So we’ve been to a couple new restaurants lately – and since I’m a bit behind on the blogging (ironically I seem to have less time now that I work mostly from home) – I’m combining them into one post.We went on a Sunday night date night to Coast – part of the chain that does Twist, Shout, etc. This was a casual seafood restaurant – we were seated around 8pm (they close earlier on Sunday so we were a late seating). The wine – well the affordable bottles were their private label and we got the Cabernet – I would say it was drinkable and fine, $25-ish range so not bad, not sure I’d say Cabernet but hey – it was fine and red. (If it hadn’t been ordered before we got there I would’ve tried a mai tai – love them, but after red wine – ew.) We got appetizers from calamari, to raw oysters (I tried one with lots of cocktail sauce and it tasted like…. cocktail sauce) and a crab cake. I would say everything was good – the calamari was quite good. We then split salads which were fine, nothing special (and they had dressing on them, not on the side, as one of us requested), and got fish or shrimp entrees. I got a lemon & caper fish dish and it was good. Not great. Had lemon seeds in it which was a bit of a turnoff… having to eat around them. Everyone seemed to like their food. The waiter this whole time was just a little odd. And then towards the end we saw him going around scrapping gum off the bottom of tables. So two things there. One – people really, you put gum there?? That wouldn’t even cross my mind. And two- why do that in front of people eating. Seriously. Ew. We passed on dessert since we decided to head to a favorite, Cafe Intermezzo. (Always delicious) So the summary – it was okay. I don’t think it would be my choice with so many great restaurants around town. Just odd in the whole experience. [But do go to Cafe Intermezzo - had a delicious coffee with chocolate and almond liquors and the dessert is so delicious.]Just last week I met a friend for lunch at another new restaurant in the Westside district – Miller Union. I had seen it before but it used to be dinner only – so I was excited to try it. And yet again, another Westside restaurant is just great – I hope they continue to be so consistent and lovely. Miller Union focuses on fresh, local foods. You feel healthy eating it, yet its delicious. Based on my friend’s recommendation – I had a smoked trout salad. Different than anything I would normally order – and it was divine. The smokey trout, creamy dressing in a perfect not too much amount, radishes and greens – just really good combo. He says the soups are amazing but I only had the salad – so I’ll have to go back. And since I was being good I said no to dessert – but they make homemade ice cream sandwiches that had me drooling as they passed by. The owner Neal was seating people the day we were there – adds a nice touch knowing he’s around and active – and the chef even said hi to my friend (he’s a regular.) But even without that – the food was amazing and really I hope this restaurant does well – so go try it! [Note - I've heard the burger and fries are really good, one of the only non-healthy dishes and its probably still healthier than most places - but my friend had the veggie plate and that may be what I have to do next time - it looked awesome.] As a final note, we did get coffee to end the meal and it was really good coffee – nice touch to the end of a meal. So skip Coast and go try Miller Union. I think you’ll be happy you did.
Archive for the ‘Restaurant Review’ Category
Happy Anniversary! (Reviews included)
My husband Chris and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on Saturday – it was our actual anniversary – May 22nd. Our 5th was spent in Vegas with my parents and was about them, not us, and I was really pregnant – so this year we went all out to celebrate. My mom kept the kids (thanks mom!), and we checked into the Ritz Carlton – downtown Atlanta. I love good service, and they really are the best at it. We also spent our wedding night at the same Ritz. They did not disappoint. Great room, great service. Highly recommend them if you are looking for a great hotel.We also had dinner reservations at Bacchanalia – billed as one of the best restaurants in Atlanta. They also did not disappoint. The service was fantastic – the food excellent – the wine pairings divine. We forced ourselves to order a bit out of the normal for us. Normally I would’ve ordered the steak. But instead I chose the veal schnitzel and it was delicious. Normally Chris would’ve ordered the steak or maybe the fish. Instead he got a quail dish and loved it. The price is not cheap. Its definitely a special occasion place. But it was a fabulous one, and I highly recommend it. Just know you will be spending a pretty penny.Thanks for such a wonderful anniversary evening – to my husband, the Ritz and Bacchanalia. It solidified our belief that we need to do more nights of just us in the future – really good for the relationship, well at least ours. My mom might have to recover for awhile since Katherine kept her up most the night. Happy anniversary honey! Love you!
