"How this place has 4.8 stars is beyond me. I suppose I should have managed my expectations- can’t compare NC cuisine to the great restaurants I’ve dined at in NYC, Paris or San Sebastián. My husband and I made a booking at Vivian for our wedding anniversary; we flew in for the weekend from NY. The food was so mediocre. We shared the smoked oysters, the deviled eggs, the grouper crudo, the smoked roast chicken and angel food cake for dessert. The oysters had shell, the deviled eggs needed salt, the grouper crudo was extremely tough and chewy, and the chicken was bland and super dry. It didn’t really have flavor other than the smokiness and couldn’t even taste the shaved truffle. Everything needed salt as well. The angel food cake was also over cooked and dry. For a James Beard nominated chef, I would have expected better. And the service was sub-par. When the waitress removed one of our empty courses, she spilled sauce all over my side of the table and didn’t notice. I had to ask her to wipe it off with a rag. And I had to ask for more water repeatedly as our water jug sat empty several times. We felt kind of abandoned. She was nice though. I really wanted to love this place. Alas, we left very disappointed. Would not recommend."
