by Meta Amauty on Wow. That's a word that was repeated many times during our meal last Friday night at Woodfire Grill. I will forever compare Atlanta restaurants to this experience -- and will always be tempted to do a chef's tasting menu from this review forward. Due to the increased popularity of Woodfire Grill, due to Kevin's ridiculously awesome performance this season on Top Chef, the earliest we could get a reservation (OpenTable) on a Friday evening was 9:30PM. This did not cause us to shy away from the "blind" 5-course chef's tasting menu and man am I glad we went this route. I'm not going to go into insane detail about each course, because that may do a disservice to Woodfire Grill and what Chef Kevin stands for. What I will say is that when I return to Woodfire Grill, I WILL be doing the 5-course chef's tasting menu. Period. Everything that was set in front of me, I enjoyed and could've had seconds of each. Go for the half-pour wine pairings with each course -- you'll get about 3 full glasses of wine across the whole meal when you add it all up. Worth the price... Get a reservation on the books before Kevin wins this season's 'Top Chef'...you'll be glad you did!
by Ilse Pataki on This was one of my best first experiences with a club/lounge in SF. After you get past the fact that it's surrounded by strip clubs and other rather trashy hangouts, and past the homeland security-like check at the front door, this place is fantastic! I love the space - like a loft in the meatpacking district of NYC. There was always a spot for my friend and I to sit (so necessary when you're wearing 4 inch heels!), and plenty of room for us to get our groove on. The dance floor is huge! I didn't have to step on anyone's feet to get them off of my back. Not everyone looked like a model, but overall the people there tried to look good and avoided the kinds 6 inch platform heels and spandex. The night we were there (last saturday), they had free lotus vodka until 11pm. And somehow, after arriving at 10:52, we managed to fit in 2 vodka crans. Classy, I know. The bartender, Nicole, was incredibly nice, attentive, fast, and had us take a free shot with her! She was so much fun that we didn't want to leave the bar. But we eventually did. Why you ask? THE FISH TANK. Nothing says baller more than a purple-blue fish tank. I think every club needs to make it a staple decoration. Finally, at the end of the night we were waiting outside for our friend (Arnaud, the DJ of the night), and they ushered us back inside to let us wait in the warmth even though they were closed. It gave me a chance to chat with Greg, the bouner, who was surprisingly nice and fun! Overall, I can't wait to go back, and I wish I had enough friends to rent the place out for a killer party. Hmmmm, maybe for a future Rateclub event?
by Kimberli M. on A few of my girlfriends surprised me here for my birthday last week. We got many-a-dish and shared them all. One of the girls is allergic to seafood so we passed on it making sure she could have everything without reaction! Thus, I won't comment on the seafood this time. The theme of the restaurant is to bring together the many flavours of Southeast Asia in restaurant/lounge atmosphere. The candle wall (lit with over 130 candles) is a nice touch. Looks like the place turns into quite a party on Friday and Saturday nights (see their website.) Back to the food!!! We started with Cha Gio [Vietnam] -- Crispy vegetable spring rolls served with sweet chili sauce, Lollipops [India] -- Chicken wings sauteed in sweet n spicy sauce and Bhindi Fry [India] -- Tangy crispy fried okra. We moved on to have Aloo Gobi [India] --Diced cauliflower & potatoes tempered with turmeric & cumin, Goong Ob Woon Sen [Thailand] -- Shrimp with glass noodles (although we asked them to substitute chicken for the shrimp and they gladly did), Bo Luc Lac [Vietnam] -- (Shaking) beef with garlic sauce and Curry Ayam [Malaysia] -- Chicken in kaffir lime leaf curry. What a feast!! We also enjoyed tasting their Mango Martinis and Cilantro Mojito. Foods from so many of my favorite cuisines! How well do they know me or WHAT!? We ended with a plate of Chocolate Dynamite Cake -- Rich chocolate cake with a layer of dark chocolate fudge, for the table to share! It's the ideal place for those nights where you can't choose between Indian and Vietnamese!
