VarmintBites

After last week’s review of bu.ku, where I was quite confident of what Greg Cox was going to do, I return to unfamiliar territory of restaurants about which I know nothing.  This time, it’s Durham’s Restaurant Eden, which based on its name strives to be a gustatory paradise.  Restaurant Eden opened in the same location of the beloved, but insufficiently busy Starlu.  The teaser in today’s N&O says that Eden has some hits and misses — but then, that’s what happened in the Book of Genesis, too, right?  Alas, that teaser shows that Eden may not be a 5 star place that defines a garden of paradise.   Another thing that suggests the same is that 5 of the 9 entrees on the menu include “Garden Veggies.”  Now, we know that the Garden of Eden was filled with lots of great things to eat, and one that was a bit taboo, but let me just say that I suspect that even Adam and Even never called anything “veggies.”  That’s a term used by the serpent or lazy marketing folks.  But even worse is for a restaurant to use these same veggies time and time again — that’s not paradise, folks, that’s Applebee’s.  Just sayin’.   And I also want to know if they serve apples or any other forbidden fruit in this restaurant.  Is it clothing optional, or is this Eden after the fall from grace?  So many questions.

So, without further ado, here are this week’s odds:

5 stars — 39 to 1

4.5 stars – 22 to 1

4 stars — 9 to 1

3.5 stars — 3 to 1

3 stars — 5 to 2

2.5 stars —  4 to 1

2 stars — 9 to 1

1.5 stars — 23 to 1

1 star — 58 to 1

Have you dined at Restaurant Eden?  If so, how many stars would you give it?  More importantly, how many stars do you think Greg Cox will bestow upon it?  And let me know if there are any serpents lurking about.

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Edit, May 28, 2010 — Greg Cox gave Restaurant Eden 2.5 stars.  The review reads like the restaurant deserves more than that, as it focuses on somewhat misleading menu descriptions and a heavy hand with the balsamic reduction.  I suspect this is one review that was hurt by the paper’s space limitations.  Would love for Greg to post on his blog his thoughts on other dishes.