The Palm Restaurant / Charlotte

Restaurant: The Palm
Location: 6705-B Phillips Place Court, Charlotte, NC 28210 (28 locations total)
Click here for Google Maps (simply fill in your address)
Website: www.thepalm.com
Telephone: 704.552.7256
Fax: 704.552.9313

Food Selection: Steak, Seafood/Fish, Pastas, Veggies, Salads
Wine: Lots of them.

Well, for my first review, I spared no expense. I won't be eating for the rest of the week. First of all, steak is one of my favorite entrees. It is a delicacy that can make or break a restaurant who dares to call itself a steak-house. However, the Palm is not just a steak house, but also seafood, chicken, and pastas dishes.

The Initial Walk In:

The Palm is located in South Park at Phillip's Place which is a high-end area with a collection of cute small shops and restaurants. It is a little suffocating when you walk-in the restaurant. If there is ever a wait, it must be cramped and most likely you'll want to stand outside. I called ahead and made a reservation, but as it was the 4th of July weekend, it was not too crowded. There was no wait at all, which was, of course, nice.

As we walked to our table the restaurant is broken down into the bar area which is separated by glass windows. Then, there are two main rooms (from what I saw) for dining.

The Seating:

Our table was by a window and the table's location gave a decent amount of space between tables. When other parties sat down at the surrounding tables, we were not on top of each other. More importantly, other people's conversations did not intrude into my own.

Course of Meals:

Bread: A couple selections, which range from simple white bread to a mixed nut-based bread. My particular favorite was the apple/cinnamon/raisin bread.

Appetizer: I selected my personal favorite, the Caesar Salad. The salad was very crisp and the dressing was flavorful, yet light. Thus, taking nothing away from dinner.

Drink of Choice: An Old Fashioned (my favorite drink). A bartender's skill hinges on this drink. It's old school, bold, and delivers a flavorful punch. The bartender did very well. It had a kick and the flavor was right on. There was not a sign of skimping on the ingredients.

Dinner: Prime Aged Bone-In Rib Eye Steak. $42. A la carte. I ordered the three cheese potatoes ($8) to accompany my meal. I selected Trapiche, a red Argentinian wine ($13) to enhance the meal.

The first bite: I thought I was going to have a serious problem, as it had a slight burnt crust and charred taste. However, luckily, it was just that one section. (Weird right?) I ordered my steak medium-rare. The flavoring was decent. It had a buttery-sensation. For a medium-rare steak, it could have been more tender. The Argentinian wine was a great addition.

The three-cheese potatoes had a macaroni taste, but were still tasty and filling. No complaints there.

I decided to forgo dessert as we decided to go to an ice cream parlor.

Overall, the meal was nice.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

The walls are covered with painted head shots of famous people. I will say, right when I walked in and saw Gary Bussey's face, I contemplated turning around. Nevertheless, it had a laid back feel, despite charging a hefty-penny.

There was a subtle odor that did not particularly sit well for me. I hate to say this, but it triggered a feeling of "cheap" in my mind. The smell of refined food was not present (ie spices, wines, etc).

Server/Staff:
Our server, Mark, was extremely friendly. At times he would sit down with us and talk to us. Since I was not in a rush, I welcomed the company. Our water glasses were never half-full. Always re-filled promptly. I am not a wine aficionado so when I asked for a recommendation I was disappointed to receive no answer. I'm pretty sure if I went the bottle route the service would have been better in that regard.

My Complaints:

Dress Code. They need one. Unacceptable. My date and I were dressed in business class clothing. For the price we paid, I would expect people to want to dress better. The teenager that walked-in shortly after we did was in MESH SHORTS and a t-shirt. C'mon! Then, the family to the other side of us had one person in jeans, the father in a suit with a ball cap (a new combo trend?), and another person with a huge gold chain and ragged polo shirt. In my opinion, it took away from the overall experience.

What's Special about The Palm:

They have developed close relationships with meat suppliers and have aged USDA prime steaks. If location is what you care about, then you're in luck. It's located in South Park, which is very high-end.

Closing Everything Out:

I had: Old Fashioned, Glass of Wine, Salad, Steak, Three Cheese Potatoes, and decaf coffee
My date: Summer Mojito, Salad, Two Glasses of Wine, Chicken, Three Cheese Potatoes

The Damage (including a slightly high tip): Right over $200.

To take the entire experience in, I will have to say it was not entirely worth it. There were some great aspects to the restaurant, but the fellow customers did not add to the experience. If I want to see mesh shorts and t-shirts, I'll go to Outback "Steak-House" or a burger-joint. I've had better steaks in my life at half the price, so that hurt Palm's stock value. My date's chicken was fantastic though.

So, I'll be starving the rest of the week, but it was still good. I have no real drive to come back here unless someone else is paying. I may go back sometime to try some other dishes...I may even see someone else in a tie when I go.

Hours:
Serving Dinner Nightly
3:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. (Monday - Thursday)
3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m (Friday)
5:00 p.m - 11:00 p.m. (Saturday)
4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Sunday)

From the Site:

Carry-Out Available
Complimentary Valet Parking
Private Dining Rooms Available
Reservations Recommended (cool system to make reservations)

~the Restaurant Guy