by Matt R. on Not what I expected to find in Midtown Atlanta. After a long day on airplanes, delayed three hours due to thunderstorms and tornados, I rolled into Atlanta way too late. I'd planned to arrive around 6, to enjoy the town a bit, but didn't crawl into my hotel until nearly 9. What's open? What's good? rateclubs tells me about Ecco's Sunday night special. I'm in. It was a fantastic way to end a bad day. The wine list was expansive and interesting (although no local product--hey, climate change lets the good grapes grow in the Appalachian foothills), and the Frescobaldi super-Tuscan warmed the soul. The service was friendly and informed. The Sunday special menu picked out the best pizza and pasta choices. I went with a pancetta, kale, and orechiette masterpiece. Warm, spicy, rich, tasty, it took care of the bitterness accumulated from three hours in the food wasteland of PHX. For dessert, I just went with a glass of Puglian Primitivo, which insured that the warmth followed me home. I promised the bartender I'd be back, and after a few days of work, I came back for a proper dinner. Once again, it was excellent. I found one seat at the end of the bar and perused the wine and food menus. I realized this wasn't SF small plates, so I had to moderate the selection, but the bartender (the other one) worked through all the choices to help me assemble a great meal. While this was sorted out, my next-door-barstool-neighbor received her dinner guest. Rather than have them pull up an extra chair, I moved to a spare single seat a few places down, and for my troubles the fine folks at the bar bought my next glass of wine. Nice places attract nice people. The food was excellent. A broiled dish of cauliflower, bathed in bagna cauda, helped me fix my Atlanta vegetable drought. Amazing in flavor, texture, and execution. The Siciian style steak was another winner (recommended by the staff) and was cooked to the chef's preference (he knew best) with a side of roasted tomatoes. Strip steak isn't always the best for me, due to my strong aversion to visible fat and gristle, but the taste made everything better. For dessert, I made room for the beignets, and a little inquiry at the bar lead to an impromptu grappa tasting to back up all that sugar and fat. Seriously, this place could teach a lot of SF places about how to do upscale Italian. No compromises on the food, no attitude despite the very cool and trendy atmosphere, and reasonable prices for respectable entrees. I think better of Atlanta.
by monica s. on Pietro's boasts my favorite salad in Philly. Like, FAVORITE. Here's how you can't go wrong: Mediterranean Salad with the sauteed chicken. It comes with grilled shrimp by default, but do yourself the favor and sub those out for the chicken; you'll be the envy of the table. The salad's large enough to have as a meal and props if you can finish the thing yourself. I'm also obsessed with their rolls and how they consistently serve them right from the oven. Mix some olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper together for the perfect bread dipping sauce. When it comes to brick oven pizza, theirs is the best. I'm particularly fond of the mushroom topping. Pietro's is my reliable fall back plan when no one can decide where to eat.
by Ligia Hockema on My club review checklist Music - check (played hiphop that night) Crowd - check (it was crowded with mostly mid 20 somethings) Friends - check (hanging out with good folks) VIP table and bottle service rocks. The servers kept a continous flow of juices and vodka to our table. We had ample seating and space to dance in the VIP area.