Restaurant Review: Tiny Bistro
Well its been awhile since I tried a new restaurant to write a review – but today is your lucky day.Inspired by my husband who picked his lunch place by what Scoutmob deal he could find nearby on his iPhone – I decided to do the same thing. (He is over in Tucker and tried the Grecian deal of today – I’m in midtown.) A mile and a half way, Tiny Bistro was listed with 50% off – I’ve seen it for months now and thought, you know I should try that. Off I went.I went simple with a chicken salad sandwich on a toasted croissant and added a side of fruit and a drink – total around $12, though with my 50% off – only $6. Sweet.The wait was short and my food was ready for takeout. (They have dine-in seating and some outdoor seating as well but I was on the way to Target.)Before I ran into Target, I decided to go ahead and eat my sandwich – that way I wouldn’t be hungry and buy things like the Snickers bar at the register. Wow – that toasted croissant? Divine. And the chicken salad was very flavorful and delicious. But that croissant? I might dream about that croissant.So the review is in – go try Tiny Bistro. Its only open for lunch during the week I believe, but its a lunch spot worth visiting. And check out ScoutMob before you go too – Tiny Bistro expires June 2nd – not far away. I’ll definitely visit again. [Note - they were a catering company first, before they became Tiny Bistro - I bet the catering would be fabulous if you need that type of thing.]
The Post About The Girls Weekend
While I won’t share too many details about my girls’ weekend away – I mean, what is shared around a fireplace with glasses of wine stays there – I did want to write a little about where we went.We stayed at a cabin tucked away just under 2 hours from Atlanta, depending on traffic. A huge thanks go to Elizabeth’s mom for letting us stay – it was perfect. We each had a bed (or a couch) of our own. It was remote enough to be away, but high enough we all had service on our iPhones (what, you think we wouldn’t stay a little connected?? I think half the weekend was sharing cool iPhone apps with one another).
Who couldn’t relax on a bench like this?The benefit of the cabin is that it is not far from either Ellijay or Blueridge. On the way up we stopped at a couple stores in Ellijay, mostly a collection of antiques and handmade goods. I bought adorable UGA gear for the girls (a dress and a romper). We had dinner at a cajun restaurant (yes, its as weird as it sounds – cajun in the mountains) – and it was to my delight quite good! I didn’t know what to expect. I probably should’ve gone with my instincts and gotten the fried crawfish platter but I did enjoy my crawfish etoufee as well. Saturday we spent the afternoon in Blueridge – the weather was gorgeous and the shops were just delightful. We had a great time in quite a few of the shops and I got lots of fun little things – probably the most fun item was a coffee mug saying ‘I’m living the mini-van dream’ – because I am. I love my mini-van and the ease it brings to my two-child life.This is my mini-rant so if you don’t want to read skip this paragraph. We had dinner there as well at a fairly new restaurant – the Blue Ridge Brewery. And I just have to say, even if only two people read this, don’t go there. The food was fine, the service was average but the thing that was just plain rude? We had a 5:30 reservation – got seated promptly. We ordered a bottle of wine. All five of us ordered salads or soups. Four of us ordered the most expensive entree they had. We declined dessert. [So a pretty good size bill and profit for the restaurant I would imagine.] At 7:05 we were asked to leave because the next group was there – and not in a polite way. Excuse me? If we had ordered dessert, we would’ve been lucky to have even gotten it at that point. I understand the 7 pm reservation had showed up. And I can even understand if they had said something politely – maybe offer to move us to the bar with one free dessert to share or something. But no, we were just asked very rudely to leave. I believe in great customer service and this was a failure. So that’s my little rant right there, and I’ll get off that topic now.The stores in Blueridge were awesome and I definitely recommend going up for a day or a weekend. We had an awesome time and will definitely go back at some point – whether with the girls or with the family. It was really a great place to go with great girl friends.
