6.5 Overall Rating - Cantina Tequila & Tapas Bar 9/22/11

9/22/11 Cantina Tequila & Tapas Bar
3280 Peachtree Rd NW
Terminus 100 – Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30305
404.892.9292
http://www.h2sr.com/cantina/

Ambiance: 8
Great location and decor. This was formerly Lola.

Food Quality: 4
Quality of meat was good, but the dishes weren't that great. I tried several tacos and found them mediocre at best.

Queso con Carne - good
Fish Taco - decent
Trailer Park - bland
Veggie Taco - veggies were overcooked and soggy

Greg had the Pork taco, Lamb taco and Double Decker

We also had the Chocolate Bread pudding which was pretty good. It was moist with just the right amount of flavor.

Service: 8
Promptly seated and greeted. Ordered the queso w/beef and it was delivered within a few minutes, not to mention the salsa and chips which were delivered nearly immediately after placing our drink order.

Value: 7

6 Overall Rating - Antico Pizza 8/27/11

1093 Hemphill Avenue Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30318-5450
(404) 724-2333
www.anticopizza.it/

Recommended by Janice and Chris & Julie

Ambiance: 8
Antico Pizza offers a cool, casual environment. Fun, classic Italian music fills the open space. The only thing separating the family picnic tables from the kitchen is the 4' high partitions. Three old style brick ovens line the back kitchen wall. The staff's busy at work, with pies flying in the air, servers dressing pizzas w/fresh grated parmesan cheese as soon as their pulled from the oven and slicing and delivering them to the table. Seating is first come, first serve. Strangers sitting side-by-side or across the table from one another. We loved the old fashion soda bottles (pictured below)!

Food Quality: 5
Light tomoto sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese were scattered atop the pizzas with thin slices of pepperoni. One side of our dough was burned, however. Although I know that many people may like this kind of pizza, I found the pizza itself to be average with its modest flavors.

Service: 3
When you enter the restaurant, you wait in line to place your order at the register and then you find any open seat in the restaurant. They don't serve alcohol, but I've been told that you can bring your own.

Value: 4
$22 for medium pepperoni pizza.

7 Overall Rating - Firefly 11/17/11

3070 Windward Plaza
Alpharetta, GA 30005
(770) 807-3100
http://www.fireflyrestaurant.net/

Dinner with Harkins on first visit.

Ambiance: 9
What a great find! We happened to try out this spot during the first week it was open to the public. The live music was quite a pleasant surprise. The band consisted of three male musicians: an acoustic guitarist & singer, bass guitarist, and a bongo/percussionist & singer. They were quite talented and played a variety of cover songs to suit any crowd.

This place has a lot of potential despite the location's unfortunate history. I hope they can make it because it's a fantastic spot that's conveniently located by the office!

Food Quality: 5
For starters, we had the Maytag Blue Cheese Chip Mountain. The blue cheese was delicious, but I didn't care for the potato chips as much or the tomato garnish.

Rich thought his Salmon Baby Spinach Salad was very good.

My Cedar Plank Salmon BLT was pretty good and the french fries were yummy!

Service: 10
Mary, our bartender & server, was personable calling on each of her guests by first name amd taking care to spend time with each of them. She was a great mixologist too! Michael, one of the managers, also stopped by to check in on things.

Value: 10
Prices are very reasonable.

Since mid-November, I've been back on several occaions. The service has always been exceptional; however, the food quality has been disappointing.

On November 22, I had food & drinks with David at the bar. I dropped my fork and within seconds there were two servers by my side.

On November 23, I had lunch with Nidhi. The she-crab soup was delicious, but the appetizer ribs were completely scorched. They were happy to bring me a plate of freshly grilled ribs and the owner stopped by the table to profusely apologize for the kitchen's poor decision to send out the plate of burnt ribs. Nidhi ordered the half-smoked chicken plate (only $9!)complete with two side dishes, but she found the food to be average (at best). Unfortunately, she found a tiny bug in her cornbread which completely ruined the experience for her. The service manager brought us a complimentary dessert to share. I've never had an issue with their service, but they better get a handle on their back-house operations.

6.5 Overall Rating - Spice Brick Oven Kitchen Tapas & Bar 8/26/11

10800 Haynes Bridge Road
Alpharetta, GA 30022
(770) 777-0778
www.spicebrickovenkitchen.com/

Dinner with the Reagins! Recommended by Whipple Wonders.

