Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 347-9055
www.woodfiregrill.com
Dinner with Amy
This was Amy's suggestion, having heard about it from Michelle & Sheila.
Surprisingly spacious. They make great use of the long dining space. Some artsy influence with a pleasing noise level providing a comfortable, yet energetic experience at the table.
Food Quality: 10
Unfortunately, there was not much on the menu that appealed to me. Woodfire Grill is another one of those farm, organic-themed eateries. As evidenced in earlier blogs, I'm not a big fan of these restaurants as they tend to be overpriced and are not that satisfying. I opted for the Chef's 5 course meal, and boy, I wasn't the least bit disappointed with my choice! The experience was truly fantastic! If I had to criticize one thing, it's that the entire table has to participate in the 5-course or 7-course meal. Luckily for me, Amy was all game! This can be a pricey option, but if you're a foodie, then it's well worth it. Everything was deliciously prepared. I loved the artful presentation and creative use of ingredients. Their pastry chef did a wonderful job with her homemade breads, offering a variety of breads in their bread basket, all of which were fantastically moist.
Amuse: compressed celery root with lemon marinated raisins, pecan aioli and micro celery.
Service: 10
Our server was phenomenal. She was incredibly polished, eloquent and really connected with the food. They used a team approach to serve our table. Each plate was delivered by a different server who could describe every ingredient on the plate and could explain the preparation method used. The menu changes daily; they may use the same ingredients, but the culinary team will prepare the ingredients differently each night. I was impressed by how well the staff knew their dishes.
Value: 8
This was an expensive experience, but the food quality and service were worth the price.
Taste: chilled potato soup, crispy country ham, chives
Third course: wood grilled local quail and smoked pork belly, wood oven roasted farro, rutabaga, roasted beets with romanesco and cumin
Fourth course: wood grilled grass-fed colorado bison, roasted red potatoes, turnips, sunchokes, maple sweet potato puree, smoky greens, sage butter
Dessert: chocolate bread pudding, frangelico bavarian, coffee ice cream, hazelnut-cocoa nib crumble
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Follow-up visits:
I've been back to Woodfire Grill twice since March 2011, once with Becky and another time with Don. In both cases, I was fortunate enough to have the same server (and had even put in a special request for her on my 3rd visit) and ordered the 5-course meal on all occasions. The service remains impeccable! However, my overall satisfaction with the food diminished with each experience. Perhaps it's because the first experience was such a pleasant surprise that it naturally received a very high rating; or perhaps the expecations were set so high that it's inevitably going to be disappointing from that point forward. Either way, the food quality would be as follows for the subsequent experiences:
2nd visit(Becky): 8
3rd visit(Don): 6
I would definitely still recommend the 5-course meal if you've never done this before. However, I did find that some of the dishes were very similar, if not the same, with each visit such as the quail and rock shrmip. Once you've experienced it at Woodfire Grill, I would suggest ordering off the menu the next time.
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