I am relocating to the Charlotte area soon for work and I was given a wonderful opportunity by my future boss to come out and visit the area, as well as work in what will be my new office/warehouse for a few days! During that trip, he also took us out to eat at Killingtons in Huntersville. I was especially excited to try their food as Chris (my fiance) had read several positive reviews (we always look for the best local restaurants/bakeries/etc. whenever we go out of town). I thought it was appropriate to begin my foray into both food blogging as well as my new work experience by writing about this place.
The restaurant itself is very aesthetically appealing (I don't have any photos of the exterior as it was raining that night, and once inside I was more focused on the food itself) and VERY busy, especially for a Thursday night! The interior had a lot of bold colors and dark wood, along with some beautiful artwork on the wall. We sat in the bar area which, for a bar, wasn't as loud as one would expect. We did have to wait on our server for awhile to get our drinks, but we were waiting on someone, so it wasn't too big of a deal. The last member of our party arrived just as the server was taking our drink order, and it only took about five minutes to get them, which honestly wasn't too bad, considering that both the restaurant and the bar were packed. Adam (my boss-to-be) suggested we order the Loaded Chips as an appetizer - homemade chips topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and banana peppers served with ranch. I didn't take any photos of these as they were gone within about 5 minutes of arriving! They were obviously fresh, which was nice, and the combination of the banana peppers with all the other toppings AND the ranch dressing was delicious and not too spicy. The chips themselves were also cooked perfectly and weren't greasy at all. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could see these being the perfect munchie food when you're craving something salty and cheesy (which I always am).
I ordered the smoked duck wrap as my entree, because, just so you know, I will ALWAYS order duck if it's on the menu! The wrap included jicama slaw, fried onions, pickles and a molasses dijon BBQ sauce, and I ordered the baked gouda macaroni and cheese as a side (see first photo). I have to say that the mac 'n cheese there is a MUST-ORDER if you like macaroni and cheese at all. It was hands-down the best I've ever had, and I make a mean mac and cheese (so does Chris)! It was almost like a soufflé, light and fluffy, and the sauce was absolutely divine. It was creamy and gooey and seasoned just right. My mouth is literally watering as I'm remembering it! The duck wrap was also good, if not slightly disappointing. The pickles and the slaw overpowered the duck, and the sauce had a little too much mustard for my liking. That being said, the duck itself was cooked perfectly. I would definitely order the mac and cheese again, but perhaps with a different main course.
Chris ordered the "Steak in the Grass," which was an open-faced sandwich on garlic French bread with a six ounce beef tenderloin topped with sauteed spinach and provolone cheese, with their caramelized shallot risotto as a side (see second photo). This was an unusual combination for a sandwich but it turned out beautifully! The bread was nice and crunchy, and was a great contrast to the steak, which was cooked to a perfect medium-rare (as requested). However, the star of this dish was also the side of risotto - it was amazing! I know it doesn't look so appetizing in the picture but it was truly delicious - creamy, not too overwhelmingly onion-flavored, and the rice itself was perfectly al dente.
Neither of our dishes (nor the appetizer) seemed like they had sat under the heat lamps for long at all - everything was nice and hot and cooked perfectly! We had a wonderful experience with great food, atmosphere and company; once I get settled I will definitely be going back to try some more of their apps and sandwiches! Thank you to everyone at Killingtons for an awesome night!
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