Herons

Herons was amazing. It lived up to the hype. This is one of my top two restaurants in the Triangle. The other is Fearrington House in Pittsboro. When it comes to fine dining, these are among the best in North Carolina. That said, they're expensive and not everyday restaurants. (For "everyday" restaurants in the Triangle, a couple of my top picks are M Sushi in Durham and Tesoro in Carrboro).My wife preferred Herons to Fearrington House. For me, it's a push. She thought Herons had both better food and service. Food-wise, she thought the dishes at Herons were better composed and balanced. Service-wise, she felt the staff at Herons, from our bartender to the hostess to our server and the food runners, were warmer and provided more seamless service. Regardless, both places deliver exceptional dining experiences.I've dined at six Michelin-star restaurants to date (I'm not saying that to humble-brag, I'm saying it to give context) and I think Herons is Michelin-star quality. It's on that level. When the Michelin Guide hit Atlanta in 2023, I correctly predicted several of the restaurants that got stars. While the Michelin Guide hasn't covered North Carolina yet, Herons still has impressive accolades. I saw 2024 Forbes Travel Guide Five Stars and 2020 AAA Five Diamond awards during our visit.Herons is located inside the Umstead Hotel and Spa, a luxury hotel and spa situated just off I-40 exit 287 (Harrison Ave). For parking, you can use the hotel valet or self-park for free in the dedicated lot off Woodland Pond Dr.Use OpenTable to book your reservation. Unlike Fearrington House, which I also booked via OpenTable, Herons awarded dining points. I used OpenTable's messaging system to communicate with Herons staff and make a change to our reservation. It worked well.Herons serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. My wife and I had a 7pm reservation on a Saturday. We showed up early and had drinks at the Umstead's Bar & Lounge. It was really nice (the entire property was) and set the tone for what turned into a magnificent evening. The Bar & Lounge was busy before and after our dinner. The Umstead is a happening place.For dinner, we went with Herons' standard four-course prix fixe dinner at $170 per person. For comparison, four courses at Fearrington House was $150 per person. Both offer $100 drink/wine pairings and supplements for certain courses. Both also offer more elaborate tasting menus. At Herons, it's the "Art Tour," consisting of 8-15 courses at $250 per person.We got to choose from 4-5 selections for each course. My wife and I chose different things for each course so we could try many dishes. Here's what we got:Cocktails* Lilac ($16) - Cathead vodka, creme de violette, blueberry, lychee, yuzu* Ruby cocktail ($16) - Lunazul Reposado, rhubarb, One Oak Farm beets, citrusNon-Alcoholic Infusions* Drinking Vinegars - Strawberry-Basil ($8)Before First* English pea macarons with creme fraiche and Siberian caviar* Buckwheat baguettes and butter from Marietta, GeorgiaFirst * Oyster - poached, Charleston Gold Rice, Champagne Sabayon* Wagyu - asparagus, egg sauce, finger lime, kosho, sauce JaponaiseBefore Second* Chef's play on bacon, eggs and toast; quail eggs, bacon mousse, edible nest* Chive croissants with garlic butterSecond* Egg - 62-degree egg, One Oak grits, mushroom, Iberico ham, shrimp.* Foie Gras ($20 supplement) - strawberries, sudachi, salted Marcona almond creme; Carolina pineberriesBefore Entrees* Duck confit corn dogs, made to look like cattails* Milk bread with honey butterEntrees* Tuna - ossetra, miso, chive, Meyer lemon, brown butter dashi* Beef - two styles (strip steak and short rib), farm carrots, sea buckthorn puree, Shaoxing sauceBefore Dessert* Elderflower pickled rhubarb, lime (and other ingredients I forgot)* French press decaf coffee (large, $9)Dessert* Honey - milk ganache, kataifi, orange blossom, nitro labneh, bee pollen* Cheese - Fromager d'Affinois espuma, air baguette, mostarda, English peasAfter Dessert Gifts* Dark chocolate, yuzu gummies with blueberry centers, housemade Red Hots, and caramelsThe four-course was an "art tour" itself. It was truly a culinary adventure with neat surprises along the way. And for those wondering, we left the restaurant completely stuffed. The timing and attention to detail was almost impeccable. For example, the butters that accompanied the bread courses were consistently themed. The garlic butter that came with the croissants looked like leaves and the honey butter that came with the milk bread looked like honeycomb. The quail eggs in the edible nest and the duck confit corn dog cattails were creative and fun. The 62-degree egg was served in/with wooden bowls and a wooden spoon rest made from fallen trees on the property. The dishes were unique and the flavors and textures were superb.The entire Herons and Umstead staff were terrific, including our fantastic server Mike.

