A little while back, I asked you if you thought that I should re-review restaurants if I revisit them after my initial review. You said yes, so here it goes.
A little over a year ago, I brought you a review of a restaurant all the way in Charlotte, North Carolina. Andrew Blair's Comfortable Dining is a casual eatery with an upscale menu and reasonable prices. A few weeks ago, I found myself back in Charlotte and back and Andrew Blair's. I give you this update.
For my appetizer, I had the spinach artichoke dip. It was a good rendition of a standard staple. It was creamy, well-seasoned and was great with the salted lavash that was served as an accompaniment. Unfortunately, this is where the positive part of my meal begins...and ends.
I chose the Madison Park Chicken (a house specialty) as my entree'. It is advertised as a grilled chicken breast stuffed with feta, topped with artichoke, capers and tomatoes and served over risotto. In my mind, this sounded like a tasty and satisfying dish, and if all of the elements had been well-executed, my prediction would have been correct. However, my chicken breast was extremely dry and desperately needed salt. The feta filling was bland and had an unpleasant texture. The artichoke/caper topping was unpleasantly bitter and while the flavor of the risotto was decent, it was cold and the texture was gummy.
Hoping to end on a positive note, I finished my meal with the creme brulee. This may not have been the best choice; the custard was runny, bland and grainy and the sugar topping was burnt in some places and completely untouched by heat in others. It was a complete failure of a dish that is usually fairly simple to execute.
Final Impressions: The service was pretty good, and I'll admit that our group was large, but there is no excuse for the quality of the food that was served. On the upside, drinks are potent and well-crafted and the cornbread and hushpuppies that are served with every meal are delicious.
Additional Notes: My original rating of :) :) :) out of :) :) :) :) does not apply for this particular visit. I'm not sure if it was my menu choices or if the food has really fallen this far in the last year. While the atmosphere is still cool and chic, I would suggest that if you do visit Andrew Blair's Comfortable Dining, come for the drinks, not the food.
Tiffany's Favorite Part: Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Tiffany's (revised) Rating: :) 1/2 out of :) :) :) :)
Andrew Blair's Comfortable Dining1600 Montford Drive
Charlotte, NC 28209
(705) 525-8282
Average Appetizer Price: $7-$14
Average Salad/Sandwich Price: $10-$16
Average Main Course Price: $17-$28
Average Dessert Price: $6-$10
Operating Hours
Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm
Bar Service: Tuesday-Saturday 5:00-until
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