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+
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
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
$$
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!
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