Second Empire Restaurant And Tavern

This place is outstanding! Took my husband here Friday night 1÷29÷2015 for his birthday. The atmosphere was awesome. The Food was amazing. The Chef’s food was impeccable. the our server, Rachel, was attentive and very knowledgeable. She even helped me with a entrée of vegetarian choice. My husband had a ball. We will come again!

Thank you Chef Daniel and Jackie! Our dining experience once again was fabulous. The staff was friendly and courteous as always. You made our 30^th Anniversary a very special occasion.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary here. I was blown away by the service and food. We made a reservation a few days prior to coming and we couldn’t of picked a better place. I found the place to be so charming and romantic. When we were seated we found a special menu wishing us a happy anniversary that was signed by the chef with a sweet message.
For my first course I had the Asian tuna tartare. It was plated beautifully and was so delicious! I was nervous to try it because it had so many things in it and I have never had a quail egg before. The quail egg was cooked perfect and It may have been the best tuna tartare I have ever had. We also had a cheese plate with a bottle of wine. It had several different kinds of cheese, onion jam, breads, and fresh fruits. Everything was outstanding and paired so well with each other.
For my entrée I had a citrus and herb grilled swordfish. It was large portion and again plated beautifully. The fish was grilled perfect and the creamy herb and ricotta cheese poletna that came with it was amazing. My only complaint is that I was to stuffed to try dessert!

My dinner in the Second Empire Tavern felt like a throwback to the occasional fancy family dinners of my childhood. It seemed to be, for the most part, a mature, wealthy crowd and atmosphere cozy and candle-​lit.
The highlight of my dinner was the french onion soup and the potato and leek soup du jour that my husband enjoyed. The bread that came with the meal was salty and sweet with delicious butter. The rest of our meal was alright. we chose the scallop dish and the short rib dish. They were both presented well, but didn’t have the amazing flavors we had expected at this price point and for a special occassion dinner. The service was excellent and I felt badly for the busboy who must have been instructed to refill my water glass after (what seemed like) every 3 sips. The stuff was large and did their jobs very well.
Unfortunately, Second Empire won’t be at the top of my restaurant list for the next milestone. While I haven’t moved it to the bottom, this experience didn’t meet expectations.

I came here for the first time with my girlfriend for our two year anniversary. I must say, it exceeded my expectations despite having high ones. Where to begin?
We walked in and were immediately greeted and seated. I thought we were supposed to be upstairs? But we sat downstairs. That was fine with me, it sounded really loud up there and it was nice and quite downstairs. We were given a personalized menu for our celebration, signed by the chef which was a really nice touch. Our waitress was super nice, and perhaps the most personable waitress I’ve ever been served by. She knew the menu inside and out, and offered heartfelt suggestions when inquired. She and the kitchen staff were super accommodating about dietary restrictions, and allowed my girlfriend to substitute anything she wanted, or even create her own ideas. I must say, it’s rare in higher-​end places like this to allow that range of freedom. They were prepared for anything we could throw at them.
We started with some fresh baked bread, which was excellent. I had a cauliflower cream soup, and my gf had a salad for our first courses. For mains, I ordered the rack of lamb, and she ordered the ribeye. All the food was absolutely incredible — cooked to perfection, flavorful and combined with the perfect sides. The presentation was well done as well.
Now, usually at these high-​end french inspired restaurants, they’re very skimpy on the portions. Somewhat understandable given that they’re using high-​quality ingredients, but a little annoying given how much you’re paying for a meal. Apparently, their chef is from out in the country and gives really nicely sized portions. Compared to Fearrington House, the portions were much larger, AND less expensive, while the quality was on par. I guess Fearrington has to pay for that 5^th AAA diamond somehow.
Anyway, I don’t know how I managed, but we both had dessert. The dessert was very good — the chocolate sorbet was unlike anything I’d ever had. The fruit gallette and blueberry ice cream were also good, though I would’ve preferred the fruit to be cut a little smaller. That’s really nit picking to find something wrong with the dish.
Will we be back? Absolutely. I used to suggest Angus Barn and Fearrington House to people who were looking for somewhere very upscale to eat, but this is my new favorite for sure. I’m already looking forward for my next visit!

