Triangle Restaurant Week and Piedmont Review

If you haven't heard, it's Triangle Restaurant Week, which means tons of restaurants in the triangle are offering three course dinner menus for only $25 (and lunch menus for $15). Some of the triangle's best restaurants are participating, giving food lovers a great opportunity to try a new restaurant without breaking the bank. The website lists all of the restaurants involved, so if you're thinking about going out to dinner one night this weekend, definitely check it out and try something new. Gavin and I did just that last night. Although it's only a couple of blocks from our apartment, we have never been to Piedmont, and have wanted to try it out for awhile. We figured that the special offer was the perfect motivation to give it a try and we are definitely glad we did! The food was great, the service was excellent and the wine was fantastic. The dining room is split into two floors and our table for two was on the second, looking over the lower level. It was a great way to spend a night out together and get to enjoy some great food and wine.


We both started out with the farmers' lettuce salad with fresh herbs and roasted shallot vinaigrette. A simple salad, it highlighted the fresh ingredients and delicious homemade dressing.

For my entree, I chose the pan seared local chicken breast with creme fraiche mashed potatoes, braised greens & herb jus. The chicken was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Although I don't tend to order chicken when I'm out since I make it so often at home, this was definitely worth it. The mashed potatoes and braised greens were both delicious and perfect with the chicken.

Gavin went with the herbed goat cheese ravioli with arugula pesto, pine nuts & parmesan, which turned out to be another excellent choice. The goat cheese was creamy and full of flavor and the sauce was worth scraping up every last bit.

Our desserts, a treat for us since we normally don't order dessert, were an excellent ending to this great meal. Shortcake with local strawberries and lemon panna cotta were just the right touch of sweetness to round out this great meal.

For the wine, I went with our waiter's suggestion of the Garofoli Podium (2007) Verdicchio, an Italian white that was so good that even Gavin ordered a glass (he usually drinks red). The waiter, by the way, was excellent. I really appreciate great service after being a waitress for so many years. He was the perfect combination of attentive without being overbearing. Overall our experience at Piedmont was a great one. Hopefully you'll get a chance to give it a try or check out another great restaurant in support of Triangle Restaurant Week. Happy eating!