Like one of his patented slam-dunks, you can be sure that Michael Jordan's new 23 restaurant in Chapel Hill has plenty of style. Unlike His Airness, though, the place is totally lacking in consistency.
Even from the outside, 23's glass-walled lot at the corner of Franklin and Church streets screams hipness. Despite the obvious association to Jordan, and the intrusive presence of a gift shop, 23 is far from a sports bar. The menu and décor are well-suited to compete with upscale, trendy spots like Pyewacket and Brightleaf 905; if you want to watch the game, you're better off elsewhere.
The interior is a compelling mix of minimalist art-deco elegance mutated with a surprisingly classy basketball motif. The tables-black, glossy numbers with no tablecloths-sit in a wide circle around a giant basketball hoop mounted in the ceiling, complete with a floor-to-ceiling net made of metal cable. The interior walls have portholes that house Jordan memorabilia from old shoes to his diploma to a complete transcript (sorry, no grades).
23's menu is a fairly-well rounded mix of southern-eclectic and contemporary American fare. At least two of the appetizers-ranging in price from about $5 to $9.50-use grits in some way, and their creamy, smooth consistency is incredibly appealing. Try the wild mushroom grits for the full effect, or, if
In fact, if this meal had ended with the appetizers, 23 could have been a champ. The presentation of each item was fun, from the trampoline-like bread basket to the colorful, arty layout of the rabbit plate, and the quality of the food was exceptional. Other than at Crook's, there isn't any food like this in Chapel Hill.
When the entrees came along, things fell apart in a hurry. The Delmonico steak-at a lavish $26.50-was riddled with fat and uninspiringly presented next to a lump of only-adequate mashed potatoes. The balsamic ginger marinade had a fine, tangy flavor, but it couldn't salvage the substandard cut of meat. The roast chicken, a seasoned half-chicken coupled with grilled zucchini and mashed potatoes, was problem-free, but for $16.00, a few minutes at Kroger and a mediocre cookbook could have produced a whole chicken and left money for dessert.
While the first two entrees merely failed to impress, the Macadamian sturgeon, served atop a lonely bed of sautéed onions and slathered in a wine cream sauce, had an awful, gelatinous consistency and weak flavor. Worse, the apparent undercooking made one of my guests sick almost immediately.
23 saved some face with the dessert. "Coffee and donuts," a concoction of three homemade donut holes resting in a cappuccino cream sauce, coupled with a coffee cup full of chocolate mousse, was a fun, delicious novelty. The restaurant also takes an interesting twist with traditional apple crisp, placing a neat pile of fresh apples, cinnamon pastry and cinnamon ice cream inside a shell of dried apples.
This restaurant seems to function best as a date place-stylish, upscale and trendy, with an interesting menu and conversation-worthy décor. The service is also friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. For people who are serious about their food, though, the dinner's very, very mixed results make 23 less than recommendable. To be safe, try it at lunch before you risk dinner. But as with Jordan's Tar Heels themselves, maybe this is just an inconsistent year-the place just opened in December. Still, we bet a future "31" in Durham could have the best of this place any day.
23 is located at 200 W Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, at the corner with Rosemary Street. For reservations-which are recommended on weekends-(919) 960-9623.
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