Counting House

The Brussels sprouts were a religious experience. I sent hugs and kisses to the chef via our server they were so good. No kidding — try them and you’ll see! I had the mushroom bigoli-​also a top shelf experience. My husband had the braised beef — so tender and tasty, no knife was necessary. Portions were just right, and room for dessert — the sweet potato cake with bourbon sauce/​icing — not too sweet, just perfect. The ginger ice cream and the crumbles-​oh my goodness. Not only was the food awesome, but the atmosphere was very cool. Well done, Counting House!!! We’ll be back! But not for the shrimp and grits — the shrimp themselves were perfect, but the grits weren’t the fine, creamy grits, tasty grits I was expecting (sorry). But the Brussels sprouts — I want to buy them in large quantities and hoard them…

Unfortunately I was very disappointed with my service here. The restaurant may be inside 21 C Museum Hotel but the service is extremely low in comparison. After waiting at the low crowded bar for for 20 min we managed to wave down a bartender. Intrigued by by the drink selection we started to ask questions. (Example; What’s your favorite drink? What’s the most most popular cocktail? What’s the difference between choice A and B?) Each answer was the same. «Their all good». After getting our first drink we decided to leave because we didn’t feel welcomed and the drinks were less than satisfactory In taste & presentation. The next day I was told by hotel management that complementary coffee was available for all guest in the morning. After asking for coffee I was questioned If I was actually a guest. After showing my key card I was given lukewarm old coffee to go. I will stay at the hotel again but I will not be eating or drinking at Counting House.
Ambiance. *****
Food/​Drink. **
Fun. **
Service. *

Garrett was our server and we had a great experience! I got the steak and my wife the bolegnese and both were great!

I hate to give a bland review but this place go me no choice. The food was really just bland and lacking in flavor. It has an interesting theme of Africa, Asia, etc, but doesn’t realize those countries also use salt and pepper to season. Bummer.
The service, how ever was filled with genuine and sweet staff. We felt bad our food experience was such a drag. The staff was great in doing everything they could to make us happy.

After visiting the museum at 21C hotel a couple of times since the hotel opened, I was looking forward to visiting Counting House for dinner. It pains me to say this, but this restaurant was a disappointment. At the end of the night I was very annoyed by the amount of money that we spent and the lack of satisfaction.
I ordered the Braised Beef and my wife had the Rabbit Pappardelle as our main dish.
Braised Beef:
«parsnip purée, sunchoke, beef jus»
The braised beef had very little flavor — it tasted as if they just dropped a piece of meat in a crockpot with only water. On a positive note, it was nice and tender and not too fatty.
Rabbit Rosemary Pappadelle:
«rabbit, yellow eyed steubens, preserved lemon»
The Rabbit Pappadelle tasted like chicken noodle soup… ugh. Nothing in the description alluded to this flavor.
Plancha Octopus:
«chorizo baked butter beans, salsa verde»
The octopus and beans did not go together well and neither tasted good on their own either.
Roasted Hubbard Soup:
«fermented beet, candy stripe beet, frisee»
I didn’t like the flavor (and I am usually a fan of beets).
I didn’t even want to look at the dessert menu because the rest of the meal was just not worth it. Perhaps we «chose poorly» but, personally, I think they could do a lot better and shouldn’t serve any of the dishes that we ordered. Among the other great restaurants that have popped up recently, I think this place needs to work at setting the bar higher and be more adventurous. I’m not going to give up on this place but I won’t go back until they significantly change the menu.

An absolutely exquisite dining experience from start to finish! As a foodie, I’m very critical when dining out but I genuinely have no complaints! The ambiance & artistic theme set the tone for a well thought out meal with beautiful flavor profiles that are pleasing to the palate. The seafood snacks were to die for, and we tried a good majority of the items on the menu thanks to the wonderful manager, Che.
Service was fantastic. The servers were knowledgeable, friendly & attentive.
I highly recommend the desserts as well. The deconstructed apple pie paired with cardamom ice cream was so tasty! We also loved the sweet potato cake.
This is a great place for a date or a night with the girls. Enjoy!

Excellent dinner start to finish! The bluefish a must and the amazing duck egg on truffle cheese and the black radish. The roasted acorn squash with the whipped ricotta was excellent was well. (not fond of the skin on) the rotisserie chicken great combination with the red Peas avocado salad.
Dessert on the way can’t wait!

Wow. Pretty people, hip surroundings, decent service, utterly mediocre food. But at least it’s expensive. $ 16 for run of the mill Malbec – and a scant three ounce pour – takes restaurant by-​the glass robbery to a whole new level.
Stick to the bar.

