Kindred — Restaurant in Davidson

Ambiance was comfortable, and service was great (very attentive staff, knowledgeable of the menu), which is why I’m giving any stars, but they are way overpriced. We got the meat and cheese plate, for $21, which had a somewhat normal portion of meat (2 types, a few slices each). Most restaurants give you three types for this price of presliced bulk purchased meat, but whatever, it tasted good.

But we got three unremarkable cheeses. We were never told what they were, and it wasn’t listed on the menu, but all were pretty mild tasting and lacked variety, and were also the smallest portions I’ve ever seen on a cheese plate. Two varieties were cut into cubes (cheap looking, hard, not spreadable) with third type being some sort of creamy, but extremely mild, Blue or Gorgonzola? That was the best cheese, but it was presented alike to crumbles for dogs, as if there wasn’t a sharp knife in the house that day. They also had nothing to compliment them other than blob of spicy mustard on a DESSERT plate.

Then my Tito’s mixed drink was probably 4 oz, and was $13. (Regardless of the fact that it tasted like the mixer, that’s an additional 50% mark up compared to most bars.) My fork was larger than the glass. (See pic)

Someone in our group broke their mask, and we were graciously offered a replacement (paper) mask.. Only to find out it was on the tab for $1 lol.. Ok, I guess the rest of the food and beverages aren’t marked up enough to cover these expenses, but it’s only $1, and we need one to exit the building, etc. Just seems a little petty to charge for it, when my tab was already $200 within the first hour of being there. Fast food restaurants charge for petty things, not fine dining, bc you build your costs and secret pettiness into the price. For example - according to the menu pictures on here, the meat and cheese plate has recently been marked up $1, maybe to account for the ample amount of bread that comes with it? (If so, it would look a lot better than charging $1 for extra bread that’s not even toasted)

Anywho, additional food had just arrived to the table.. Followed by an employee immediately asking us to leave for someone not wearing a mask. Everyone at the table was confused as to what we were doing wrong, since we were actively eating at our table. But apparently, someone at our table got up while we were eating our appetizers a few minutes prior, and forgot to put his mask back on (ok, rules are rules, shame shame).. BUT it was really classy of them to wait ten minutes later to do this though. They waited until the entrees were already placed on the table to give us this speech, knowing we’d have to pay once the food hit the table, but not be allowed eat it. If you had intentions to kick us out after the appetizer, when the “crime” was committed, you should have done that. Good to know your food and bev costs are more important than your principles. 👌🏼

The only reason I was able to finish my food was bc we separated the checks and it took a little bit to cash them out, and my friend helped me eat it. The salad was delicious, the best thing we had, but $15 and no protein is overpriced as well. Still a better buy than the meat and cheese plate.

The mask slip up was our bad, sure, but it was unprofessionally and dramatically handled. No one had any idea what was going on, we were busy eating, and not expecting theatrics.

Overall, this place is overpriced and fake fine dining. Anyone who eats out at real fine dining places will notice this.. You can’t just overstaff, dim the lights, and charge more, while serving ready to eat items, including meat and cheese boards on multiple dessert plates (charcuterie BOARDS are made for this, go shopping), and also charge for petty things.

This was my first time here, and I don’t think I’ll...

First: We loved the restaurant decor in this restored building atmosphere, as well as the professional and very friendly staff. They did a top notch job! The restaurant was packed with clearly very happy guests.

Second: We started with a couple of drinks and were given their famed "milk bread", which we enjoyed, but which had "a lot" of salt on top.

Third: Our mixed drinks arrived and had a similar look to a nearby competing restaurant with an amazingly flavorful Blackberry and Bourbon mixture, but stopped there. Kindred's drink instead opted for a grapefruit bitters doused drink which was not a pleasant experience. The aftertaste was kind of gross, but since it supposedly had bourbon in it, I thought I'd muscle through it and at least finish it for "effect", right? Nothing. I tried a second drink option with cognac and cointreau that arrived in what I can only describe as small childs, "dixie cup" sized, stemmed glass that was not much larger than a shot glass. (These were very "pricey" drinks mind you.)  Still "nothing" as far as "effect". Really? My date opted for one of their fruity "mocktails" (alcohol free) drinks but had them add Vodka to it. She had "two" of those in a row as well..."no effect" whatsoever, no relaxing buzz. Again...spent a lot of money for specialty cocktails and walked out stone cold sober. We go to a place just down the street and after two "regular" drinks have to consider an Uber ride home!

