10/26/08

Not the Place to visit

by rtpfolks

As one of if not the priciest restaurants in Chapel Hill we expected a lot but what we got was extremely pushy service and mediocre to poor food. The waitress first pushed $10 cocktails and came back several times in rapid succession pushing these. She then said "We will now start the water service." Does anyone else think that an odd phrase? She proceeded to offered us a high-end bottled water or otherwise out choices were bubbly or still water--she did not offer regular (no charge) water. The rest of the evening proceeded along the same line; I thought I was at a used car dealership. When the food came the lettuce was wilted. The steaks were cooked incorrectly and certainly not of the quality one would expect. The creamed spinach casserole was liquid and spinach, nothing creamy about it.

05/02/08

Great service, amazing food, wonderful atmosphere!

by jjp12

Bin 54 is a beautiful restaurant. It's well decorated and comfortable and the service is top notch. The servers are very knowledgeable about the menu and offer excellent advice about what to order/pair with your selection. The food is *amazing* (the appetizers are delicious and the steaks are mouth watering) and the wine and drink list is extensive and interesting. The bartender makes great drinks. Everyone is friendly, welcoming and truly make the experience worthwhile. I highly suggest Bin 54. It's pricey, for sure, and not somewhere the average person could go on a regular basis, but it is worth trying for the excellent service and delicious food.

02/24/08

Good steaks and great service

by robcitrix

My wife and I decided to try this place out based on good reviews we had heard from friends. We live in Wake Forest, NC so it was a little drive to get to Bin 54. We dined on February 13th for Valentine's Day since we couldn't get a sitter on the holiday. :)

Upon arrival we told the hostess that we were there to celebrate Valentine's Day and that it was our 1st time there. The hostess was very friendly and let the manager and waiter both know that it was a special occasion for us. The service was fantastic! The manager helped us pick out a good bottle of wine and the waiter was very attentive letting us know what was good on the menu and what he would stay away from.

Overall the food was good. Not fantastic but not bad either. The service put it over the top for us and made the experience that much more enjoyable. I prefer the steaks at Sullivan's over Bin 54 but I also feel the steaks at Sullivan's are the best in the area!

Would we go back? Maybe. Our bill came to over $200 but we did have a bottle of wine, appetizer, two steaks and dessert. If the restaurant was closer to us it would make it that much easier to go back.

This is a restaurant I would definetley recommend to try at least once if you are a steak lover and want to have a romantic evening with your significant other.

• Pros: Good steak, Great service
• Cons: Chapel Hill location is somewhat out of the way for Raleigh

12/15/07

A disappointment, except perhaps for steak and salt lovers

by ndplume

We headed to Bin 54 after an inspiring Playmakers production Thursday night, and were pleasantly surprised by the originality of the supersized upholstered wall panels and splashes of warm, red lighting throughout. Unfortunately though, we were seated at a table by a mirrored wall at the entrance with a harsh overhead light -- not at all flattering or conducive to a cozy settling-in. But, tables here aren't too close. The restaurant was noisy to the point that making ourselves heard felt like a workout at the gym. The silverware was heavy, chic. As our server announced the specials in rapturous tones, I felt a wry twinge: "And tonight our special is scalloped potatoes with truffle sauce." I imagined a truffle sauce squiggle attempting to dress up pedestrian scalloped potatoes. Hmmm. The wine steward, himself more home-town than big city, seemed to sniff with disdain as he announced our wine and twisted off the cap to our $38 bottle of wine, admittedly on the low end of Bin 54's wine offerings. The wine list was esoteric and extensive, however, and our wine WAS refreshing with our non-steak dinner choices. The crusty, but slightly doughy, bread was warm, something you don't always find. Our wood grilled quail appetizer was truly horribly salty. I was stunned by the repeated, truly excessive use of salt in our entree, the wild alaskan halibut. My SO pointed out the open salt cellar on the table. Perhaps the lesson is to stick to steak here. We had chosen brussels sprouts, which were extolled by our server, herself a confirmed brussel sprout hater except for those at Bin 54. They were almost mushy, and not as flavorful as I myself have cooked at home after proper caramelizing. Our cheescake dessert was fine, not by any stretch of the imagination noteworthy. The coffee wasn't bad, but not as rich, full-bodied or even as hot as I would have expected. Perhaps sometime we'll go again to try the steak and the truffle sauce. After all, this is a steak restaurant.

• Pros: Wine list
• Cons: Non-steak offerings, noise level

11/20/06

Best Fine Dining- Great Service

by cwbear

One of the best dining experiences in the Triangle. Excellent Prime Steak and enjoyed the cheese plate

10/18/06

Surprisingly great

by jolli001

Venison with cherry sauce side was excellent. Delicious wine paring. Very pricy, but food, wine, and service were worth it.

• Pros: High quality ingredients perfectly prepared
• Cons: Good place to bring someone who wants to buy you dinner

03/13/06

A remarkable experience

by porktaco

Start to finish, my meal at Bin 54 was outstanding. Attentive and friendly service. The tuna tartare was sublime, the watercress salad was delicious, my ribeye steak was tender and flavorful, my wife's hanger steak (what I got of it) was mouthwatering. The real standout is the sides. I know it's a little thing, but they are always such an afterthought for steakhouses and there's were great. Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, and King Trumpet Mushrooms for those keeping score at home. I'd rather spend a bit more at Bin than walk out of other steakhouses iritated about the service or the food.

• Pros: food, service, ambiance

02/02/06

Steakhouse? Not really!

by eyceman

Tried this place out this past weekend. Having been to places like Peter Luger's, Smith & Wollensky's and Morton's (obviously not in in the Triangle) we wanted to try this highly touted "Steakhouse". The service and ambience was top notch, and the appetizers were excellent (Pan seared scallops & crab cake). The wine list was extensive. Our steaks however were a bit disappointing. We had ordereda Filet Mignon, and a bone-in KC Strip (Mid-rare). The Filet lacked flavor, unless it was dunked in a spoonful of sauce, and the strip was chewy and not at all what one would expect from such a place. the desserts (molten choc cake and white choc bread pudding) were also ok - nothing worth waking the neighbors up. If STEAKS is what you want, there are other places much better than Bin 54. Wayyy too overpriced for the quality of meat served.

• Pros: Ambience, Service, Winelist
• Cons: Steak Quality, Overpriced

11/15/05

Chapel Hill's high-end steakhouse has it all: Delectable dishes, stellar service and an atmosphere rich in stylish romance.

by Contributor

The Scene
This Chapel Hill steakhouse is undeniably beautiful with its black banquets, burgundy suede panels and gorgeous cherry wood floors, but it's the attention to detail that makes dining memorable here. Multiple-course meals are perfectly choreographed, from the wine selection process to post-dinner coffee poured from sleek silver decanters. Restaurateurs Charlie Deal and Giorgios Bakatsias have worked their magic on yet another Triangle establishment, and Chapel Hill reaps the benefit.

The Food
There's hardly a misstep on the menu. Surf-and-turf fans should begin with a delectable crab cake served over a bed of sweet slaw, and follow the appetizer with a tender Kobe steak. Side dishes such as twice-baked potatoes and sauteed mushrooms must be ordered a la carte, but each portion is generous enough for two. Desserts will leave you in sugar-high heaven; try the bittersweet molten chocolate cake with orange sauce or the assortment of Southern delights.