This is not a review for this location as a place to hang out at, I love 21c, this is strictly considering it as a restaurant.
I was in a fun position to pick my choice of restaurant for a dinner that would be on Duke’s tab, I decided to try somewhere I hadn’t been, the Counting House restaurant at 21c. I have been here several times for drinks and thought it would be a great place to take an out of town speaker.
The ambiance is great and made a favorable first impression on my group of 7. Unfortunately, the rest of the night was not as impressive. The first beer I ordered took over 15 minutes to come out. To be fair, when I pointed out the delay they did comp the drink at least. The service in general was slow and unrefined that night. At this price point and with this nice a venue you expect a level of service and it just wasn’t there. I thought it was just me, but other people at the table noted the service was a little subpar.
Now onto the most important part, the food. The sea snacks we ordered (we got one of every option) were a highlight, I recommend them. The tobacco tuna and trout terrine were especially good. The entrees however were disappointing. I ordered a pork porterhouse (aka a pork chop), and it was just that, a standard pork chop. It was fine, but considering it was priced at about $ 30 it was disappointing. There was no real depth of flavor to the dish, it couldn’t compare to entrees I have had at comparable restaurants in Durham like Nana’s, Rue Cler, Vin Rogue etc. The vegetable dishes I ordered as a side were also disappointing. The collard green dish contains almost no collard greens, it is a dish of chickpeas. The roasted zucchini steak was good but a smaller portion than I would have thought, and zucchini is not an expensive ingredient.
We all ordered dessert, and there were some highlights. I wasn’t the biggest fan of my sheep’s milk cheesecake, but the sweet potato dessert was quite good. I recommend that.
Overall we had a perfectly fine meal, but it was sadly just fine. I must admit that if I could redo it I would have gone with somewhere else. I do give many thanks to the management who where easy to work with both when I needed to book and when I needed to arrange payment.

Eclectic interesting local hotel aka museum! Their speciality is bourbon in the bar! We didn’t eat in the restaurant so can’t give a review on food.

The atmosphere here is ultra cool and hip/​post-​mod artsy, so much that it’s just the sight and simply being here, taking in the incorporation of art w/​hotel and dining that makes it worth the visit. The art gallery is definitely worth checking out and actually features several really incredible pieces. A lot of funky and cool art pieces are in the dining area as well.
Also to highlight, the cocktails and mixed drinks here are absolutely incredible and possibly my favorite out of the numerous bars/​drinks places that I’ve been to in Durham. I’ve ordered everything from classic obvious off-​the-​menu drinks to in-​house specialities, and all of them have without fail been fantastic. Somehow they achieve the right amount of sweetness for sweet drinks, don’t overdo the alcoholic taste, and hit good ingredient/​liquor ratios for me.
The food itself is fairly good, but I’d say the presentation was better than the taste. Portion sizes were a bit small and entrees are pricey as expected. I had the smoked pork belly entrée — meat was cooked to tender perfection and had a pillowy layer of fat, topped with a very expertly crisp pork skin. The garnishes and «side» parts of the entrée were lacking though, and the sauce was a bit bland and could have been much better to complement the meat.
Overall though, the atmosphere here is very cool/​hip and right up my alley, and the drinks are second to none. Needless to say, great place to bring your friends or a date.

What a wonderful addition to downtown Durham! This venue is a feast for all the senses. You can view the art gallery in the 21c Museum Hotel, enjoy cocktails in the old bank vault, and experience wonderful cuisine in the art deco restaurant.
The remodeling of this old bank using the creative concept of a museum hotel and a restaurant is awesome! Well done!

Did not really care for the food. The service was also slow. Overall, I did not enjoy my meal.
nice décor though.

A little like dining in MOMA. There’s modern art all over the place. Strange stuff, but interesting nonetheless. This is by no means a normal dining experience. The modern might throw people off and deter some diners, but the food is outstanding. We came on a Saturday evening a few weeks after they debuted and they were packed.
The first thing you notice when walking in is the plastic spoon display to the right of the hostess and the silver bunny sculpture sitting on the hostess stand. Strange already. The second thing you notice as your make your way to your table is how high the ceilings are, and at the same time how loud it is. Terrible acoustics are muted by the open dining room and interesting décor.
The menu overall is quite small and focused, and they do employ my favorite method of showing the diner what ingredients are in the dish. Fish was a touch underdone (still safe), but saved by all our other dishes.
Service is not particularly refined, but they are friendly and knowledgable. With so many interesting menu options, I would have appreciated a menu walk. Instead I had to ask several questions to which every server was able to easily answer.
Before or after dinner, make sure you take a walk upstairs to the art gallery. It’s modern stuff, but interesting to take a look at.
4 stars. I really want to like this place even more. I think in due time they will be a major hit. Try it once and you might be coming back over and over again.

