8 Overall Rating - Grace 1720 10/5/12

5155 Peachtree Parkway #320
Norcross, GA 30092
(678) 421-1720
http://www.grace1720.com/

Ambiance: 10
Located in the Forum at Norcross. We had the perfect weather for an evening on the patio. We sat next to the fire outside and it was so relaxing. The fountain behind us provided a soothing and calming effect with its flowing water. The interior's Old World feel was very nice, although we didn't spend much time inside.

Food Quality: 7
The blue cheese caramelized onion dip was absolutely delicious!!!

The vegetarian pasta with chicken was light, yet full of fresh flavors. Its white wine butter sauce was light and offered a nice balance to the dish. There was a good mix of veggies including sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, red onion, zucchini, red bell peppers and spinach.

Greg loved his shrimp and grits. The grits are purchased locally, although they tasted a little undercooked to me.

Service: 9
The staff was very present, though they remained discreetly behind the glass door. Our water glasses never dropped below the half full. Overall, they did a great job taking care of us.

Value: 8
We were frugal with our orders. There are more pricey items on the menu, but we were able to get two entrees and one appetizer (no drinks) for $69.45.

8 Overall Rating - The Spence 8/7/12

75 5th Street Northwest
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
(404) 892-9111
http://www.thespenceatl.com/?landing

Dinner with Sabo - yea! It's been far too long, my friend!

The Spence is another hot spot from the Concentrics restaurant group. They've really expanded their portfolio of eateries in the ATL.

They offer a unique menu. You need to be willing to explore and venture outside your normal palate to enjoy their food. I tried, unsuccessfully, with one dish...but at least now I can say I've tried sweetbreads!

Ambiance: 8
Trendy restaurant located on the corner of 5th and Spring St. Of course, the concrete floors made it difficult to hear (as usual for me).

Food Quality: 8
Interesting coconut butter served with butter topped rolls.

The Porcini Noodles, Oxtail, Egg & Truffle dish was delicious!

The Corn Creme Brulee was fantastic too!

The Buffalo Fried Sweetbreads were tasty, but I couldn't get past my first one. I had too many visuals in my head from the texture which made it difficult to continue eating.

The Not So Simple Green Salad had a surprising kick with thinly sliced jalapenos, sliced carrots, radish, and light Greek goddess dressing.

The Corned Lamb Tostadas & Guajillo Salsa were light and balanced just right - the flavors worked great with one another.





For dessert, we had the Milk Chocolate, Peanut, Burnt Banana Ice Cream - it was Uh-Maze-ing (but much too small)! Those little brown specks that you see in the picture were not cocoa dusts either...they were part of the design on the plate!

Service: 9
No issues with service.

Value: 7
Small plates...dessert for $7 (check out the portion size).

9 Overall Rating - Red PrimeSteak in OKC 7/11/12

504 North Broadway
Oklahoma, OK 73103
http://redprimesteak.com/

Ambiance: 8
Very cool ambiance. Open floor plan with neon red accent lights throughout the restaurant.

Food Quality: 9
They offer one of the best prix fixe menus I've ever seen! For $39, you select from each of the following categories, but unlike most prix fixe menus you're offered a really good variety from the main menu.
- appetizer
- entree
- side dish
- dessert

The bread was served with velvety smooth, warm butter which was speckled with salt.

The Chop House Salad was deliciously unique. I would definitely recommend it.

I opted for one of their steaks. What's really amazing about this experience is you get to choose both a crust and a sauce. I decided on the Bleu Cheese Crust and the Brandy Mushroom Sauce. In addition to all of that, every steak is served with roasted garlic cloves (OMG)!!! The mushroom sauce was incredibly delicious! I have to admit that this was one of THE most enjoyable steaks I've ever had.

As my side dish, I chose the Flash Fried Baby Spinach, which I found to be mediocre and greasy.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy my dessert which was the Strawberry/Peach Meringue. I should have listened to our server and ordered the chocolate dessert instead.

Service: 10
Don and Karen are regulars at this restaurant, so the service was superb!

Value: 9
The prix fixe menu is absolutely the way to go. I would give this a 10 rating for value, but if you decided to order off the menu, you should plan to spend some money which is why I rated them a 9 on value instead of 10.

8.5 Overall Rating - Rathbuns 7/2/12

112 Krog Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
404.524.8280
http://www.rathbunsrestaurant.com/dinner-menu.html

Tonight was a very special occasion for us...we get to find out if we're having a girl or boy!

