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| - I was really disappointed by my first experience with Stoke. We had reservations on Friday with another couple and were seated in the bar area at a high top table. The seats were wide but shallow and incredibly uncomfortable. Our table mates had to stand and constantly readjust, and it became a joke throughout the night as we watched other guests squirm in their chairs for relief. Our server rushed us to get drink orders in, but I asked for time since we were sharing the one cocktail/wine menu among the table. I had to remind the server about my drink order and waited an additional 15 minutes for my glass of wine to arrive.
We ordered the meat, cheese, and pickle tray as well as pretzel brioche for appetizers. The pretzel brioche and whipped butters were good, but no one ever told us what the butters were. We figured out one was mustard, one honey, and the one in the middle was a mystery butter. There were very few pickles on our plate (one slice of jalapeno for example) and we had to ask for more bread. In addition, I didn't like two of the three cheeses that were served, and I can't say that has ever happened to me before. Our friends ordered two entrees to share, scallops and lamb, and the server left before taking the order for the other half of the table. We had to call our server back to order. My boyfriend and I shared the sticky pork shank and sides of brussel sprouts and crispy fingerling potatoes. I enjoyed the pork shank more than my boyfriend did and the brussel sprouts were not crispy like I would have preferred. All in all, we could have prepared a better version of this meal at home.
If the food was amazing and the service lackluster, I may have been able to overlook the deficits of this restaurant. However, when a shared meal costs over a hundred dollars (in Charlotte no less), I expect the food to wow me and the service to be up to standard. As a former server in a Michelin star restaurant, I know what level of service to expect and what is unacceptable. For example when spending $150 on dinner for two, I expect the silverware to not be placed in a pile with the napkins at the end of the table.
Unfortunately, we will not be back to Stoke.
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