Michael Dean’s Wood Oven & Bar

As of 2÷15÷11, Michael Dean’s is no longer open. They have closed and are replacing it with a twin of one of their other restaurants, Tribeca Tavern. Apparently the Tavern has done well in Cary, and I’m looking forward to trying it out.
There is hope though, the owner says there may be another Michael Dean’s location in the future.

I have eaten at Michael Dean’s many a times and it’s always good. My two favorite things, the crab dip (tied w/​artichoke dip) and the bread pudding dessert. I think I have eaten them as my meal more than once!
For entrees, the pistachio encrusted salmon is almost always on the menu and always delicious. I would also recommend the crab & shrimp stuffed flounder (can you tell I like seafood?)
I just learned they did a brunch and there were definitely a ton of choices ranging from eggs and bacon to shrimp and grits to a whole dessert bar.
Overall, if you like seafood, this is a great place to go in Raleigh. You’ll hear people talk about 42^nd street but trust me, it is so overrated compared to Michael Deans.

We ate lunch here last Wednesday with a friend, and it was our first time. This is a bright, clean place with a nice bar area. The booths are roomy and comfortable, there is no feeling of being crowded, We were greeted warmly, seated promptly, and our drinks orders were taken quickly. Good start.
We ordered the Calamari appetizer — it was fried well, but had little real taste, nor did the accompanying sauce — all in all, rather ordinary. I tried the Lobster/​Shrimp Bisque, and this was rich and well flavored. The shrimp part came from a single shrimp in the bisque.
Our entrees were Jambalya, Shrimp and Grits, and Seafood Pasta. We shared, so everyone tried each dish. The Jambalya was small, and seemed to contain little meat what soever. It was served with Charleston style grits, which did not compliment this dish the way the traditional rice does. There was some spice in the dish, but this was a rather pale version of this dish.
The Shrimp and Grits contained a healthy volume of tender shrimp in a tasso ham gravy, which was nice and spicy. The grits were the same as with the Jambalya, and it was not nearly as creamy and rich as you would expect for this dish.
The Seafood Pasta was by far the best of the entrees. It was loaded with smoked salmon (a nice touch), shrimp, and crab. The fettuccine was perfectly prepared and sauced. This was a very good dish, and there was plenty of it.
This was an ok meal in a restaurant that did not excite — it seems to lack character and individuality. Nothing really wrong, but nothing really great either. The prices are not obscene but they are a little high for lunch, especially for the Jambalya, considering how little was there. If we come back, we’ll probably go with the raw bar items.

Was not worth the price and the hype. The concept behind the food was good, but the execution was poor. I had Scallops with an apple and bacon risotto, and my companion had some sort of white fish, I cant remember which, and both were served to us cold and undercooked. If things had of been prepared right, it would be a different story, but as it stands I’m not rushing back.

I haven’t eaten at Michael Dean’s for many years, but I ate here because they were open on Father’s Day without a wait. We were seated at a table in the back room near the restroom, a fact I wasn’t too happy about especially since we passed an open booth. We asked for the booth, and they accommodated us. Our server was friendly. We ordered calamari to start. The lemon aioli was light and refreshing. The calamari tasted good; however, the plate was full of tentacles as opposed to strips, which we didn’t like. For my entrée, I ordered the Johnston County pork medallions. I was happy to see a lot of local food on the menu like wahoo from NC. However, I was disappointed with the pork, as it wasn’t tenderloin, which one would expect medallions to be, but chops. The chops were fairly tough, but they did taste good. The whipped sweet potatoes, fried apples and fried green tomatoes were well-​prepared and tasty. I recall my prior experience here as a good one with tasty food but I would say the food now was average. Also, we did have a manager and a chef? both come to our table to ask how everything was. The service here is good, but the food is mediocre.

