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.