by Marcus D. on I suppose myself and the hundreds of others waiting in line and pounding down cheesesteaks are now members of the Klan, but whatever (get over it, people). I really wanted to like Geno's, especially since the liberals hate it (liberalism is a mental disorder), but unfortunately Pat's across the street is better, foodwise. My buddy is a Philly native and he prefers Geno's, but I thought the quality of both the bread and the steak was too assembly line. The only reason to return is to present them with a police patch from my hometown (Revere, Mass). Jim's is the best, in my opinion, overall, with Pats and Tony Lukes not too far behind. Do the taste test, if you are brave, and get one from here and Pat's across the street, and experience the difference.
by Tatyana Wuitschick on 4.5 stars, but I'm bumping it up to five. Very very good meal. Probably one of the best I (we've) had in Atlanta. Because of the Top Chef hoopla, I had to make reservations a couple of weeks out, so I was more than a little hyped about going by the time this past Wednesday rolled around. We got there right at 8:15, so no cocktails or waiting at the bar which was fine by me as the front room seems a bit disjointed to me. It doesn't feel very inviting and the ping of the alarm everytime the door opened made me feel like I was in a Hallmark shop. It was weird. Upon being seating, my companion's first remark was how nice it was that there was actual space between tables! I agreed as I hate shoving my arse in my dining neighbor's face while trying to sit down at a banquette table. We started with wine/cocktails. He had the Fall Classic, Wathen's single barrel bourbon. cranberry shrub, bliss maple syrup. orange bitters and soda. He liked, but I loathe dark liquor, so no thanks. I had the Lytton Springs Zinfandel/Petite Syrah/Carignane blend which was amazing. A very nice glass of wine. We weren't feeling adventurous, so we opted out of the tasting menu and decided to pick our own. I started with the local baby mixed lettuce salad with aramelized honey-lemon vinaigrette, pickled oyster mushrooms, carrot and garlic croutons. Very simple, but very good. Loved the pickled mushrooms as they were right on the mark with their pickled tartness. We shared two starters/apps: the olive oil poached laughing bird shrimp with celery, radish, turnip, roasted jalapeno, cilantro and meyer lemon marmalade as well as the pan seared diver scallops with hedgehog mushrooms. sweet corn, roasted garlic, scallion and foie gras jus. Both were divine, although the laughing bird shrimp portion was tiny - maybe the size of two silver dollars. The scallops were seared to absolute perfection. I had the wood grilled local bob white quail entree with roasted seckel pears, creamed brussel sprouts and crispy sunchokes. He had the wood grilled painted hills strip loin with grilled baby romaine, parmesan and garlic fingerlings and charred lemon vinaigrette. My quail was some of the best game I have ever had, period. It was absolutely wonderful, moist, flavorful-I couldn't get enough. I had a bite of his, but didn't love it, mainly because it has a beet reduction glaze/sauce accompanying and I hate beets. It was a beautiful presentation, but not for me. To wrap things up, he had a glass of port and I had the banana cake which I felt was the true failing of the dinner. It just wasn't that good. A little dry, not the most flavorful. Twas kind of a bummer way to end the meal. We got out of there for $200 even w/ tax & tip. We saw Kevin G. standing by the stove on the way out and the b.f. laughed because I got excited so excited about waving goodbye to him. *dork that I am* Woodfire Grill, as it is now, adds tremendous value to the Atlanta dining scene. We really enjoyed ourselves and I'm anxious to go back to try the tasting menu.
by Ricarda Custis on This is the most diverse poetry venue in NYC, in my opinion. It is a historical place worth seeing, and the poetry on Friday nights is always top-notch. Make sure you arrive early, the place WILL fill up to capacity. It's not only about getting a good seat, it's also about getting in at all, especially on their biggest night (Friday).
