Okay. While I may review some of these at some point for those of you who just want to know where to dine in the city I am going to make a list and sort it by neighborhood. Of course I will continue to add to the list and please don't hesitate to let me know if you think of something I should add. Just note that unless I have been there I won't add it since it's my list.
East Atlanta Village
Grant Central Pizza
The Glenwood
Graveyard
Soba - Vietnamese
Holy Taco
Spoon
Glenwood Park/Grant Park/Cabbagetown
Vickery's
Agave
Six Feet Under
Inman Park
Il Localina - Off my list. Please read my post on it. :)
Parish
Across the Street
Little Five Points
The Vortex
Little 5 Pizza
Corner Tavern
Fox Brother's BBQ
Candler Park
Gato Bizco - breakfast & lunch only
Fellini's Pizza
Decatur
Watershed
Taqueria del Sol
The Brick Store Pub
Virginia-Highland
Murphy's
LaTavola
Mali
Fontaine's
Alon's Bakery
Midtown
Publik
Trois
Marlow's
South City Kitchen
Eats
Baronda
Einstein's - not the bagel place.
Lobby at Twelve
Vickery's
MuLan
Nan
Tamarind
Rosa Mexicano
Pasta da Pulcinella
Lupe's
Midtown West
The Real Chow Baby
Figo
Taqueria del Sol
Six Feet Under
Spoon
Nuevo Laredo
Flip
Buckhead
Atlanta Fish Market
Fado
Houston's
Nava
Pano & Paul's
Blue Ridge Grill
Bluepointe
Buckhead Diner
Downtown
Legal's Seafood
Ruth's Chris
Chesire Bridge
Las Margarita's
Alfredo's
Roxx
Ansley Park
One Midtown Kitchen
Other Notables not by Neighborhood
Rathbun's
Two Urban Licks
OK Cafe
Canoe
Monday, April 26, 2010
Mulate's - French Quarter
Ugh! Yet another waste of time that resulted in leaving to go eat elsewhere. We had been here once before. I cannot recall what I had so it wasn't memorable in a good or bad way. This last visit will ensure that we don't return.
The atmosphere is fine and so is the service - no complaints there.
We ordered dinner. Jim asked for the rib-eye and wanted to have the Crab Au Gratin. It came out in a timely manner and once again i only took one bite. Here's the thing. If you are charging 24.99 for each of these dishes it should be good. Jim's steak was tough and marbled to the point it was difficult to cut and chew. More importantly, it wasn't even a ribeye steak, it was a NY strip. One server insisted that it was a rib-eye and didn't want to take it back to the kitchen. When our server made it back to our table she commented instantly that it was a strip. My Au Gratin looked and tasted as if it had been over-cooked and then left to sit out for 20 minutes. You know how cheese gets tough and chewy when it is over-baked? That's what I am talking about! I simply won't pay $50 for a mediocre dinner for two.
Sometimes I wonder if I am just spolied by Atlanta restaurants. I can name a lsit as long as my arm (probably longer given enough time) of restaurants here where you can get a really great entree for $25. But then...I find a little gem like Roberto's and I feel a glimmer of hope.
Lazizza - New Orleans
Oh my! Where to begin with this one? Horrible isn't sufficient enough to describe this train wreck that calls itself a restaurant. We actually wanted to go to Alberto's right around the corner but being as the Jazz Fest was going on many of the restaurants were closed. So we saw this place and decided to give it a shot. I hadn't eaten all day, it two o'clock and I was really hungry.
So we walk into a large dark space and there were several tables and chairs at the front, a couple of booths in back, some sort of lounge area off to the side and a bar. Only one table was occupied. Normally this would have tipped me off not eat there but since everyone was at the Jazz Fest I was hoping that accounted for the lack of patrons.
The bartender came out from behind the bar, gave us sticky menus and took our drink order. When he brought our drinks back we ordered the Hawaiian pizza. It was described as having pineapple, peperoni, tomatoes, and cream cheese on it. It wasn't exactly like any Hawaiian pizza I've had before but I could never have dreamt up what got delivered to the table.
Now the bartender whom also seems to be the server, the cook, and the busboy goes back to the kitchen. He spent half an hour, in which no one was taking care of anything in the dining room, banging around and going in and out of the refrigerator. In the interim prospective customers came and went when there was no one there to serve them. Feature that.