We were greeted with a smile and seated promptly when we walked in the door, 15 minutes early for our reservation. As we walked toward the dining room, I noticed the health score on the wall «90» and I didn’t think much about it after that.
There’s an old saying I’ve heard a few times about going to a steakhouse for steak and a seafood place for seafood. In Michael Dean’s case that saying is correct.
One minus here is there isn’t a children’s menu — granted the place is geared toward adults, but for holidays such as mother’s day I would expect at least something temporary to be able to cater to some little ones because my daughter wasn’t the only pre-​tween in the house. I saw several toddlers and young children.
I started with little neck clams and calamari. The clams were terrific, the calamari was sticky and so-​so. For the main course I ordered the lump crab cakes with blue cheese potato cakes and seasonal veggies. The veggies were the best part of the meal. The crabcakes appeared to have very little actual «lumb» crab meat from what I could tell (I’ve had lump crab cakes on several occasions). The crab cakes were burnt on the outside, stringy and squishy — seemingly not cooked through on the inside. That’s not to say they weren’t tasty, however they weren’t what I expected from an «upscale» seafood place. The blue cheese potato cakes were way too strong for my taste, that was okay… lesson learned.
My bride ordered the filet mignon and all things considered, this is where the old saying comes in about not going to a seafood place for steak. She couldn’t eat all of it and she gave me what was left. It was tough — hard to cut with a sharp knife and very tasteless. After one bite I wasn’t interested in any more of it.
My inlaws each had the salmon — they had zero complaints, in fact, they appeared to clean their plates off.
Dessert was RICH! Oh my the death by chocolate got devoured by my inlaws, the chocolate truffle was extremely rich (for me) and my bride’s cheesecake was «Tasty» (according to her).
Overall, it was okay — if I were to do it again, I would probably change my menu selections.

Someone below mentioned 42^nd Street. I’ve had 42^nd Street. I’ve had Shuckers. I’ve had Fins. Nothing bad to say about any of those restaurants — I’ve enjoyed them all.
However, tonight, I ordered a peck of oysters at Michael Deans, and they brought me a true peck of oysters — 2 plates worth of oysters. I should have taken a picture, these oysters were fat and beautiful. My wife looked at them with astonishment, «Can you eat all that?»
Yes dear. I am a one man oyster wrecking machine. They did not stand a chance. These were the best oysters I’ve had in a long long time. I do not know if this was typical because oysters are seasonal. All I know is this. If I can go there on Wednesday and get oysters like that for 9.99 and Mash house beer for 2.00 a pint. I’m going to be a customer for a long long time.
I found a pearl in one of my oysters. I think I’ll polish it and wear it around my neck as a reminder of how good these oysters were. Seriously, I found a freakin’ pearl on one of those monster oysters.
Complaints: They salted the top of the rosemary bread. It seemed a bit much salt. The dipping sauce for the bread wasn’t all they made it out to be. I woud have preferred butter or olive oil.
Raves: The oysters. Mash house beer.

I came here for Easter Brunch and it was bananas! BUT, that’s to be expected. For not making reservations, my wait wasn’t that bad. I waited for about 45 minutes, which if you looked at the amount of people waiting, made it seem like a «short» wait.
They serve an awesome brunch buffet here every Sunday and their Sunday brunch costs $ 14.99. But for Easter Brunch, it was $ 20. Since Easter Brunch was my first time here, I’m not sure what the normal brunch scene looks like on Sunday, but for $ 20, it was totally worth it for the all-​you-​can-​eat oysters and clams alone. But I’m not sure if it’s something they do every Sunday. What I do know is that on Sundays, you can get $ 3 bloody marys and $ 3 mimosas. If you don’t want to do the Sunday brunch, you can still get .50 oysters and $ 2 mash house pints. They also have other awesome specials throughout the week like BOGO (buy one get one free) at the raw bar. Just check their website to see what they have going on throughout the week.
I definitely recommend reservations if you’re coming here. What’s awesome is that you can make a reservation on-​line or over the phone. This restaurant is someone business-​casual, so I wouldn’t really come here with my flip flops and cut-​offs. Service was pretty good and they also offer outdoor seating as well.

