7 Overall Rating - Miller Union 10/30/10

Miller Union
999 Brady Avenue Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30318
(678) 733-8550
http://www.millerunion.com/site/



Greg, Jeffrey and Doug

Ambiance: 10
Lately, I've been disappointed with the acoustics in the new places that we've tried. Although the interiors were trendy and looked impressive, it was very hard to hear others at our table. Miller Union actually does a great job creating a clean, soft ambiance with great acoustics for conversation. The restaurant consists of three separate dining rooms, one with large windows overlooking patio seating and a small bar at the entrance.

Food Quality: 5
The food was average. We started with the cornmeal fritters which were bland; however, Greg enjoyed his rabbit prune spread. I did enjoy the duck breast entree. The duck was seasoned wonderfully; however, the entree could've used a very small starch to finish the plate. The duck and succotash were tasty, but left you wanting just a little more of something else. For dessert, we ordered the apple-pecan cake served w/caramel ice cream. The ice cream was delicious; but, the cake tasted like a bran muffin.

Service: 7
Our server was fine; knowledgeable of the menu. He did, however, add an extra $100 to our tab when he split the check. He apologized profusely when we brought it to his attention and rectified it immediately.

Value: 5
Fair. $120 will get you 2 drinks, 2 apps, 2 entrees, 1 dessert and covers gratuity.

4 Overall Rating - Floataway Cafe 10/28/10

1123 Zonolite Road NE Suite 15
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 892-1414
http://www.starprovisions.com/

Ambiance: 5
The interior was on the trendier side, but the open industrial theme resulted in horrible acoustics. I really struggled to hear the conversation all evening. There was one bonus though, there plenty of self-parking spots available.

Food Quality: 3
Both Kristin and Becky really enjoyed their dinners. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my dinner. I didn't have an issue with the apple salad, but I thought it was overpriced. The pappardelle carbonara was bland. It should have been a slam dunk with the house cured bacon and parmesan. Although the pasta was cooked perfectly, it lacked flavor.

Service: 5
Had to request water first time. Our server also gave us the wrong bill.

Value: 6

4 Overall Rating - Village Burger 10/23/10

1426 Dunwoody Village Parkway
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 522-1600
http://villageburger.com/







Ambiance: 2
This location was formerly home to Dunwoody's Brusters ice cream in the Dunwoody Plaza. It's a great casual place to bring kids or hang out for a low-key bite to eat for lunch or dinner. They optimize their small plot of real estate by offering patio seating on three sides of the building and they even expand seating into the parking lot. We just happened to drive by Village Burger earlier this afternoon and noticed their sign so we decided to come back around 7:30 this evening, only to find a 15 foot line out the front entrance. We drove around the building and stopped to talk with one of the patrons to ask her how the food was. She raved about it...claiming to have dined here three times previously. This place has only been open for one month...and this patron has been here four times already with her husband. Five Guys...watch out!

Similar to Taqueria del Sol, with only four weeks under their belt and limited marketing, this place is already becoming a local favorite judging from the line out the door. You walk in and order your food at the counter (thus, the long line and reference to Taqueria del Sol), then you grab a table and wait for your food to be delivered. Beer and wine are also available, and for dessert, they offer frozen custard which can be ordered in a cone, as a shake or as a sundae with a selection of popular premium candy :)

Food Quality: 4
We were so excited to try this place, especially after speaking with their customer. However, our excitement led to disappointment. The french fries were overcooked (both the house seasoned fries and regular fries). My cheeseburger was mediocre; honestly, I probably would have enjoyed a McD’s Quarter Pounder just the same. That’s not saying that it was a bad burger. To clarify, I actually happen to like McD’s Quarter Pounders a good bit. It’s just that I would have expected the burger to be as good as Burger King’s Whopper, but that wasn’t the case. Greg said that his hot dog was spectacular, so at least they did have one redeeming quality.

Service: 7
Friendly, enthusiastic service; although our food took a little longer than expected.

Value: 9
Price point was excellent, even for my frugal friends :)

No Rating - Red Mango 10/11/10

Dunwoody Hall Shopping Center
5568 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd.
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Phone: 678 395 7366
sun-thurs: 11am-10pm
fri-sat: 11am-11pm
http://www.redmangousa.com/default.html



Yesterday, we saw a lot of foot traffic coming from the corner of the Dunwoody Publix shopping plaza and found this little gem. We decided to try it out during a break between our 7p and 9p volleyball matches. This is not the typical place I would write about, but it was a unique experience and one that definitely deserves a little attention. Interesting concept, one which I would describe as a frozen yogurt/smoothie buffet. You can select any combination of the 12 frozen yogurt flavors and build your own sundae, parfait or smoothie from the topping bar which was stocked full of fresh fruit, almonds, granola, nuts, candies, and select dry cereals! You pay $0.45/ounce, so you can have as little or much as your heart desires!

9 Overall Rating - Serpas 10/09/10

659 Auburn Ave. N.
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 688-0040
http://www.serpasrestaurant.com







Chef Scott Serpas




Recommended by Kristin and Aaron a couple years ago. Sadly, it's taken me this long to get here.