Ambiance: 10
Modern bulding (artsy), perfect warm lighting for enjoying a special dinner with friends or loved ones.

Food Quality: 9
I definitely need to come back when I don't have any food restrictions. So many things were appealing on the menu - smoked proscuitto flatbread with local chevre, caramelized onion, pink peppercorn honey - thin rare beef heart of ribeye smoked salt, truffle mustard aoili...they all sound so yummy!

I didn't care for the aniseed bread. When I saw the warm butter in the dish, I was anxious for the server to walk away so I could devour the bread and butter. But to my disappointment, the bread wasn't warm and I really could've done without the anise.

For starters, we had the french fries with blue cheese fondue. The fries were fine, but the fondue was dee-lishh-shus!! Greg also ordered the eggplant fries. It's probably one of the most unique dishes I've ever had....they were perfectly fried eggplant slices dusted with confectioner's sugar and served with a side of tobasco sauce mixed with confectioners (so they said)....it just tasted like a mouthful of "I bet you can't handle this heat!". The flavors were very interesting....I can't begin to imagine how they created this combo.

Entrees- my thai duck was average. The risotto was cooked fine and the duck was perfectly, but the flavors didn't appeal to me. There was a nice spice finish, but I didn't find this dish to be as good as Bluepoint's panang duck dish.

Charred corn and gouda was deliciously filling. It's definitely best when eaten with a spoon instead of a fork to get more gouda cream sauce with each bite.
The edamame potstickers were quite good. The soy sauce was exceptionally good. The potstickers were cooked just right to crisp the outside, yet leaving a little tenderness in the dumpling.
The salmon tostadas tasted just like bagel, lox and schmear.

Service: 7
I couldn't indulge in alcohol, but our server was quick to offer any non-alcohol mix from the bar. They whipped up a fruit cocktail for me and boy, was it yummy, sweet and refreshing!
Greg had a housemade lemonade - it was a bit too tart.
Service delivery was great, but clearing the table was poorly executed. Throughout the entire dinner service up through dessert, only one appetizer plate was cleared, leaving two empty bread and butter plates, two empty glasses, one empty side dish and half eaten fries on the table.

Value: 7
Desserts $3.95 great value!

5 Overall Rating - Rosebud 5/24/12

1397 N Highland Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 347-9747
http://www.rosebudatlanta.com/

Dinner with Michelle and Jim

Ambiance: 7

Food Quality: 5
We ate at 6PM on a Saturday night. It was disappointing to find that they were out of two appetizers, two desserts and I think one entree so early in the evening.

Michelle and Jim's Housemade Pimento Cheese appetizer was pretty good. It had a surprising kick, so get ready for it.

Greg and I started with the potato skins which were stuffed with mushrooms and cheese. While it was an interesting combination, I still prefer the standard skins.

For an entree, I had their signature fried chicken dish. The green beans were slightly overcooked, but they were seasoned well. My fried chicken was more like a country fried steak, covered with gravy served on top of mashed potatoes. I found the dish to be mediocre, at best. Greg didn't care much for his Coffee Braised Lamb Shank. He complained of the lamb tasting too gamey.

For dessert, we shared the Mexican Coca-Cola Cake. It was good, but again, nothing fantastic.

Service: 6
Our server had a little attitude when we teased about being out of so many items.

Value: 4
Both appetizers ended up on my bill. We were in a hurry, so I didn't raise the issue to our server. For the quality, the price wasn't worth it.

7 Overall Rating - Carbonara Trattoria 5/21/12

5499 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(678) 587-9100
http://carbonaradunwoody.com/

Ambiance: 7


Food Quality: 6.5
The bread was served with real butter, which of course, is my favorite. The bread was warm with a light and fluffy inside. It's the perfect way to begin our dining experience.

For an appetizer, we had their Steamed Mussels. The mussels were slightly overcooked, but the flavor was good, or I should say that the it has potential. Unfortunately, the dish was slightly overpowered by the skunk-like flavor that is often present in some mussels.

Greg's Torchietti and Shrimp delivered strong earth and rustic flavors, too much for my liking, but Greg enjoyed the uniqueness of the dish.

My Bucatini all’ Amatriciana was really good. Admittedly, I thought the pasta tasted like Chef Boyardee at first, but the dish grew on me (both literally and figuratively!)