Ambiance: 10
Enjoyed the open space. The acoustics were actually pretty good. Great lighting and setting. The restauarant had been opened for nearly two months and was already packing the house. I think this place has a lot of potential if the menu and food can keep pace with the ambiance.

Food Quality: 5
The Tzatziki (eggplant spread) was good, but a little bland. We enjoyed the Crab fritters, but I would say that the sweet and sour sauce is what made the dish. The Tilapia fish tacos were very good. The slaw was sweet and blended perfectly with the dish. Unfortunately, the scallop dish lacked flavor, but it was a clean and healthy dish. The smoked salmon was bad. I took one bite and knew right away that something wasn't right. I also detected a foul odor. The homemade chips were generously covered with blue cheese, but the overall dish was average.

On my second visit there on 11/16/11, I had the Tzatziki (Yogurt, Fresh Dill, Cucumbers, Lemon Juice, And Olive Oil spread) and pepperoni pizza. The food was much better this time around.

Service: 9
Service was great tonight...they did a nice job timing all of our tapas plates!

Value: 7

8 Overall Rating - Ormsby's 8/25/11

1170 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 968-2033
www.ormsbysatlanta.com/

Went to Ormsby's with my cousin, Edward. (Recommended by Tema)

Ambiance: 7
Lots of energy...but was way too loud for dinner. Depending on your mood...it's a great spot for happy hour or meeting up with a group for food or drinks. The downstairs space was surprisingly large with the two bocce lanes.

Food Quality: 8
The mussels were salty, but delicious!! The toast was fabulous!
The Shrimp and Grits dish was good, with carmelized onion and roasted peppers.

Service: 6
There were only two servers working the entire floor. They apologized for being understaffed. Our server first gave us the wrong table's bill. The second attempt was a little a better; he brought our bill but we found two additional drinks on it which didn't belong to us. So I guess third time's a charm as it was finally correct on the third attempt. Aside from the bill errors, everything was fine.

Value: 10
Awesome prices!!

8 Overall Rating - Firkin & Gryphon 8/18/11

4764 Ashford Dunwoody Rd
Dunwoody, GA 30338
770-350-5977
www.firkinandgryphon.com/

Ambiance: 7
Wow, we have found our new local standby! This is a great sports bar & restaurant. Tonight, they had $3 wine, $2 beer specials and Trivia. On Tuesdays they have trivia and Wednesdays they have poker. The restaurant was pretty packed. I understand that Thursdays and weekends are usually busy for them. I liked the individual TV's at the various booths!

Food Quality: 9
We were more than pleasantly surprised! Firkin & Gryphon offers a great variety on their menu. I love the "build your own: burger, pizza & pasta" concept. Not only can you build your own food, there's a full Irish menu with a plentiful selection of appetizers and a few unique salads!

The fried egg appetizer was interesting and tasty. It seemed like a lot of prep work was required to create the dish.
The Vegetable samosas were delicious, but boy were they spicy! They reminded me of an Indian dish, served with dill dip and chutney.
We also had the Irish Nachos which were unbelievably yummy (definitely not healthy).
Greg had the Steak and Mushroom Pie and loved it.

On our 2nd visit (9/26), I had the Avocado BLT and Greg ordered the Cottage Pie, which was absolutely to die for!!

Service: 7
Fried egg appetizer wasn't served with spicy mustard.

Value: 9
Terrific prices!

6.5 Overall Rating - The Big Ketch, Saltwater Grill 6/30/11

3279 Roswell Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30305-1840
(404) 474-9508
http://www.thebigketch.com/

This was my birthday dinner with Lindsay and Alex!

Ambiance: 10
For a casual hangout with decent food, this is a great place for happy hour and to meet up with friends. We sat on the patio where they had live music. It was a hot night, but they equipped the deck with a few fans and there was a decent breeze to help with the heat. I really enjoyed the live acoustic music...and of course, great company!

Food Quality: 5
The shrimp crap dip was very good!
I had the Shellfish Sampler with a side of corn and hush puppies - all mediocre.
Lindsay really liked her Mixed Grill and found everything to be delicious.
Alex thought her Mahi Mahi was good - it looked like a great value given the large portion, side of broccoli and Greek salad; however the Greek salad wasn't very good.
Drinks were not great either. The sangria and margarita were watered down.

Service: 7

Value: 8
Great value, considering the food and ambiance.

