Eatery - Fairview Dining Room (NC) Revisited

Fairview Dining Room - Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, 3001 Cameron Blvd, Durham, NC 27705
Pricing - $$$$$ | Dining - Fancy, Dressy | Cuisine - American | Reservations - Recommended
http://www.washingtondukeinn.com/Dining/fairview.asp

I had a somewhat bad dining experience tonight, and it makes me disappointed because it was the first time at this restaurant (I've been a few times). I don't know if it was because we were there late at night near closing time or if the chef was just not on the ball but I was dissatisfied indeed. I went back to Fairview Restaurant at the Washington Duke Inn to have a celebratory end-of-the-year dinner with my fellow club officers from Circle K. The menu was full of spring-inspired dishes so I was excited about it.


The amuse-bouche was some type of smoked trout quiche that was a tad spicy. Nothing extraordinary to be honest. No exciting bread for the evening either.


I ordered the Ahi Tuna Tartare appetizer which came with a snap pea slaw, fried ginger, spicy avocado mousse, and roasted pepper oil. I quite enjoyed it but felt like the ginger came as too shocking the moments I came across it. The tuna was a bit too warm for my liking, and the dish itself probably would've been better complimented with crackers or crusty bread of some sort. Luckily I had ordered a glass of Verdejo-Viura (Bodegas Naia 'Las Brisas') to help. Excellent wine...mmm.


The disappointment of the evening was actually the entree - grilled bison medallions with cauliflower purée, wild mushroom ragoût, braised asparagus, and artichoke and green pepper hollandaise. I really liked everything but the way that the bison medallions were handled. The cauliflower was grit-like, and I love grits. The mushrooms were prepared very well and the asparagus still had a nice crunch in them. I had ordered the bison to be cooked medium rare but it was certainly rare when it came out. I notified the waiter when he came by and he agreed that it was much too rare so he took it back. However, what I got back looked just like they had popped the dish into the microwave instead of redoing it (like most restaurants do, with the entire plate). The first two pieces were fine but then the last medallion was still bloody and rare. At that point, my fellow diners had nearly finished their meals so I didn't bother to put up a fuss again. I just left it there. The presentation of the entree was nice however - I'll give them that. The preparation kept me away from having dessert. I wrote politely to them in their suggestion card so hopefully others will not experience this mishap.

In short, the evening's meal was not worth the $60 I paid.