We grew up eating here and it’s been our regular back-up plan when nothing else appeals. The steaks are always cooked perfectly. The roasted chicken is delicious. The salads (I’ve heard) are fantastic. But there’s one best kept secret here: the burgers. They’re phenomenal. Go now.
Houston’s
3321 Lenox Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 237-7534
I have been to Prime twice before a long time ago and all I can remember was that it was pricey and the service was painfully slow. So it was never put on our rotation of mall dining choices. A few days ago, we saw a sign indicating early dinner specials so we decided to try it. From 5 to 6:15PM, three types of steaks are half price. It is really a great deal considering a rib-eye steak here can set you back $36 without any sides included.
We tried the chicken and andouille gumbo and Octopus Tiradito for starters. The gumbo was a little on the salty side but negligible. It had lots of chicken and sausage and the broth was good overall. The tiradito, a form of ceviche, had thin slices of fresh octopus, cilantro, long slivers of carrots and beets, and cucumber slices. It was in a sriracha-yuzu soy-based sauce that leaned more on the salty than citrusy instead of a balance of both . Good, but get the sauce on the side instead.
We settled on the boneless rib-eye steak for our main dish. An impressive piece of meat came before us: 14 ounces of thick, juicy, tender, well-seasoned rib-eye, perfectly grilled to our desired temperature, all for $14.50. A steal if you ask me.
We were told that the $5 sides are served family style and big enough for sharing. Wrong. Really. I finished the tiny order by myself. My chosen side was the Truffled Creamed Corn that was just fabulous. It is made from freshly-cut kernels, with most of them still sticking to each other. It is creamy, buttery, cheesy, mushroomy. Really, it is very, very good. The fries were forgettable. They were so soggy.
The $17 Wagyu Kobe Burger is a waste of money. Although it was served at medium (as requested), it was very, very dry. It was so dry I had to have a gulp of water after each bite to get it to go down my throat. Disappointed and left untouched after the second bite. Total waste of money.
Overall, the steaks are a great deal. Take advantage of the specials while they have it. Service is impeccable and the servers really knew the menu well.
Insider tip:
Located on the second floor at the entrance of Lenox Square mall.
The scoop:
Prime
3393 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 812-0555
I come from a family of big appetites (thank heavens for good genes or we’d have ballooned popped by now). After eating a plate of fried chicken, collard greens, biscuits, and muffins last Saturday, we had the audacity to keep our reservations at Shaun’s an hour later. But we never made it. The Inman Park Festival was in full force and no valet, available lot, nor parking spot is in sight. Since mom didn’t want to walk in the area late at night (she’s paranoid like that), we ended up at KRS instead. Where there’s valet.
We were surprised to get a last minute reservation for 7:45pm on a Saturday night and even more surprised to get seated right at once, nabbing a great booth in a restaurant where not a single table was empty when we came in. The vibe was cool and upbeat, the crowd, a gamut from the hip to the oldies.
Since we just had dinner, we decided to go light. We started with the Roast Mixed Beet Salad with Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese and candied pecans. This is one of my favorite salads and I almost always order it whenever it’s on the menu. The version here is simple and pretty straight-forward — big cubes of red and yellow beets, dollops of creamy cheese, candied pecans. I love the contrasting tastes and textures. It was a good sized salad and possibly good enough for two if you’re having a heavy entree.
My mom got the Bone-in Smoked Beef Rib (her favorite). The smoked rib was literally fall-of-the-bone tender and served in an au jus which is delicious: slight, slight hint of sweet, salty, peppery. This is oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-good at every bite. She never tires of it and neither do I.
My sister and I each had the Prime Japanese Waygu Beef Burger: twelve ounces of heavenly meat, ground as you order, and served medium rare. You can’t get any better than this. Well, not really. The meat itself is top-notch, no doubt, but the reason we’re ranking this No. 2 is because of the bread. It was on the dry side and not enough sweetness to cut through the meaty taste. Which is why H&F is still king. H&F bread on Chef Kevin’s burger meat? Well, that would be a dream.
Side notes:
Mom and sister got the Chocolate Mousse and Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake for dessert. Both were good but it’s evident that desserts are not the major strength here.
Service was impeccable. We had a great kick out of a Hillary Duff dead-ringer for a server who gave us nothing but the best service. My medium burger was delivered medium-rare. No biggie there, I ate it all. Sister’s burger had to be taken back twice (her medium rare was delivered well-done, and very rare on the second try) but the manager handled it so well we didn’t mind the 45-minute wait. Kudos to him for the excellent treatment we were given (just so you know and I must say this, I always dine out anonymously). To top it off, valet had our car ready for us as soon as we stepped out the door. Fantastic.
Insider tip:
A few feet away from Rathbun’s.
They have Anne Amie wine!
The scoop:
Kevin Rathbun Steak
154 Krog St NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 524-5600
Technorati Tags: steaks, Inman Park, American food, Atlanta, Kevin Rathbun
My mom and I had lunch at J. Alexander’s about two weeks ago and she was totally disappointed. I’ve been to this place a total of four times and I’ve been disappointed all those times except for my first visit which was maybe 3 years ago when I had their famous prime rib. This Nashville-based restaurant reminds me so much of Houston’s. They pretty much have the same look and feel. But it stops there. Food-wise, I prefer Houston’s where food is consistently good.
We started off with the seafood gumbo. It had a nice, bold broth, a good amount of seafood, and not a whole lot of rice. It also had just enough heat that you can feel it in your tongue but not enough to make you sweat. Overall a good soup.
I chose the Special Of The Day which was a grilled sea bass topped with a lime-pesto sauce and mango salsa. The fish, pesto sauce, and salsa all tasted fresh but I got tired of the taste of this dish after a few bites. It’s like when a dessert is so rich that you can’t eat it after a few bites. That’s how I felt about it. The couscous pasta provided to temper the dish and mellow it out, but on its own, it was saltish and dry. It must have been the very sweet, syrupy salsa that ruined this dish. Disappointing, nevertheless.
My mom had the Grilled Pork Loin with Bang Bang Sauce which is nothing but barbecue sauce. This dish was so bad we both couldn’t swallow the first bite and literally had to throw it out in a napkin. The pork tasted boiled and the sauce was a pathetic excuse for a Thai barbecue sauce. They really need to remove this from the menu.
For me, the execution of the dishes here just falls short. In an attempt at inventiveness, the combination of ingredients on a dish just doesn’t make sense — a combination of syrupy sweet with salty doesn’t always make a good combination. I’d rather spend my money on Houston’s any day.
Insider tip:
Right next door to The Forum Shops.
The scoop:
J. Alexander’s
5245 Peachtree Pkwy
Norcross, GA 30092
(770) 263-9755
Technorati Tags: J Alexander’s, American-Asian cuisine, fusion, steaks