Thanks to the girls for a wonderful weekend away! And if you are looking for a getaway from Atlanta – Blueridge is fabulous and nearby – check it out!
Anyone for a Crepe? Check out Crepe Revolution.
I love that more restaurants have come over to the westside – and when I say westside I really mean the OTP westside, not the trendy westside of midtown that I work near (I like those too!). I live OTP (outside the perimeter for non-Atlantans) by about 2 miles on the west side of town and its been slow but we are getting more and more great restaurants.One of the closest and best options for us is the West Village on Atlanta Road. They are home to Mcray’s Tavern, Blue Moon Pizza, Starbucks and more (including Plum Salon where I get my hair done – love Helene – go see her if you are looking for someone new.)A place I had visited with girlfriends but finally took the family to the other night – Crepe Revolution. You might think Crepes – they are dessert food. Crepe Revolution has re-invented the crepe to not only mean awesome desserts (my husband inhaled the Bananas Foster in about 5 seconds), but to mean wonderfully savory meals as well. So far I’ve had the Pot Roast (served with a buckwheat crepe) and the Pork Fancy (an herb crepe that has brie & apples with the pork). Both were excellent. Their prices are very reasonable for dishes that seem to have a great variety of fresh ingredients – $10 – $15 for most every dinner entree, and it was plenty of food, especially if you want a dessert (and it is a crepe place – I would get a dessert.) Its also a great lunch spot if you work nearby and lunch is very reasonable at $6 – $8. I didn’t have a dessert this last time other than the quick bite I grabbed from the husband’s plate – but I have had the dessert sampler in the past and as basic as it sounds – the nutella dessert crepe is divine.A nice complement to the food, the restaurant also has a great drink list. We just went on Tuesday and your first two martinis are $4 (a Tuesday special). I had something called Strawberry Lemon I think – it was delicious and if it wasn’t a family dinner I would’ve tried a few more. I’ve had their wine too past times and was quite happy with their selection.The best part about a great restaurant with great food? A great restaurant with specials & discounts. Crepe Revolution is often on Restaurants.com and it was featured on ScoutMob in one of its first weeks. We used the discount from the ScoutMob iPhone app saving us a few dollars – always good in this day & age. They also have specials for each day of the week. I think they said Mondays are $3 cocktails – not a bad deal at all.I love seeing unique dining concepts that come together well as they have here – I really hope more people check it out. Its a new business (relatively anyway – 1 1/2 years old I think) that is definitely worth supporting.What are you waiting for – go have a crepe!
Its Lunchtime – Why Don’t You Try Noon|Midtown
Today for lunch I met some co-workers at a midtown restaurant called Noon|Midtown. I had heard good things and just yesterday read a great review on a blog I follow: Buckhead Betty … on a Budget. So not only did I gave good company, but I was greatly looking forward to the food. I have to say – it really hit the right note for lunch. It definitely had the lunch vibe I like – similar to what I find at another favorite of mine – Figo Pasta. You order before you sit down, some booth options, some tables. Just a warm cozy feeling overall.One of the fun social aspects of Noon|Midtown is that it ‘tweets’ its daily specials – so I decided to go with both the special grilled cheese (Mozz, Parm & carmelized onions) and the side of the day – a roasted cauliflower with raisins and almonds. Both were delicious. Especially the cauliflower. I am going to try and duplicate that recipe at home, I can tell you that right now. I am a sucker for grilled cheese – and this one is definitely good. I like the fact that they change it up and it will be different week to week. For my own personal tastes, the caramelized onions were probably too sweet – I would’ve preferred more savory – but regardless I can tell you there was not a bite left. I stuck with tap water, but they had a fun case of beverages – special teas, unique soft drinks, that type of thing.From what I overheard they recently got a liquor license and will be opening for dinner – for me, that isn’t so important because I don’t live near midtown. For me, its the perfect lunch spot and that was really what they were going for. Good food, good prices, cute & warm atmosphere. And another perk – free parking. Gotta love free parking in a lot here in Atlanta – it makes restaurants that much more appealing.So if you are looking for a place to meet up for lunch – give Noon|Midtown a try – I am pretty sure you’ll like it. I will definitely be going back soon.