I had never visited this establishment until this weekend when I took my date (to celebrate her birthday) and it was a great experience. Parking was available at the street level, but there were ample spaces available at nearby buildings reserved for Second Empire customers.
We had arrived an hour early before the actual reservation time so we proceeded to the bar/​tavern area (on the lower level) for some drinks before the dinner. The tavern area was small, yet cozy and comfortable and we both enjoyed our glasses of wine (there was even a TV at the bar). Once we were seated, the server/​waitress showed my date her personalized menu and went through it thoroughly.
The food was great, for our first course we both ordered the baby mesclun salad and for the main courses she ordered the «sautéed new bedford sea scallops» while I got the «pan-​roasted latin seasoned swordfish». They were superb (in terms of both presentation and taste), both the scallops and the swordfish were cooked just right along with the eggplants, beets and greens combined to fit very well. I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but I was paying too much attention to her and the food!
After the meal, the waitress presented us with the dessert menu which I believed it to be quite impressive, with items that you don’t see in other similar restaurants in the area. However, we had to skip the desserts, since we had decided early to visit another location for them. Nonetheless, they brought her a scoop of ice cream for her with a strawberry and candle.
Overall, we had a great experience in terms of service, meal, and atmosphere. I’m from the San Francisco Bay area and this place reminded me of a few restaurants that I visited in the city (as well Napa). Therefore, if you have a special occasion and reasons to celebrate, I would highly recommend visiting Second Empire.

WOW! Our experience at this tavern was so amazing I literally only created this Unilocal to write this review on the Second Empire. They went all out for us! The chef made a special menu dedicated to us newlyweds, he signed the menu, and our lovely waitress offered us a tour of the property. Our waitress went over the entire history of the house and answered any questions we had.
The food was phenomenal! And I’ve never been to a restaurant where EVERY SINGLE PERSON (there were 8 of us) liked their food. It was mind blowing, I had the Seafood Paella it was the best I’ve tasted by far.
Upon leaving the restaurant I left my purse behind and Kyle, a waiter came running down the street just to bring it back. And after my mothers car wouldn’t start, Kyle came out with jumper cables and helped us out. That’s was mind blowing! I even took a photo with him to put in our wedding album. I am so impressed!

Second Empire gets a lot of hype in the Triangle, but after visiting them for the first time this past week, I was disappointed that the food didn’t deliver more. We chose to dine in the «Tavern» section of the restaurant (FYI: this old, historic house is split up into two sections: the upstairs dining room and the Tavern. The Tavern is more casual but still offers you the option of ordering off Second Empire’s menu, whereas the upstairs dining room is very formal but limits you to their select menu). We made a reservation and we seated prompted, note, there’s a «side» entrance for The Tavern, if you’re standing at of the gate, simply go around to the left and down the side stairs, you can’t miss it. I will say, the atmosphere (other than being nosy) and service were absolutely stellar. Our waiter knew the menu inside and out and was very hospitable. I think the hype of Second Empire might skew people’s opinions, don’t get my wrong, the food was good, but for try fine dining and the prices you’re paying, I thought the meal was disappointing [please read my meal breakdown below]. I was thinking to myself after the meal, «I’d love to go back» but the reason wasn’t because I was amazed at the food, it was because I wanted to rectify the mistakes and have something different – something better.
Citrus grilled colossal shrimp to start. It was definitely the stand out item! Amazing mix of flavors, they split the appetizer for two and we each received one giant shrimp atop grits and a green tomato ($ 14).
Citrus & herb grilled swordfish {creamy herb & ricotta cheese polenta, tapenade, garlicky spinach, roasted asparagus, ratatouille, saffron & tomato fumet $ 25}: What stood out in this dish was the polenta. The swordfish was unfortunately overcooked, creating a chewy and dry consistency. Lack of salt and citrus left the dish undesirable after a couple bites. Swordfish is an amazing fish, but this dish missed the mark.
Rosemary & Garlic Braised Mississippi Rabbit {rigatoni pasta, roasted zucchini, cherry tomatoes, fava beans, spinach, rutabaga, baby carrots, roasted garlic cream sauce $ 23}: If you’re looking for an incredibly CREAMY garlic sauce, this is it. They sauce stole the show, so much so that it cloaked everything else with it’s flavor. the rabbit was very overpowered by the cream sauce and the ratio of garlic to rosemary was completely off, leaving no rosemary flavoring at all. Pasta and vegetables were overcooked, so the texture of the dish didn’t add up. And it’s never a good thing when you bite into a piece of rabbit and find a bone.
Overall, the food okay, service was stellar and the atmosphere was enjoyable. But having high expectations walking in and expecting an incredible meal, my tastebuds were highly disappointed.

