Being foodies, my friend and I put 1705 on our local ""to do"" list. We had a drink in the nearly empty bar (6:30 on a Friday night-3 other folks besides us). Bartenders were nice and jovial. We headed to our table where we had an awesome waiter, William. He was very knowledgeable with particulars to all (our many) questions. He was very attentive during the evening w/out being invasive. We started out with the Tempura Battered Lobster Fingers. The inside was ""doughy"" and NOT what is expected with tempura (crispy). There was a slight peep of lobster inside we and expected a bit more for $17 for an appetizer! My friend had Lobster Bisque which was disappointing and although the menu said ""Warm,"" the heat was left in the kitchen. We did share the Bibb Salad (delish) and they were kind enough to split it in the kitchen for us on 2 plates. We also shared the Heirloom Tomato app and that was awesome. We shared the Porterhouse for 2, and it was cooked to perfection, but I've had beef just as good (and better) locally as well. The side of Lyonnaise North Carolina Sweet Potatoes is a MUST have if you go. Our other side was the Mushrooms, which were ""average."" The Peaches 5 Ways dessert was fabulous as was the chocolate cake w/ cherry sauce. The place was sparse in terms of customers on a Friday night. We stayed until 11 chatting and the place was reset for the next day, so we saw what folks came and went. We probably won't eat here again because the price ($100 each including tip and excluding bar drink) was a bit much for the night, taking all things into account. The service was Five Stars... food and prices (and we're used to pricey meals-those worthy of such) Three Stars. Seeing all the empty chairs on a Friday night made us wonder if 1705 has long legs, or will be soon a ""used to be"" place. If they can do SOMETHING to trim the $$$$ a tad, they might hang on, if not, I'm afraid they won't be able to keep the doors open with a 1/4 filled restaurant with LOTS of staff!
Pros: William the Waiter-Sweet Potato Side Dish-Steak cooking perfectly-dessert
Cons: $$-tempura batter-heat of soup
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