| rev:text
| - Confidence is magnetic; arrogance is obnoxious. Bentley's errs on the side of arrogance (especially when it's an unwarranted sense of self-righteousness) and seriously, it left an unsavory damper in our romantic dining experience. I'm giving Bentley's 3 stars for: 1. AMAZING ambiance (the best in Charlotte); 2. Underwhelming service; and 3. Hit or miss cuisine.
TIP: There's no valet parking (seriously?!?) so get an uber (like we did) or be prepared to walk.
1.) Amazing ambience. The view is spectacular. It's the kind of view that Fahrenheit wishes it could feature but note that you're paying a heftier price tag to enjoy it. Inside the restaurant, there is a cozy lit oversized fireplace that is extremely warm and welcoming. The restaurant is dimly lit and candlelit at every table to immerse you in the upscale yet romantic backdrop.
We sat in a booth adjacent to the window, which really augmented the intimacy of our romantic dining experience. If you're in LA, this restaurant is akin to WP24, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Like WP24, this is the restaurant that we would take our suburbanite out-of-town guests to understand our draw to downtown living.
2.) Disappointing service. The waitstaff is comprised of a team of 3 so theoretically, the transition through the courses should be seamless and your needs should be anticipated with an impeccable level of detail. In application, they just fell flat. It seemed like they weren't communicating with one another -- and frankly, there weren't that many other patrons in the restaurant so unless they were back in the kitchen acting as cooks as well, it's a little bewildering how this could happen. For example, we had to ask for certain things at least twice with two different people.
My drink was prepared inadequately and sent back three times before I just gave up and concluded that the last endeavor was "good enough." I know that they specialize in wine but I'm not a wino and it can't be that hard for the bartender to put together pineapple, Sprite, and citrus vodka to make it fruity and sweet. Further, this seemed discombobulating to the team.
Ultimately, they:
** couldn't prepare a simple alcoholic concoction;
** served bad oyster(s);
** got our order wrong and we had to wait for the right dish to be prepared.
With this whole debacle, the main server at the end of the meal had the audacity to ask us, "I trust you enjoyed your meal," which seemed more like a flagrant challenge than a genuine intention to ensure that we had a positive dining experience.
Having both been a waitress and bartender in college, my boyfriend and I have sympathy for how demanding the service industry can be; however, we have dined at Buddha Bar in Dubai, Alain Ducasse in Paris, Providence in LA, STK in Vegas and LA -- you get the gist -- the service at Bentley's was the absolute worst we've encountered for an upscale restaurant. Nobody has ever been as presumptive as the staff at Bentley's. Locally, they can learn from the staff at Capital Grille ("CG"), Del Frisco's ("DF"), or BLT, who have their service execution down to an exacting science.
3.) Hit or miss cuisine. We've had:
_______________Absolutely divine hits.
*** escargot. The scrumptious way escargot was meant to be served -- buttery, garlicky and not fishy at all. A top 5 contender for the best I've had globally, including in Paris.
*** Lobster. The lobster is foodgasmic good. I usually prefer Alaskan King crab to lobster but the buttery and sweet delivery of the lobster was mind-blowing.
*** Caesar salad. It's deconstructed but the nice balance of lemon, anchovy and Worcestershire sauce along with the crisp lettuce made it on par with other steakhouses like CG, BLT or DF though.
*** Lobster bisque. Great blend of sweet and creamy. Gives CG's bisque a run for their money.
______________Meh. Good but you expect more for the price and projected caliber.
*** shrimp cocktail. It's good but they give you 4 shrimps, which is less than CG, DF, or BLT but not more remarkable.
*** creme brulee. Just standard old creme brulee. Come on! This is a French restaurant; you can't serve me less caliber than what I get at Georges Brasserie during their brunch buffet!
_____________Miss...WTH?!?
*** caviar oysters. I. Love. Oysters. If they have them; I'm ordering them. I've had my share of bad oysters but would never expect to have it served at this caliber of restaurant. Seriously; that's unforgivable. #3 was bad so I couldn't risk trying 4,5 or 6. They took it off the bill but rightfully so.
Overall, I would come back for the ambiance and the amazing escargot, lobster and salad; but the service was so deplorable that we will opt for CG, BLT or DF over spending another disappointing dining experience at Bentley's. Get over yourself, Bentley's, you're not THAT great.
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