Dining at T1 Tapas is like having dinner with your iPhone. The new high tech restaurant located in Birkdale Village (www.T1tapas.com) is a unique concept.

Here’s how it works: This small restaurant has four booths with touch-screen video monitors imbedded in the tables and display monitors on the walls. (If you’re not interested in the high-tech booths, the main dining area has table seating, a bar and a planetarium effect on the ceiling that features specials.)

The screens in the table allow you to order food as well as set the mood for your dinning experience. Here’s the cool part: Diners can use the touch screens to watch a limited number of television stations, the latest movie trailers or a pre-programmed photo slideshow on the wall monitor.

If you don’t like those options, you can further customize the experience by connecting your mp3 player, laptop or camera to play in the wall monitor.  My date and I plugged in my iPod.

There is a glass divider at the top of each booth to block sounds, but we could still hear Sting and whatever movie trailers the couple were playing in the adjoining booth. We were disappointed that the booths weren’t more intimate.

The other disappointment was the food.

We navigated the interactive menu easily (we’re used to using our iPhones) and started out with a seafood chowder that came to us cold. We had to ask the waitress to reheat it. She apologized, saying something had been unplugged.

The experience didn’t get better.

We ordered the pan-seared scallops, Scotch bonnet red snapper, patatas bravas (Spanish potato dish), and flat bread  medley with forest mushroom-asiago and mozerella tomato basil. Although we enjoyed the scallops and the snapper, we couldn’t figure out why all of our sides were cold.

When I asked the waitress about our sides,  she said it was supposed to be that way. Huh? Who wants to eat cold couscous?

For dessert we ordered the bananas foster. We teased the waitress before ordering, asking if the banana foster would be hot.  She laughed and said yes. The bananas foster had great flavor, but I didn’t like that it was paired with peanut butter gelato.

Overall,  T1 Tapas is a great concept. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. But the food was mediocre, and $54 later we were still hungry.

Rating (based on five stars)
Service - 5 stars
Food - 3 stars
Price - 2 stars

IF YOU WANT TO GO:
Address: 8625 Lindholm Dr, Huntersville

Phone:  (704) 895-4373

Website: www.t1tapas.com

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