I was very excited to check out Counting House and what Chef Munchel has to offer Durham! The restaurant itself is beautiful and also decked in modern art that can be found throughout the hotel. The bar is really impressive both in show and in cocktails.
We started off with three sea snacks:
Marinated mussels — very well cooked served with crackers
Trout terrine — probably my fav of the three. Refreshing and light
Tobacco tuna — smokey tuna with almonds and olive oil. Very interesting taste but delicious
The portions are small which is why they offer three for $ 25 or one for $ 9. The three is together is perfect for a starter
I got the sous vide pork belly which is literally a square portion of scored soft pork belly over mashed peas. It was melt in your mouth cooked. I would have preferred if they took a torch to the skin to make it crispy but overall a great dish.
My bf got the NY strip with chimichurri sauce over potatoes. Never say no to chimichurri sauce. This portion was large and stretched across the large plate. The sauce was also amazing. Very well done!
Lastly we ended with strawberry sesame chiffon cake with coconut sorbet. This was the perfect ending to our very decadent entrees. The cake was light and the sesame honey cracker was the perfect addition to the dish. The coconut sorbet was also very refreshing and complimented well.
Overall a great experience. I highly recommend a try! Can’t wait to see what else comes up on the menu.

We stopped in on a recent Saturday after a matinée at DPAC for a drink and an appetizer, and the place was hopping! As others have said, it has the big-​city feel, but in a very inviting way. Bar chairs are so comfy I can’t bring myself to call them stools.
Not recognizing the wine options, I described the kind of red I like to the Bartender and was pleased with his suggestion. (especially later when we got the check and it was on the lower end price-​wise of the ones on their menu). He could have socked it to me, but didn’t, and I really appreciate that! Husband tried a bourbon he had never tried before.
As for bar-​food, we shared the Griddled Romaine & Cauliflower. This was light and could have used a tad more griddle, plus perhaps a touch of salt in the oyster aioli or a bit more of the raisins and chiles. Brilliant to add a vinegar to the raisins! Just wanted more of that brightness.
TIP: Do not miss a walk-​through of the Art Museum and the See-​Thru Bathrooms are a
must as well!

Food: 4.0
Ambiance: 5.0
Food/​Price: 3.0
Pros: Excellent Atmosphere, Solid Food, Connected to the hotel/​museum 21C which is a worthy spot of visiting in itself
Con: Food is slightly overpriced
This is perhaps the only place in Durham whose ambiance emanates Tier 1 city (Revolution being a contender). The design is open and modern yet presents enough intricacies and attention to detail to give an air of warmth and familiarity. The chic hotel/​art gallery in which this place is housed is one of Durhams more interesting attractions but it deserves a review of its own.
The menu is standard high end American. Steak, Rotisserie Chicken, Pork Belly, Shrimp and Grits, Oysters etc, etc. They have a small but interesting cocktail menu, and an extensive wine list, but I wasn’t drinking on this particular night.
I ordered the New York Strip Steak which came with a small portion of potatoes and an olive oil /​greens topping that blended surprisingly well with the steak.
Juicy, flavorful, and with an interesting topping… for $ 28 I still expected more. It was a very good steak, but it was not a phenomenal steak. I’m giving this place a provisional 4 stars as of right now, under the assumption that their cocktails and remaining food choices are of roughly the same quality. I’ll be back soon to test my hypothesis.

We came across this restaurant after an evening at the Carolina Theatre close by. We were intrigued by the ambiance, lighting and wall décor so we checked it out. We were seated right away on a Sunday evening around 8 PM. Restaurant was busy but did not feel crowded. Server was friendly and attentive. For $ 15, I ordered the cheeseburger medium and it was very tender. It was actually a double burger. I wasn’t impressed with the horseradish jam though. Not very much taste to it. The poppy seed/​sesame seed bun was toasted nicely. Fries came out hot. The kitchen was pretty noisy so I recommend sitting away from that area. Otherwise, the ambiance was pretty classy. There is a ²⁴⁄₇ art museum upstairs. The restrooms upstairs were wild! The doors are see through glass until you lock the door, and it turns translucent. Very cool. Overall, a good experience and great location.