Finally made it to Michael Dean’s for their Sunday beer & oyster special. 50 cent oysters and $ 2 Mash House pints, Awesome!
We dined at the bar with another couple and between all of us probably ate enough for 8.
Our menu consisted of the pistachio encrusted salmon, crab dip, lobster, shrimp and cognac bisque, raw, steamed and fried oysters, asian chicken wings and caeser salad. The wings came in an asian peanut sauce which was so good I had to ask for more and the caeser salad was one of the best i’ve had. Our friends said the salmon was slightly over cooked but the crust was amazing and they loved the fried oysters.
The Mash House pints were a real surprise. Not sure what I was expecting but I was definitely not expecting to like them that much. Between all of us I’m pretty sure we tried them all. IPA, Blonde, Hefe & Red. I was partial to the IPA while my fiancé preferred the Red.
It was nice sitting at the bar and our bartender Chrissy was great.
Michael Dean’s has nightly specials that are well worth checking out. Our next visit will be a Wednesday for «pecks and pint» night. $ 9.99 for a peck of oysters and $ 2 Mash House Pints.
Although it’s a half hour drive to get to from where we live in Durham, It was well worth it and I know we will be back soon.

Thank you, Michael Deans, for introducing me to oysters. We tried the fried, steamed, and raw oysters. I’ll admit that the fried oysters were my favorite but the steamed and raw oysters were also quite good. We also had the lobster bisque, crab encrusted salmon, and crab dip (somehow this was all consumed by two people). My only minor complaint was that the salmon was a little overcooked on the outer edge but the inside was just fine.
We visited on a recent Sunday night when they were offering 50 cent House oysters, $ 2 Mash House pints, and NFL playoff games on the screens. It was a winning combination. We ate our meal at the bar and the bartender (Chrissy) was very friendly (in a sincere way). If I went back, I would definitely eat and drink at the bar because I like the casual atmosphere. Watch the Michael Dean’s website for specials and events.

Michael Deans has a great Sunday Brunch. The best in Raleigh. A little bit of everything that is on their regular menu is there for brunch. Food is prepared perfectly.

Been here several times for different occasions including casual drinks at the bar, date night, and Sunday brunch. It’s always been good, but I continue to be surprised by how good.
Sunday brunch is best I’ve had in town. Tons of options on the buffet and everything is great.

Srvice was good, friendly, and the waitress knew the menu and suggested wine selections etc.
Fish selection was fantastic and flavor wonderful. Portions were very good, actually too much for us.
Inside looks like a typical chain restaurant and could use some character.
I would go here again for good seafood in Raliegh.

I came for a post-​wedding brunch on Sunday morning. I’m not sure how much it cost, but I guarantee this brunch is worth every penny.
My favorite part? The orange juice is fresh-​squeezed!
Aside from that, though, there was an omelet station with about 50 filling options made to order — this included crab meat, salmon, and shrimp. The eggs benedict were delicious and buttery. Fresh waffles included a toppings bar with a large selection of yummy treats — the most indulgent of which was home-​made marshmallow that you could have bruleed by the wafflemaker.
I stuck with breakfast, but there was a whole other menu of dinner options including fried chicken, rice, mac and cheese, etc., a salad and fruit bar, and a HUGE dessert bar.
I would drive back to Raleigh from northern Virginia JUST for this Sunday morning brunch.

I recommend this with reservations. Choose wisely when you order and you won’t be disappointed. In fact, here is my advice: stick to this mantra «keep it simple».
For an appetizer I had the fried oysters, which were 6 or 7 yummy morsels of heaven. For a main dish I had grilled swordfish. The swordfish was the best I have had in years. However, my dining companion had the bisque and stuffed flounder and they verged on inedible. This from a man who will eat almost anything as long as there is no celery involved. I tasted both and had to agree with him. The flounder had some meat stuffing which I didn’t taste since I don’t eat meat but which my friend, a dyed in the wool carnivore, left untouched. The flounder itself was — crispy. We did split a rather yummy smores something or another for dessert that was very good. I would recommend 2 or 3 spoons for that since you will want to share.
Is it the best seafood restaurant in the Triangle? No – not even close. Fins has nailed that honor but then its prices touch the stratosphere and Dean’s is a little more reasonable.