Ambiance: Herons is an upscale restaurant with beautiful artwork and views of carefully manicured landscape surrounding the Umstead Hotel. Service: The service at Herons is exceptional. You are seated promptly with a team of employees who are constantly refilling water, delivering food, explaining the dishes, and catering to all of your dining needs. Food: The food at Herons can best be described as a twist between southern and Asian inspired cuisine using seasonal ingredients. There are intersectional flavors in all of their dishes. The signature Egg appetizer was the chefs version of grits with a delicious egg and truffle. The oysters were unbelievably flavorful. With the waiter telling us they where obtained exactly at 11:30am that same morning from the coast. The quail eggs in edible birds nets where an artistic treat. The wagyu appetizer was tender, delicious, and paired beautifully with the asparagus. The halibut was cooked to perfection with a fluffy texture and decadent flavor. The menu is carefully crafted and is worth the price. We cannot wait to come back again!

I've never felt more fancy in my life. I mean my wedding was nice but this was fancy! From having our chairs pushed in, warm towels, and being called Ms. all night hit me in the feels. We did the four course option with wine pairing. Add the wine pairing! Don't want to ruin all the surprises for you but yes it is worth it. It's all worth it. Never a want was wanted during this meal. My friends asked if left hungry. No bestie I left perfectly content with all things in my life. Service was beyond lavish. All members of my dinner from our waiter, magic water fairie, Tim the sommelier, and hostess made the experience.

My wife and I came for lunch on a Wednesday, so even though we had a reservation, I don't think we would have had to wait long to be seated without a reservation.After we ordered, we were given two types of bread to start - a savory and a sweet bread, both of which were delicious.As an appetizer, we received a compressed cucumber with a mango salsa "compliments of the chef" (I think all tables received it that day), which was interesting - it had good flavor and while the cucumber was soaked / compressed, it still retained a crunchy texture.I ordered the Chirashi, which included salmon, hamachi, avocado, pickled vegetables, tempura battered seaweed, and rice. It was all very clean and the flavors and textures all complemented each other well. The tempura battered seaweed was actually my favorite part of the dish - it had a crispy texture and just the right amount of batter. The salmon and hamachi were both fresh and tender, and the pickled vegetables were the perfect combination of sweetness, acidity, and texture.My wife ordered the Fried Flounder, which came with a tea leaf salad, cabbage, rice, and herb aioli. Her flounder was also perfectly battered and the fish itself was tender and moist. The creamy aioli paired really well with the fish.The service was top-notch - very attentive, helpful, and prompt. And the lunch prices are less than the dinner prices, for good quality food and reasonable portion size.

My fiance and I decided to get fancy for our anniversary and go to Herons. We went to the dinner service from 7pm and left around 9pm. The service was excellent and we had a wonderful time. I was surprised we left dinner feeling full as the plates were small but between our meals we were offered different tasting plates. I liked the ambiance and staff at Herons but the food was average. There were some weird flavors and textures that were unappealing, especially the egg (second course). We enjoyed our time and paid a big bill for a fun night out but we wouldn't go back anytime soon.