Service: 9
The staff was both friendly and "neighborhood familiar". The owner is a retired Coke executive from Egypt who stopped by our table to speak with us. He was very hands on, seen grating Parmesan cheese blocks tableside as he made his way around to each table. The service was quite efficient tonight. We were told that weekends are very busy.

Value: 7
$52 before tip for an appetizer, two pasta dishes and hot tea.

9 Overall Rating - Little Alley Steak 5/7/12

955 Canton Street
Roswell, GA
(770) 998-0440
http://littlealleysteak.com/

Little Alley Steak had just opened eight weeks prior to our visit.

Ambiance: 8
Eclectic decor with beautiful rustic wood partition and finishes, including three brick walls each with its own unique character. This lively restaurant is nestled in the heart of Roswell. The bar was hopping on a Monday night...I can only imagine what Thursday nights and weekends are like here! We liked the lights which were strung from meat hangers.

Food Quality: 9
Steaks brought in from Chicago's Meats by Linz.
We thoroughly enjoyed our NY Strip progression, each cut accompanied with its own salt. The Au Gratin goat cheese potatoes were rich in flavor - thinly cut potatoes were just right. The crunchy topping overpowers the dish though. It's good, but it just needs a bit less of it.

Wild mushrooms were oily, but tasty with garlic.













Bok choy - I would've liked more oyster sauce. You have to fish at the bottom of the dish to get any of it. The black pepper was a little too dominant, but I did like the contrast. As we ate more of the bok choy, we finally FOUND the black pepper oyster sauce - it's a zinger!
Fries - good, kinda like Five Guys, but not as good. The aoili that accompanied the fries was a nice alternative to ketchup.
Their bread was drenched in butter - oh my.

Service: 10
Full house, but everything was expedited very well from kitchen. Louis was our server - would highly recommend him.

Value: 7
You're gonna spend a little money here, but we did it right. Being pregnant, it helps cut down the bill ('cos we just drank water). We split the Strip Progression and four side dishes for only $77 before tip.

5 Overall Rating - The Union Restaurant 4/28/12

14275 Providence Road
Milton, GA 30004
(770) 569-7767
http://www.theunionrestaurant.com/

Dinner with George and Rosie for Rosie's birthday!

Ambiance: 7
This local joint is placed just off the side of Providence Road in the middle of a residential area. It's an interesting location, but I liked the set-up. The Union offers a small dining room, open kitchen with a small bar and covered patio seating. Live music is also available a few nights a week.

Food Quality: 4
I ordered the pepperoni pizza. It was a little too soggy for my liking and a bit bland. Greg ordered the Good Burger and thought it was pretty good. The fries were good - fresh hand-cut and the quality of ingredients were high. The meat itself was plentiful, but bland.

Rosie really liked her blackened Tilpia dish, which was tonight's special. Everyone seemed to like everything except for the pizza.

For dessert, I had the blueberry crisp. The crisp, if that's what you want to call it, was undercooked so it ruined the dish. The blueberry and vanilla ice cream "soup" was very tasty though.
Greg really enjoyed his coffee and doughnut dessert. I stole a doughnut and can attest to its goodness.

On my second visit to The Union, I had a side of Creamed Corn and it was delicious! I would highly recommend it! But I can't say the same for the rest of my meal. It was consistent with my first visit - just mediocre.

Service: 3
The waitress forgot to bring our waters after ordering them twice. Finally, after the 3rd request and after we had finished most of our dessert, she brought our waters.

Value: 9
Not bad at all. We had dinner for four with a couple drinks, 1 appetizer and 3 desserts for less than $130.

8 Overall Rating - No 246 4/22/12

29 E PONCE DE LEON AVE
DECATUR GA 30030
(678) 399-8246
http://www.no246.com/

Dinner w/Becky and Kristin


Ambiance: 8
Great little restaurant. We sat in the front which was lined with large open windows. The music was a little loud, of course making it hard for me to hear (sigh).

Food Quality: 8
I ordered the Agnolotti (spring carrot and ricotta, sweet peas, pea shoots, young carrots). This light pasta ravioli dish was fit for vegatarians and was quite tasty without feeling guilty. Kristin enjoyed her mushroom pizza and Becky thought her shrimp spaghetti hit the spot.

Service: 8
No complaints whatsoever.

Value: 8
Reasonably priced. Portions were fair.

4 Overall Rating - Red Sky Tapas & Bar 4/14/12

1255 Johnson Ferry Road
Suite 16
Marietta, GA 30068
770.973.0100
http://redskytapas.com/about.php

Red Sky w/Rosie and George

Ambiance: 7
Surprisingly nice restaurant in a busy strip mall. The dueling pianos were a nice touch, although I wish they started playing` earlier.