I’ve never been unhappy with a meal here — and I was eating there 3 or 4 times a month till they stopped serving week-​day lunch :(

Call me a dyed-​in-​the-​wool cynic, but I always cock an eyebrow when someone speaks to me about the «best seafood» anywhere inland. We were enticed out to Raleigh and in to sea food by a BOGO coupon. I told the boy not to worry about a reservation — how busy could they be on a Sunday night, especially with all the discouraging rain? We arrived at 6pm and the hostess announced that they were «pretty full» and she couldn’t start seating until 7:30. We declined being put on the list as not only was that an outrageous wait, but we had a movie to get to at 7:35. So we stepped through the door to the left and into the bar. The restaurant is essentially divided in half, with one-​part formal dining and one-​part bar area. In this room, there’s a tiny raw bar (seating maybe 4 tables), the main bar in the middle of the room with wrap-​around seating, and a few tables banking either wall. We landed one of the tables and were pleased to see they had wait service. The bar area is smoke-​friendly, but they must have a good ventilation system because it didn’t bother me once and I’m usually hyper-​sensitive to that sort of thing.
Not sure if everyone was out because of the coupon, because of the Sunday special (½-​price everything on the raw bar menu), or because of the quality of food, but this place got packed fast. More of the folks who didn’t want to wait till 7:30 to eat came in to the bar area and it was full within 30 minutes. We started off with steamed mussels — an adequate portion, but we’ve been served more at other restaurants. The broth (buttery, garlicky) was not my favorite, but my boyfriend really liked it. The bread was pretty awesome though (doughy, mmm), and it came with a ramekin of tomato remoulade which was delicious and a touch different. For the entrée, he ordered the pan-​seared mahi which was served with a cajun seasoning and a wedge of polenta. I could almost see a complete face-​fall when it arrived and he saw how small it was. Luckily, I got a pasta dish (salmon, shrimp, and supposedly crab meat somewhere, in a caper dill sauce with fettuccine). It was huge and I couldn’t finish it, so he gladly helped. I wasn’t crazy about what I got, but that’s what I get for ordering pasta at a seafood restaurant. We both ordered off the «seafood specialties» menu, and I think next time I might try the «fresh fish» list instead — here they wood-​fire grill your selection and you pair it up with one of three sauces and one of a handful of sides. In sum, I say the food is so-​so, the atmosphere is pretty winning, and if you come on certain nights of the week you’re going to land an awesome special. Sunday’s ½-​price raw bar is a great deal; so is Tuesday’s buy-​one-​get-​one appetizer. They also do live music some evenings.

Michael Deans has a nice dining room and a completely separate bar (which is good b/​c it’s smoky in there). Their pizza is good (see «wood oven») and their raw oysters are pretty good too. They have a sampler platter which is neat to taste the differences in the oysters. But if you want some good, big ol’ fat oysters — go to 42^nd Street.
Something Micheal Dean’s has going for it is that you can go out in North Raleigh and feel like you’re going to a mix between a cool neighborhood bar and a bar on Glenwood South. It feels a little hip, but cozy.
Down side: don’t get the «pick up» food. The presentation of the to go food was terrible! The steak was cooked way too long. The crème brule was dumped into a styrofoam container. Yuck!

Good food, great desert menu. Never should have moved from the old spot. Would give it a 5-​star but it’s not located in a shopping center parking lot. Atmosphere went from a 5 to a 2 with the move. However, still a great place for unique seafood, wood fired pizzas, or martinis.