GW Fins in Charlotte
Been twice. Good food both times. We don't have a ton of fresh fish options in town, although that is improving. Last night I had flounder, my wife had snapper. Time before I had swordfish -- my personal fav. Not a lot of diners on either night. It is in the old Palomino location -- nicely made over. Very attentive service -- especially management. We didn't do it, but they have a kitchen table complete with lots of tastings and a view of everything that is going on. Could be fun. Cost is $85 without wine, $120 (I think) with.
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I have not been to the actual restaurant but I went on the Fourth WArd homes tour uptown over Christmas where GW Fins had a "station" in one of the houses where they offered refreshments... tiny bite sized pieces of their crabcake. From what I remember, it was greasy. Good, but greasy. From what people have written about the prices, I dont know if I would go if I was paying. Again, that's judging from one crabcake sample, but...
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Originally being from Mississippi, I was expecting typical New Orleans flair from GW Fins. Aside from the 5 piece Jazz band, there was not much else that reminded me of The Big Easy.
The decor was the first downfall...reminiscent of a Marriott hotel restaurant, the murky green-blue walls and ceilings, pendant lighting, etc were probably meant to evoke a "fishbowl" effect, however only created a scene out of the 1980's.
Firstoff, the bartender didn't understand much English, thus my "Top Shelf Margarita on the Rocks with No Salt" ended up being a shot of tequila in a highball glass with a salty rim. Needless to say, we put the first impressions aside and ventured to our table- a glorified 2 top that was for all intents and purposes, still in the Bar.
Still, we ordered from waiter #1 - our drinks. Thirty minutes later, they surfaced, from Waiter #2 who would remain our waiter throughout the night. One high note- the scone-like bisquits that replaced modern day rolls. Heavenly.
My appetizer crab cake arrived- mostly filler and lukewarm. My husband's smoked oysters were nothing special outside of arriving in sizzling shells on a bed of rock salt.
Then, the entrees were presented- A Pompano filet and Grouper which neither were much to write home about...the unconventional Bread Pudding dessert was more of a tower with a charred underside that we hoped would save the night but failed. A tab of $160 was the sobering factor for a lackluster night- and facility which, given the address, will be quite a gamble for the GW Fins group.OVERALL: Save your $ and head to the closest Cajun Queen for some real New Orleans cuisine.
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We went back there last night and it was a bit dissappointing. The service still needs to be improved. Our first visit we had a young enthusiastic server who seemed green. This time we were basically ignored. We were seated and told that our waiter would be by shortly. After 15 minutes another waiter said he would take our drink order while we waited for our waiter. Another 10 minutes later our own waiter brought our drinks and said he would return shortly. It kinda stayed that way all night. The restaurant was not that busy -- maybe 65% full, so not much excuse for the service. I had a caesar salad that was great and my wife had the lobster salad which she said was very good. I had swordfish again and it was very good but my wife's crab cakes were mostly filler. She had 4 small cakes and left 2. I thought she might have been exagerating a bit but after trying them, I'm surprised she ate the 2. Bill was $112 before tip. The restaurant is lovely. I always thought Palamino was a good looking restaurant. They totally redid it, and it is nothing like before but very still nice on the inside. I think their problem is the wait staff which by now should be on the way to being fixed. The menu is pretty limited as well, but I would probably go just for the swordfish.
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re: artlee
lynnlato
Jan 6, 2008 07:24 PM
Ouch, at that price you'd hope for more hits. Unfortunately, I think Charlotte is beginning to suffer from an overabundance of restos and not enough top quality servers to staff them all. The good restos have to step it up and offer more incentives to their staff in order to keep them.
I still haven't been to GW Fins... but want to give it a try. I just don't get uptown all that much. We did get to Mac's Speed Shop this wknd tho... the brisket was fabulous! Not to mention I was in creamy cheesy gluttonous heaven w/ their mac n' cheese. I'd hate to know how many fat grams are in a serving of that stuff.
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re: lynnlato
GodfatherofLunch
Jan 8, 2008 04:51 PM
One time rather than Macs just for a lark try McKoy's Smoke House and Saloon on Old Pineville Road.
Don't miss the pit cooked pot roast - slap yo mama good. The ribs are another excellent choice. The sides another treat - macaroni and cheese and collard greens were the stand outs. Don't let the pretty ladies fool you. The food is the real deal.-
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re: lynnlato
GodfatherofLunch
Jan 9, 2008 04:27 AM
Here is a link for a review of McKoy's from Creative Loafing
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/...-
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re: HungryGrayCat
GodfatherofLunch
Jan 9, 2008 08:06 AM
They have a nice Smokey flavor. I am a traditional kind of guy and like a more Buffalo style. I really like the wings at Tavern on the Tracks on Bland Street - right by the light rail (which I love)
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re: GodfatherofLunch
southernitalian
Jan 10, 2008 12:18 PM
I haven't heard of McKoy's and will have to try it. Now back to the original post. I think the reason GW Fins isn't doing well is the name throws people off. When I first heard it I thought of that place that used to be up by the University, TJ Gator's, or something silly likely that. Awful chain place. GW Fins sounds just like that. When I heard it was in the old Palomino location I was wondering why a crappy chain would try to make a go of it in such hugh-end real estate. really unfortunate nomenclature.
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lynnlato
Dec 2, 2007 04:29 PM
Is this a chain? I'm completely unfamiliar w/ it. Geez, so many places are opening so fast these days it's hard to keep up. Glad to hear the service was good b/c it seems that good service is becoming harder and harder to come by in the queen city these days.
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re: lynnlato
I believe they are from New Orleans and that is the only other location. They have a web site to check it out.
http://www.gwfins.com/Charlotte.htm-
re: artlee
lynnlato
Dec 3, 2007 03:38 AM
Thank for the link. Wow, the menu looks great. You're right about us not having a lot of fresh fish options in town. AND they have Berkshire pork... yum! One of my personal faves. I think I need to check it out... I can't believe I hadn't even heard of it coming to town. I must be slacking! Thanks for the info.
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