Sushi Nami - Japanese

5316 Windward Pkwy # B
Alpharetta, GA 30004-6408
(678) 566-3889


This is a lunch hot spot in Alpharetta.  Dave has been a number of times with co-workers and loves it.  He FINALLY decided that I needed to give it a try!  We went early on a Friday night without the kiddos.  The restaurant's atmosphere is nothing special.  There is a long sushi bar (three sushi chefs were working diligently behind it) and maybe twenty tables??  Not a huge place.  The food MORE than makes up for the lack of "atmosphere".  It was absolutely superb.  The menu is quite large.  It has an assortment of sashimi, rolls, soups, salads, and hot dishes.


Here is what we ordered and enjoyed.


Miso Soup - Simple, yet delicious!  


Nigiri Sushi:


Yellow Fin  and White Tuna - Again, delicious.  The tuna is served over a tablespoon of white rice. Perfect.


Rolls - I really enjoyed the way the rolls were prepared at Sushi Nami.  They have more of the nori and less rice...definitely healthier.


Avocado Roll - yum
Tuna Roll - yum
Salmon Roll - yum


Specialty Rolls:


Salmon Twist Roll - This was the most FANTASTIC roll I believe I have ever had.  It tastes so fresh.  It has avocado and salmon wrapped around it with tempura shrimp on the inside.  Yummy!!


Whey U @ Roll - Excellent as well.  This roll is a fried california roll with spicy tuna and spicy mayonnaise on top. Really good!!




Atmosphere - MISS but no big deal because....
Food - is a HIT! HIT! HIT!
Service - HIT!
Price - HIT!

Ormsby's - Gastropub

www.ormsbysatlanta.com

We met some friends in Midtown at Ormsby's for a night out.  What a neat tucked-away restaurant.  There is a long bar upstairs and many booths and tables.  But, my greatest surprise came after dinner when our friends suggested we go get a drink downstairs.  We walked down the stairway in the middle of the restaurant to find a "basement" bar.  It wasn't some trendy, get dressed up to go to bar - NO!  It was a REAL bar!  There were dart boards, bocce, pool, shuffleboards and even backgammon.  What a great place to hang out...too bad we were on a time limit this time!

Now, for the food and drink (upstairs)...it was really good.  Here is what we ate:

Appetizers:

Calamari - It was cooked perfectly.  To Dave's surprise, they also fry up lemon slices and mix it in with the calamari.  A great taste together - a little bitter by itself.  Also, on the platter were small, diced, fried jalapenos - spicy!!

Hummus with pita - This was yummy!!  

Entrees:

Fish and Chips - Dave ordered this and says that the fish was the best he had ever had on a fish and chips platter.

The Bruno Burger - This is a hamburger topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and provolone.  A great burger!

Atmosphere - HIT! HIT! HIT!
Food - HIT!
Price - HIT!
Service - HIT!

Hal's On Old Ivy - Steak House

www.hals.net

Hal's On Old Ivy is an old school steak house in Buckhead.  Dave and I vote this restaurant as having the absolute BEST steak in Atlanta.  The restaurant has a comfortable bistro-like atmosphere.  They have two floors of dining with a bar on each floor.  We went back recently with friends, and this is what we ordered:

First of all, you start off with toasted garlic bread - yum!

Appetizers:

Shrimp Stuffed with Crab Remoulade - This was really good.  On the menu it is offered without the crab, but our waiter recommended adding the crab meat.

Hal's is noted for its oyster selection.  Our friend ordered a half dozen for an appetizer and was very pleased.

Salads:

Hal's Chopped Salad - Dave and I both had this.  It was excellent.

Iceberg Wedge - Both of our friends had this one and said it was very good.

Sides:

Lyonnese Potatoes - These were excellent; perfectly cooked with caramelized onions.

Sauteed Spinach - Dave thoroughly enjoyed the spinach.  I thought it was just o.k.

Mashed cheddar cheese potatoes - This dish was the only disappointment of the evening, and they weren't bad.  They just weren't anything special.  The dish isn't even on the menu.

Steaks:

Prime Bone-In 22 oz. Ribeye - OH YEAH, I ATE THIS!!  This is the BEST steak!!  It is served in a butter sauce.  Absolute perfection! I kid you not!!

Filet Mignon 12 oz. - My friend ordered this, and I was allowed a taste.  First of all, it is a huge filet!  It was melt in your mouth tender.  I preferred the actual flavor of the ribeye, but my friend preferred the filet after tasting my ribeye.  Both are excellent!

Dessert:

Cheesecake - Now, I must preface this review with the fact that I am a cheesecake snob.  Hal's cheesecake is good but not excellent.  

Bread Pudding - I didn't have this.  I personally am not a bread pudding fan,  but Dave had it and really enjoyed it.

