The Mint

A Las Vegas/ LA Dining experience here in Raleigh! Recently at a party I attended that was full of Chefs, one Chef mentioned that he worked at The Mint. After talking with him about Advanced Molecular Gastronomy (better know as food science) and how they practiced it at The Mint, as a food nerd I had to go.
The decor was very elegant, luxurious, and modern. Our server Matt was extremely knowledgeable, and vividly described his favorite entrees and how they were prepared using molecular techniques such as dehydrating and pickling watermelon.
My favorite appetizer, The Butter Poached Lobster with pureed popcorn, miso caramel, and peanut butter was the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
We also sampled the Duck Foie Gras with huckleberries, the Watermelon Gazpacho which is served chilled out of a tea kettle, and both the Baby Lettuce and Crab Salad. Even if you never accept freshly ground pepper on your salad, you absolutely have to at The Mint just to experience how truly awesome their pepper grinder is. I don't want to ruin the surprise just trust me and accept the pepper, or you'll instantly regret it when you see someone else get it.
For our entree we shared the Filet Mignon, and Matt offered to have it split for us on separate plates. Wow. It was so buttery and just melted into my mouth. The accompanying beet sauce and hollandaise were incredible with the foraged mushrooms. All of the plates were eclectic, and beautiful works of art.
My Husband and I both agreed that we were way too full for dessert but ordered the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake anyway, which is made from scratch and baked while you wait. Now, normally in most situations you would not want to wait fifteen minutes for dessert at a restaurant. But it was a wonderful idea, since we sipped our espressos and let the overwhelming "fullness" subside. With the rich raspberry sauce, subtle citrus and vanilla notes it was both simple, light, and seductively decadent.
Chef Jeremy Clayman knows what he is doing, and we enjoyed our dinner so much I felt like I was on vacation and forgot that I was in Raleigh. While I have traveled to many big cities and eaten at some big name Chef's Restaurants, this was definitely my favorite experience here in Raleigh. Matt was a great server, and all of the staff that we met really went out of their way for us. It was a magical evening.

We went to The Mint, for our first time, over the weekend of July 25th 2008. Valet Parking was a very nice start to the evening. Was completely "wowed" entering the building and climbing the stairs to grab a cocktail while waiting for other friends to arrive. The atmosphere is fantastic and something that Raleigh had lacked. The lounge upstairs is definitely a nice place to relax with friends and the live music was an extra treat! Our friends arrived and we headed downstairs to eat. Lucky us - we were seated in one of the huge booths and promptly welcomed by our server. The service was excellent from start to finish and we were treated very well from the "team" that worked with our server. I was ready for the food to knock me off my feet - but that didn't happen. I had the lobster bisque with the knuckle sandwich. It seemed to be under seasoned and was quite bland. The server did mention that it wouldn't be lobster bisque as usual - still seemed under seasoned - but I finished every drop of it! For dinner I chose the a la carte menu - 8oz fillet and my two sides were the mushroom risotto and garlic fingerling potatoes. The sauce I chose was the truffle butter. The steak was cooked perfectly to order and tasted great on its own - and even better with the truffle butter (of course). The risotto was not very good at all. The texture was there but the creamy and earthy tones I was looking for in taste were all but lost in the over-powering red wine flavor. The potatoes were good and simple. I shared some sides with friends. The collard greens reminded me of Levi-Garrett chewing tobacco. It's been a decade since I had Levi-Garrett but the taste and texture were so similar.....compare it for your self - but just don't swallow the Levi!! The asparagus was par for the course. The big winner was the mac and cheese side! Wow it was good! We didn't get a dessert - we were all full and saving room for cocktails…but they looked and sounded delicious! Dinner took a long time - which was great! Keep this in mind when you go. Give yourself plenty of time to eat and soak up the conversation and atmosphere! I'm giving The Mint 3 stars. On the upside for the service and decor. The food was expensive - which I didn't mind, but thought would be better. I will go back – but not for a while, for dinner. I could be talked into going there for a cocktail any time though!! Oh – almost forgot. One of my friends tried the kangaroo appetizer – he said that he enjoyed it.