This past Friday night, Jessica and I decided to try Poole's Diner (http://www.poolesdowntowndiner.com/), regarded as one of the best restaurants in the Triangle and one of the six "Gold" rated restaurants from the News and Observer's annual list. Poole's Diner, located on McDowell Street just past the new outdoor amphitheater if you are entering downtown, is a "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant that does not take reservations and has limited seating, either at tables or their diner-style bar. Because they take walk-ins only, it can be difficult to get a seat without arriving at opening, which fortunately Jessica and I did, at 6 PM.
The easy part of my review for Poole's Diner is the food, which was excellent and worthy of every accolade passed their way. Jessica started with homemade pimento cheese crostini, and I had a freshly baked baguette with homemade butter and fleur de sel. Both of our dishes were perfect; Jessica's crostini crispy and light, with flavorful pimento cheese ready to be spread across them, My bread doughy and chewy with a bit of crunch on the edges, and although the butter could have been a tiny bit softer, it was great when paired with the salt for extra flavor. I mowed through my entire loaf of bread without much trouble (even though it was a sizable portion) and Jessica came home with plenty of her cheese and crostini for later (which they box up in Chinese takeout containers, a cool touch).
For dinner, Jessica had brown-butter seared scallops with polenta and greens while I had the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. The dishes were actually quite simple, but magnificently prepared. When my plate arrived, it was very basic with the chicken quarter (breast and leg with all but the drumstick bone removed) laid over the potatoes and gravy on the periphery. This simplicity gave way to amazing flavor on my first bite, however. My dish was the single best chicken meal I've had; it reminded me of Thanksgiving with the mashed potatoes, chicken skin, and delicious chicken gravy, yet somehow seemed light and fresh. Jessica had a similar rave review regarding her main course, of which I tried a bite to find a perfectly prepared scallop.
We've also tried brunch at Poole's, which is equally amazing but again is best enjoyed by arriving just before opening to secure a seat.
I only wish Poole's Diner had me focusing solely on my meal when I left, as I'd instantly place it on top of my favorite restaurants list. However, I feel in a way the food is overshadowed by the restaurant's "concept" and also the patrons who fill the seats. In addition to not accepting reservations, which can be a major time-sink or inconvenience at least, Poole's also does not use menus but instead requires that you find one of their two chalkboards with the daily choices. This isn't terrible but for those people sitting at the seats where the boards reside, I can imagine it gets old quickly having people stand a foot away reading the menu over their heads. As for the patrons, I feel (with arguably no justification) that Poole's Diner is now a place for the older "trendy" Raleigh scene, where going comes with a badge of coolness. I feel bad for the old school diners who probably have been there from the start, as the new breed of wannabe hipsters has taken over and definitely hurt the overall ambiance in my opinion.
The Poole's Diner experience can be summarized as amazing food that ultimately is a hassle to enjoy. I cannot think of a restaurant that could prepare such a simple chicken dish and make it so flavorful and memorable; I also couldn't imagine a place where the dish would be arguably overshadowed by the sideshow of people and logistics. All of that said, I have to say that the food stands up to any other fine dining restaurant... and they certainly know that!
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