I can’t imagine this place ever getting less than 5 stars.
From the servers, to the food, to the drinks — everything is immaculately perfect. Have come twice now for big life events and both times this restaurant just made the night perfect!
The house is also beautiful!
Tip: If you want, you can order from the tavern menu even if you’re sitting in the main restaurant! :-)

Stellar experience all the way around. The house has been lovingly restored and has many interesting spaces. The service is top notch. Being vegetarian can be challenging, Not here. The server asked me what I wanted to eat. Not only did they accommodate me but delighted me with my meal. The server didn’t question what I requested and didn’t have to check w the Chef. It was absolutely delicious.
Save room for dessert. So many good options to choose from. The key lime pie was heavenly.
Next time I’m in town, I’ll return!

Such a wonderful experience! Came for a birthday dinner. The chef had signed a menu for me and my name was printed on the top. It is a nice touch.
Most importantly the food was all stunning. I got the colossal shrimp as course one. I could have made a meal off of that. Every flavor worked so well together. For the entrée I had the lamb. This was the best lamb I had ever tasted. The squash couscous with it was good, not awesome, but I was so stunned by the lamb it does not matter. Also for desert if you don’t get the soufflé, you are doing this place wrong. It is so delicious, and is perfect from the oven. You cannot go wrong coming here.

Went here last week for my boyfriends birthday and it was wonderful! I put on the reservation that it was his birthday and we were greeted by everyone from the matrè d to the server by a big ‘happy birthday’. They gave my boyfriend a personalized birthday menu signed by the chef, and our server was very well versed in the menu.
All of the food was amazing! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend the key lime pie, I’m not usually a big fan but it was the BEST I’ve ever had. Will probably only come here for special occasions since it’s quite pricey, but Second Empire has definitely earned my business.

Fantastic. I went here with a group of people, including my mom who is from out of town. We were all blown away by the food, the service and the ambiance. We sat in the tavern, which was quaint and beautiful with lots of natural light coming into the restaurant from the big windows on the walls.
What we truly enjoyed was being able to select from either the tavern menu (more laid back) or the restaurant menu (a bit more elegant and expensive).
We ordered a bottle of decent wine, skipped the appetizers and ordered our entrees, which everyone was impressed with. We did not find one negative thing about any of our orders. I ordered the Georgia chicken and it was fabulous. The execution was on point. The flavors and taste of everything on my plate was fresh and exquisite.
This is definitely perfect for an anniversary dinner or when you feel like splurging. It is a bit expensive, but I would say (and the rest of my group would agree) it is so worth it. Service, food and the overall experience was top notch. Bravo!

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday dinner. From start to finish, everything was amazing. Service, ambiance, food.
APPETIZER: Avocado & Blue Crabmeat Croquette. I LOVED this. However, my date and I got it to share and there’s only one croquette. I’d say it’s about the size of a closed fist. We split it and it was indeed delicious but I just wish there was more.
DRINKS: They have a short cocktail list. I got the martini while the birthday boy got the cocktail with ghost whiskey. We both liked them. I think I’m still getting acquainted with martinis so I can’t really weigh in BUT whiskey is my thing and his drink was delicious.
ENTREES: I had the Roasted Five Spice Duck and he had the Swordfish. We both loved our meals! I’d recommend both dishes though I think mine was better.
DESSERT: Meh. We got the key lime pie. It was a good pie but the menu described a blueberry sauce but it was more of a drizzle on the plate. I would’ve loved for there to have been more. So now that you know, ask for more :-)
Our server was great. She answered my numerous questions. «What’s most popular?», «What’s your favorite?», «How big is this?», blah blah. We really had a small team of servers that made sure things came out timely.
The best part? When I made my reservation on OpenTable, I indicated it was a birthday dinner so they made my boyfriend a personalized menu and the chef signed it. I thought it was a very sweet touch! Oh, and the candle with the pie! No birthday song though. Thank goodness.

