Romantic Dining in North Raleigh
I share three of the places that are interesting to those seeking a romantic setting for their date.
The first of these is Neo China on Glenwood Avenue. It is a particularly exciting place if your date is an art nut. Part of chain of three family owned restaurants, this restaurant is full of statuary. The designs are modernistic in nature.
If the date is a weekend day date, the authentic style Dim Sum served 11:30 to 2:30 on weekends can be a real pleasure.
Entering the restaurant you are greeted by a tastefully dressed hostess, who guides you to your table. Immediately you notice the art works displayed around the restaurant. The seating is comfortable with plenty of arm room.
You notice this is the kind of noisy environment favored by large city folks. It creates it’s own background, like being in the middle of a busy park.
If there for the Dim Sum period, you and your date will be impressed by the attraction this holds for many to maintain their roots. This adds to the authenticity of the environment.
The wait person will offer you only a small selection of non alcoholic drinks. You can either choose to participate in the Dim Sum meal or order off the menu.
If you choose the Dim Sum approach you will be visited by one cart after another with offering from shrimp balls to deserts. Each item you choose is added to your bill. For a first time participant, this can be a real treat.
If you are unsure of the food, the cart’s server is always pleased to explain it to you.
If you or your date is a vegetarian or has a dietary condition, the restaurant has a large selection of choices to meet the need.
After consuming large quantities of delicious foods in a very artsy cosmopolitan atmosphere it may be a great time to visit the nearby N.C. Art Museum to walk a little of it off.
If your date loves art, the art museum is just a short drive from the restaurant. This is an extremely nice choice if you are on a limited date budget as the food prices are excellent (low) and the Museum is free.
The prices are on the low side for a fantastic meal. Entrees range from $8.75 to $11.75. The Entrees are mostly standard Chinese fare, though they are well presented and very tasty. Soups start at $1.75 and appetizers at $1.95. The food is very good. The deserts are primarily American in nature and after the meal, there is usually no room.
Neo China
6602-1 Glenwood Avenue
Raleigh, NC
(919) 783-8383
A second nice restaurant for those who want a romantic atmosphere is a restaurant on Falls of Neuse. The Taste of Thai is located in a small strip mall in a free standing building.
Entering the restaurant you are greeted by a hostess, who happen to be Thai. The hostess will guide you to a large both with high partitions. (as booths go) There is quiet music in the background.
Your waitperson (who is also of Thai extraction) greets you and takes your drink order. Here it can get a bit dicey. They have a lot of choices for drinks. They have wines, your standard non-alcoholic fare and an exotic list of beers to tempt the imagination.
When your drinks arrive, you will be asked for your selections. It is difficult with a large array of appetizers and soups to choose from. One interesting feature that you notice is that with few exceptions the appetizers and soups may be made with your choice of chicken, beef, fish, shrimp or tofu. The number of variations can be a problem if you happen to be indecisive.
At our last outing, we ordered vegetarian spring rolls. This was one of the few offerings that came with only one choice, vegetarian. When presented each plate had two rolls with a spoon and a choice of topping choices. One of these was a sort of sweet sauce, while the other is a peanut sauce.
For soups we ordered Tom Yum and Tom Kha made with tofu. And Khao Tom which only comes made with chicken. The soups come out hot and tasty. They are in a huge bowl which fortunately is only half full. All the soups were excellent in flavor.
The entr�©es we ordered were Kang Kiew with tofu, Kee Mau with tofu. The dishes each come with a small salad with ginger dressing.
The entr�©es themselves come in two forms. The can be served as a single dish, which is a large portion for one person. Or they are served on a platter with side dishes with rice. We got our meals in both formats. This worked perfectly for us.
The nice feature of this restaurant is the intimacy in the restaurant itself. The high booth sides/backs and the quiet music lend an air to the place that makes you feel that you have a private space. It is an excellent place for those who wish to converse.
The food is very tasty and the atmosphere is very authentic. You do have to be somewhat careful as the spicier dishes may be too much for some folks. The have four stages of hot on the menu and the fourth stage is not suitable for a date.
It is very pleasant as you leave and the wait person and hostess bow to you in a traditional sign of respect.
