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| - Took my parents here for brunch on a Sunday. First of all, decor is classy, but the carpet near the windows is torn up and stained. A place that gets this much traffic *absolutely* should have the extra dough to spend on replacing the carpet. So, that gets a low mark in my book.
As for the brunch itself, it was very Charlotte. That is to say, what you'd expect Charlotte to do well, it did great. It failed in other categories.
What was good: the grilled salmon was phenomenal. I think they used hickory. Just awesome. Eggs, green beans, mac and cheese were all above par. Another VERY UNUSUAL offering was smoked salmon with caviar garnishes (chopped eggs, red onion, capers). Is this a dish that is unique to Charlotte or the south? (I liked it, although I would have MUCH preferred to eat my caviar garnishes with caviar (including blini and sour cream).) For dessert, there were giant chocolate-dipped strawberries.
Also unique to this place is the all you can eat made-to-order tapas menu that comes with brunch. The walnut-crusted French toast with mixed berries was sublime. The classic eggs benedict was good, not great.
What was bad: they had an appetizer selection of cheese and fruit that was unimaginative, unappealing and un-quality (yes I made that word up to get the point across). Generic cubed hard cheeses and melon and strawberries that were under-ripe and looked like they hadn't been vetted for quality. The shrimp and grits was absolutely awful: a soup of gravy, some overcooked tomatoes and you had to fish around for the damn shrimp. The prime rib was overcooked and dry. The cobbler dessert had mushy apples, as if somebody had just tossed them into a pot and left them out in the sun for three days. The brownies and lemon tarts looked generic and store-bought.
The service was very good - our server took care of business and was perfectly charming.
So, this looks like a three star review. Why two? Well, the price was $21. For a dollar more, I could go to the Omni and have a proper brunch with an omelet bar, *real cheese,* fresh fruit, free fresh-squeezed orange juice, farm-raised bacon and sausage, and fresh bread pudding with vanilla creme anglaise. In fact, I think that's exactly what I'll do next time, thank you very much!
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