Tips for Dining, Eating and Food Shopping in the South
Start New ThreadWe will be in Atlanta over the Martin Luther King weekend and am looking for some good food recs for a couple of dinners. Downtown preferred. Nothing super pricey (would like the mains to be under $30). Cuisines American New, Italian, French, seafood.
Recs for good casual eats for breakfast and lunch also appreciated. TIA
By bnemes3343
on Jan 5, 2009 08:02 AM
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Here's 4...
Nicer/Dinner:
Repast: http://www.repastrestaurant.com/
4th & Swift: http://www.4thandswift.com/
Casual:
Taqueria del Sol: http://www.taqueriadelsol.com/ (lunch
)Thumb's Up Diner: http://www.thumbsupdiner.com/ (breakfast/brunch) Close to MLK Center (if that's what you're in town for).
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Thanks, they all look nice. Know anything about Rathburns, Restaurant Eugene or Aria?
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Of the 3, I would choose Restaurant Eugene in a split second.
My impression of Rathbun's is good but I just haven't been there before. Aria is a little too flashy for me. Kind of a see-and-be-seen feel to that restaurant. I enjoy Restaurant Eugene because the chef is more of an ingredient-driven kind of guy. He does things because he likes the food, not necessarily the glitz of a fancy restaurant... not to say that his restaurant is by any means a hole in the wall! If you go on Sunday night they have a $30, 3 course menu available with a reduced menu. One app, one entree, one dessert = $30.
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Thanks again. We're only there for two dinners, so I think we're in good shape. Probably Eugene and Repast.
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Two great choices.
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Good choices. Repast is one of the my favorites for price and quality. I might prefer Rathbun's for the festive atmosphere and small plates (including great $3 desserts) but I think the food is better at Repast. I had an amazing steak and a banana bread pudding to die for. Surprisingly, you can pick up $25 coupons for Repast for $10 on Restaurant.com, which makes a very reasonable dinner almost a bargain. Enjoy.
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I have reservations for Repast on Saturday and Eugene on Sunday. Thanks for the tip on the coupon. I will check it out.
Checked out restaurant.com - unfortunately you can't use the coupon at Repast on Saturday. Just Mon - Fri.
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So after meals at Repast and Eugene's I have to give big kudos to Atlanta (I know it was a small sampling, but...). Repast was one of the best meals my wife and I have had anywhere. Starters were roast beets with shaved fennel Parm Reg and pine nuts. Wasn't expecting anything great, but, believe me, they were. I had the seared fois gras with sour cherry compote - outstanding (my only gripe was that this was an unpriced special on the menu and turned out to be $18 - my fault for not asking). For mains, I had veal cheeks with roasted root veggies and, if I remember correctly, a creamy polenta. I will be remembering this for a long time. Really outstanding and a value at $28. My wife had the crabcakes (she's from Baltimore). Not a Maryland crab cake, but that's just because there was no Old Bay. THey were outstanding. Really great lump crabmeat and a wonderful mystery coating that gave a little crunch. Their final coup was to ofter a tasting menu of desserts in addiition to full courses. 3 for $14 and 4 for $16. We had the lemon chiffon, pumkin brulee and banana bread pudding (the latter took theprize even though they were all great). Being able to sample dessert in this is a great idea. Had a nice reasonably priced wine.
Next night (Sunday) was Rest. Eugene. They offer a 3 course menu of $29, so this was hard to passup (given the prices of their regular menu). Had a winter lettuce salad and a cream of cauliflower for starters. Fried chicken and a pork chop. All the food was very good, but I would probably give my vote to Repast (of course, we didn't try Eugene's regular menu). One complaint with Eugene is their wine list. Almost nothing under $50. I'm sure they were great wines, but it seems that you can include some $25 to $50 bottles without slumming too much.
So hats off to Atlanta!
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btw, should add that, at repast, there were at least a dozen dishes I saw going to other diners that I was drooling over, including an incredible looking piece of fish in a wonderful looking broth. Service was first class, even the wine pouring by the waiter that I usually don't like (because they forget). Presentation of all dishes was outstanding.
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Glad you liked it, the owners/chefs are a really wonderful part of the ATL food scene.
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