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.