2701 Chapel Hill Road
Durham, NC
www.foursquarerestaurant.com
Entrees $20–35
We went to Four Square to try out their Thanksgiving Prix Fixe menu. It is housed in a historic Victorian in Durham, with an inviting porch and warm lighting glinting from the windows. We started out in the bar, where I had an underwhelming Sangriatini. The bar was cozy though lacking music, and its brown walls are luscious enough to make me reconsider completely writing off the ugly brown paint on the walls of our bathroom at home. For the dinner, we were led to a small chilly room that would have been improved had a fire been lit in the fireplace. The walls were sparsely decorated and the house definitely shows some wear and tear, especially in the restroom. Bread service was by the slice, which is helpful for people like us who are trying to control our portions. Their home-baked sourdough was quite good and that's coming from a California snob.
My husband and I shared a frisee and baby red onion salad and a seafood crepe for the first course. The crepe was groovy on my palate and the salad was pleasant as well. For the main course, my husband went traditional and chose the turkey offering. The sugar peas were not completely cooked and as a result, tasted bland. The turkey and mashed potatoes were good but nothing exceptional. I had the duck confit with expertly prepared brussel sprouts, a sweet berry sauce, and stuffing of Stove Top caliber, which is high praise from me.
For dessert, I had the Bourbon Pecan Pie. I couldn't taste any bourbon but it was tasty and the piecrust was to die for. My husband's Rum Raisin Bread Pudding was more like a muffin. It had a great chocolaty flavor but both rum and raisin were missing as far as we could tell. A satisfying meal but we aren't necessarily coming back again.
2 stars