You Have To Find the Mystery Door and Know The Password
I schedule group lunches every month or so for our group (just a role I took on because, well I love to eat out) – everyone pays for themself and we can have as many as 12 people – and I don’t like to repeat places. So each time I hunt for something different, but affordable. I happened across a review for Ormsbys – http://www.ormsbysatlanta.com – and it fit the bill. Good location, affordable fare, tasty looking menu – done.Its in the new White Provisions complex – over in the apparently now hip Westside – and we kept looking for it but didn’t see it. The map showed it in building D, the main building – where was it. Plaza level. Oh wait – I see a door over there with an O that looks a lot like their webpage – let’s check that out. So yes – not the easiest place to find – but once inside it was very pub-like, and I think it’d be great at night. (For reference, if you are looking at Room & Board – the furniture store – from the parking deck, the door is underneath that – you can’t see it from 10th street.) Good looking bar (huge beer list) – and lots of fun games (the pool/darts kind). We just settled in for lunch – very affordable in the $8 – $10 range. And the portion size was quite right. The fries/onion rings looked really really good – but I tried to stay healthier this time and had a side salad with my sandwich, dressing on the side. (Very tasty buttermilk ranch dressing I might add) I had the BLT sandwich, which included eggs, and it was good – but it was missing something. Not quite enough flavor. But everyone else really enjoyed their meals (burgers, Reuben and bratwurst were the most commonly ordered).The atmosphere is great – service was great – and price point is great. I definitely will go back and try something else. And as my co-worker who lives nearby asked – they serve food until 2:30 am and are open until 3. So if you are in the Westside late at night and need a bite to eat and a tasty beverage be sure to check them out.They’ve only been open 7 weeks but I think they will be another successful entry into Westside eateries.
Visiting Atlanta
I had one of my cyber friends mention they might be headed to Atlanta for a leave the kid behind weekend (they have #2 on the way so I guess it might be a babymoon of sorts). She asked me what my favorites things to do are here in Atlanta – events, restaurants, etc. Does not have to be kid-friendly and so my head went *ding*ding* – good post for my blog. Of course then I realized I didn’t really know what would be good to do when visiting Atlanta – but I tried to put some thought to it anyway.The first thing that comes to mind is the Fox Theatre – my hubby and I love to go out for a night at the Fox Theatre. We’ll go to see plays or musicals that aren’t even our ideal just to go out for a date night there (I should apologize publicly for buying my husband tickets to see Cats for his birthday a few years ago – I know that wasn’t something he really wanted to see – but again, we wanted the date night out and it was actually ON his birthday).Other things we enjoy doing is going to see a local sports team play – Braves and Thrashers are my personal favorites. We are spoiled here because I work for a company which often gets us tickets to see these events, so we don’t really ever pay to go see sports. I don’t know if it would be as fun if we had to pay.If weather is good, one of the best parks to visit is Piedmont Park. Just so fun to people watch, walk around, see nature in a city. If you like the plant/nature side of things, you can also visit the Botanical Gardens right there. Also, Atlanta has really good festivals – so if the weekend has a festival, even better. There is Oysterfest in late February (I haven’t been to that one yet), Dogwood Festival in April and Summerfest in June. Actually there are many many more – but these are ones off the top of my head. Also – right on the park is Park Tavern – I spent many afternoons on their patio in my 20s. Wouldn’t say its the best food in the city – but its good and the location is ideal.I actually really like to visit the aquarium & the zoo – but mostly with my kids. So I wouldn’t put those on the adult-must see list. I haven’t been to the new World of Coke since it opened – if you like Coke then I’m sure its great fun. The old one was fun to visit – but didn’t seem worth the entry fee. But it was much smaller, and I’m sure this one is much more grand. The tasting room is really what its all about – taste Coke from around the world!Right now Atlanta magazine has the 