Alexander's Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Garner

I am so disappointed. I went in today at lunch to get an order of mousaka to go after reading so many great reviews. The waiter that helped me was very kind and made sure that I knew that the only size they had was a dinner portion and that it was 28.00. I appreciated him letting me know but I already had seen the pricing online and was treating myself (as it is my favorite dish. ) The waiter was telling me all about how the chef prides himself on homemade and that nothing comes from a can. I assumed he was building value in the dish as it is a higher price point for what it is. I never mind supporting the higher prices of local chef owned restaurants. What I did find odd was that the waiter said twice that the chef didn’t believe in freezing anything either. It stuck out to me because I know most dishes would be prepared to order and that even a casserole style dish like moussaka wouldn’t be frozen. The béchamel sauce changes once frozen. I have gotten it to go so often over the years and it’s rare so when I find it I will often get another order to have later. I have frozen it several times and the same thing always happens to the béchamel layer. It doesn’t ruin it but it changes it. Once frozen you lose the creaminess of that layer. It solidifies for lack of a better description. When I received the dish I was a little surprised that it didn’t come with a small Greek salad and bread as it usually does when I have ordered it elsewhere. Again, not a big deal I know it’s a smaller operation and food costs are up right now so perhaps they were cutting where they could. The portion size was great but as soon as I opened the container, my heart sank. The béchamel was solid and crumbly, the layers had separated and it had most definitely been frozen. There is no chance that it had just been prepared hours before. I would have preferred the server to have just told me if there wasn’t one ready yet (I was in at lunchtime and not dinner) but that they had some from the night before that had been fresh frozen. At least then I would have the option of taking that or coming back a couple hours later. Freezing it doesn’t change the flavor that much in my experience, the spices are just a bit dulled and the textures change. The moussaka itself was good, not outstanding as the nuanced spice profile of cinnamon and nutmeg against the onion and garlic seemed to be missing. It just felt very one note. I was so disappointed as I had been hoping it would become our weekly treat dinner spot. There were other things on the menu we were excited to try but I just feel awkward - it feels like he was covering up and hoping I wouldn’t notice. However, even if he hadn’t mentioned a thing about freshness or the freezer, I would have known the first second cutting into it that it was old because the béchamel layer gave it away. Not sure I will give it a...

To begin, the food at Alexander’s was really good. Tasted fresh, made with care, lovely presentation and thoughtfully compiled dishes. The service was prompt and the restaurant was clean. I would like to try more menu items, though I am sad to say we likely won't return as the atmosphere left much to be desired.

With rave reviews and entrees ranging $20-46, I was anticipating a slightly more well-rounded experience - the price point does not match the environment. The interior looks much different now than the photos online. While I generally don’t harp on such details, everyone in my party mentioned the dark, looming nature of the place. The walls are now dark blue and the ceiling is painted black so there is a cavernous, non-Mediterranean feel here with juxtaposition between the photos of sunny Santorini and the tightness of our booth. The quite low lighting was only broken by the well-lit kitchen as seen from the very visible, revolving service door area.

There was extremely faint music playing at the entrance with the restaurant being virtually silent everywhere else. The booth had zero seat support and if you have the misfortune of someone occupying the booth behind you, you will feel them shift their backs into yours all evening. The booth sides are high, lending to a closed in feeling that wasn’t as luxurious as was probably intended. For a Saturday night between 7-8pm, there were very few patrons. We just never felt relaxed so we ate our delicious food in a hushed hurry.

I really don't mean to disparage independent restaurants because times are tough, however from an interior design/experience perspective, there is a lot of potential for this quaint space that would make it more lively. Some ideas if desired:

Lighten the color palette and replace the red carpet Soft lighting above each booth Replace booths to have lower sides and seat support; adequate space between seat and table Adjust music levels to the occupancy so people don’t feel the need to whisper Server uniforms with lighter colors Use a room divider to subdue the service...

My husband and I ate at Alexander's yesterday for lunch after reading some good reviews of here on Google. Sadly, while there were some things to get excited about, there was enough that was underwhelming that we most likely won't be repeat customers. There is no way to give 3 1/2 stars, but I think that would be a more accurate rating than just 3 stars.

The Pros: The bread and dipping oil are both very good. The service is fast and friendly, although our server did not seem to be overly familiar with Greek food. The lentil soup was very tasty as was the lemon chicken soup. The minced lamb in the kofta souvlaki was moist and tender. The tzatziki sauce was excellent. Chef takes pains to go to the coast bi-weekly and to the local farmer's markets to pick up fresh seafood and produce, respectively. All the greens we had were fresh and delicious and the tomatoes were nice and red and ripe. The falafel was very good. Desserts are all made in-house according to the server. The key lime pie itself was very good, but it could have used a bit more lime "zing."

The Cons: Our hummus was bland, lumpy and almost inedible. I am pretty sure we've never had worse hummus out anywhere. The filling in the dolmas was very smooth, like a puree, which was a bit off-putting. The dishes were under-seasoned across the board. We had to liberally salt everything, including the soup that we both really enjoyed. The fries were slightly under-cooked, and while I enjoyed the oregano as a seasoning, they did need a bit more salt, and a nice pop of lemon would have been welcome. The pita that they use is unsalted, so the "wrapping" for sandwiches and the triangles for dipping don't add any extra flavor to the dish. Very bland pita, although it was nice and soft.

I think the chef is passionate, and we both applaud his commitment to fresh, local ingredients. We do think there is plenty of room for improvement and hope that happens, because we like to support local...