The Luxury Box | PLANETBARFLY.COM

I was very excited when The Luxury Box opened its doors. Although it had a tough act to follow with Ben's Place, we were very optimistic that the new venue would be just what the Cornerstone/Long Lake communities needed. The first week or so the meals were fantastic. The lunch ham and cheese pannini on ciabatta with homemade honeymustard was so delicious. The option of a side salad with no upcharge was a huge plus for my budget and waistline. The others at my table were equally impressed - especially with the seemingly handbreaded fried mozzarella wedges. Everything seemed fresh and homemade.

We went back the next week and I ordered the fish tacos for dinner. Again, no upcharge for the salad. The tacos were accompanied by spicy and sweet pineapple slaw. It felt as though upscale bar food had made its way to NW Raleigh. There was no doubt this is the place to bring our friends for evenings out close to home.

Our enthusiasm soon waned... The fabulous ham panini is now served on uninspired sourdough instead of ciabatta. The craved-for fish tacos are now fast-food fare with lettuce and shredded chesse instead of the delightful pineapple slaw. A neighboring plate of crab dip came out smelling very funky, prompting a few guys to make crude jokes regaring the odor.

There aren't enough drink specials and the place seems a bit unclean. It may be beacause of the sealed cement floors or the less than warm, inviting feeling of the place. The lack of patrons on Friday and Saturday night doesn't make it the place to meet new people. I wish them well, but they need to step it up or they won't be in business long.