north harbor club

100% happy in davidson, north carolina. it isn't often that we walk down a beautiful walk through well tended landscaping to a patio overlooking a beautiful lake to have lunch. the rather indifferent hostess showed us to a table close to the docks where slips are provided for their customers. our totally charming server, jenny, happily answered all of our questions about the menu and lake norman. the cat fish with carolina slaw was perfectly prepared. the turkey and avocado pannini was a delicious work of art. everything about north harbor club shows attention to detail. it was one of the nicest lunch experiences we have had. iaskedon facebook for suggestions about what to do while visiting lake norman and nhc was a reply. i am so glad i asked! and it is just minutes off the interstate.

not for me. my first visit to north harbor club was average, food was average, but i decided to give it another chance. second time...not so good. the attitude displayed is one of it should be our pleasure to be served by them, and i still gave it another shot. on my last visit there was a private party outside on the couches, but there was no one of the couches. iaskedthe private party guests if they minded me sitting for a few moments and all were in agreement it was fine with them. i was approached by the server who told me to get up, and then by the manager who told me to leave. i explained the guests had told me to sit, and they basically said they didn't care, that i needed to go. i would not just go into an area where there was a private party and crash it, but seeing that it was fine with the guest, which once again were not even sitting, there were approximately 20 of them and not once did any of them gather and sit on any of the seating areas, they were all standing off to the side of the area. it appears the management has instilled an attitude into it's servers to be snobby and uppity. seeing this has been the overall attitude each time i have been there, and seeing that the food and service are not by most restaurant standards, i will not return.

mixed feelings. my wife had a panini for lunch which was pretty good. we split an apatizer of asparagus fries, it was and it was o.k. the bread pudding dessert was descent. on the other hand, when i think of the greasy catfish that i ate, i want to gag. it was really bad. the carolina slaw was awful and the asiago potato bread or cake thingy that came with the catfish was absolutely tasteless. there was no malt vinegar for my fish which should have been available. when iaskedfor it, i was give a vinegarette salad dressing and a salad oil. the service was fine and the atmosphere is nice. overall, it was o.k. but i wouldn't go back without a coupon. it was way overpriced for the quality especially based on the fish.

food is great but the service is always rude, uncomfortable, and awkward. hostesses seem annoyed when you arrive without a reservation. yet, when you try calling for reservations, the staff reacts like its a major inconvenience. the servers don't seem to know what's on their menu and look at you funny when you order something that's verbatim off the menu and they seem to have no idea what you've justaskedfor. i have never once felt welcome here. there's some bizarre consistency in the way in which the staff just doesn't seem to appreciate the customer.

had not been for a year ( because of appalling service) but like the spot so gave it one more chance. took my wife and mother.askedfor bread to go with artichoke dip, had no answer just a blank expression from the waitress. a few plantains came with it so ok but must be the only american food restaurant without bread in the usa? we move on and i ordered a wedge type salad andaskedto replace the steak with grilled chicken. the salad comes normally with sliced steak so i was half expecting sliced chicken breast. wrong. i had a chicken breast stuck on top. ok, so i sliced it myself, we were inside and i am colored blind so it was my wife who alarmed me that the chicken was totally raw inside. had i not sliced it first i would have been eating raw and poisoness food. sent it back and wasaskedif i wanted another but with the attitude of the waitress from the bread request plus the un appetizing presentation of the then found raw chicken i declined and said i would just go without please. the owner/ manager was wandering around and did not ever approach or appear to care of our situation. on leaving i confronted him andaskedif knew i my issue. he said he did, i had sent the good back so what did i want him to do about it. ? he did not care less to have an unsatisfied customer or apparently that his kitchen could make i'll or potentially serve food that could kill, hence why i am writing this review. i will never ever set foot on that property again unless it was to evict the present owner/manager. this is a true account of a real and very recent experience. regards to all potential customers who acknowledge this note and no longer use this restaurant. north harbor until it has a worthy owner operator. like the forbidden fruit, looked like a good idea but was certainly not. sc.