67 things you must do in Atlanta for $0.99 – I might have to download it to see what they said!I guess because I am one of those people who really likes food – you know the ones who look up the menu before they go to think about what they want all day long – many of my visiting Atlanta ideas come back to restaurants I like.If you want to go pricey, and like the traditional dark steakhouse restaurant – probably my favorite restaurant in the city is Rathbun Steak. We’ve only eaten there once and hopefully we will go back again soon. Its actually not outrageously priced, you do really get a lot for your money. I thought it was worth every penny. The porterhouse for 2 was to die for, and the service we received was excellent. He also has another restaurant – Rathbun’s – just down the street which I hear is also very good.Probably my choice for brunch would be Murphy’s – such good food and we also tend to buy most of our wine from there – very knowledgeable wine guru Nick and his staff seem to be great at picking out what we like.Some other fun places, centered primarily in the Westside area of town since its where I work and near where I lived for a few years – and in the pretty affordable category (some more than others) are:Flip – very unique burger boutique concept with awesome mikshakes (Love the nutella burnt marshmallow)JCT Kitchen – one of the best tomato bisque soups to be had, and their truffle fries are so goodOsteria del Figo (or just Figo Pasta) – this is one of the best food/value deals around – Italian food made by Italians – usually around $8 -$10 for a heaping portion. They even have a $6 lunch combo deal and that includes drink – it is more casual (order at the cashier then find a table).For more of a restaurant Italian – I really like La Tavola. Its been awhile since I’ve been there but, very tasty memories. You know – its actually been a really long time since I’ve even been out for Italian other than the basics like Maggiano’s or my staple of Figo Pasta – having kids has limited the number of times we go out and for some reason we rarely pick Italian. We tend to gravitate towards steakhouses.We do really like Ecco – its more Mediterranean than Italian. Small plates to share, that type of thing. Try the fried goat cheese. Trust me.I recently had pizza from Antico Pizza – a tiny little place on Hemphill (again, near work). Its the Napoletana style – and I loved the white pizza there. If you stay there to eat, you just join others at a communal table. (We happened to have take out)I just reviewed Bocado yesterday on my blog – I hadn’t heard of it until then but the burger – delicious.Something I’ve been wanting to try – Atlanta has a chocolate tour – anyone know if this is worth it? It stops at Chocolate Pink which is apparently an amazing bakery. I’ll be testing that out in a few weeks when I meet a few fellow Atlanta bloggers/tweeters.Also there is one restaurant that I’ve always wanted to try – but on a night when we can do the wine pairing and have a driver to take us home – its probably one of the most expensive nights you’ll have, but I’ve heard just amazing things. This would be Bacchanalia. I can’t attest to it, having never been.I will say that before you plan your trip – or even after – watch sites like Atlanta on the Cheap, GroupOn and ScoutMob to see discounts to help make the trip more affordable. (The GroupOn link is a referral link – I get credit if you buy something from there – I only put it because I do use it – often. I’ve gotten donuts from Sublime through it, as well as wine classes – all worth it for sure!)Which reminds me – if you just want a unique tasty treat – try Sublime Donuts on 10th street. I love the apple fritter. It is a caramel delight with just the right amount of apple (just a taste).I should mention – most people might say you should visit The Varsity – it is part of Atlanta culture. But honestly – its heartburn just waiting to happen. If you want a greasy delicious burger that will sit with you for hours – great – but this is really best saved for after a long day of watching GT football with adult beverages (or for the morning after – grease helps with the… um headache from watching football right?)Other restaurants I’ve enjoyed were One Midtown Kitchen & Two Urban Licks (same owners), South City Kitchen, Horseradish Grill….Oh one of our favorite things to do (and I think this is one of the things that used to be really popular but maybe isn’t so much anymore?) – is to have dessert & coffee at Cafe Intermezzo. They have this whole case of yummy desserts and a coffee