Magnolia Blue — Restaurant in High Point

(4.5 stars) In search of a good New Years Eve meal and no longer in close proximity to Undercurrent or the Quaintance-Weaver trifecta, I booked a reservation for Magnolia Blue. This last meal of the year ended up being one of the best meals of the year as food, service, and ambiance were all very good.

Housed in a former newspaper building, Magnolia Blue is sleek and cozy. There is a lot of gray, but it doesn’t feel drab. The music playing alternated between Christmas tunes and EDM, an oddity that no one could explain, but not enough of a distraction to detract from the meal.

Magnolia Blue’s menu suggests creative takes on familiar dishes. Fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, gumbo, chicken and waffles, and chicken and dumplings are among the offerings, but these are not the versions you’ve had before. For example, the dumplings in chicken and dumplings are toasted gnocchi, and the dish comes with andouille and kale. Though practically the entire menu held appeal, my wife and I settled on a fried green tomato starter (our litmus test dish for Southern fare), a zydeco salad (andouille, potatoes, roasted tomatoes, asparagus, arugula, and a fried egg), a cream of crab soup, and a bayou shrimp and crab pasta.

By and large, the food delivered on its potential. The fried green tomatoes well-breaded and nicely plated albeit a rather small portion. The pasta, on the other hand, did not skimp. The shrimp were flavorful and cooked just right, and trottole is an underrated pasta shape. The real star, however, was the sauce, which was brothier and more complex than the typical alfredo. Some bread to mop it up would have been a welcome addition. While the zydeco salad’s components were tasty, the red wine mustard vinaigrette was overpowering. Though requested on the side, it was served atop the salad. Fortunately, our server, Phil (who did a great job overall), was apologetic and brought a second bowl of greens to make things right. We saved enough room to split a dessert, and the chocolate cherry bread pudding won out. It paired well with ice cream and closed out a satisfying meal.

Magnolia Blue is not a cheap meal, but as an “occasion” restaurant, it is fairly priced. Entrees run from the teens to the upper twenties, and the quality justifies the price. Neither drinks ($10 for craft cocktails) nor desserts (under $10) were exorbitant, either.

Just a few hiccups shy of a five-star experience, Magnolia Blue is one of the best restaurants that High Point has to offer. Polished yet innovative, it merits...

Besides the overpriced and overrated food, it's not surprising the number of one star reviews for this restaurant. On mother's day this year I took my elderly aunt and cousin to this establishment for brunch. We waited a half hour to get a table even though we had reservations. The hostess, as well as the wait staff were rude and unapologetic. But I kept my mouth shut and said nothing. Yesterday, the day after Christmas, we had reservations at five o'clock. We arrived to find handicapped parking (which we needed) in the back of the building with no access to the restaurant unless you walked all the way around the building. A bit of a hike for the handicapped . The weather was cold, raw, and pouring rain. When we finally reached the door , it was locked. The time was 4:57 when I looked at my phone to call the restaurant and ask them to open the door. The worst part was THEY SAW US in the pouring rain, knocking, and ignored us. Their excuse: "We don't open until 5." I said, "Would it have hurt to open the door five minutes early in this weather for folks with 5 o'clock reservations?!?" as we stood there wet and shivering. The two hostesses looked at us like deer in headlights, and the manager came around the corner to not only ARGUE with us obnoxiously, but also inform us the City of High Point required the parking situation (since we complained about that, as well.) She stated they would have opened the back door had we called first. Seriously!! Where is that posted?! And how would we know that door was locked before arrival?!? First rule of customer service, is not to argue with the customer. But obviously, the owners of Magnolia Blue do not teach that to their employees. A simple apology and "let's get you to your table" would have sufficed. But no, the manager only helped to raise the situation into a heated argument. Two senior citizens and their daughter, who only wanted a nice after Christmas dinner, stood there, arguing with this young woman manager who REFUSED to seat us. Needless to say, we walked out. Frankly, that girl should lose her job for her behavior to paying customers who will never EVER return to any restaurant the owners of Magnolia Blue owns, nor will we ever recommend one. I am appalled at this, especially in a city where so many people visit from out of town. High Point is better than this, and I truly hope the owners of Magnolia Blue wise up and train their staff a bit...

Stopped by Magnolia Blue with a friend while in town. My overall experience was fine. The service great and the food was okay with a few stand outs. I would want to give it another try and see what else they have to offer. Here are a few of my thoughts.

Environment It's a great space beautiful space that is great for drinks to watch a game or for dinner with friends or a romantic partner. They serve many different occasions. They have a rooftop bar that I didn't get a chance to check out. We had dinner in the main restaurant which was nice and quiet for a week day dinner. The entrance is a little confusing - you park in the back of the building and have to walk around to the front (facing the highway) in order to enter the restaurant. Once you figure that out you're good to go. Loved the ambiance and space.

Service Our server was wonderful and attentive. She made sure we had everything we needed and if we had any issues she made sure that we were satisfied and offered us different options. She made the experience better for us.

Food and Drinks The stand outs for me were the drinks! They were strong and tasty and hit the spot. The food was a mixed bag. We ordered the disco fries, the pulled pork spring rolls, the salmon, shrimp pasta and brownie w/ ice cream desert. The disco fries weren't what we expected - we thought it was going to be more like fries with a bunch of toppings on it and it was actually more like a fry stew. So it really wasn't for me but other people may love it. Although this was the case, they were very hospitable and allowed us to return the item. The pork rolls were okay and the shrimp pasta was fine. My friend really enjoyed the salmon and left their plate clean. I also enjoyed the desert.

Overall Overall we had a mixed bag with the food with a few lows and some stand outs. The drinks were great and strong. The service was great and very accommodating. I loved the space and would come back to try different options on the menu and see what...