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.

Overall Rating - Azul Agave Mexican Bar & Cantina 10/11/11

4120 Old Milton Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30005
678-566-0169
www.azulagaverestaurant.com/

Alex, Julie, Lindsay

Ambiance: 7
Azul offers a great ambiance with its beautiful wood trim throughout the dining room. The location is bad, however. As you're traveling east on Old Milton Parkway, you have to make a U-turn in order to get to the parking lot.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was nearly empty aside from our table and just a couple others. The restaurant has potential, but it may face the same outcome as its predecessors.

Food Quality: 7
The food was pretty good. I liked the tofu veggie fajitas. The only complaint from our table was that the drinks were small and diluted.

Service: 9
Our server, Mark, was extremely attentive. The girls call him "sneaky" because he was always at our table. He waited near our table while I put my leftovers in a box and he was quick to remove the dirty dishes. I guess you could argue that with so few tables in the restaurant, the service should have been impeccable.

Value: 7