Okay I've died and gone to heaven! Finally had a Heron's 4-course (which is really more than 4) dinner experience. And I do mean experience! Spoiled, pampered, luxurious. I felt like we were experiencing the finale of a Top Chef competition (or what I have imagined that to be like).You pick four courses (current price is $155 for the four), plus in my case I added on the $100 wine pairing which is four half glasses of wines chosen for each course. Service is impeccable with perfection pacing. In addition to our four courses, we were treated to other small (but powerful) surprises including three different small warm delicious breads with their individual butters. There were other treats also like an amuse bouche that was a savory macaron, quail eggs stuffed with something amazing and even special little "corn dogs". There's fun, there's whimsical, all to keep you entertained and amazed in between being dazzled by the chosen courses. Mine included crab two ways, one of which was like a very memorable bao bun and the other was a small dish of savory sea urchin custard. Then there was the perfect scallop topped with caviar, surrounded by onion petals with a warm flavorful dashi poured over. Followed by a rich yet delicate Turbo for me and a fabulous Filet for Husband. We chose different desserts as well...his being a more savory one, while mine was apple. By the time they brought more surprise birthday sweets, we could only have them packaged up to take to the room, cause we couldn't do another bite. Best part of it all for me was when I asked if Chef Steven Devereaux Greenewas there, he made an appearance and I got my pic with him! I might have even cried a bit cause to me the highest form of celebrities are brilliant Chefs.Deepest thanks to all the hard workers who have perfected their craft to give us such a memorable experience.Also note we enjoyed drinks earlier at the bar at Heron's and had a delightful experience there as well. Husband's new favorite bourbon drink is their Fairview!

Everything was top tier from start to finish! The ambiance is very dim with beautiful art to complement the space! The food was immaculate and would happily go back again!

This place is fancy with fantastic service but food is average but not excellent unfortunately. I came here 2 years ago but now revisiting, I think the food lacks flavor and portion is small for the cost. I had three types of pancakes, but while eating them, I was thinking Cracker Barrel has better pancakes ;( I had some bacon, which tasted like any other bacon. You would think they would have their own flare to it. The lobster roll was cold, which I don't mind, but did not wow my tastebuds. They really need to work on the flavors- not just presentation. The cookies were a lovely surprise for my dad. The service is really thoughtful. Therefore, it does deserve high marks for that.

How could you not give this place five stars? I have eaten at many fine dining restaurants and a couple of Michelin star restaurants. This place is not just a restaurant, but an EXPERIENCE. We had the four course meal. I consider myself to have a pretty experienced palette but these choices blew my mind. Every course has an amuse bouche. And a bread course with its own specific butter. I noticed every different dish was plated uniquely, meaning different plate styles for each course and offering. New silverware for every course. At each presentation of something new to the table, the staff would explain every part of each dish, bread, butter, everything. I was very impressed. I believe the menu offerings change regularly, but I will say my favorite of the evening was maybe one of the most simple - the salmon tartare. The beef filet was very tender and tasty, nothing super unique but nothing to complain about. I did not care for the Foie Gras dish. I do usually love this, and the description sounded so unique and our servo mentioned it was the most artistic dish they had at the time. It was too sweet and not savory. Too much fruity mixed and it was not for me. But the plate was beautiful. I didn't love that I had a conversation with our server about making the decision and the Foie Gras, and he sold me with his words, but failed to mention that it was a $20 up-charge. It was likely in the menu somewhere and my bad for missing that, but also I assumed that the total cost of the meal included 1 choice from each section. I feel that if there is a dish in one of the 4 sections of choices that is not included in the set price - it should be very noticeable. And the server should verify the guest understands it is an extra cost. Our server was really great about it and removed it from the bill. I didn't mind paying the $20, just wish it wasn't a surprise for me, my fault or not.

This is an amazing and immersive experience for sure! The service was so attentive and each course was almost better than the last. My husband and I also enjoyed the wine flight with dinner and it was well-worth it!