407 Meadowmont Village Circle
Chapel Hill, NC
This sunny bistro is one of the newest restaurants in Chapel Hill, a land of many yummy feasts. The decor struck me as bland at first glance, but I quickly discarded my disdain. It's not trying to be the next trendy hot spot; it's succeeding at being a welcoming European cafe. Somehow, I was convinced I was outside, enjoying a nice day, when in fact, I was inside, safely out of the pouring rain. The art also deserves accolades. I was enchanted with the piece right above our table. It was a decoupage of wine bottle labels crafted by unseen forces into the courtyard of Carmen, creating a never before seen 3D production. Don't ask me how it happened. I think it was gnomes.
My first fried green tomatoes ever were complemented by fresh mozzarella, red onion jam, and balsamic vinaigrette. The tomatoes were delicately fried and the taste combination was delightfully tart. We were then served a very light and flavorful French roll, accompanied by an olive tapanade, which quickly made its way to Mr. Gourmez' side of the table. If you're familiar with my rating scale, you know why.
Mr. Gourmez had scallops with a corn saute, asparagus, and shitake mushrooms. The corn was artfully seasoned and the scallops were appropriately melting. I chose the roasted chicken breast with a leek and gruyere bread pudding and spinach. The chicken was nearly as melty as the scallops but I mainly picked the entree to try the pudding. It turned out very savory but I missed the gruyere completely.
For dessert, we had a lemon, macadamia, and marscapone cake entitled the "M...M...M Cake." I thought it was an excellent torte and enjoyed every bite but Mr. Gourmez was understandably disappointed that it was dry. The word “torte”, which our dessert unquestionably was, did not appear in the description. As a torte is quite a bit drier than cakes, I understood his complaint.
Azure Grill was definitely worth trying and I'm sure I'll head back someday when it's raining and my spirits need a lift.
