Char

I have just returned from dinner at Char restaurant in Boone, NC. I was unimpressed. If you are looking for overpriced mediocre fare, with poorly trained staff, Char is your place. I took a party of 11 (10 adults and 1 child) for an after graduation dinner. The decor was fine, but that is where it ended. We were assigned an apparent novice to wait the group where 2 wait staff were called for. We covered the menu from Caesar salad with topping to Carbonara, Primivera, and Pecan Trout. The food was good enough...good enough for a 12.00 meal, unfortunately the dishes ranged from 16.00 to 19.00 for simple pasta. Someone should tell the management that overpricing does not add chic to an establishment. An 8.00 glass of house wine and 6.00 beers are also a bit much for a average-at-best restaurant. While adding a gratuity to parties over 6 or 8 is standard, 20% for a trainee is overkill. I had to tell the waitress flat out she was not worth 20% and had the tip removed from the bill and left a generous 15% cash tip. I won't be going back.

Char opened in I think May and it is my new favorite restaurant in Boone. Many restaurants have been in this location and failed so I was curious what new place was coming to die but when I got there I was so impressed at the changes they had done. The place is full of atmosphere that you would expect to see in New York or something. It is very clean and classy. One of my favorite things is it doesn't allow smoking. Anyways, the food is awesome. I love the Shrimp & Grits and my wife is a huge fan of the crab legs on Tuesdays. I hope Char can bet the odds of this location and stick around.