A dinner for two can be expected to run about $50 to $60. The actual price of individual items is not that expensive but this is a place where you would expect to have a drink, appetizers and a meal. Perhaps you will even have coffee and desert following a long relaxed dinner.
Taste of Thai
4516 Falls Of Neuse Rd
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 872-0099
This is my third selection of a romantic restaurant in North Raleigh.
Solomon’s at Celebration at Six Forks is definitely one of the best, if not the best.
When the evening sun sets, this restaurant starts going. Located at the end of a strip Mall beside Gold’s Gym, anyone unfamiliar with the area would not realize one of Raleigh’s best restaurants is hidden here.
The restaurant is family owned by people who have deep roots in both the Middle East and in Raleigh. The restaurant has locally received kudos for years. Solomon, who his parents named the restaurant for, has grown up and become the head chef.
If you like Middle Eastern foods, as well as some American dishes this is the perfect place for you.
For a romantic date the atmosphere could not be better. It is a small restaurant with seating both inside and outside. The intimate atmosphere inside is probably the better selection for a date. Although outside on a star filled evening with fine food and excellent service, the patio seating might be just fine.
In side the restaurant a hostess, who is usually also a waitress will seat you. The waitress will arrive and offer you drink selections. They offer both some alcoholic drinks and the normal array of non-alcoholic choices. For a romantic meal, wine might be a good selection.
The appetizer selections offer and opportunity to try dishes like Hummus, Baba Ghanough and stuffed Grape Leaves. All served with fresh pita bread.
The selection of salad is small. House, Spinach, Ceasar and Meditarian. The salads themselves are Large. The are priced from $5.50 to $6.25. Add chicken, beef, shrimp or salmon for under $4 more and you have a complete meal.
The entr�©es are from a wonderful selection of choices. There Kabobs (beef/lamb), Jambalaya, lamb, chicken, beef, shrimp and salmon dishes.
For a romantic date I would not recommend the Jambalaya. It is huge and extremely delicious, you want have much time for conversation. All of the dishes are excellent.
One favorite dish, particularly good for those on a budget, is the Thursday night salmon special. With this meal you get your choice of salads ( a $6 value) and the salmon entr�©e (normally $16.95) for only $10.95.
This meal comes first with a salad. I usually chose the house salad. The salad bowl is nearly the size of a dinner plate. It is heaped high with lettuce, cucumber and tomato. On top of it is what looks like French Fries. But these are not French Fries, instead it is fried Pita Bread. And the bread is very, very yummy.
Now that you are nearly stuffed to the Gills with the salad the main course arrives. It is a large fillet of salmon on a bed of vegetables. It is served on an oversize dinner plate. If you didn’t pace yourself on the salad may regret it now.
The salmon is cooked on the light side so if you prefer it more thoroughly cooked you may want to send it back. They are always happy to please, and they know some of us like our fish more thoroughly heated.
If you had room, you will have completed one of the best meals in the triangle. For a date night, this might be a good lead in to a play or movie where you could sit for a bit because you will be full.
If you have room for desert they have one traditional choice on a very limited desert menu with Gelato, Baklava and Sorbeto. Most folks are too full to take advantage of any these except in cases where they had only a sandwich or wrap. All of the deserts are quiet flavorful. These are true desserts and not overwhelming in size.
Except for the Salmon special (about $10.95) most meals with a salad and entr�©e can easily be expected to run in the $16 to $25 range per person. That be said, if you have more limited means they also have sandwiches and wraps in the $8.00 range.
The interior of the restaurant is intimate with candles on the booth and tables during evening meals. The meal offerings appear genuine and are always well prepared. The wait staff is always friendly and attentive. Family members frequently greet guests at the tables and one young member of the family has been known to offer to do magic tricks for the patron’s amusement.
This is definitely one of the best places for a quiet candle lit dinner, with excellent food and fantastic service.
Solomon’s
Celebration at Six Forks
7321 Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 844.4977
All three of these restaurants offer very different flavors for a very special date.
One offers a cosmopolitan art atmosphere with traditional Chinese fare. This is great dining for the couple with a strong interest in the arts.
The second really does offer intimate dining with a true taste of Thai. It is a fantastic place for a quiet date with a lot of conversation.
The final one offers an excellent environment with exceptional food in a very intimate dining setting. It is a great way to set the tone for a dinner and theater evening.
