Iris Restaurant- NC Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Rd Raleigh, NC 27607

[MummyChunk]

> Iris Restaurant- NC Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Rd Raleigh, NC
27607
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> Iris is a sophisticated, full-service restaurant featuring
contemporary American cuisine with regional and international flavors
in a distinctly modern setting. Specializing in seasonal fare using
many locally sourced ingredients, the Museum Restaurant, led by chefs
Andy and Jennifer Hicks, features culinary works of art that showcase
a complex culture of flavors.



A few reviews for Iris restaurant.





This is the first time we've eaten at Iris, the new restaurant near
the main entrance of the the new wing at the NC Museum of Art. We had
eaten at the original restaurant many times in the past and were
always impressed with the quality of the foods. The original
restaurant is now a coffee / sandwich shop with some sweet treats as
well.

We decided to eat at Iris after seeing the Rembrandt exhibit, which
was great BTW, in late December, 2011. Because it was later in the
evening, we had about 30 minute wait so I recommend reservations as
well. We explored the halls of the new wing and I must say, it is
quite impressive from the older building. Lite, spacious, white and
very very open.

Once we were seated, the waiter was prompt and courteous, even after
having what I'm sure had been a long grueling day. The kid got the
Burger and we got the Scallops dish. The food did not take long to
arrive and there was live music in the background the entire time -
nice! The Burger promptly disappeared with no complaints and
honestly, it looked very good and was cooked perfectly. The Scollops
were melt-in-your-mouth prepared - no complaints.

We also got desserts - Oreo Peanut Butter was a great topper but
beware it could be a coma inducing diabetic shock.

Overall, the new wing and tmosphere works well with Iris. So the
next time you considering heading there, MAKE A RESERVATION, eat and
then tour the new wing - you will be glad you did!







Delicious fresh ingredients. The staff was friendly and the food was
inventive. The decor was very modern and comfortable with a very cool
site-specific sculpture by Patrick Dougherty featuring branches and
boughs from the surrounding area swirling around the whole interior
wall. The sculpture was quite striking and a needed contrast to the
white simple and clean interior.
I ordered the braised rib ruben with sauerkraut, gruyere, chow chow
remoulade on a rye club roll. While i really wouldn't call it a ruben,
it was fantastic. The Reye club roll was soft and a little bit sweet
mixed with the taste of a fresh piece of rye bread. The clincher was
the amazing, greatest sweet potato fries I have ever had. They were
the perfect size, not too big and not too small. they were the right
amount of crispy and and had the right amount of soft potato.
I will be back!









I went to brunch with a friend today and, as others have already
noted, the space and modern vibe of the restaurant is great.

PROS:
(1) THE FOOD. The brunch menu had a great range of options. I decided
on the chicken salad plate, which was a mango-curry chicken salad on
top of a salad of fresh and flavorful fruits and veggies. I would come
back and order this time and time again. Amazing. I also had
strawberry-lemon sorbet, which was also great.
(2) THE PRICES. I felt that the portions were very generous based on
the prices.

CONS:
THE SERVICE. As posh and professional as Iris appears, the staff that
fills the space is not. After my friend and I were seated, we waited
at least 10 min with no service, no water. There were large gaps in
service throughout our meal. Additionally, our waitress came across as
very unprofessional. I'm not sure what the problem is, whether there
is a lacking in management/training or if the restaurant is
understaffed. Nonetheless, it's quite apparent that the service
problem needs to be addressed.

Overall, I would love to try Iris again as my food was wonderful, but
I do hope that the service will have improved by my next visit.










I have really mixed feelings about Iris. Here is the rundown:

Space: Gorgeous! Very clean and modern. Lots of white, stainless,
and hardwood. There is a large hanging 'bush' on one wall and floor
to ceiling windows on the other side. The dining area feels open and
enormous even though the seating is limited. You can tell it's
attached to the art museum.

Service: Kinda sucked. As fancy as Iris tries to be, the wait staff
hasn't really caught on yet. Our waitress was awkward and
non-talkative. Refills were not on a regular basis and common table
waiting manners were not followed. Definitely something to work on.

Food: Best cheese burger I have ever had. No question. It was made
from Rare Earth Farms beef on a house made bun and topped with CH
Creamer Hickory Grove cheese. Wowser that thing was good. The beef
had this crazy richness to it that I have never experienced before.
It also came with a side of sauce (no clue what it was, but it was
nasty, so thank goodness it wasn't on the burger) and sweet potato
fries (okay, but they weren't hot). The coffee, which ended up being
Counter Culture, was great and the complementary cheddar chive scones
were a tasty tide over until the main plates came. Others at the
table, including my wife were far from impressed with their main
dishes, but the desserts seemed to be crowd pleasers.

Overall, I wasn't really impressed, but the burger saved the day. Ten
star burger, 5 star space, and two star everything else. Would I come
back? Probably not, unless I was already at the museum and had a
hankering for the best burger ever.