The Coffee Bar at The Durham — Restaurant in Durham

Had Thanksgiving dinner for two at this restaurant. The dining room is bright with one wall glass so it was filled with light. The valet parking was a plus!

The 2:15 p.m. seating ran a bit behind and once seated, it took a bit to get food on the table. Appetizer was an unimpressive assortment of pickled carrots, cauliflower and pickles. Cheap veg selection and unimaginative.

Main course was served all at once, family style. Everything was hot, but not flavorful: creamed spinach, cauliflower au gratin, cornbread dressing, Hurtgen Meadows Farm gouda mashed potatoes, cranberry/pomegranate sauce and a turkey gravy so thick it was difficult to pour.

Meats were fennel and rosemary prime rib, herb roasted black heritage white and dark meat turkey. The white meat turkey was dry, the prime rib au jus with spicy mustard horseradish sauce was moist but flavorless. Dark meat turkey was flavorful, juicy. The four-dessert assortment consisted of pear tart, pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate cremoso. The pumpkin cheesecake appeared and tasted to be "pumpkin" only because there was a dollop of some sort of pumpkin sauce on top.

Overall, a decent experience for those of us who were unable to cook this year and needed the valet parking and table service with a holiday menu. However, this was at best three-star quality and not as expected for $180 plus mandatory 20% gratuity. Total: nearly $240 for average food and...

The food was Amazing!!! The falafel was the best I've had in a while, especially with the sauce they provided. Drinks were a heavy pour, which is always good! Our waiter was great! The decor is simple chic, however it can be a bit drafty in there depending on what time of year you go and where they seat your party. We went in February and every time someone came in or out we could feel the cold air draft because of where our seats were. Therefore, we had to put on our coats while we ate which was not ideal. At the end of our meal. Once we payed the bill we wanted to get a snapshot to commemorate the evening because it was for a birthday and we asked a different server who told us yes she would do it. She said she'd be right back, and then she walked past our table several times without saying a word. Which was quite irritating. And it was not busy at all in the restaurant. I probably won't be back, but I feel like it's just because one time was enough to have the experience and to say that you've been to the restaurant...

During my recent visit to The Restaurant at The Durham for brunch, I had the pleasure of ordering from their weekend brunch menu. The Breakfast Fried Rice that I selected, featuring wild-caught NC shrimp, roasted mushrooms, broccoli, edamame, jasmine rice in a soy-ginger sauce, omelet, and Yum Yum Sauce, was delicious. To complement my meal, I also opted for the Pomegranate Hibiscus Spritzer mocktail. The servers were great and even in passing every staff i encountered was pleasant.

On a different note, I couldn't help but notice that the water glasses on the table had noticeable water stains. Given the elegant setting of the hotel lighting fixtures and the significance of first impressions for me, it was a bit of a setback to observe this. The hostess tried to find me a glass that wasn't stained but never returned. I ended up passing on water. I would suggest improving the glasses by removing the stains or getting new ones. I would also recommend a better clean-up of the seating after each guest. I saw...