Carrington’s Restaurant

Set in a magnificent ante-​bellum mansion, Carrington’s has much to offer. The house and grounds are spectacular, thanks to AXA’s investment.
I gather from older reviews that the chef has changed. But today it is excellent. I took a gamble on the gazpacho; I’ve been often disappointed. Not here! It was flavorful, with bold textures.
The crusted Ahi tuna was cooked precisely as I asked (meaning barely) and served with a delightful mélange of flavors, from juicy mandarin orange slices to the wasabi drizzle.
Can’t speak to the past, but this was really really good, and a stroll through Mr. Bruce’s rooms is a great way to cap an evening.

Not much has changed since I got married on location here two years ago (well, except for me being 15lbs heavier). [Thanks a lot, Unilocal.] One of the things our guests were pleased with was the food. I was so excited, I barely ate a piece of bread. So it was great to be back for our second anniversary and actually get to enjoy the menu.
We were seated near the window, which was a little drafty. It’s an historic building after all! And anyway, it was a good excuse to order red wine to warm up. :) We skipped apps in order to intentionally save room for dessert. My entrée was rare ahi tuna served with a little seaweed salad, pear and jicama. It was pretty perfect. I only wish there’d been a little more wasabi sauce to go with all the fish. The helping of tuna was huge, and in any restaurant in the Triangle would have cost $ 20+ easy. In fact, our whole meal would have been over $ 100 elsewhere. Phil had steak, and thought it good. For dessert we split the chocolate lava cake. Plenty for two. Very rich, dense, and warm. Would have gone great with coffee.
Our server was handling all of the tables, and though he was old and sweet (bowed each time he left our table!), he was definitely slow. I ended up refilling my water on my own at one point.
Service at brunch was better. But it was also buffet-​style, so there was less for them to worry about. Some of the items were better than others. Bacon better than sausage. Chicken masala better than gnocchi. There’s also an omelet station, roast beef carving, and waffle station, all manned by staff. Save room for the dessert buffet — these are the same slices served on-​menu for dinner for $ 7 – 9 a piece! Crème brûlée was worth the calories.

The restaurant could not be any more beautiful. It is in the middle of a Civil War era plantation and located in one of the country’s grand historical mansions. Now that place is a beautiful resort. But the restaurant? Not up to the décor. For years this place has gone through a series of so-​so restaurants that charges top dollar for mundane food. It is like Sizzler with Champagne. In a town that has really great restaurants such as The Bistro and the elegant Molasses Grill, wasting money at Carrington’s is foolish. Every now and then, the owners announce that the have finally upgraded (to fit their prices) and encourage the local community to give them another chance. We all wanted this place to be great because it is a part of our history. So we would flock back, eat another version of the same old sad meal and drop $ 100 per person. WARNING: the resort has acharming bar where I ordered a reuben sandwich and was ill for two days. I do not know what it would take to lure me back to this place that is so lovely on the outside but unsatisfying on its menu.