18 Seaboard in Raleigh

Last Thursday, Jessica and I went with friends (who graciously treated us to celebrate our engagement and upcoming wedding) to 18 Seaboard (http://www.18seaboard.com/) in downtown Raleigh.  18 Seaboard is part of Seaboard Station, located off of Peace Street and next to J. Betski's in the shopping complex.  We hadn't been back here together since our first date for more than two years ago, so it was a fitting celebration!

The restaurant served us all a pimento cheese crostini as a first bite, and then had standard bread service at the table.  The crostini was good although I thought the pimento cheese was a bit on the "creamy" side, if that is possible.  The flavor was good but the texture was somewhat off for me.  The bread and butter at the table was fairly standard, but quite good.  As always, I had to hold myself back from eating too much and filling up ahead of the meal.

Both Jessica and I started our meal with an appetizer; she had the warm manchego cheese and I had the sweet potato bisque.  Jessica's dish was delicious for the one bite I had; the cheese was melted and served on focaccia with some greens and a sweet sauce.  My soup was wonderful as well.  It was extremely smooth and somewhat light but also very flavorful.  The bisque was served piping hot with a cool cream (with apples and pecans mixed in) that provided a nice contrast. 

For the main course, I tried the special for the night, which was wild boar short ribs with grilled shrimp and roasted new potatoes (Jessica had the tuna, which I tried, and really enjoyed it as well.  It was perfectly cooked medium rare and had good flavor and texture).  My dish was finished with a cherry reduction, and also served with a side of cheese grits.  The shorts ribs were fantastic; I was given half a full rack (six bones or so) of the most tender, flavorful pork with the sweet sauce a great addition.  The boar was a perfect combination of meat and fat, which gave an excellent combination of taste and texture.  The roasted potatoes and cheese grits were also well-prepared and delicious (as was the shrimp, which served as a nice compliment to the rich board).  As a whole, the dish was one of the better things I've had in the past few months dining out.

For dessert, Jessica and I split a specially prepared cake to celebrate the night... I only had a bite or two but the cake was good and the cream cheese icing, which I normally don't enjoy, was excellent.

I couldn't imagine a much better night out with friends.  18 Seaboard served wonderful food with unique and flavorful components that aren't frequently found elsewhere, and the upscale casual atmosphere was perfect to catch up with friends while also making for a special night.