student so haven't familiarized myself with places other than campus food. I don't need fancy, but am mostly interested in good food and a place to enjoy.

[CHTransplant]

Try this thread for some suggestions:

Favorite restaurant in Durham

[whiteboyslo]

Any specific type of food or price range you're looking for?

Mike

[rfb]

Durham has so many good restaurants to choose from. whiteboyslo is right - you need to pin down your price range, atmosphere (rowdy? romantic? basic?), number of people, and type of food to get good recommendations. With that, I'm sure you will get a lot of useful recommendations. Without it, you will still get plenty of recommendations, but they may not be terribly useful .

[toot68]

Magnolia grill is my favorite by far, and is best if you have a bunch of people. If it is just a couple, sit at the bar as the main restaurant can get loud.

Other good choices include Piedmont, Four Square and Nana's. In particular, Piedmont is a great choice if you have some vegetarians along (most vegetarian entrees of any local restaurant other than Sage). Some other highly regarded restaurants that I have limited or no experience with are Rue Cler, Watts Grocery and Revolution.

Price wise, Mag Grill, Four Square, Nana's and Revolution will set you back 20-25 an entree, 8-14 for appetizers and around 8 for desert. The others cheaper by about 10 bucks for the three courses.

[mizattitude]

Thanks for the replies. I'm open to most anything other than seafood (allergic) I would say that Ruths Chris is out of our price range....there are only two of us, looking for good food at a reasonable price.

[mdp_az]

Ruth's Chris is the LAST place I would recommend in Durham. If you want a good steak, I'd head to Metro 8 on 9th Street. If I had to pick just one place in Durham, I'd go with Piedmont, especially for the price.

[whiteboyslo]

Four Square (if i'm remembering the right place) is a GREAT little tapas bar/restaurant. It's not the most scenic location (nothing bad, just boring), but the inside has a cool decor.

Nana's is a big favorite for my wife and I. It's a little pricey, but not too bad. We only go on anniversaries or birthdays.

I haven't tried the other places suggested, but maybe I'll have to now!

Mike

[jill7930]

Originally Posted by whiteboyslo

Four Square (if i'm remembering the right place) is a GREAT little tapas bar/restaurant. It's not the most scenic location (nothing bad, just boring), but the inside has a cool decor.

Don't think you're remembering Four Square correctly- that doesn't sound like it...

I have always had an amazing meal at Magnolia Grill and recommend it highly. Have only been to Piedmont for lunch, but it was tasty. Vin Rouge has an early bird prix fixe menu that's a great deal and really delicious. Can see the menu on their website.

All in all, Magnolia is my favorite!

[rfb]

For two people, I would go with some of the recommendations from above.

Four Square is one of my favorite restaurants in Durham. Good food served in a lovely restored Victorian house. Not too stuffy. As a bonus, I was sitting at a table next to Coach K the last time I went :-)

Nana's is very good as well. It has a more "formal" feel to it than Four Square. But you won't be disappointed with the food there, either.

A few other nice choices near Brightleaf Square are Pop's and anotherthyme.

Magnolia Grill is nice, but really not my favorite. The food is on par with the others, but I just don't like the atmosphere there. Way too noisy, which I find detracts from the meal. I don't go there too often, as there are so many other wonderful restaurants in Durham which give me a much better dining experience.