BOLT BISTRO & BAR

A kitchen that charms and confounds.

 

Strolling through downtown Raleigh, showing off our adopted city to my visiting sister, we chanced upon a bucolic cluster of chairs and tables. When a waiter appeared, we ordered sandwiches and beers. 

Bolt Bistro & Bar had found us. 

Later that summer, we returned to Bolt for diner.  My wife and sister chose their wine; I recited my martini recipe: straight up, filled to the top, Tanqueray gin, stirred with ice for ONLY a few seconds to avoid dilution.  Shocking both my table partners, I took a sip and promptly sent the drink back; it was half water.  William appeared quickly and introduced himself as manager; he listened patiently, and solved the problem by replacing the ill formed drink. He apologized for Bolt, laying no blame except to say that a waitperson, in order to expedite my order, had filled in while the regular bartender was busy

We proceeded to order when something happened, something very surreal, even magical.  I found myself ordering lobster bisque. How could this be? Why take the risk of being served the thick and lumpy paste that all too often passes for bisque. Somehow I intuited that this soup would be different. Bolt justified my gamble. The chef, rather than relying on cream and flour, built up levels of flavor: starting with a medium hued roux; adding a strained broth consisting of the New Orleans trinity (celery, peppers and onions) and his own herbs and condiments; then simmering very large chunks of lobster along with a final finish of sherry. Delicious. 

My wife ordered the scallops for her main course; my sister the shrimp and grits. I asked for fried oysters atop a Caesar salad. We were delighted with all our choices. The shrimp and the grits were cheesy yet not leaden.  The scallops were crisp edged and yet very tender. My salad dressing was house made and finely tuned.

 

At my wife’s urging because she had enjoyed the food so much, we returned again. The lure of the bisque beckoned.  This time it was she who fell prey to Bolt’s seductive spell; she ordered the short rib; she almost never orders beef.  The aroma from a neighboring table caught her fancy. What an excellent choice. Not only was it fork-tender but also extremely tasty.

 The joy in my martini and my wife’s quality wine, the snippets of pita and homemade bean humus, meeting William again, and the opportunity for more bisque promised a successful evening.  Our prospect dimmed a bit as we tried to read our menus. The single table votive proved insufficient for the small and faded print. Our helpful waitress brought over more candles. The menu amply described seven possible starters, five soups or salads, and fourteen entrées.

 The lobster bisque was as wonderful as I remembered.  My wife’s short rib had been slow cooked to perfection, making her knife superfluous.  My entrée fell short of what I had come to expect from Bolt.  AD’s Stuffed Chicken, named after David Sadeghi’s Maryland partner, lacked any taste of chicken, the meat did little more than provide a stringy texture to the congealed cheese.  Perhaps the new corporate chef, Jeff Williams, brought in only a few weeks before from Los Angeles, will have among his recipes a tastier replacement.

 Of the three restaurants owned by David Sadeghi, Bolt is considered the most upscale. Its downtown prime location, fronting both on a treed corridor-park and busy Fayetteville Street, its slightly uneven but enticing menu, its relatively easy parking (a city parking deck is only a block away), along with its affordable prices give ample expectation that Bolt will establish itself among Raleigh’s several fine restaurants. To do so, I’d recommend attention to a few inexpensive basics: the owners need to be clear on how this restaurant defines its “upscale” claim in all its aspects: hiring, training, menu, service, bar and kitchen; and though this generation may find some of the old, seemingly quirky rituals, out of fashion, upscale elegance requires hints of old world charm, such as not rolling the silverware, putting down a clean napkin before the cocktail is introduced, and periodically changing what is brought to the table initially. The bean humus is adequate for one visit, but not forever.

 Would I go back for yet another visit?  A definite yes.  My wife enjoys Bolt’s range of taste options; William brings personality (and a good martini); and there are several gastronomic delights yet to be explored.

Bolt Bistro & Bar is located at 219 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC.  918 821 0011.  www.boltbistro.com.