Results 1 to 11 of 11
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Southern Pines, NC

    Say it ain't so. The Magnolia Grill is closing?

    Just stumbled on it. The Magnolia Grill is closing. It was on WRAL-TV Channel 5 in Raleigh. It will be closed on May 31, 2012. Does anybody know why this is happening? I am very disappointed. It was may favorite along with A Pacific Cafe in Kapaa on Kauai. Now both are closed.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    I don't know anything beyond what the N&O reported, which implies that Ben & Karen Barker are ready to spend more time with family. Its a shame, as not only is Magnolia Grill a great restaurant, it has been the training ground for quite a few other area restaurants started by chefs that left the Magnolia Grill nest.

    The list includes: Nana's, Elaine's, 18 Seaboard, Vin Rouge, Watt's Grocery, Four Square and I am sure there are plenty I missed.

    I'm sad to see it close and may try to get there one last time in the next couple weeks.

    I'm glad that they had the influence they did on Triangle cuisine, as the area might be a culinary wasteland without them.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    California
    Terrible service...good riddance.

    There are now plenty of similar/better options in the area anyway.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by El_Diablo View Post
    Terrible service...good riddance.

    There are now plenty of similar/better options in the area anyway.
    Seconded. I think you had to tip up front in order to get a smile out of anyone who worked there. I always felt bummed when I ate there. See ya Magnolia.

    Now, Watts Grocery, otoh, has a lovely welcoming vibe.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    for all the hype, i was never impressed....
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Well, I guess its true, you can't please all the people all the time. The worst service I have ever gotten was at Nana's, but I know lots of people love that place.

    I have always had good experiences at Magnolia Grill. The service was always fine, but the food was always spectacular. My personal experiences certainly support the acclaim the restaurant and the Barkers have gotten over the years. There can be no disputing the impact Ben and Karen have had on the Durham (& Triangle) food scene. On top of that, they're simply just nice people. I'll miss the Magnolia Grill and I wish the Barkers all the best.

    I'll add Iron Chef winner Walter Royal (currently the chef at Angus Barn) to the names of chefs they've trained. He makes a mean lobster bisque.

    Now, if anbody can get reservations at MG, save me a seat!
    -Son of Jarhead

    The Duke fan formerly known as BuschDevil

  7. #7
    I tried quail there for the first and only time. Never have I worked so hard to get so little to eat off a roasted bird. I try not to think of how many visits to the Q Shack that meal would have funded...

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by cspan37421 View Post
    I tried quail there for the first and only time. Never have I worked so hard to get so little to eat off a roasted bird. I try not to think of how many visits to the Q Shack that meal would have funded...
    You must lack the sophisticated palate required to understand the quality of some restaurants.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by BuschDevil View Post
    Well, The worst service I have ever gotten was at Nana's,
    the largest INCORRECT tab i ever got was an Nana's...like over $100 error on a 6 person dinner...it got paid cause someone else picked up the bill and didn't revue it, then when we all decided to chip in later and go thirds, i got suspicious and went back the next day to check it... 2 EXTRA bottles of wine, 2 EXTRA entree's and 2 extra deserts....
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Indoor66 View Post
    You must lack the sophisticated palate required to understand the quality of some restaurants.
    Probably so! Reminds me of the beginning of a story...

    "We are two very good tailors and after many years of research we have invented an extraordinary method to weave a cloth so light and fine that it looks invisible. As a matter of fact it is invisible to anyone who is too stupid and incompetent to appreciate its quality." - H.C.A.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    the largest INCORRECT tab i ever got was an Nana's...like over $100 error on a 6 person dinner...it got paid cause someone else picked up the bill and didn't revue it, then when we all decided to chip in later and go thirds, i got suspicious and went back the next day to check it... 2 EXTRA bottles of wine, 2 EXTRA entree's and 2 extra deserts....
    Ours was back, I think, in Nana's second year... after a long period of bad service, including being seated after others with out reservations and in a section apparently with out waitstaff assigned, we eventually had someone take our order. After more waiting and being ignored, our waiter came out of the back with a plate in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other and proceeded to sit down a few tables away and began eating. We figured out later that he was actually chef/owner Scott Howell. The food was actually good, but we were so angry at this point we didn't enjoy it as much as we could have. We left with out even considering dessert, paying our full tab via credit card but leaving a big fat ZERO in the tip line. We wrote a long letter of complaint to the restaurant and never heard a word from them in response. Have only been back once, when someone gave me a gift certificate for there... the service then was better, but it would have been hard for it to be worse.
    -Son of Jarhead

    The Duke fan formerly known as BuschDevil

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