Second Empire Restaurant

04/21/2008 Posted by Merillion

Unfortunately, Second Empire is not a good restaurant in a number of respects. Parking is a problem. Although there is off street parking, it can only accomodate 2 handicapped vehicles and 8 additional vehicles. Beware parking on the street, because before and after dinner you will be approached by homeless people asking for food and money. The house is a problem. There is a front and also a rear entrance. Both are narrow, because there is a lot of foot traffic (customer, waiter, waitress and busboy), and you will get run over if you get in the way of a server. The bar is a problem. It is very small; very small. You have to take the stair case down almost 1.5 flights to get the bar, which is in the basement. The basement is simply a converted basement for semi-formal dining. Ironically, there are windows to the west of the basement, but they are dirty. The selection from the bar wine list is simply poor...many of the wines are sub-rated commercial wines, and the champagnes are all brut, i.e., no variety. The bathrooms...on the top floor, and again you have to walk up 1.5 flights of stairs to get their. The bathrooms have been updated, but honestly, not updated enough. The service...poor, in terms of busy, frowning staff. No one smiles; everyone is serious; its as though they are depressed. It makes for a poor showing and presentation of the food. Further, you have wait staff hovering over you to take your plate of food away before you are even finished. The food...selection is poor. All of the dishes are chef created, and there are no standard, simple dishes available if you are just interested in having a well prepared, delicious meal. Even the appetizers are bad, in terms of new dishes that have no pedigree or appeal. The pricing....if you like throwing your money away, you've found the right place. All things considered, this restaurant is not a restaurant...its simply a fashion statement where well to do shallow people go!

Pros: None

Cons: Homeless people hovering around the restaurant.

04/13/2008 Posted by reedsmith

Average food. Ignoring customers' request and mixing up the orders. People should not spend their money for something it's not important. It's a vanity. I told my friend about it and he just laughed. Not going back.

Pros: Nice looking building

Cons: not a friendly service

02/15/2008 Posted by darlla

Just dined at Second Empire for Valentines Day for the first time. This is truly an excellent place for a special occasion. The old house is beautiful and works surprisingly well as a restaurant. I wish I had more time to explore the house, but with so many people bustling around we felt like we were in the way. The staff were all very formal, from their uniforms to their mannerisms. Our server was a little soft-spoken but did a fine job. The menu offerings were not as extravagant as I expected, very traditional offerings like prime rib, striped bass, scallops, salmon etc. I had the salmon and crab cake which was presented in a way I did not expect, with the salmon wrapped around the crab cake, and puff pastry wrapped around the outside, reminded me of a cinnamon roll. The reduction made with Newcastle ale was surprisingly sweet and added a ton of flavor to the dish. My only complaint is the salmon was a little dry and not the freshest salmon I've ever had. My husband's prime filet was tender and flavorful. We ordered a key lime pie for dessert, easily the best key lime pie I've ever eaten, very smooth with the perfect amount of tartness. I was not disappointed, this is an experience you must try at least once if you live in the area.

12/17/2007 Posted by mattshamblin

Anytime I really want to make a girl feel special I bring her here. The staff is always excellent, they stay out of the way until they're needed, and as soon as you turn around to look for them it's like they just appear. The wine flows, the food is excellent and the ambiance is sure to impress. Don't come here unless you're ready to spend some money, but it's well worth it.

10/29/2007 Posted by jmr24

I'm always on the lookout for restaurants to go for "special occasions" when we are willing to spend more for a great meal. Only living in the area for a year, I asked some coworkers the best place in town, and they immediately recommended Second Empire. Having eaten at many of the best restaurants in the country from Patina in LA to Saddle River Inn and Ryland in NJ and too many in Manhattan to list, I am not easily impressed. I was very happy here; outstanding foie gras appetizer and great five spice duck breast entree. The risotto side to the duck was a little too smoky for my taste, but well done for what it was. The decor was was really something, with impressive woodwork and dining rooms. Padded/suede walls in the dining room that i was in keep it quiet and relaxing. I would not hesitate to return, as long as I was not in a bargain mood.

Pros: Great food, great atmosphere

Cons: Service inexperienced, such as when they filled my Pelligrino glass with tap water

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/17/2007 Posted by jmath232

Great restraunt...attentive service staff, our visit here was early in April and might I say the waiter we had his name was Aaron if I remember correctly was well educated on all the aspects of the menu, and on the wine list. Definetly a great restraunt experience

Pros: Great service staff, excellent wine list

Cons: noisy

08/10/2007 Posted by huruma

My husband took me here for our first year anniversary. For the amount of money that we spent it was not worth it because our waiter was very rude and not attentive. In addition we went with a couple friend and at the end we were supposed to fill out a form to get more events sent to us throuth the mail but we never received a thing yet my friend receives more invitations through the mail. Me and my husband felt like we were given second hand treatment. I would not recommend it to my other well to do friends!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/15/2007 Posted by amercanidle

This place gets a lot of good reviews, and a fair mount of poor ones too. I believe this is a factor of the transiency of food services... people come, people go, and it's really the people (employees) that are ultimately responsible for the impressions made upon the customer. For us, the impression was that of an overbearing and surly server, combined with a turned bottle of wine that Empire's so-called somallier was forcefully hesitant to accept as "turned". Our experiences with fine dining and good wine (literallly around the world) told us otherwise but, nonetheless, the somellier should have -- as a professional -- bucked up and gotten us a better bottle. After all, is customer service about arguing with the customer? Appearently, at Second Empire, it may well be. We'll give the place another try in a year or so (there are so many other places in the area now), and perhaps things will have improved. After all, it's all about the service, isn't it?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/31/2007 Posted by epikurean

We recently dined at the Second Empire to celebrate our first wedding anniversary... and sure, there might be other restaurants in the Raleigh area with better service, or, even perhaps better food, but probably none that exhibit BOTH qualities so well... the balance of service and food quality / presentation was excellent at the Second Empire. Dinner was truly a fine dining experience without the pretentiousness typically associated with such venues. The food: the better half ordered the duck breast for the first course, I had the foie gras, which was incredible. Entrees: the lady ordered the Bluefin tuna, U.S.D.A. "prime" steak for me, which was perfectly grilled to medium, with a dark pink center. Chocolate souffle can only be described as "awesome". The portions were generous, which was a pleasant surprise. The service: the wait staff was courteous, prompt, well-rehearsed and knowledgable. They never interrupted our conversation, which of course is important to maintaining a romantic setting. We were also congratulated by all the wait staff for our "milestone", which although a small gesture, added a very nice touch to our evening. We look forward to dining at the Second Empire again for future occasions.

Pros: Service, presentation, ambience

Cons: no glaring "cons"

04/15/2007 Posted by big1intown

I can confidently say that one of my best dining experiences was at Second Empire. I ordered the specials of that day, which was the fois gras appetizer and a filet mignon that was even better than the one on their menu. The waiter was very professional and accommodating and not at all snobby as I'd expected. The dishes were absolutely phenomenal. Everything on the dish was there for a reason and gave the dish a very balanced taste. The chocolate souffle was very tasty as well. I highly recommend this restaurant for any romantic occasion. I cannot wait to dine there again.

Pros: Food, superb wine list, well-trained staff, and parking