I’m speechless so I’m going to have my wife write the rest of this review.
Wife: it was lovely food and wonderful atmosphere. Pork belly appetizer was awesome!

The restaurant is located in an old house. I really liked the atmosphere. We were seated at our reservation time with no waiting. The service was top notch.
The menu only had one salad option and it didn’t work for me. I chose to get the citrus grilled shrimp appetizer. The shrimp (two) were cooked well and tasted very good. The shrimp sat atop stone ground grits, which I would have expected to be creamy and delicious. Sadly, the grits were inedible — so dry and flavorless.
My entrée was sea scallops (three) with sweet potato and dried cherry bread pudding, a few Chinese beans, and some delicious corn and herb cream. Amazing. Delicious and cooked to perfection.
Dessert was the lemon cherry layer cake. It should have been amazing. The flavors were present, but the cake was so dry I couldn’t swallow it.
The entrée and service made up for the appetizer and dessert. I doubt we will return though. There are so many options.

We went to Second Empire to celebrate our engagement with our families and we had a great experience! We made reservations for our party of 12 on the main level and received the impeccable service that Second Empire is known for. They even gave us a signed menu for us to take home as a token to remember our engagement celebration dinner.
The servers were very attentive and they were able to answer any questions we had about the food and the wine list. We were also never without some of their warm, complimentary bread. My grandfather kept using it to sop up every bit of sauce that was on his plate. Despite there being a big private party going on and having a big party ourselves, our food was served to us in a timely manner and it tasted marvelous.
My food was fantastic! I did go a little duck crazy though. For my first course, I ordered the Slow Roasted Latin Spiced Duck Soft Taco from the Tavern menu. I just couldn’t pass on yummy duck served with plantains AND a sweet potato purée. And you know a restaurant is fancy when you can’t pick up the taco. It is strictly a knife and fork dish, because it was generously stuffed and had so many other elements going on with it. For my entrée, I ordered the roasted five spice Pennsylvania duck breast which was also delicious. The duck was tender and I loved the sauce and the sides that went along with it. And if you know me, then you know I can’t pass up on dessert. I ordered the Chocolate Mousse Bomb which was decadent and rich and brought me to my happy place. It is chocolate on chocolate on chocolate with a side of a chocolate wafer cookie (and a couple of strawberries too).
So the food and the service are great, but I wouldn’t recommend coming here on a regular basis or you might end up setting your standards higher for other places. There are very few places that can beat Second Empire in my books. It is a great place for fancier celebrations and if you are looking to impress (if you don’t mind an expensive bill).

Second Empire is in the upper echelon of best restaurants in Raleigh. The atmosphere and décor give it a very artistic, modern vibe. The service from the hostess to the waiters and even the bus boys was impeccable. For our party of twelve, we had at least four waiters/​waitresses attending to us. The main waitress we had was very knowledgeable and knew the menu and drink list front to back.
For my first course, I got the steamed clams. Clams were a very good size, and the tomato garlic broth went perfect with them and some bread. I really liked the chickpeas, kale, and onions with the dish as well. It made the dish a little different than your typical steamed clams. For my entrée, I got the citrus & herb grilled swordfish. The fish was grilled perfectly and was not dry at all on the inside. The swordfish did have a little fishy taste at first, but with the sauce and the ricotta risotto, everything blended together perfectly. The tapenade also went surprisingly well with the dish; it gave it that perfect sourness to compliment the other rich flavors from the garlic spinach and tomato broth. I finished off my meal with an amazing chocolate soufflé that was rich and had an awesome melty chocolate consistently that lasted until the final bite.
Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Second Empire. The food and service really makes this restaurant one of the premier dining experiences you could have in Raleigh.