At last the train came off the rails. The bartender/server/cook/busboy brings out a pizza. (Not sure one could really call it that but we're going go with it.) It was some sort of lousy pre-made crust that had been topped with marinara and pepperoni and then baked. Now, after it had been baked this culinary moron took cream cheese and squeezed it out onto the pie in a spiral motion. He then followed up by putting cold diced tomatoes (not Roma or Cherry, just plain old tomatoes) and pineapple bits on top of that. I cannot figure out for the life of me what the heck he did to the pineapple. Upon tasting it, it was cold and clearly had not been baked in the oven yet it was an odd brown color. Nothing about this looked appetizing whatsoever. I managed the first bite and I think Jim got two bites in. This is hands-down the WORST pizza I have ever tasted!!!
As soon as the bartender/server/cook/busboy delivered the train wreck he proceeded to go outside for another 15 minutes where he was setting up tables and chairs. When he finally came back he did not ask us if we needed anything (after 45 minutes of waiting to get a glass refilled) and he did not ask how our meal was. I did let him know what I thought of it in a very diplomatic manner as constructive criticism. I don't think he really cared but when he came back with the check he was nice enough to let us know that he removed the pizza from the bill. We left and the place was empty.
So we walk into a large dark space and there were several tables and chairs at the front, a couple of booths in back, some sort of lounge area off to the side and a bar. Only one table was occupied. Normally this would have tipped me off not eat there but since everyone was at the Jazz Fest I was hoping that accounted for the lack of patrons.
The bartender came out from behind the bar, gave us sticky menus and took our drink order. When he brought our drinks back we ordered the Hawaiian pizza. It was described as having pineapple, peperoni, tomatoes, and cream cheese on it. It wasn't exactly like any Hawaiian pizza I've had before but I could never have dreamt up what got delivered to the table.
Now the bartender whom also seems to be the server, the cook, and the busboy goes back to the kitchen. He spent half an hour, in which no one was taking care of anything in the dining room, banging around and going in and out of the refrigerator. In the interim prospective customers came and went when there was no one there to serve them. Feature that.
At last the train came off the rails. The bartender/server/cook/busboy brings out a pizza. (Not sure one could really call it that but we're going go with it.) It was some sort of lousy pre-made crust that had been topped with marinara and pepperoni and then baked. Now, after it had been baked this culinary moron took cream cheese and squeezed it out onto the pie in a spiral motion. He then followed up by putting cold diced tomatoes (not Roma or Cherry, just plain old tomatoes) and pineapple bits on top of that. I cannot figure out for the life of me what the heck he did to the pineapple. Upon tasting it, it was cold and clearly had not been baked in the oven yet it was an odd brown color. Nothing about this looked appetizing whatsoever. I managed the first bite and I think Jim got two bites in. This is hands-down the WORST pizza I have ever tasted!!!
As soon as the bartender/server/cook/busboy delivered the train wreck he proceeded to go outside for another 15 minutes where he was setting up tables and chairs. When he finally came back he did not ask us if we needed anything (after 45 minutes of waiting to get a glass refilled) and he did not ask how our meal was. I did let him know what I thought of it in a very diplomatic manner as constructive criticism. I don't think he really cared but when he came back with the check he was nice enough to let us know that he removed the pizza from the bill. We left and the place was empty.
Roberto's - Sunshine, LA (near Baton Rouge)
Jim and I just got back from a trip to New Orleans and Baton Rouge where we had some really great food and some of the most terrible food I've had. I am going to start with the postive. Roberto's was great! The outside looks like a dilapidated farmhouse and the interior is only slightly better. Even so the restaurant manages to have a rustic charm to it and doesn't take way from the dining experience. If you want to go here, look the place up on their website first. It is deffinitely off the beaten path. (http://www.robertosrestaurant.net/) We ordered several different things and they were all really delicious. Jim had catfish, lightly fried and topped with a cream sauce swimming in mushrooms and shrimp. As if that were not enough on the plate alone (since the portion was generous) it was accompanied by a side salad, a slice of Italian bread, fried okra and mashed potatoes. Now, here in GA when we fry okra we bread it and deep-fry in oil. Roberto's fried okra was rather different. It was not breaded and seemed as if it were sauteed in white wine. Still, it was very good. The salad wasn't anything to write home about but it wasn't bad either.
I had the soup of the day which was a wonderful crawfish and corn chowder. Honestly, I have never had a chowder with so much meat in it. There was actually more crawfish than there was corn! I ate this with Jim's salad since green things scare him.
Last but not least one of Jim's favorite desserts is bread pudding. It was highly recommended so we got some to go. It was a perfect bread pudding. The bread was just the right amount moist and packed with all of the right flavors. As equally important the sauce atop it did not disappoint. It was a heavy-handed rum sauce rich in butter and very palatable.
