06/05/06

BEST KEPT SECRET

by luvdining

Yes, the food does take a little longer, but it is worth the wait. You have to consider how long it takes to cook a thick chicken breast at home. Everything at Dakotas is prepared to order. That means no steam wells,no precooked meat, and freshly sauteed vegetables. You can taste the difference. The service is outstanding and knowledgable as well. As long as you leave addequate time to dine, you will NOT be dissapointed.

• Pros: FOOD, SERVICE

09/10/06

Romantic, great staff, tasting menu is beyond imaginative and is wonderful ( albeit can be very sensual ) .

by larrysulzer

I have a female friend of 5 years, whom I had not seen in 4 years, come to Charlotte for 32 hours from 2500 miles away. I have been to Dakota's about 8 thimes for various reasons and have always had good food and good atmosphere. I especialy like being able to DINE, versus eating diner. I wanted the evening to be special because I wanted my friend to know, her recent increased contact and support meant so much to me. I ordered the "Tasting Menu" a fixed price, "chefs choice" multi-course experience, as it is wonderful, and also very romantic.

Nick was our waiter and the service was excellent ,which made the dining experience very special. ( Use this to impess, excite, and cause an incredabliy romatic evening. Do not do this, if you are not wanting to makes a special someone, feel even more special. )

As usual , the food was imaginative , beautifully presented, and wonderful. I'm not sure where my "new level of friendship" will go from here, but I thank Dakota's , Nick & Chris - Owner/chef, who stopped by our table and charmed my friend / date. He remembered that someone else had previously requested that a fried green tomato, be part of the experience, which was actually me a few weeks before.

To quote another famous Chef . this dining experience assited me in viewing my freindship at a a diffent level and to "KICK IT UP A NOTCH " , maybe 2. We are no longer just buddies, to our surprise, and my delight. I will always think fried greens tomatoes , has it all over oysters.

I hope to be able to bring my special friend to Dakota's again. Living 2500 miles ways , it is difficult to know when and if. Next time I may request the whole experience be around fried green tomatoes. If so, Chris will know " They're Back "

Thanks Chris and Nick. I have a smile on face and a warmth in my heart, that should last for weeks and you guys unknowing helped or maybe you sensed it.

• Pros: imaginative food, great waitstaff, warm
• Cons: if you want to go some place to eat- avod this place. This is a place to DINE

02/17/06

my favorite

by ats1939

i have been going to dakota's for 6 years. i have never had a bad meal. i can't say that about many restaurants. the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. the person with the bad review sounds to me like he was just in over his head and wanted to be as uglyas he could get away with. the restaurant he described is not the dakota's i or hundreds of satisfied regulars know and love.

• Pros: knoledgeable staff, consistently good

A nice respite for adults with good taste

by Contributor

The Scene
Until the last year, only chain restaurants dared venture much further south in the city than South Park. As more and more people buy expensive homes in the Arboretum area, though, decent places to eat are bound to follow. Call Chris Edwards' Dakotas the first. Edwards, former chef at the overrated and overpriced Sonoma on Providence and now-closed Caffe Soleil, finally has a place of his own. That's a good thing.

The Food
Dakotas is very much a creation of Edwards' far-ranging whim. The underlying influence to the menu is nouveau southern (sides included grit cakes and fried green tomatoes), but various regions and countries creep in (tempura battered veggies and lemon grilled chicken with ratatouille). The menu changes every couple of weeks--the last time we ate there, 12 new items had been added that night--it's hard to recommend, or become attached, to any one dish. The paneed snapper--delicate, flaky, and moist with a curious pistachio crust and interesting jalopeno tartar sauce- and the sea bass, with wild mushrooms and a fantastic spinach and lobster broth, were worth ordering again. Refreshing at Dakotas are the service and the wine list, a one-page, carefully selected list that includes vintage years and a nice selection of California, French, and German wines. The staff is typically young, but energetic, forthcoming, and informed; they've tried everything on the menu and have opinions.

08/22/03

Simply Nice

by annemory

I was pleasantly surprised when I was taken to Dakotas by a friend who told me it was one of his favorites. I thought the ambience was delightful. The food was good, but a bit heavy on the sauces. The service was not good. Waited an interminal amount of time for my food, but then again, I think they only had one waitress that night. She told me the other waitress had called in sick. For the price, Dakotas needs to pay attention to detail.

• Pros: ambience, food, located
• Cons: service

02/10/03

Pretentious & Inept & Too expensive

by Richard_Roth

...This restaurant is without a doubt the worst I've dined at in Charlotte .We live in the neighborhood and we needed to celebrate . The service was horrible we waited for over an hour as others seated after us had long been taken care of . My wife ordered mussels my wife said that they were vile tasting due to their `special sauce' .the smell sent me from the room. The lobster stuffed ravioli had nothing whatever in them . The waitress was ignorant of ...all..we didn't complain ..jut went home . My daughter's burger was good they should stick to that.

• Pros: expensively but not w
• Cons: very bad food prepara, terrible service, pretentious & expensi