I’ve been looking forward to the opening of the 21^st Century Museum hotel and its associated restaurant Counting House for a while now since I believe this facility is going to help kick downtown Durham up another notch – for years, we’ve had only the Marriott as a hotel space downtown and, let’s face it, it’s getting tired. But with this place, The Durham hotel (with an Andrea Reusing restaurant), and the Aloft (including restaurant NanaSteak) opening this year, we’re going to be well-​stocked with options.
But I digress. Counting House is the first to open and they’ve been quiet about it – I think the hotel is more really on a «soft» opening right now as April is the advertised full-​open date and you can’t charge meals to your room yet. But the word seems to be getting out as the place was absolutely packed this past Saturday night, both lounge and restaurant proper. I spent my time at the bar since I was a walk-​in. It’s a stunning, striking space that would absolutely not be out of place in Atlanta, Miami, DC… name your metropolis. The ceilings are towering and have what look like huge white paper leis suspended from them over the bar with some white neon tubing in them. The bar is a long marble-​top and there are tables for four opposite the bar, plus some sofa seating at the doorway. The look is clean, crisp, and modern, plus it has neat local touches like a couple of bull’s heads hanging over the bar with feed bags tied to their snouts, as a nod to the Bull City. The restrooms are also contemporary cool – up a set of stairs and along a hallway overlooking the bar, they are individual rooms completely made of glass, which frosts when you lock the door.
Now for the food. It’s obviously a chef-​driven menu and it’s smallish at the moment, but there is plenty of variety. I tried the octopus with butter beans and chorizo ($ 14) and immediately knew the kitchen was having early success. A perfect balance of flavor and texture. I followed that up with the brined pork chop with Swiss chard and a blackened cornbread base ($ 27), also terrific. So in design and food quality/​creativity, CH is already up there with Revolution down the street as the best fine-​dining in Durham. But whereas Revolution is more of a global-​cuisine thing, CH is doing the New Southern thing as you can tell from the butter beans and cornbread. They also have a dish of tuna dried in tobacco leaves for more local flair.
I put the bar staff to the test on their wines, liquors and the menu and they are all obviously already well-​drilled in the offerings. And despite a full house, everyone seemed to get attention in a timely manner. The food was quick to arrive as well.
So now in a half-​mile stretch of Main St. downtown, we have Mateo, Taberna Tapas, Counting House, Revolution and Bar Virgile. If there’s a better half-​mile stretch of restaurants in the state, you’ll have to prove it to me.

Wow, is Durham ready for a place like Counting House and its parent hotel 21C? It’s so cool that I desperately want the answer to be «YES!» My friend serendipitously asked the staff outside Counting House when they were going to be finally open and was answered enthusiastically with «We officially opened 10 minutes ago!» Being Durhamites, we called an audible on our dinner plans and headed inside the building formerly known as the SunTrust Building.
The entrance and interior has a great «wow» factor (clearly, the theme of the review). High ceilings, large windows, beautiful installations. I love the bright pink penguins decorations and pins on the staff. I understand why they went with a soft opening as there’s clearly still some work to be done, but already a worthy date night or treat yo’ self spot. Heck, even the bathrooms made you go «wow» when you locked the door. Warning: No «wow» means you probably didn’t lock the door and everyone can see you.
Starting off with drinks, the drinks menu are priced well and cross my fingers these prices are permanent and not just an opening week special. I had the Southern Side, which was a delicious gin based drink and a cool twist on the classic mojito. Refreshing and comforting. I don’t recall the drinks my friends ordered (we had spent a couple hours at Bull City Ciderworks before happening on Counting House), the consensus was that the drinks were delicious and we would all love to make this our regular cocktail spot.
We started with a meat and cheese plate chockfull of local meat and cheese options. $ 19 gives you three choices. The timing and portion of the plate was off as the bread arrived after the plate, leading my friend to assert that meat & cheese plates didn’t come with bread. Luckily, some delicious bread and nicely softened butter arrived a couple of minutes later. For $ 19, I wish they gave us more than two thin slices of the Carolina Moon cheese. My tastebuds are still dreaming about the pâté and chorizo.
For dinner entrees, the $ 13 burger is the best bang for buck and can give Bull City Burger & Brewery a run for their money. My friend’s rotisserie chicken (bone-​in) was moist, flavorful, and a generous serving size. My husband’s short ribs were expensive and cooked to perfection, the only negative was the small amount of roasted root vegetables it came with. That’s a low cost side that could’ve helped compensate for the smaller portion of short rib. My mushroom bolognese was delicious. The pasta had great bite and there were enough mushrooms to make each bite rich and meaty.
Throughout the night we were checked on regularly and it’s clear the staff there are expertly trained and want to make this a five star experience for you. Other than some minor tweaking of portion size and timing, it’s as close to being five stars for opening night as you can get. Counting House, you are too cool for Durham and I can’t wait to see more of you!