7 Overall Rating - Alison's Restaurant 6/23/11

5500 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 395-0707
http://alisonsrestaurant.com/

For a neighborhood spot, I'd give this a 7 rating.

Ambiance: 8
It was a good sign when we saw the restaurant filled with a good group of folks which I'd describe as a typical local Dunwoody professional crowd. In the four years we've lived near Dunwoody, this location has changed names/owners three times.

We sat on the deck overlooking the shopping center listening to great music and taking in the beautiful night!


Food Quality: 6
Parmesan knots were stale...do you know when you microwave bread and wait to eat it, it gets hard and chewy? That's what these rolls were like - ugh, an utter disappointment!

Greg had their special - the shrimp and scallop cream sauce pasta dish which was pretty good.

I ordered the fried chicken and was disappointed when my plate appeared with a handful of fried boneless chickent tenders on the plate. I might as well have saved some money and ordered chicken fingers someplace else. The loaded cheese and bacon mashed potatoes were, of course, delicious (it's really hard for anyone to mess up my potatoes)! The side of cole slaw was also quite good.

Service: 7
I liked the fact that the kitchen pushed food out quickly. Our server, Nick, was pleasant and patient.

Value: 7
Prices were reasonable. This place has potential to be a great local standby, despite the fried chicken experience!

7 Overall Rating - A1A Ale Works 6/11/11 (St. Augustine, FL)

1 King St # 101
St. Augustine, FL 32084-4461
(904) 829-2977
http://www.a1aaleworks.com/

With Vegas & Kabes

Ambiance: 5
Hardwood floors throughout, two floors. Live band downstairs. Casual environment.

Food Quality: 8
Kabes said no one has had a bad meal here. For a starter, we had their housemade blue cheese chips and their signature A1A Ale & Cheese soup. At Kabes' recommendation, we ordered the Key Lime Shrimp and Lobster pasta dish and Shrimp and Grits, complete with bacon, garlic, mushroom, scallions & pepper jack cheese grits. We weren't disappointed - the food was very good (not necessarily the healthiest meals, but definitely tasty!)

Service: 5
Our server, Sean, was decent but disappeared after entrees were delivered. We had to request several items such as another set of silverware, glass of water, water refills and an extra spoon.


Value: 10
Wow...we had four entrees, two appetizers, two beers, two teas and dessert for only $129!!!

6.5 Overall Rating - Top Flr 5/27/11

674 Myrtle St.
Atlanta, GA 30308
404 685-3110

http://www.topflr.com/

Recommended by Kathy Hay

Ambiance: 7
It was great night out on this Saturday evening. We sat outside at one of their tables on the sidewalk. We didn't spend anytime inside, so I can't comment on the interior.



Food Quality: 6
Interesting dishes, but none of the plates wowed me.

The tuna tartar was average, at best. The tuna was mashed and the dish was mostly overpowered with sesame oil.










Greg enjoyed his duck confit pizza.

I had the chicken with brussel kim chi. Unfortunately, the chicken was bland.

We did enjoy our sides of macaroni and cheese and potato gnocchi.













Service: 7
Tyler was friendly enough.

Value: 6

5 Overall Rating - Indigo 5/18/11

1170 Canton Street
Roswell, GA 30075-3641
(678) 277-9551
http://indigoroswell.com/

Dinner with Amy!

Ambiance: 8
Great location on Canton St on the northern end of historic Roswell. We happened to pick a popular night…Roswell’s Alive after Five which occurs every 3rd Thursday from April - October. What a fun area!

Food Quality: 4

Started with their Crispy Calamari with Roasted Jalapeno & Apricot Drizzle. Good flavor – not too overpowering. However, I think they substituted the jalapeno with thinly sliced fried onion rings.

For my entrée, I had the Gorgonzola Gnocchi with Speck Ham, Grape Tomatoes, Cracked Olives & Caramelized Shallots. The dish was missing the shallots – one of the main ingredients I was looking forward to in this dish!

Service: 5
Average service. At the end, he tended to check on us less frequently.

Value: 6
Fair. $44 for ½ appetizer, entrée, drink plus tip.

8 Overall Rating - Teela Taqueria 5/17/11

227 Sandy Springs Place
Suite 506
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
(404) 459-0477
http://www.teelataqueria.com/

with Karen & Julie

Ambiance: 9
This is the perfect energetic, neighborhood spot conveniently located in the Kroger shopping center on Sandy Springs Place. The music selection was great, creating a fun & upbeat climate with the volume set just right to enjoy the music while still allowing diners to easily converse at the table.