So we had an entree, a salad, a soup, and a dessert and Roberto's went four for four. Everything was so spot-on. We highly recommend eating here if you are anywhere in the Baton Rouge vicinity.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Trailer Park - NYC
Okay...well this place is just special. Where shall I begin? As tacky as it is on the outside you really cannot quite be prepared for the abundance of cheesiness that is inside. There is an old mobile trailer camped indoors with a mannequin's head peering out the window. (That's actually kind of creepy looking to me.) The entire joint is jam-packed with retro memorabilia, signs, furniture, etc. Above the bar is another mannequin that is in the late stages of pregnancy. She is sitting in a 50's era blow-dry chair with curlers in her hair and a beer in her hand and a cigarette in her mouth. So this is just tapping into the atmosphere...onto the food.
Four of us went to Trailer Park for lunch. Now certainly the expectations were not very high given the name and I was not at all surprised to see Chili Mac and Sloppy Joe's on the menu which were in fact the two dishes that my husband and I ordered. They came out in plastic red baskets with plastic ware. (My Chili Mac was in a Styrofoam bowl and then nestled into the basket.) I probably got about two bites into my dish before I pushed it away. I don't know how one could really screw up Chili Mac. I mean its macaroni mixed in with chili and cheese on top, right? I don't think I know anyone that cannot conjure up a quasi-decent pot of chili if they put their mind to it. This chili would have been better if it had come from a can. To describe the taste I can only say that it was like what I imagine sweaty gym socks might taste like. Of the four of us, not one of us managed to come close to finishing the food and we each had different dishes.
So, here's what I think. If you like a kitschy atmosphere wait until the evening to go here and make sure that you've had dinner elsewhere. Get some drinks at the bar, listen to some pretty good tunes, and marvel at the amount of cheese that is packed into one place. You'll likely have a good time. Just don't eat there. By the way for four very bad lunches and a few cocktails the tab came to over $100!!! But hey, it is New York. :)
Four of us went to Trailer Park for lunch. Now certainly the expectations were not very high given the name and I was not at all surprised to see Chili Mac and Sloppy Joe's on the menu which were in fact the two dishes that my husband and I ordered. They came out in plastic red baskets with plastic ware. (My Chili Mac was in a Styrofoam bowl and then nestled into the basket.) I probably got about two bites into my dish before I pushed it away. I don't know how one could really screw up Chili Mac. I mean its macaroni mixed in with chili and cheese on top, right? I don't think I know anyone that cannot conjure up a quasi-decent pot of chili if they put their mind to it. This chili would have been better if it had come from a can. To describe the taste I can only say that it was like what I imagine sweaty gym socks might taste like. Of the four of us, not one of us managed to come close to finishing the food and we each had different dishes.
So, here's what I think. If you like a kitschy atmosphere wait until the evening to go here and make sure that you've had dinner elsewhere. Get some drinks at the bar, listen to some pretty good tunes, and marvel at the amount of cheese that is packed into one place. You'll likely have a good time. Just don't eat there. By the way for four very bad lunches and a few cocktails the tab came to over $100!!! But hey, it is New York. :)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Il Localino - Inman Park
I recently celebrated my birthday with some friends by dining at Il Localina. It was my second visit to this restaurant and very likely my last. We had a party of nine on a Thursday night and I think it is important to point out that for the entire time that we dined, there were only four other diners in the restaurant. We ordered apps, cocktails, bottles of wine...then it was time to order entrees.
My dear friend Olga loves shellfish and wanted to order the mussels. It was only offered as an appetizer, not an entree. Well, Il Localina has a special stipulation printed on the bottom of their menu (which one would never notice without it being pointed out) that states each diner must order an entree. After some discussion Olga finally was able to persuade the server to allow her to have the mussels as her entree but the server was clearly not happy about it.
We went on to have our entrees served. I actually was quite pleased with mine however another friend ordered the chicken piccata without as much luck. What was brought to him was three of the tiniest chicken tenders that I have ever seen served in a restaurant. It was actually such a minuscule dish that I have gave him half of my dish.
In the meantime my 19 year-old daughter was sat next to me and had requested a refill to her Sprite three separate times to two different servers. On the third request the server informed us that they are charging us for each refill. Oddly, my friend Bob had several Diet Coke refills with no such disclosure.
So here is my point. Although most of us enjoyed our dinner, there were problems with food, service, and pricing. I would not say it was an over-all bad experience but...when you only have four diners in your restaurant in a two-hour period and I bring in nine people that collectively spent over $50 each I think it is in fairly bad form to charge per fountain soda and insist on each person ordering an entree. I really didn't feel treated very well on what was a very special day.
