north harbor club

northharborclub is ok for the occasional change.. they have some eclectic menu items and the food is generally well prepared. the service can be spotty - one time great and the next time atrocious. the hostesses seem to have a haughty attitude most of the time. all that being said, this is one very expensive place to eat for any meal.

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 northharborclub shows attention to detail. it was one of the nicest lunch experiences we have had. i asked on 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.

private party. we want to thank todd and the crew at the northharborclub for making our couples shower a wonderful experience. the venue was lovely, the staff above and beyond helpful and courteous from the set up to the take down and the food was sooo yummy! we had passed appetizers. the presentation was simple but appealing and they were each delicious! our guests especially liked the salmon.
we will be back for our next gathering and for dinner.
thanks again guys!!!

not for me. my first visit to northharborclub 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. i asked the 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.

northharborclub. this restaurant has a fun atmosphere and view as it overlooks docked sailboats and the lake. it has a nautical motif. the food and service were fantastic. todd, the manager, was very helpful. two people in our group had the chorizo stuffed chicken breast and loved it. the salsa verde was excellent. three of us had the smokey mac n cheese. i am not usually a mac n cheese fan but this was delicious and very different. i also have several severe food allergies and the waitress and chef went above and beyond the call of duty to serve me. usually, when i have to order a special meal, i just get a plain steak. they made a special sauce for me.

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. asked for 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 and asked to 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 was asked if 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 and asked if 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. northharboruntil it has a worthy owner operator. like the forbidden fruit, looked like a good idea but was certainly not. sc.

sunday brunch needs a lot of work. northharborclub 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 also asked for 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 northharborby 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.

great food, atmosphere..but service...not so much!!. i do like northharborclub, ambiance and atmosphere you can sit outside right on the lake, beautiful!!! also, the food is delicious...my favorites are the asparagus fries appetizer and the butternut squash...but...and this is a big but they seem to pride themselves on having horrible service...it is laughable!! they seem to aim to be rude and unaccomadating....every visit...every time..luckily after a couple of glasses of wine...you forget and enjoy the food, view and the company!

not eager to please. we had reservations at the northharborclub today for lunch. there were six of us. our table was not ready when we arrived and we asked to 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.

exquisite. there is nothing not to like about the northharborclub. it has a beautiful view, friendly and efficient service, and excellent food. places that are this popular and this well-located can easily lose their focus. that has not happened to northharborclub.

the entrees are creative and are flawlessly executed. i have had the filet mignon many times and have never been disappointed. the crab cakes and catfish also are exceptionally good. the side dishes also excel. their crisp brie springroll, served with grilled peaches and an almond creme sauce, is delicious. lemon-thyme asparagus is perfectly grilled; the texture is just right, the grilling marks perfect, and the flavor sublime. potatoes boulangère have a taste that is quite special. the chickpea mash has a pleasing crunchy texture and just the right amount of heat. the tahitian vanilla bean cheesecake with cardamon scented blueberries and an almond tuile is outrageously good..

nothing special.... we stopped by the northharborclub 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 northharborclub lobster chowder. the menu described it as a chunky veggie studded lobster chowder, drizzled with sherry cream. i asked the 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 i asked this 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.