Restaurant Review: Chef's Palette

I've heard a lot about Chef's Palette and I can tell that the owner puts a lot of love into what she does. It was clear she had some happy regulars. The dining room is decked out in local art work and the light-up menus are artistically themed; small plates are called "vignettes" and large plates called "murals" and each dish has a creative little name like the "Achromatic Shrimp."

The Location: In the Stonebridge shopping center in Cary at the corner of Ten-Ten Road and Kildaire Farm Road. I guess dinner in the 'burbs is starting to become a theme for this self proclaimed date-night snob. 

The Company: My husband! We were making use of a gift card from some wonderful, generous, friends. I'm so glad we had an excuse for a date-night!

The Meal: Our meals were perfectly paced; we had enough time to finish each dish without feeling rushed but not too much time between courses to start wondering where our food was. We each had a drink and decided to share a plate of "Cubism Calamari" as an appetizer. I ordered the filet mignon and my husband ordered the duck and lamb; called "Earth and Sky". For dessert we had pecan pie with fresh whipped cream. The whipped cream. made in house, was probably my favorite part of the whole meal! 

The Service: The service was great! Our waitstaff was friendly and attentive and the owner was making rounds and chatting with the regulars. 

The Final Bill: Two drinks + an appetizer + two entrees + dessert = $95.50 + tip

The Verdict: The atmosphere was cozy and warm and we'll probably go back again for drinks and perhaps sit at the bar. They have a separate bar area that we didn't get to explore but I peeked at the bar menu and also noted that they have live music on the weekends.