My dear friend Olga loves shellfish and wanted to order the mussels. It was only offered as an appetizer, not an entree. Well, Il Localina has a special stipulation printed on the bottom of their menu (which one would never notice without it being pointed out) that states each diner must order an entree. After some discussion Olga finally was able to persuade the server to allow her to have the mussels as her entree but the server was clearly not happy about it.
We went on to have our entrees served. I actually was quite pleased with mine however another friend ordered the chicken piccata without as much luck. What was brought to him was three of the tiniest chicken tenders that I have ever seen served in a restaurant. It was actually such a minuscule dish that I have gave him half of my dish.
In the meantime my 19 year-old daughter was sat next to me and had requested a refill to her Sprite three separate times to two different servers. On the third request the server informed us that they are charging us for each refill. Oddly, my friend Bob had several Diet Coke refills with no such disclosure.
So here is my point. Although most of us enjoyed our dinner, there were problems with food, service, and pricing. I would not say it was an over-all bad experience but...when you only have four diners in your restaurant in a two-hour period and I bring in nine people that collectively spent over $50 each I think it is in fairly bad form to charge per fountain soda and insist on each person ordering an entree. I really didn't feel treated very well on what was a very special day.
Sushi Nabe in Chattanooga, TN
While I am still thinking about sushi I want to write about the absolute best place that I have ever had sushi; Sushi Nabe in Chattanooga. It is located in the Coolidge Park area of downtown and nestled on the north shore of the river. It may be a bit tricky to spot the first time but is well worth the effort.
My husband was working up in Chattanooga and I was visiting him when we decided to try Sushi Nabe out. We sat in the back at the sushi counter. On the way back you will see a shelving unit housed with hundreds of personal chopsticks in boxes. Apparently the locals love this place so much they keep their very own chopsticks stored there. The owner's name is Yasushi and he was right there making fresh sushi and wasabi while all the while entertaining us with stories.
The sushi was phenomenal! It was so fresh and absolutely delicious. This was the first time I actually ever tried raw sushi which I never thought I would do. I am glad I finally got the courage to do so and that it was here. I have now had raw sushi in other places and I know that I probably would never have tried it more than once if my first experience was bad. As for the rest of the menu I am uncertain but feel fairly confident that everything is good. We enjoyed the sushi so much that it is all we ate!
My husband was working up in Chattanooga and I was visiting him when we decided to try Sushi Nabe out. We sat in the back at the sushi counter. On the way back you will see a shelving unit housed with hundreds of personal chopsticks in boxes. Apparently the locals love this place so much they keep their very own chopsticks stored there. The owner's name is Yasushi and he was right there making fresh sushi and wasabi while all the while entertaining us with stories.
The sushi was phenomenal! It was so fresh and absolutely delicious. This was the first time I actually ever tried raw sushi which I never thought I would do. I am glad I finally got the courage to do so and that it was here. I have now had raw sushi in other places and I know that I probably would never have tried it more than once if my first experience was bad. As for the rest of the menu I am uncertain but feel fairly confident that everything is good. We enjoyed the sushi so much that it is all we ate!
Mali in Virgina Highland
I saw a post today on Facebook from a friend that wanted to take Ru San's off of his dining list. I marked it off of my list the first and only time I went there and told my friend so. I also suggested that he try Mali if he wanted good sushi in Atlanta. While it may not be a restaurant that comes to mind for sushi or even a Japanese restaurant, they do have very good fresh sushi. I have been to MF, Niki Moto's, Harry & Son's, Nakato, RA, etc. and still like Mali the best.
The service is great, the atmosphere is intimate and there is a charming patio for dining out on beautiful days like today. If you choose to have sushi the fish is just perfect - it melts in your mouth and tastes delicious. If one wishes to order off of the menu the Thai cuisine is wonderful as well. I like to start with the Yin and Yang wontons which are lightly fried and filled with a ricotta cheese/vegetable mix and served with a light sweet dipping sauce. The Pad Thai portions are sizable and flavorful and I have always liked their curry dishes. I don't think there is anything on the menu that one could go wrong with.
The service is great, the atmosphere is intimate and there is a charming patio for dining out on beautiful days like today. If you choose to have sushi the fish is just perfect - it melts in your mouth and tastes delicious. If one wishes to order off of the menu the Thai cuisine is wonderful as well. I like to start with the Yin and Yang wontons which are lightly fried and filled with a ricotta cheese/vegetable mix and served with a light sweet dipping sauce. The Pad Thai portions are sizable and flavorful and I have always liked their curry dishes. I don't think there is anything on the menu that one could go wrong with.
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