Food Quality: 4
Cornmeal breaded zuchini (2) - lacked flavor. The dish needed a remoulade. I didn't care for the pesto sauce accompiment
Plaintains (2) - the plaintains were ruined by the vinegar-based sauce
Coconut shrimp (6)- the shrimp was good and plentiful, but the sauce was disappointing. It tasted like store-bought duck sauce.
Skirt steak mac and cheeses (7) - was good.
Bacon wrapped scallops were decent (6)
Rosie's PB flourless brownie was delicious (9)

Service: 3
Our food was delivered very quickly, but none of Rosie and George's food came. We had to ask our servers for their food twice. Once the food arrived, Rosie & George were still missing two of their plates.

Value: 4

8 Overall Rating - Trattoria Il Centro in Oklahoma City, OK 2/28/12

500 West Main Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 601-5858

Dinner with Don and Karen. This was one of their favorite restaurants in OKC. Unfortunately, just weeks after we we ate here, the restaurant closed its doors.

Ambiance: 8
Open kitchen and dining room. Was surprised of the size and the number of seats in the dining room. I loved the italian opera music playing in the background.
OKC's downtown area...I'm disappointed that I have just experienced this area. Don and Karen were so kind to give me the car-tour driving by the OKC bombing memorial, canal area, bricktown, china town, and midtown. This little city always impresses...

Food Quality: 8
Calamari - wow , be ready because the marinara is spicy!
I had the Pumpkin Risotto Scallops which I'd describe as a savory dish with interesting elements of chopped onion and something else which was a little undercooked. The scallops were just a touch overcooked; they were tough and a little rubbery, but the risotto and sauce were nicely done.
Karen ordered the appetizer meatballs which were delicious!!! She said they were normally spicier but I liked them just the way they were which had a strong presence of black pepper.
For dessert, I had the Butterscotch Panna Cotta which was absolutely divine

Service: 10
Kyle was wonderful! It's always nice to go to a place where they know you (not me, but Don & Karen). He even knew where they were heading next for their trip - it was impressive.

Value: 6

3 Overall Rating - 5 Seasons Brewing 2/25/12

5 Seasons Brewing Company
The Prado
5600 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
http://www.5seasonsbrewing.com/5/

Greg, Brian, Meredith, Rory, Dave, Wade, Andrew, Trehub, Susan, Christine & Todd

Ambiance: 5
Enjoyed the casual, open space. The table was perfect for our group. The twelve of us were seated in the corner of the bar at a high-top table.

Food Quality: 3
The scallops were cooked perfectly, but aside from the buttery flavor, there were no other flavors which made the dish rather bland.
The spaetzel needed a little more salt, but the onions in the dish were a nice twist. The dish was luke warm when served and then cold by the time I finished it.
The shrimp & grits were bland, but the polenta cake grit was nicely done with a great flavor.
The Ahi tuna seaweed salad was good.
The bread served with the mussels was hard, but the presentation was good. The dish was spicy with black pepper and slightly watered down.

Service: 3
The service wasn't slow through drinks, but it took a long time before our server took our order, then he disappeared after delivering dessert. the kitchen's executions was very fast, however, especially for a large group.
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8 Overall Rating - Nine Street Kitchen 2/19/12

982 Canton Street
Roswell, GA 30075
(678)-682-3222
http://www.ninestreetkitchen.com/home.html

A late lunch with some of my favorite girlfriends...from Lady Smack - Colette & Amy!

Ambiance: 10
Depending on your mood...we came on a rainy Sunday for a late lunch. We sat on the porch, with live music!! Two fellas were playing acoustic guitar and singing - it was the perfect setting for our girls luncheon! There were heaters on the patio and blankets available for guests who wanted them. I loved it!


Food Quality: 7
We started with the Smoked Portabello soup - it was mighty tasty!

The Surf and Turf Quesadilla was loaded with a variety of ingredients, but was surprisingly a bit bland. Both Colette and Amy loved it though.

The Honey Chicken Salad was delicious. Served with a generous portion of chicken and a surprisingly sweet dressing. The dressing may be too sweet for the average person, but I really liked it.


Service: 9
Knowledgeable and perfectly timed. No complaints from me.

Value: 7
$76 for the three of us which included two entrees, one soup and three glasses wine.

