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 $

The Vortex-American

www.thevortexbarandgrill.com


18 yrs. and up ONLY

This was my second time at The Vortex.  They have two locations:  one in Midtown and one in Little Five Points.  I have only been to the Midtown location and only have been during the day time.

The atmosphere is great.  It has a HUGE bar area, tons of tables and booths, and the decor is a bikers paradise.

Now, on this most recent trip to The Vortex, Dave and I had lunch on a Sunday. Needless to say, there were not a lot of people around AND you got more of a restaurant feel.  Hey - you've got to pick and choose your times when you want to go to a restaurant that serves burgers WITHOUT your kids.  Usually we reserve burger serving restaurants for family night out.  THESE BURGERS ARE WORTH THE TRIP!


Our first visit to The Vortex was quite a while back (it was good enough to bring us back again). So I'll reserve my comments to the food we ordered this last visit.  Alright, I warn you, I ordered enough to feed Dave, myself AND the kids.  I wanted to try a little of eveything.

Our order:

Fried Zucchini served with a side of ranch - Very nice!  It was a huge serving!


A Cheeseburger and a Mushroom-Swiss burger (cheddar instead of swiss) - the burgers were AWESOME!  The mushrooms on my burger (Dave got the plain cheeseburger) were fantastic.  Definitely one of the best burgers I've had!!


Sides:  I wanted to try many:)


Onion Rings - They were good.  Also served with a side of ranch.  Very average, good onion rings.


Fries with a side of cheese dip -  Also good.  Very average, good fries.  The cheese dip was great!


Tater Tots -  My favorite!!  They were GREAT!  Yummy!

In summary, a good place for a simple meal.  I really would like to come back at night some time.  I can't comment on the night time atmosphere, but It looks like it would be hopping.

The vortex also has a comedy club inside the Midtown location. www.vortexcomedy.com  Haven't tried this yet, but it seems like it would be good for a night out!

Atmosphere - HIT!
Service - HIT!
Food - Burgers, Tater tots = HIT!
Price - HIT!


American Food - Known for their Burgers
Price - $
Bar atmosphere - large bar
A lot of tables and booths
ADULTS ONLY - 18+

Atmosphere Bistro -French

www.atmospherebistro.com

Dave and I came here just three short weeks ago and LOVED Atmosphere Bistro!  We returned just this past weekend to celebrate our anniversary.

This restaurant is located in a beautiful old house in mid-town.  It has a really nice outdoor seating area as well - not great for hot summers in the ATL but nice for all other times of year. Also, the restaurant has valet parking.  The bar area is not large but nice enough to sit and have a drink before dinner (which we did because we arrived thirty minutes before our reservation time).  We loved the atmosphere...small tables, low noise level, and dim lighting.  The service was excellent both times that we have been.  The waiters really know their stuff!  We had a different waiter each time we went, and their recommendations were right on.

On our first visit we ordered:

Escargots cooked in a garlic butter sauce - our waiter recommended that you put them on the bread to eat, then use the bread to soak up the left over garlic butter.  DELICIOUS!!  is putting it mildly!

French rolls are served at the beginning of the meal with softened butter - You may think I'm crazy, but to me that is the key to an outstanding restaurant.  I HATE having to spread chilled butter onto bread.    Maybe I am picky after all.

Terrine de lapin maison similar to a pate.  We ate this on the bread as well.  Very, very good.


Confit de canard  oh, oh the duck.  C'est manifique!  We have searched high and low for somewhere to get some good duck.  Atmosphere delivered.  The duck is reminiscent to what we had in a cafe in Paris except that it is served with a sauce.  We think that next time we may ask to have it served without the sauce...we'll see.  The potatoes and green beans that the duck is served with are a nice accompaniment BUT next time, we'll ask for the frites - we discoverd them this last time and they are AWESOME!!


For dessert Profiterolles - very nice.   We split dessert and this was not too heavy to round off the evening.


On our second/latest visit we ordered:


Fois gras du jour - all I can say is WOW!  That night the fois gras was served in a cherry, port reduction sauce with dried cherries on top, on a piece of "toast".  You don't get a lot, but it is extremely rich and an adequate portion to share a few bites.  This was a phenomenal dish!

Escargots - yes, again.  I know how unoriginal we must be to have ordered the same dish again (we do this often), but I had been dreaming of these escargots.  Really, that good!


The special for the night Peppercorn encrusted beef tenderloin in a ? sauce served with Frites and green beans - the tenderloin was cooked perfectly.  I ordered the sauce on the side (I'm not a sauce on my steak kind of gal) and had to remove the majority of the peppercorns.   Even so, the steak was very good.  Dave and I shared our entrees.  But the FRITES were PERFECTION!  Soaked in water overnight and twice fried in peanut oil - the true Dutch, Belgian, French way.  Also, I was asked if I would like a side of mayonaise (or ketchup) for my frites - the true way to my heart.  Having grown up in the Netherlands, eating frites with mayo (frites met) as often as I could, this meant a lot to me!


We skipped on dessert, as we were stuffed, but we had mentioned it was our anniversary and the management sent us out a Creme Brulee - it was definitely the thought that counted on this one.  It was not my absolute favorite.  (Maybe I was just full.)  The pudding was very chilled (maybe it was supposed to be) but the topping was done very well - not burnt as I have had it before.  You'll just have to make your own judgement on this one.  Probably not the dessert I would've chosen.


So, in summary, I give the:


Atmosphere - a HIT
Service - a HIT
Food - a HIT, HIT, HIT!
Price - a HIT

French bistro
Great for couples, romantic
small, quaint
$$

Intro to my Blog

I LOVE to eat.  My memory stinks BUT if you asked me what I ate at a certain restaurant 15 years ago - I'll be able to tell you.  Food, good or bad, is a point of reference for me.  I told my husband Dave that my dream jobs would be (A) a restaurant critic or (B) a travel guide - food is involved in this job too, obviously!  I love to eat AND travel.

The purpose of this blog is to give decent reviews of restaurants that are in the Metro-Atlanta area.  I am always on the look-out for a great place to eat.  ALL types of restaurants will be reviewed!  Fancy, fun for couples, family etc...

Let me know if you agree with the review or if you found your dining experience to be different.  As we all know, some restaurants are hit or miss.  Hopefully, I'll help you find some that are always are HIT!