by T. R. on Having passed this place for years without ever giving it a try, I figured I'd get to it someday. After seeing it this week on a Georgia Public Television special, I knew it was now or never. My friend and I stopped in on a Saturday night around 5:30 p.m. When we walked in, there were a lot of people standing in the bar talking, but not many people actually dining. No matter. We stepped up to the host podium and were greeted warmly, then shown to a table. I was prepared for the rather cozy quarters and dated decor so that didn't surprise me. I liked it, actually. The traditional Italian tunes (some arias, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra) made it even better. I kept expecting Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro to walk in. It does get a bit noisy once the place starts filling up (and it did), but not to a point where we couldn't hear each other speak. Our waiter was on the young side and happy to explain the menu to us newcomers. He was not pushy and did not act put out when only one of us ordered wine. I liked the fact that you can order one of their large pastas as a side to a different dish. I've never seen heard of that before. The garlic bread was warm and toasty with plenty of oil. It was charred in a few small places, something I like. Very tasty, I could have eaten all of it easily. I ordered the chicken florentine with a side of fettucine alfredo. My friend got ravioli and cleaned her plate. The fettucine alfredo was not as hot as I would have liked but it still tasted delicious. Not too heavy and very creamy. The chicken was nicely cooked but not overdone with a zesty lemon flavor, covered in mushrooms. The side of cooked spinach was huge and while I am not a big spinach fan, this was cooked just long enough so it tasted good but wasn't overdone. The portions were generous so I took half home. For dessert, we shared a canolli and it was fantastic. I have had cannoli in many places and this was in the top five. The pastry was tasty and had a good crunch. You could tell the filling was homemade and not too heavy, just delightful to taste. Before we left, one of the owners came over to see how we were doing. He was a pleasure to talk to and was pleased when we mentioned seeing them on TV. It's nice to know that while they take care of the regulars, they are eager to see new faces as well. Alfredo's is definitely old school so you're not going to see any gastro-tech fancy tricks or uber hip dishes. But they do serve up traditional, tasty dishes with class and warmth. And that's not easy to find these days. I'll be back.
by Hobert Doose on I had a fun time at Buddha Bar. My date and I got there a little earlier and were asked to wait at the bar. The bartender was really nice and helpful. She made a special drink for me and recommended cocktails too. We were seated right away to our table. The ambiance was great and there was great top of the charts music playing. The staff was very helpful and courteous. The appetizers were delicious... the chicken dumplings were perfectly steamed, the chicken salad had julienne vegetables with a tangy dressing and strips of marinated smoked chicken which was AMAZING. Main course was chicken and fried rice. Both were really good and had perfect seasoning. Very flavorful without being too spicy or bland. Dessert was the chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream on the inside and vanilla ice cream on top. The warm cake melted in your mouth and the ice cream cooled your tastebuds off. It was very very tasty. Reason the place doesnt get 5 stars is because my date had asked for no ice water and the staff kept filling his glass with iced water. I had to remind them 4 times which got a little annoying. Over all a nice experience.