best lake norman dining experience. this place has never dissappointed me. have enjoyed going here for 8years, usually after a long day on lake norman. the service has been incredible and there grilled pork, whether chops or tenderloin is always prepared to perfection. anything grilled and pork on there menu is strongly recomended. oh yeah the stuffed poblano rules as well, although it doesnt come with every plate, i haveaskedto add to my plate......awesome........the chefs here rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sunday brunch needs a lot of work. north harbor club is a restaurant to which i have visited many times. i have had numerous business lunches there and at christmas and thanksgiving, my wife, sister-in-law and i are frequent patrons of their special three course dinner.

in general, this restaurant does an excellent job but their one weakness is the sunday brunch.

we've been several times and each time it seems to have gone a little further downhill. it's a combination of service and lack luster quality of the food.

my sister-in-law had the eggs benedict but here beverage of choice is hot tea. she had to request hot water on more than one occassion and when she did get it, it was not hot. finally i had to get up and find the manager to get water at a suitable temperature to brew tea. she alsoaskedfor a separate check which did not happen and had to be corrected at the end of the meal.

i had a pressed ny sandwich which is corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese. corned beef is very mild and the sauerkraut is suppose to give a sharp counterpoint to the sweetness of the corned beef. the sauerkraut was very bland, had no aciditiy to it and very little texture to speak of. the sandwich was edible and did not stand out.

not sure what happen here. i've had the same sandwich many times of the regular lunch menu and it's always great.

my wife is the only one who did not have a problem with here meal and she was complmentary about the freid green tomato entree she had.

they need to work on their sunday brunch and make it more warm and friendly. i know they can do it because they already do it on their regular lunch and dinners but for some reason, there is a disconnect wtih sunday brunch.


-----28 feb, 2010-----

creative menu and nice atmosphere. i have been to north harbor by both car and by boat and each is a good experience. lunch menu is limited but each item i have tried is excellent. the lobster bisque is fantastic and their pressed rubin is fantastic. dinner menu is a bit more varied but again very good and creative. wait staff is excellent. very attentive but not obtrusive.

not eager to please. we had reservations at the north harbor club today for lunch. there were six of us. our table was not ready when we arrived and weaskedto be seated outside we were told that the round tables would only accommodate 4 people. after a considerable wait and many people being seated before us, we noticed two patrons being seated at a square table between two empty ones and were told that they couldn't move the empty tables to accommodate us. then we noticed that they placed 5 people at there firm policy of only 4 at a round table. when asked, we were told that they still couldn't accommodate us. after a long discussion with the manager who was not willing to accommodate us, we left!! i am sure the staff as well as the manager todd had no intention of accommodating us at all. too bad as we will tell everyone we know about the shoddy service.

nothing special.... we stopped by the north harbor club on sunday for a beverage and quick bite. since the weather was nice, we sat outdoors. we found the service to be so-so. the menu was quite limited as it was too late for brunch but too early for a full dinner menu. (the lunch menus we were handed were a paired down version of what is posted on their website.) since i was not particularly hungry, i had the north harbor club lobster chowder. the menu described it as a chunky veggie studded lobster chowder, drizzled with sherry cream. iaskedthe server how it was prepared, and got sort of a shrugged answer that it was a creamy chowder. that i would expect from a chowder, but what i was really trying to find out if it was prepared with bacon as many seafood chowders are. when iaskedthis question directly, i was told no. so, i gave it try. it was not bad, but the veggies were sort of sparse and there was one little lump of lobster meat sitting on top of the soup. it sort of had a tomato base broth and overall was not as rich and creamy as a typical chowder. also, it was not served with crackers or anything else on the side, which i would have expected. since i was not particularly hungry, it was fine but to serve as a meal, you would definitley need to pair a salad or an appetizer with it. my partner chose the carolina lump crabcake with oven roasted yukon gold potatoes, thyme and garlic with asparagus. the crab cake was nicely done - mostly crab meat without too much "filler". the veggies were nicely roasted, but the plating and presentation looked a bit on the sparse side. overall, i would not go out of my way to eat here again but its ok for a drink and a light lunch if you happen to be in the neighborhood.