All in all, an excellent meal in a great atmosphere!  Again, I must reiterate, Hal's has the best steak in Atlanta.

Atmosphere:  HIT!

Food:  HIT! HIT! HIT!

Price:  $$$  (Expensive steaks but very reasonable sides, salads, and appetizers!  You get what you pay for.)

Service: HIT!

Goldfish-Seafood, Sushi,and Steaks

www.h2sr.com

Love it! Love it! Love it!

We have been to this restaurant a number of times over the years.  It consistently serves up excellent food!

This restaurant is located in Dunwoody at Perimeter Mall.  We have never taken the children.  It is more of an adult restaurant (at least at night), which is one of the reasons we enjoy going.  There is a large separate bar area with a very nice bar and live music.  There is also a sushi bar area in the back of the restaurant.  The restaurant has many tables and very large booths.

Goldfish offers a HUGE menu of seafood and steak.  They also offer a sushi menu.  We have typically ordered from the sushi menu.

Our favorites:

Appetizers:

Miso Soup

Calamari

We have also tried the Mediterranean Hummus platter - it was not quite as good as we have had at other places.

Makimono (8 rolls) each:

Dragon: shrimp tempora, snow crab, eel, avocado, terriyaki glaze
Super Crunchee: shrimp tempora, avocado, smoked salmon, mayo, terriyaki
Spicy Tuna Roll
Spider: fried soft shell crab, cucumber, radish, asparagus
Yukon: fried lobster tail, avocado, red tobiko, terriyaki glaze, spicy mayo
Yummy: (flash fried) yellow tail tuna, salmon, scallion, cream cheese, ponzu sauce

(Me thinks I see a trend...most have something fried in them.)

We usually order an assortment of rolls to share - delicious!

Food - HIT! HIT! HIT!
Atmosphere - HIT!
Service - Consistently a HIT!
Price - $$

Sugar Pike Junction Restaurant - Breakfast, Lunch Sandwich Shop

2855 Lower Union Hill Rd Canton, GA 30115

Serving Breakfast and Lunch from 7am - 3pm Mon - Sat, 8am - 3pm Sun

This place is what some would call a "shack"... AND THE FOOD IS AWESOME!!  Now, this is not somewhere you want to dress up to go to.  There's no need.  You may just want to order your meal to-go.  There are a couple of (and I do mean 2) large tables on the inside and a few picnic table outside.

Dave and I went for lunch a few days ago.  I ordered a DELUXE chicken salad sandwich on a toasted roll.  The deluxe chicken salad has grapes, apples, pecans, and celery.  It was the perfect chicken salad sandwich.  I don't believe I've had better!  Dave ordered the pressed cuban sandwich.  Again, perfectly toasted and perfectly delicious!  We were so impressed.  Their sweet tea is also incredibly good.  We just had to try a little something else while we were there, so Dave went back in and ordered some potato salad.  He absolutely loved it.  I am a potato salad snob, and I like mine with sweet pickles.  This was not that type, but I will admit it was good.

We plan on coming back for breakfast some time soon.  They have all different kinds of biscuits, wraps and platters.  Their lunch menu has many different types of cold subs, hot subs, hot dogs, hamburgers, salads etc...  I've got to go back for lunch to try some of the other sandwiches!!

If you're looking for something quick to eat or to take-out - give this place a try!

Atmosphere - It is what it is...
Food - HIT! HIT! HIT!
Service - HIT!
Price - HIT! ($4.99 for my sandwich was not bad at all!)

Pure Taqueria-Mexican

www.puretaqueria.com

There are four Pure Taqueria's in the Metro-Atlanta area.  The only one that I have been to is the Woodstock location.

This is a new restaurant/bar in old town Woodstock.  I have been four different times.  Three times for lunch with friends and once for dinner with the family.  This restaurant has been a HIT or MISS place for me - one that I'm really not that sure of.  So you ask, "What keeps you coming back?"  The answer:  There are very few places in Woodstock to meet friends out to eat for lunch that are not just "chains".  Let me know if you know of some better places in the area because I want to try them!

Let's start with the positives.  The roof top bar is a great place to eat in nice weather and hang out in the evenings.  It's definitely the most hopping place in Woodstock for the adult crowd at night.  There's a great atmosphere on the roof!  The inside, now this is just MY opinion, leaves much to be desired.  It really has no atmosphere.  The tables are all really close together and the decor is just bland.  Nothing special, to be sure.  It can get very crowded and loud inside - this includes the enclosed "porch" area.

The food...it really has been a Hit or Miss.  Here is what I've tried:

Appetizers:
Guacamole y tostados - very good, fresh guacamole!!
Salsa - very average salsa.
Queso with jalepenos - Very average cheese dip.