menu that is many many pages long. Last time we went it was not nearly as hard to get a table as a few years ago – but I still really enjoyed it.Full disclosure – I am in no way compensated by any of these places – I just like food!Probably one of my other favorite things to do – which really can happen anywhere – is to get a massage or spa treatments. In general I prefer Natural Body Spa over Spa Sydell – the two big chains here – but really – I’ve had great services at both places.I’m not much of a shopper – so I’m not really one to recommend where to go for that – I would guess if you want a mall then Lenox or Phipps would be the ones to go to (right next to each other) – but I know there is great boutique shopping here in Atlanta. People talk about it all the time. I just have no idea where to direct you for it – not really my thing. (I love Internet shopping!)I also know that there are quite a few new trendy hotels (with restaurants) around town – seems like they have been building them for years – but I also know nothing about them. Sorry! (I do know we stayed our wedding night at the Ritz Carlton downtown and it was fantastic – best burger ever – but then again I had not eaten all day long at that point)My thoughts are all over the place in this post – aren’t they? Well – please comment and share some of your favorites and what you think people should do when they visit.
Mmm Burger…
Okay counter-intuitive to my 30-day shred, I also love to eat. I love trying out restaurants and telling others if I liked it. So my natural inclination is to share fun food finds here on my blog.Today I had lunch with my boss – and he wanted to try a new place I hadn’t heard of (I think it opened when I was out on leave – at least that’s my excuse). So we headed over to Bocado – http://www.bocadoatlanta.com/. Knowing this is where we were headed, I took a peak at the menu before we left and happened upon this review by The Blissful Glutton. A good burger? Count me in. Probably one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant is a burger – I don’t know why, I just like restaurant burgers more than the ones we do at home, and its a favorite menu item for me.Bocado is in a new booming area of Midtown called the Westside – there are many new restaurants and shops in that area. Its really close to where we work, demonstrated by the fact that 2 other tables had fellow co-workers. (Its not that big of a restaurant and we were all right near each other).I knew I was ordering the burger – but we also decided to start with salads and share garlic fries (I know I know – not helpful with my shred – but at least I drank water and we did share them).Actually let me pause for a second before I review the burger – my first job was at Fuddruckers. Til this day I have fond memories of the food there (they treated it very cleanly/well if you are wondering). One of the things that makes that burger so good – they butter/oil the bread and toast it on the grill. I think that is KEY to a good burger. Back to the burger today – it also had an amazing bun that was toasted with a butter (or oil – not sure which). The bread was very good – and definitely a large part of why this was such a good burger. It was a burger stack – two patties, albeit both thin so as not to be too overwhelming. And it had cheese (American I think). And homemade pickles. And that’s it. No mayo, no ketchup, no trendy sauce. Just meat, cheese, pickles and really really good bread. And it was great – it may be one of my favorite burgers. (I also love FLIP which is not too far down the road from there). It was a reasonable size – not big by any means and left plenty of room to enjoy an appetizer or side. The salad was very good, though I should have followed the boss’ lead and gotten dressing on the side (lettuce, craisons, goat cheese, buttermilk dressing); and the fries were delicious though I tried not to eat too many (good thing we were sharing). They might have been truffle oil fries – definitely had herbs and served with buttermilk dressing to dip. Very tasty.So the food gets a big thumbs up. I definitely enjoyed it and would definitely go back. It was fairly reasonable – though I don’t think I’d spend my own money for lunch there – it definitely was a good price range for business lunches or going out at dinnertime. The service was a bit on the slow side but nothing to be too picky about.I might dream about the burger though. Mmm… burger. Yum!Now I need to shred and maybe add some more on top tonight to make up for this great lunch. Sigh. It was worth it!
Rock The Shot