The Library Steakhouse — Restaurant in Fuquay-Varina

Four Stars With a Side of “You’re So Close”

Let me start with this: I want The Library to succeed. I really do. I love local spots. I love book-themed restaurants. And I especially love steak. So this place had me at "hello"...and then slowly lost me somewhere around “bland mashed potatoes” and “crouton masquerading as bread.”

First, the good: The space is gorgeous. Warm, bookish, elegant. Like eating in the study of someone who drinks port and quotes Oscar Wilde unironically. Our server was excellent - cheerful, attentive, and the kind of person who could forget your appetizer entirely and you'd still tip well. (Which she did. And we did.)

The steaks came out cooked to the requested temperature, which sadly is not always a given anymore, so credit where credit’s due. And the service was spot-on throughout. But now... let’s talk food. Buckle up.

The bread. Oh, the bread. If this roll were a literary character, it would be Miss Havisham: dry, cracked, and clinging to a better past. We tried to cut it open and it snapped. Like a soft crouton that had seen some things. The cinnamon honey butter was nice, but let’s be honest - if your bread requires The jaws of life to apply butter, something’s gone wrong.

My steak (a Farm Wagyu strip) came pre-sliced, which, why? That’s like giving someone a birthday cake already chewed. It drains the juices, ruins the experience, and just feels like a sneaky way to make sure you didn't botch the temperature. Also, there was a thick band of connective tissue along one side that required the same amount of effort as cutting through a ballon. Fat = flavor. Unhewable tissue = dentist appointment. Know the difference.

And who decided the steak needed a garnish of blistered cherry tomatoes? These added nothing in taste, texture, or beauty. It’s like someone said, “You know what this steak needs? A handful of lukewarm grape guts.” Just no.

The mashed potatoes? Fluffy but flavorless. They tasted like they were made by someone who heard about seasoning once from across a room. They weren’t creamy, weren’t buttery, weren’t salty - just beige in flavor and spirit.

Now let’s talk about the mac & cheese, or rather, Old Bay Surprise. It looked promising. I saw lobster, which was nice. But then... then came the avalanche of seasoning. Somewhere in the kitchen, a canister of Old Bay exploded and they just rolled with it. It was so overpowering I couldn’t taste the cheese or the lobster. Or my will to continue eating it. After two bites, I was physically nauseated. Not exaggerating. My wife agreed. And we usually disagree on these kinds of things..

And both steaks? They were fine. As in, “family steakhouse” fine. Chili’s fine. Denny’s-on-a-good-night fine. But The Library wants to be more than that. And I want it to be, too. Because they could be. But if you’re going to charge boutique steakhouse prices, you need to give me a boutique steakhouse sear. I want texture. I want salt. I want that crust that sings a little when you cut into it. These steaks didn’t sing. They cried.

Here’s the bottom line: this place is a few tweaks away from being great. Not just “good for Fuquay,” but worth driving in from Raleigh. You’ve got the space. You’ve got the vibe. You’ve got the service. But the food needs a hard look. Season your meat, taste your sides, cut the tendon off the steak, and throw those tomatoes directly into the trash.

If you're reading this and you're the owner.- please know this isn't a takedown. It's a love letter with notes in the margin. I spent years in restaurants, from 14 through adulthood, including running a French catering company. I know what it takes. You’re almost there. And when you get it right, I’ll be the first one back in line, fork in hand, ready to write a five star update.

But for now? It’s four stars, and a very encouraging...

husband and I have been waiting for this place to open and unfortunately we aren't likely to return. after our meal, we were both confused on what type of establishment this place wants to be. the price points are between a chain steak restaurant and a regular steakhouse.... but the steaks were below chain quality and the rest of the menu was a hit or miss.

firstly, and broadly, everything lacked salt and seasoning. so much so that I actually asked for a salt shaker to do it myself. it helped, but for the price and menu descriptions, the flavors were just not as I had hoped.

the bread was ok but lose the olive oil. a whipped butter would have fit the menu better.

cocktails were decent but we both only ordered one. usually we "taste the menu" by ordering different cocktails and sipping each other's and when those are finished we order two more different ones and have a taste of each, etc. we didn't feel the need to do that here.