I’ve been waiting to find something special to write on for my 200^th review. We landed some last minute reservations here on New Year’s Eve. We lucked out with parking right on the side of the building (parallel parking alongside a wall of full windows in a swanky restaurant isn’t at all intimidating!).
We entered through the bar area and were directed upstairs to the 2^nd floor. Having seen both, I would have preferred to have been seated on the ground level. More casual menu, but also a better feel, I think. Service was not the greatest, which is why I docked a star (and wait till I get to dessert). The 2^nd floor hostess wasn’t at her post, so we fumbled around aimlessly till she showed up. Someone took us to our table, saw that it hadn’t been cleared yet, so she directed us back to the hostess stand, only to turn around and go back, realizing our table was right next to the dirty one. Okay, I’m being picky about that, but I was wearing heels and it’s a slick refinished wood floor. I would have preferred to not have had to dance around it more than necessary.
We received no help with the wine menu. They had plenty of reasonably-​prices bottles, however, which was a nice surprise for a place like this.
This was a rare occasion where I had trouble narrowing it down. There were 4 – 5 options for each course that sounded wonderful. The side pairings were all interesting and plentiful. Husband started with the rabbit and beets, which he enjoyed. I was even more happy with my monkfish and pork belly.
He had the lamb and sweetbreads for his main course. 2 lamb shanks seemed small to me, and he thought something more interesting could have been done with the testicles. Yes, I said it. I was pleased with the duck. It had a very nice presentation, and I enjoyed the butternut squash stuffed mushroom accompaniment, but I wouldn’t order it again.
We went for dessert, and we really shouldn’t have. We’re big crème brûlée fans, and while this one was good, it wasn’t great. I do know the ingredients of the dish, but even so, I felt that it tasted a bit too «egg yolky». I had the apple cherry bread pudding, and it was the biggest disappointment of the night. I didn’t even finish it – and trust me, I NEVER leave dessert! It was a small, hard pat of overcooked bread crumbs, with a crust that was far too thick, and none of the warm, smooth goodness you’d expect from bread pudding. The only way I could choke it down was to eat each bite with ice cream, but even that tasted like a generic brand vanilla. Our server was nice and attentive when she was around. But I was disappointed that when she asked how everything was, she only looked to my husband for an answer. And when she cleared our dessert plates, she projected onto me, «I’m glad you enjoyed it»…when I didn’t at all, and left quite a bit on my plate.
Dinner — 4 stars
Dessert — 1.5 stars
Service — 3 stars, but they did pretty good with keeping my water filled. I just felt we were ignored for too long at times, and then rushed with the check just shortly after our dessert was served.
Even though my math doesn’t add up, overall it was a good experience. Hence, 4 stars.
Would I come back? Perhaps. It is a nice fancy date kind of place, so I don’t really feel the need to do that again. I’d be interested in trying the bar menu some time though. Really nice-​looking house. I’m glad someone saved it – seeing as how it’s located next to the massive Holiday Inn tower.

Hands down the best meal I’ve had in Raleigh.
The service was incredible, the food was presented nicely and tasted amazing. Our waiter Jeremy had great suggestions for wine and was very knowledgeable about the menu. He was attentive but not hovering and really made our experience.
We were celebrating so we went all out, starting with a cheese plate. It came with some bread toasts, fresh fruit, and onion jam. For appetizers, we got the Atlantic Monkfish & Crispy Beeler Farms Pork Belly and the Pan-​Roasted Moroccan Spice Georgia Quail. I was in heaven over the monkish and pork belly — which came with a crêpe and was topped with so many different flavors from the peach salsa, corn purée, and the mustard seed vinaigrette. The quail was good was well, but the pork belly and monkfish was definitely the favorite.
For our main dishes we got a special (filet Mignon with oyster mushrooms and an absolutely delicious sauce) and the Pan-​Roasted New Bedford Sea Scallops. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the cilantro and molasses vinaigrette was light but flavorful. Would highly recommend either.
For dessert we had some dessert drinks (Irish coffee, espresso martini) and the chocolate soufflé. It was unbelievably rich and just so good. A must-​get.
Second Empire is perfect for a special celebration or date. Mostly couples around, I wouldn’t bring a child to the dining room but maybe the tavern downstairs. We started with cocktails in the tavern, and I can’t wait to come back and try it for dinner as well.
Honestly don’t have a single bad word to say about our night at Second Empire — really, really great place.