Future Destinations (add your recommendations here!)

History

Atlanta, GA
So why create a blog? Well, those close to me know how passionate I am about my food...eating food, to be more precise. 15 years ago I discovered the joy of dining in restaurants which boast a unique ambiance and delicious food. I first started tracking lists of great restaurants when I lived in Columbus, OH in the mid 90's. I was fortunate to dine at Cameron Mitchell's, Fifty-Five, Bravo, Rigsby's, Barcelona, and many more. I read in local newspapers about the best Places to be Seen, to Celebrate, to Impress, etc. and formulated my "to try" list. This hobby continued in Birmingham, AL and again when my travels brought me to Atlanta, GA ten years ago. I started a Supper Club with close friends in 2000, trying a new restaurant every Thursday night. We had one simple rule in the club, “no chain restaurants”! After three years of stomping through Atlanta's best and worst restaurants, we realized that this weekly tradition was becoming too expensive to maintain (go figure!). However, in 2005 I started making notes of my dining experiences for personal reference. To make it easy for my friends to get my recommendations, I thought I would try blogging. So...here goes!

7 Overall Rating - Miller Union 10/30/10



Miller Union
999 Brady Avenue Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30318
(678) 733-8550
http://www.millerunion.com/site/



Greg, Jeffrey and Doug

Ambiance: 10
Lately, I've been disappointed with the acoustics in the new places that we've tried. Although the interiors were trendy and looked impressive, it was very hard to hear others at our table. Miller Union actually does a great job creating a clean, soft ambiance with great acoustics for conversation. The restaurant consists of three separate dining rooms, one with large windows overlooking patio seating and a small bar at the entrance.

Food Quality: 5
The food was average. We started with the cornmeal fritters which were bland; however, Greg enjoyed his rabbit prune spread. I did enjoy the duck breast entree. The duck was seasoned wonderfully; however, the entree could've used a very small starch to finish the plate. The duck and succotash were tasty, but left you wanting just a little more of something else. For dessert, we ordered the apple-pecan cake served w/caramel ice cream. The ice cream was delicious; but, the cake tasted like a bran muffin.

Service: 7
Our server was fine; knowledgeable of the menu. He did, however, add an extra $100 to our tab when he split the check. He apologized profusely when we brought it to his attention and rectified it immediately.

Value: 5
Fair. $120 will get you 2 drinks, 2 apps, 2 entrees, 1 dessert and covers gratuity.
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4 Overall Rating - Floataway Cafe 10/28/10



1123 Zonolite Road NE Suite 15
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 892-1414
http://www.starprovisions.com/

Ambiance: 5
The interior was on the trendier side, but the open industrial theme resulted in horrible acoustics. I really struggled to hear the conversation all evening. There was one bonus though, there plenty of self-parking spots available.

Food Quality: 3
Both Kristin and Becky really enjoyed their dinners. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my dinner. I didn't have an issue with the apple salad, but I thought it was overpriced. The pappardelle carbonara was bland. It should have been a slam dunk with the house cured bacon and parmesan. Although the pasta was cooked perfectly, it lacked flavor.

Service: 5
Had to request water first time. Our server also gave us the wrong bill.

Value: 6
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4 Overall Rating - Village Burger 10/23/10




1426 Dunwoody Village Parkway
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 522-1600
http://villageburger.com/







Ambiance: 2
This location was formerly home to Dunwoody's Brusters ice cream in the Dunwoody Plaza. It's a great casual place to bring kids or hang out for a low-key bite to eat for lunch or dinner. They optimize their small plot of real estate by offering patio seating on three sides of the building and they even expand seating into the parking lot. We just happened to drive by Village Burger earlier this afternoon and noticed their sign so we decided to come back around 7:30 this evening, only to find a 15 foot line out the front entrance. We drove around the building and stopped to talk with one of the patrons to ask her how the food was. She raved about it...claiming to have dined here three times previously. This place has only been open for one month...and this patron has been here four times already with her husband. Five Guys...watch out!

Similar to Taqueria del Sol, with only four weeks under their belt and limited marketing, this place is already becoming a local favorite judging from the line out the door. You walk in and order your food at the counter (thus, the long line and reference to Taqueria del Sol), then you grab a table and wait for your food to be delivered. Beer and wine are also available, and for dessert, they offer frozen custard which can be ordered in a cone, as a shake or as a sundae with a selection of popular premium candy :)

Food Quality: 4
We were so excited to try this place, especially after speaking with their customer. However, our excitement led to disappointment. The french fries were overcooked (both the house seasoned fries and regular fries). My cheeseburger was mediocre; honestly, I probably would have enjoyed a McD’s Quarter Pounder just the same. That’s not saying that it was a bad burger. To clarify, I actually happen to like McD’s Quarter Pounders a good bit. It’s just that I would have expected the burger to be as good as Burger King’s Whopper, but that wasn’t the case. Greg said that his hot dog was spectacular, so at least they did have one redeeming quality.

Service: 7
Friendly, enthusiastic service; although our food took a little longer than expected.

Value: 9
Price point was excellent, even for my frugal friends :)
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