No Rating - Cheeky Monkey in Winter Park, CO 2/13/12

http://cheekymonk.boomtime.com/

Bacon Gorgonzola Mussels

6 Overall Rating - Creekside Eatery in Winter Park, CO 2/11/12

Dinner out during Winter Park/Mary Jane ski trip with Greg, Rory, Paul and Susan

Ambiance: 4
Local Western Saloon bar and restaurant

Food Quality: 3
The salad bar was good, stocked well with fresh produce. The sweet potato puree soup was very good, just the perfect combination on a cold night.

The prime rib was just mediocre. My cut had far too much fat on it, but the au jus was good. It's a good thing we were skiing five days to burn off all this food!

Rory's Pork Chop had a great flavor, but it was dry and overcooked.

Unfortunately, Susan got sick from her meal. She had the seafood special which was supposed to be like a jambalaya but it turned out more like a bowl of seafood roux - it was disgusting.

Service: 8
The friendly, local service was great. It made the experience enjoyable.

Value: 8
Great prices for the quantity. $16.99 for prime rib special - salad bar, choice of side and veggies!

6 Overall Rating - Mountain Rose Cafe in Winter Park, CO 2/10/12

78542 US Highway 40
Winter Park, CO 80482
(970) 726-1374

Paul, Greg & I stopped at this local favorite a couple times during our ski trip in Winter Park/Mary Jane.

Ambiance: 5
This is a great little local spot. The small dining room and open kitchen is perfect for this local ski area.

Food Quality: 6
Greg's "Ain't Skairt o' Nuttin" was something to see - judging from the look of the plate, we should all be scared! I did try a bite and it was surprisingly amazing. It's a good thing we were spending the week skiing because I will need all the exercise I can get to work off this meal!

I ordered their quiche du jour which had mushrooms and some other stuff which I can't recall. The quiche lacked flavor, so it was quite disappointing after tasting Greg's dish. The biscuits & gravy were cold and the hashbrowns were bland.







On my second visit, I ordered their "Sweet Thing Breakfast Sandwich"...oh my. The strawberry sweetbread and honey cream cheese with sliced bananas and all the other yummy toppings were heavenly! It was the perfect dessert, except that this is a breakfast item. As I stated earlier, it's a good thing we're skiing five days because I'll have to work off the extra calories!

Service: 10
I loved the small-town nature of this restaurant and the friendly service that comes with it.

Value: 3
$50 for the three of us to have breakfast seems a little expensive.

7 Overall Rating - Kozmo Gastro Pub 2/2/12

Kozmo Gastro Pub
11890 Douglas Rd
Alpharetta, GA 30005
678) 526-6094
http://kozmogastropub.com/

Dinner and drinks with Stephanie.

Ambiance: 8
This little restaurant tucked away in an unsuspecting location lacks curb appeal, but once you step inside you'll be pleasantly surprised with what Kozmo Gastro Pub has to offer its patrons.

We ate at the bar where purse hooks were conveniently installed under the bar counters. For those who know me - you know I absolutely can't stand the thought of putting my purse on the dirty floor! While I do carry with me my own handy purse hanger, they don't always fit on the table and they do sometimes fall off of the table. I absolutely love built-in hooks!

I'd expect this restaurant to be located somewhere inside the Perimeter. It's nice to know that you can find a hot spot tucked away deep in the suburbs. Kozmo is simply finished with concrete floors throughout its restaurant. The lighting and upholstery in the dining room help to add warmth to the otherwise cold floors. Restrooms were simple as well, but could use better attention in terms of cleanliness.

Food Quality: 6
All food items come highly recommended. Stephanie's Kozmo Salad with the added salmon met much approval in terms of presentation, but the salmon portion looked awfully small. Luckily for her, she wasn't looking for a heavy meal.

Me, on the other hand, am never shy when it comes to food and especially foods rich in flavor. I opted for the not-so-healthy side of White Velvet Mac & Cheese and the Blackened Tilapia BLT. Sadly, both items were more deliciously described on the menu compared to how they tasted. They weren't bad by any stretch, but they just weren't as good as I had expected them to be. I would chalk it up to the menu engineer doing such a fabulous job "selling" their menu items...now the kitchen just needs to live up to expectations.

Although given a lower rating for food quality, I would definitely return and will look fowrard to trying other menu items as there were many appealing choices listed.

Service: 5
Service was fine, but I experienced nothing abovce average expectations.

Value: 6
Fair pricing. I wouldn't consider anything to be of great value, just what you might expect.