Greg and I were out with Todd, Rory and Wade for a birthday celebration.




Ambiance: 7
When we arrived at 7:30, the restaurant was pretty empty; I think there were only two other tables in use. By 9:15, all of the tables inside were full. I love the backdrop of exposed brick along the entire interior wall and the open kitchen. We sat at the first table by the kitchen; it felt like the chef's table. However, the metal chairs were a little uncomfortable and the draft coming from the overhead a/c unit didn't help.

Brief note about the restroom facilities - the guys were impressed w/the deep dish urinals. There was only one large sink, located between the men's and women's restroom to be shared by both genders.

Food Quality: 10
The menu was excellent - great appetizers, good entree selection and fantastic dessert menu. Rory was kind enough to share his Duck Rolls - they very good with a slight kick - just right. The blue cheese eggplant hush puppies were rich with flavors. They were a little too rich for me, but were a big hit at the table.
Rory's pork chop entree was not lacking in size...absolutely divinely flavored!

Chef Scott Serpas gets major bonus points! He stopped by our table and shared some tips. The pork is delivered already brined. It's a high quality cut, w/lots of marble and served atop a port wine reduction. YUMMY! This was the best pork I've ever tasted!

Their Tuna tartar was sweet and refreshing, yet spicy. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I will forewarn you that it brings plenty of heat. The french fries were very good...similar to Five Guys french fries. (Yea, I know...it's probably not what the Chef would want to hear, but I love potatoes and I can't help but admit that Five Guys french fries are quite good!)



Service: 9.5
Good service. However, we almost had a mishap when we ordered the praline chocolate cake, brown sugar cake and pear tart. Our server told us they just sold their last pear tart. While our table tried to decide on a 3rd dessert for the group to share, another server walked behind our server and informed her that they actually do have the pear tart. We asked the other server why she did that to us, and she responded, "I just like f'in with you". It was a bold statement, but with this crowd, she got away with it. The guys broke out in laughter and had a good time with it.

Value: 8
Great quality, fair price. Spent $277 (including tax and gratuity) for 5 of us.

6 Overall Rating - So Kong Dong 10/02/10

5280 Buford Hwy NE # C
Doraville, GA 30340-1117
(678) 205-0555



So Kong Dong was recommended by Q. We're always looking for good Korean BBQ, especially one that's closer than all the places off of Pleasant Hill Rd.

Ambiance: 3
I expected to find tile floors and a walk-up counter based on comments from Q, but I was pleasantly surprised to find hardwood floors and decorative partitions in the restaurant. Once we got past the exterior and loud music blaring into the parking lot from the neighboring Mexican billiards bar, we actually enjoyed our experience.







Food Quality: 7
The squid side dish was too spicy for me, but very good. The Korean BBQ ribs were good, but not as flavorful as the BBQ short ribs that I've had at Chung Dam or Honey Pig.




Service: 6
Our server was very helpful. She steered us away from several dishes that she described as "food that only Koreans like" and guided us toward the "American-friendly" side of the menu. It was cute. The rest of the service was fine; it was adequate, but not exceedingly friendly.

Value: 10
$36 including tip got us 2 entrees, 2 teas and several side dishes!

8.5 Overall Rating - Taki Japanese Steakhouse 09/19/10

4711 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Suite 12
Atlanta, GA 30338
770-522-8888
http://takijapanese.com/
Located just north of Perimeter Mall in the Walmart shopping center, next to Viceroy

This location has been opened for approximately eight months. After a long day in the sun and playing against a full slate of solid competition in Amber's Acceleration Fitness Last Blast women's sand volleyball tournament, I had developed a full appetite and was ready to dive into a hefty dinner! Greg got up at the crack of dawn, stayed at the courts most of the day to support me and was also ready for a well-deserved meal. Taki was just right for both us!

Ambiance: 10
We were pleasantly surprised by the beatiful decor, dark wood accents, warm lighting and stone walls throughout the restaurant. We ate in the back hibachi area where they had six large hibachi tables. The corridor leading to the hibachi area was lined with a wine bottle display, fit for your trendy seeker. The restaurant was nicely appointed with leather or faux leather modern style soft seating throughout. The restrooms were furnished with up-to-date fixtures and was well-kept.



Food Quality: 8
The salad dressing was very good; sweeter than some people may like it, but we really enjoyed it. The miso soup was average.

I've never been offered garlic butter to add directly on top of my fried rice, but this place offered and I would highly recommend accepting this if you like garlic and if you're not on a date! Their yummy sauce isn't as good as Lee's Golden Buddha & Mo Mo Ya's, but the ginger sauce is almost as good as anywhere I've been, yet lighter in flavor. As a finishing touch, they gave the entire table a sample of their noodles which were quite tasty (again, on the sweeter side). Greg ordered the shrimp and steak hibachi meal; I ordered the NY strip hibachi meal. Portion sizes were generous (you gotta like that!)

Service: 9
Friendly staff, our chef was accommodating to special requests made by others at our table.

Value: $61 for two entrees and two teas. Entrees came w/soup, salad, two shrimp, rice and vegetables
Prices are probably comparable to Benihana and Lee's Golden Buddha & Mo Mo Ya