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| - Webb Custom Kitchen is a slick, well-run restaurant in the heart of downtown Gastonia. My first impression upon walking in was that it's not the kind of restaurant you'd expect in such an area, so it was a very welcome surprise.
Our table wasn't quite ready when we got there at 7:30 for our reservation, so we got some cocktails at the bar. I started with the Steve McQueen, which is bourbon, bitters, simple syrup, and a twist. It was tasty, if a tiny bit too sweet. It had two cherries muddled into it and I think it could have done without them. Overall it was good, and my wife enjoyed her drink whose name escapes me at the moment.
Once we were seated, we started with the mozzarella grille, which is prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella with a balsamic reduction drizzle. This was a great way to start our meal, and the roughly chopped tomato and basil it came with helped to cut the richness in each bite.
We were really hungry and split a second starter: the caesar salad, which comes in a parmesan tuile shaped like a bowl. Their caesar is absolutely delicious and the tuile is a joy to eat. The croutons are garlicky and the entire thing is well-dressed.
For our entrees, I got the special du jour which was called "Three Little Pigs". It was a pork chop topped with an apple-bacon relish, served with andouille farro. The pork chop was cooked above my requested medium, but it was still tender and juicy. The sweet and savory relish paired well with the chop. The andouille farro was tasty, but it was missing something. It wasn't a very cohesive side - it was pretty much just chunks of sausage served with a pretty plain farro, without a sauce or dressing or anything. The andouille needed some crisping, too. It still tasted good but was the weakest part of the dish.
For dessert we split their blackberry cheesecake, which was divine. Our server did an excellent job upselling us with a blueberry dessert wine, which while tasty, at $14/each for a very small glass of it, wasn't quite worth it.
The service here is excellent, and the decor is great. We've been here probably about eight or nine times now, and if I could give it four and a half stars I would, but since I can't it gets four. It would be a five-star experience if they were more consistent with hitting the requested temperatures for their proteins. We'll definitely be back.
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