Food Quality: 8
Casual food...everything was delicious. I had three different tacos: the BLT, the Fish and the Steak Fajita. The BLT taco came with a generous portion of bacon and fried green tomatoes – yummy! The fish taco was served with jalapeño coleslaw and slices of jalapeños – spicy & tasty! The steak fajitas were just what you would expect, with a little sweetness and a little kick.

Service: 5
Our server was polite, but didn’t really know the menu. We had a few questions about the menu and had to point a few things out to him when he didn’t understand what we were asking about or why we were asking for specials. He seemed new, judging from his nervousness and the fact that he forgot to bring our drinks to us; although I will give him some points for splitting the bill for us and even splitting the appetizer 3-ways.

Value: 8

9 Overall Rating - Pepe's Grill in Cozumel 5/8/11

Todd, Marty, Greg & I dined at Pepe's on Sunday night after our Delta flight was cancelled. Pepe's was rightfully highly recommended by a few individuals. We were definitely glad we went!

Ambiance: 8
It was fun with the mariachi band. They were actually very good. Restrooms very clean and modern.

Food Quality: 9

Salad bar was lacking, but it was included with your entree so it's hard to complain.

The shrimp were enormous, succulent. The King Crab was deliciously sweet, served with butter, garlic butter and mayonnaise (a little odd).

Entree....10 for grilled shrimp and my King Crab.








My goodness - get a look at these things!!

Service: 10
Second to none! Our server and the wait staff were on top of things throughout the entire service. They cracked the entire crab for me (thank goodness because I'm still a rookie when it comes to crab legs)! Warm water in a dish with lime was brought for tableside service to clean our hands. Toothpicks served in a dish were brought to the table as well.


Value: 10
$76 for two
$39 for King Crab, salad bar comes with it!

6 Overall Rating - Village Tavern 4/29/11

http://www.villagetavern.com/

Dinner with Rosie

Ambiance: 7
Village Tavern offers a slightly darker, comfortable environment. We were tucked away in a small booth near the back of the restaurant. There's a large bar off to your left as you enter through the doors. This isn't a bad choice at all for a suburban stop.



Food Quality: 5
Colorado Chips (homemade potato chips with melted cheese, bacon & bbq sauce) was mediocre. The bbq sauce made the dish palatable. If it weren’t for the sauce, the dish would have been dry and bland.


The tuna tartare was only average.

The bacon-wrapped scallops served on top of a strip of seaweed were delicious, boasting succulent flavors from the scallops and bacon. The sauce was magnificent adding a different dimension to the dish. The sauce can be a bit overpowering, so would recommend that they only lightly top the scallops with the sauce instead of drizzling it on.

I also had their Shoestring French Fries...they were absolutely delicious!!! Just like Steak & Shake!


Rosie had a steak and baked potato.






Service: 7
Server had a good personality and had a good handle on the menu.

Value: 8
Loved the menu.

8 Overall Rating - Local Three 4/26/11

3290 Northside Pkwy NW
Atlanta, GA 30327
(404) 968-2700
http://www.localthree.com/

A much needed girls' night with part of our Lady Smack crew, Amy and Michelle! Local Three was recommended by Kristin.

Ambiance: 8
Local Three was nestled in a nice cluster of mid-rise buildings and parking deck off of Northside Parkway just south of Paces Ferry. The dining room was surprisingly small. With its high ceilings, stained concrete floors with nothing in the décor to help absorb the chatter in the dining room (like so many of the newer restaurants), it was very loud and difficult to hear each other at the table.
For a 5'3" frame, I found the high chairs quite uncomfortable...I think I lost blood circulation to my toes.

Food Quality:
For starters, we had the oven roasted mushroom and asparagus goat cheese risotto. The mushroom dish was unbelievably delicious! Full of rich cheese, creamy polenta and truffles. When Michelle asked if we would mind her licking the plate, what does that tell you?!




For entrees we split the Grilled Flatiron Steak - Patatas Bravas, Vidalia Onion, Charred Tomato

braised beef short rib,

and monkfish

And no dining experience with Lady Smack (or me, for a matter of fact) would be complete without a sweet finishing touch! Here's to their snickers dessert...







Service: 9
Great service from X. Timing was perfect, never needed refills, and never had to ask for anything else.

Value: 8
An enjoyable dining experience.