2812 Erwin Road
Erwin Terrance
Durham, NC
Website
Small Plates $9–11
We ended up at six plates late on a Saturday night after having waited too long for service at another lounge. six plates was advertised in our American Dance Festival brochure along with its service hours, which are until 2 am on the weekends, midnight during the week. It's always very exciting to find somewhere, anywhere, in the triangle where you can eat past 10:00 pm, chain restaurant or otherwise.
This is a concept winebar with six small plates on the menu, each one listed with a paired glass of wine. There are six additional by the glass wines listed at a board by the bar, which is also where we ordered our selections. The wine menu is by the bottle only, except for champagne, which had a few smaller options. I would not recommend the Coppola sparking wine called Sofia, however. $11 for a can of wine that is smaller than your average glass? I don't think so.
First and foremost, the atmosphere is fabulous. It's like a gothic mansion without the dust and cobwebs. I'm seriously in love with the chandeliers. The cozy crimson lounge couches in the front of the space bring a burst of color into the dark room. The walls are flanked with high four-top tables and there's also a small room for groups in the back. The lighting was lusciously dim throughout.
We shared a cheese and meat plate, each with intriguing accoutrements that I can't remember. Sorry, I didn't have my notebook with me! Both plates were good but quite steep at $11. The ingredients were definitely top-notch but sparse for that price. Presentation was lovely, though.
3 stars