the crab dip was lukewarm and the dip to bread ratio was bad. I was mounding the dip onto the little tear and eat bread pieces that did not tear apart nicely. still ended up with about 1/3 of the dip left by the time the bread ran out. the dip was decent. the bread reminded me of those take-and-bake loaves you can get at the grocery store. wish they did crostini instead so that there would be a texture difference. as it is, it's just a very mushy dish.

husband got the clam chowder and for the price it's a good portion. he cleaned the plate so that was a good sign.

looking at the steak menu, my husband and I both clocked the price difference between the regular and dry aged cuts 😅. we've gone to steakhouses and ordered dry aged steaks many times (aged anywhere from 1 month to almost 2 years, and priced from about $80 to almost $250 per steak) and have never seen an aged steak NOT disclose the minimum age in days and only be a $3 upcharge... something ain't right.

we ordered our steaks, both requested medium. mine was half medium and half well done. husband's was fine. chimichurri was a saving grace because the steak was flavorless. but they only gave half a condiment cup full so once that ran out I stopped eating my steak.

veggies were cold or lukewarm. sweet potatoes didn't taste like they had any "candied garlic" and husband had to ask for butter for his baked potato. they gave him to-go containers of butter which was weird. when we went, they had 9 side dishes to choose from but 5 of them were potatoes... potatoes come with the steaks already... so we got the lemon asparagus. it was decent. parts were a bit woody.

I wanted to get dessert when we walked in, but after being served mediocre food I changed my mind and just wanted to leave.

all in, we were very confused by the end. we decided we would rather drive elsewhere for an actual steakhouse or if we just wanted a no-fuss steak dinner, just go to a chain place and get something consistent for cheaper. we get that they want to be the neighborhood steak place but the food needs to at least be on par with what a home...

Best Seller or Cheesy Novel?

My wife and I were SO excited to dine here. Super cute design and décor. Cozy and they really embraced the buildings past. The menu presents like a book with catchy "Chapters" for distinguishing different items. Even the check came in a book. Very clever.

Upon arrival we find out that they had changed their menu that day and both the appetizer and entrée I planned on was removed. Not the end of the world, it's a new place and they are probably still tweaking their menu. Ok, two diet pepsi's to drink....both were void of carbonation and totally flat. We asked for Sprite instead but coming from the same depleted CO2 tank it was also not very bubbly but we kept them.

Shrimp cocktail for appetizer. Very big delicious shrimp! I asked for a shrimp fork and was met with a puzzled look. Apparently they don't have them. Cocktail sauce was bland and lacked taste. The same for their own sauce that I imagine was supposed to be a horseradish mix but again bland.

Soup...They have a New England Clam Chowder. I asked for a soup spoon. I was told I have a spoon, it was a teaspoon. Ok so they are not big on proper cutlery here. If I was at Denny's I could understand but this is supposed to be a high end restaurant so I was a bit baffled. Bottom line....the soup was brown. New England Clam Chowder can be made several ways but for the most part, heavy whipping cream is used. It makes the soup very white and tasty. The soup was brown!

This was not New England Clam chowder. It did not taste bad but it did not look, taste, or have the ingredients that make it New England Clam Chowder.

Entrees! Rib eye cooked medium. Filet Mignon also cooked medium. Rib Eye was cooked properly and was OK. Nothing mesmerizing but totally palatable. The Filet was a disaster. It almost looked like a piece of salmon on the inside. This steak was rare and inedible. I even asked the waitress if this was how they prepare their medium steaks. She said no and took it back. It was replaced with a new one after ten minutes. Prepared better and edible. Garlic Mashed for both steaks was underwhelming.

We were offered free banana pudding as compensation for the undercooked steak but we said we would prefer to share a slice of chocolate cake (the best thing we'd eaten the entire meal) but were charged for it. We paid $186 including a good tip and zero alcohol (it wasn't her fault). We were hoping that this place would be fantastic. How wonderful would it be to have a fine dining steakhouse in our little town but they dropped the ball on multiple occasions.

Some can be attributed to growing pains but having spent 20 years in the restaurant business and over 35 in customer service some of it was inexcusable. Did they ever fix the CO2 problem with their drinks? If so couldn't they have offered to bring us fresh diet pepsi's (our first choice).

We had such high hopes and maybe with time and listening to constructive criticism they will get better but after our experience this restaurant is far from a...