Fourth: The food. Again, the "milk bread" was nice...but salty. So since this was a new place that had good reviews, we decided we would start ordering a few different random dishes and work our way down the menu until we got full...just having a fun night out. We ordered beef tartare, their "duck fat" potatoes, and a pasta dish with blue cheese. Our beef tartare dish came out first...very nicely plated...and VERY freaking salty. The dish should be lightly salted, but this was like eating a crumbled salt lick I'd give a horse.  My date's quote the next day: " Thank you for the water retention, my rings still won't come off!"  Thank goodness the "duck fat" potato wedges arrived. We were able to douse some of the salt of the tartare by taking it with a bite of the potato wedges. (Which, by the way, could have been from KFC quite honestly and wouldn't have noticed the difference with their "duck fat' frying process.) Not sure why they are a separate menu item when they seem like a standard side dish? Finally, since we were still hungry, we opted for the blue cheese pasta. Full disclosure...not a huge blue cheese fan but the description of the dish sounded interesting and worth a try. Again, nicely plated, but...I simply have no words for the horror of bursting, pungent flavored cheese that came from one small bite. We told the waitress we didn't care for the pasta and sent back the entire dish untouched except for two half-bites, but were still charged full price. Okay. By this point we just want to see how it finishes up with the dessert. A slice of chocolate birthday cake with sprinkles. That was actually very good and we enjoyed it! But was it enough to save the train wreck of a meal from a 1 star rating that was otherwise our experience? No.

Wrap-up: Again, we might have been the exception, and not the rule? The place was packed and people were clearly very happy with their meals and drinks around us. It's a nice place with nice staff. But in our opinion, if you want to leave hungry, disappointed, with absolutely no effects of alcohol after drinking 4 drinks, and retaining water from the high salt levels, then this is the...

We dined at Kindred last week on a busy Thursday evening. Being our first time, we were both skeptical and excited not knowing what to expect. The restaurant has a warm, cozy feel and welcoming curb appeal with large glass windows exposing the interior and bar area. We were immediately greeted by the hostess and escorted to our table (reservations are highly recommended). The waitstaff is well trained, amicable and generally efficient. There was no hesitation in attending to our drink needs and menu questions. The wine list is well thought out and slightly eclectic. We settled on a mundane but suitable choice, a California Chardonnay. We were impressed to be greeted by the person who took our reservation and being a fellow Pittsburgher, he (Quinn) welcomed us and brought us complimentary appetizers. We were quite surprised and the treats were extremely appreciated. A warm terrine of freshly baked bread also was rushed to our table. We were on our way, and the Kindred experience began to blossom. Ever since we bought our second home in nearby Denver, NC, I've complained to my spouse about the lack of good ( I mean, really good) eating establishments in the area. I think we finally hit the nail on the head! The Vannoy Ham (Salumi $13) was reminiscent of an Iberian ham that I had tried in Asheville and was perfectly paired with the selection of Grandfather's Pickles ($5). Crispy Oysters ($15) displayed a generous portion of breaded deep-fried goodness over a dill yogurt dressing that was perfectly spiced with a Calabrian chile oil. My partner's Golden Beets ($9) had a warm, juicy texture that married well with the whipped ricotta that accompanied them. Portions at Kindred are not sparse but also not overly generous, but positioned right in the middle and that suited us just fine. We took home three container of entries that we couldn't finish, everything was just that good and well prepared. For entrees we sampled the Scallops a La Plancha ($20) which was probably the most appetizing plate when placed in front of us - the scallops were perfectly browned, tender and scrumptious in a tahini remoulade. The NC Flounder ($21) was also an attractive presentation, supported by rutabaga, fennel and carrots. Finally the Tagliatelle ($18) could have come from my grandmother's kitchen. The flavors burst from the platter with perfectly cooked pasta adorned with a Bolognese that accented the firmness of the dish. It went perfectly with the Tuscan selection I had chosen from the wine list. All things being said, this is my new favorite place to dine "on the lake"....