Entrees:
Pescado - (Three fish tacos with slaw)  This is the first entree I had at Pure.  I was not crazy about it.  The taste was extremely bland.  Also, Pure uses corn-masa tortillas which gives the dish a distinct taste - one that I was not crazy about.  After this first entree, I had decided that I had no burning desire to return here to eat.


Chicken and rice soup - I did return to Pure for lunch with a friend, and this is what I ordered.  It was just OK.  It was very spicy!  It was quite a large serving so I brought my left-overs home.  The left-overs never got eaten.  This should speak for itself...in my home left-overs ALWAYS get eaten.


Taquitos de pollo - My first real food HIT at this restaurant.  They were very good!! AND we ate on the roof top bar for the first time (it was a beautiful day) so everything was working out for me!  Of course, I DID have to rush out to pick up a sick child from school, but we were finished with lunch, so it didn't ruin anything :)  


Kids Meals - We had a very difficult time finding something that our youngest would eat.  He's not a huge Mexican food fan...and, at that time, that's all that was offered for kids.  I'm only writing this for you parents out there who have children that can be picky at restaurants.  This is not a restaurant that my children wish to return to.


So, in summary, this restaurant is HIT or MISS for me depending on what I order, where I sit, and how crowded it is.  Will I return?  Probably...at least for the guacamole, the taquitos, and roof top atmosphere.


Atmosphere - roof top = HIT ; inside = MISS
Food - Hit or Miss depending
Service - Hit
Price - Hit



Party atmosphere on roof top at night
Cool roof top bar and seating area
$

Taco Mac-American

www.tacomac.com 

Best Family Restaurant and Sports Bar!  

When my family wants to go out to eat on a Friday or Saturday night, Taco Mac is always thrown into the choices of where we should go.  I'd say eight out of ten times, we wind up there.  Everyone is always happy with their food!

Taco Mac is now what is considered a chain restaurant.  It originated in the Virginia-Highland area of Atlanta.  The original Taco Mac is still there and offers a much different atmosphere than the other newer versions.  I'll review it as well.  There are many Taco Mac's around Metro-Atlanta, and now there's one in Tennessee and one coming in North Carolina.   Why is the chain growing?

The Food is AWESOME, the price is right, and the size of their beer list is incredible!

The original Taco Mac, located in Virginia-Highlands, is small, cozy, and a throw back to the restaurant's "humble" beginnings.  Click on the link to the Taco Mac website to read about how the restaurant began.  Dave and I have been to this one once.  We were with some friends after a night on the town in the Highlands, and we stopped by for some late night vittles.  Loved it! - the atmosphere is definitely not the same as the newer versions (no arcade :) - at least I don't think there is.)

A typical, chain Taco Mac is large with many booths and tables.  There are flat screen t.v.'s all over the place, broadcasting a variety of sporting events.  The bar area is large.  There is also an arcade usually offering six or more games (some Taco Mac's have a separate room for the arcade).  It is usually LOUD and can get  pretty crowded, so it doesn't matter how loud your crowd can get - you'll just blend right in.

Now for the food.  The following is what we typically order when we go to Taco Mac:

Chili con Queso - served with freshly cooked chips AND tortillas AND salsa.  Taco Mac's salsa is YUMMY and the Queso is perfect!!  It's hard to find better!  This is a standard appetizer order for us...everyone in my family loves it.


Mozzarella Sticks - pretty average cheese sticks.  The kids really like these so we order them on occassion.


WINGS! WINGS! WINGS!  This is what Taco Mac is noted for.  Their wings are EXCEPTIONAL!  No, really, UTTERLY PERFECT!   Did I make my point?  I order them with two sides of blue cheese sauce.  If you have a craving for wings - go to Taco Mac!


Kenmore Burger - My favorite burger of all time!  It has sauteed onions, mushrooms, and smoked applewood bacon with swiss cheese (of which I always change to cheddar).  Dave actually orders his with swiss and cheddar.   This burger is ALWAYS done perfectly at all of the Taco Mac's we have been to.  Absolutely LOVE it!


Sides:


Fries - are always yummy.  Cooked perfectly, with just a little seasoning.  You are served A LOT of fries!


Onion Rings - These are really done well here.  I definitely recommend trying them!  Dave will order them as his side a lot and then share.  We always have WAY too many fries if we all order them as a side - so you get to have both this way!


From the Kids Menu:


Chicken Tenders, Chicken Nuggets, Burger, and Corn Puppies - are all a favorite of our kiddos.  These are served with a drink, a side (my kids always get the fries) and an oreo cookie packet.


*There are many other options for food at Taco Mac, including salads, burritos, tacos etc...   We just seem to go when we have a craving for the above mentioned items.


Atmosphere: a Hit
Food:  a Hit
Service: a Hit
Price:  a Hit


Great Family Restaurant
Great place to watch sports
Awesome beer list, serves pitchers
Always quick service
Price $