3 restaurants in the Triangle make Forbes list of the very best in the world

Three Triangle restaurants were named Forbes Travel Guide Star Award Winners in a recent report, highlighting the very best restaurants in the world.

One was ranked a five-star restaurant, earning that accolade from Forbes alongside only 77 other restaurants across the globe in 2024.

The Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Star Awards reflect the best hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises, taking into consideration “destinations offering meaningful experiences, as well as smaller U.S. cities that are often overlooked.”

Six restaurants in North Carolina made the list, with restaurants in Charlotte, Asheville and Highlands.

This is FTG’s 66th annual list of Star Awards winners. To read the full list of 2024 winners, visit forbestravelguide.com/award-winners. You can filter the list to specific areas across the world.

Here are the three restaurants in the Raleigh area that received high praise.

Cary’s Herons named a 5-star restaurant

Forbes declared Herons — a nature, art and wellness-inspired restaurant within Cary’s luxury Umstead Hotel and Spa — a five-star spot.

“A passion for locally grown fruits and vegetables and farm-fresh meats and seafood is evident in the often-flawless fare. Fresh flavors, surprising combinations, and eye-catching presentations are the hallmarks of the dining experience here,” FTG wrote.

Herons is one of only 78 five-star restaurants in the world on Forbes’ 2024 Star Awards list.

Here are FTG’s Inspector’s Highlights from the restaurant:

• The intimate 98-seat dining room features a full-view kitchen, original artwork and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the wooded grounds.

• You can choose a three- or four-course meal, or opt for the chef’s signature eight-course kaiseki dinner. Each course showcases Herons’ style of food in an intricate and artful form and creatively puts a regional spin on American cuisine.

• There is generally a pleasant background murmur of voices from fellow diners, hotel guests and bar patrons. It allows for conversation without feeling stuffy. Plus, there’s piano music and live jazz on Friday and Saturday evenings.

• The dining room is elegant and hushed with an open, soundproof kitchen that often mesmerizes guests as they watch Heron’s culinary masters in action.

• A stellar wine list features more than 1,600 wines. Craft beer and signature cocktails are also available.

In 2019, The News & Observer named Herons the top restaurant in the area for the second time.

“[Executive chef Steven Devereaux] Greene, a James Beard Award semifinalist, returned to Herons as executive chef in 2014 and has never failed to deliver a memorable meal when I’ve eaten there,” wrote The N&O’s then-restaurant critic Greg Cox.

“But the last one was an experience that rose to the level of transcendent. I indulged in an eight-course tasting menu called The Art Tour, with each course inspired by a work of art on the premises of the Umstead Hotel.”

To contact Herons:

To learn more about Forbes’ five-star review of Herons, visit forbestravelguide.com.

Pittsboro’s Fearrington House Restaurant named 4-star restaurant

Forbes declared The Fearrington House Restaurant — described as a charming dining room just a few miles south of Chapel Hill in Pittsboro — a four-star eatery.

“Dinner lives up to the lovely surroundings. The upscale menu is American, with techniques borrowed from France and robust flavors taken from the surrounding region. The thoughtful, seasonal menu is complemented by a deep international wine list that features close to 500 selections with a focus on California varietals,” FTG wrote.

Here are FTG’s Inspector’s Highlights from the restaurant:

• Removed from the city and sitting adjacent to grassy meadows, the restaurant and luxury inn exude peace and quiet. You’ll hear crickets and the trickling fountains when walking to the restaurant’s doorway at dusk.

• The gardens surrounding the old 1927 farmhouse are worthy of a pre-dinner stroll. Take a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs under the ancient oak trees to watch the Belted Galloway cows make their evening migration from one meadow to the other.

• Ingredients often hail from nearby farms, including eggs from Lu’s Farm, cheeses from Looking Glass Creamery and micro greens from Duckwood Farms — reminding you of the rural setting of this fine-dining locale. Some ingredients, like the honey, come straight from the Fearrington property itself.

Head chef Paul Gagne told The N&O in 2022 he was drawn to Fearrington because he found the kitchen to be a rare blend of artistry and cutting-edge techniques, then seeing fine dining in a whole new way.

“Building the plate, sure that’s artistry. But I always saw the cooking side as science,” he said.

To contact The Fearrington House Restaurant:

To learn more about Forbes’ four-star review of The Fearrington House, visit forbestravelguide.com.

Durham’s Fairview Dining Room among best restaurants in the world

Fairview Dining Room is located in the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, a premier hotel in Durham that Forbes says intertwines tradition with a high-end class.

“Executive chef Troy Stauffer’s menu is one that’s filled with New American cuisine done with subtle preparatory winks to the old South. Parties of all shapes will enjoy the seasonal dishes — and while a few of them will tap their feet to the nightly piano tunes, all will certainly leave with a smile,” FTG wrote.

Here are FTG’s Inspector’s Highlights from the restaurant:

• Fairview has a more refined feel. Servers’ uniforms are clean, conversations are muted and window adornments are classic. But it’s not to be taken too seriously.

• Many tables look directly onto the Duke University Golf Course.

• At breakfast and lunch, the energy is quite bright. A lot of this is because the floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the greens.

• At dinnertime, the mood is still easy, many thanks to the nightly piano tunes.

To contact Fairview Dining Room:

To learn more about Forbes’ review of Fairview, visit forbestravelguide.com.

This story was originally published February 14, 2024, 1:57 PM.