Why such mediocre restaurants?
cosmosaur
metro area are Longhorn Steakhouse,
Mcallister's Restaurant, and Applebee's
All the rest are spotty at best for what you
go there for:Service and Good eating.
Pilgreen's has been touted as the best steakhouse
in the area, so we finally went to the one
in the Southlake area and it was a flop.
Every time I patronize a Steak & Ale I swear I will
never again, but after a few years, one forgets until
one makes the mistake of returning. Their food is
barely edible and the service is appalling.
Olive Garden is an insult and should be shut down entirely
Those are the worst, but even the overpriced, snooty
intown places are far from a good value.
In all fairness, the Buckhead Diner is a real treat and we plan to
visit it soon.
Atlanta Ranger
"cosmosaur" <urb...@nycmail.com> wrote in message
news:1146091068....@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> The only consistently acceptable restaurants in the
> metro area are Longhorn Steakhouse,
> Mcallister's Restaurant, and Applebee's
Honestly I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.
> Pilgreen's has been touted as the best steakhouse
> in the area,
By who? Ken? What area? The shopping center? Again, thanks for the laugh.
> Every time I patronize a Steak & Ale I swear I will
> never again,
I didn't even know there were any left.
> Olive Garden is an insult and should be shut down entirely
Okay, one accurate statement.
> Those are the worst, but even the overpriced, snooty
> intown places are far from a good value.
Such as?
> In all fairness, the Buckhead Diner is a real treat and we plan to
> visit it soon.
Well I guess you did get one right--but also "snooty" and overpriced.
Tell that Applebee's one again. That one cracked me up.
cosmosaur
down deep you're really quite sensitive!
Atlanta Ranger
> Maske Man, you would laugh at a funeral, but
> down deep you're really quite sensitive!
Come on Cosmo, I think your post was like Chuckles the Clown funeral. I
mean Longhorn, *Applebee's*. That's funny stuff!!
Atlanta Ranger
> Maske Man, you would laugh at a funeral, but
> down deep you're really quite sensitive!
Seriously Cosmo, you are right I am very sensitive. If you think Applebee's
and Longhorn are good, I do have my work cut out for me, but what kind of
food are you looking for. It sounds like steak for one. It's oh about 40
notches up from Pilgreen's (truthfully I thought they went out of business
in the early 90s) but start with Bones, Chops or McKendricks, or even Ruth's
Cris or Morton's. Hell Stony River is a huge step up from the places you
mentioned.
You talked about Italian. There's LaGrotta, La Tavola, Soto Soto or DaPaolo
Cucina. What else do you need.
Kitty
Try the Reuben at the Marietta Diner..........
Kitty
maryanne kehoe
I remember when they used to be in Buckhead. Some people said the
quality suffered when they moved to their current location at the Crowne
Plaza.
maryanne kehoe
scores (?), it's a hoot!
cosmosaur
BTW, when did he go. I didn't hear a thing about it.
Thanks Kitty, you are a sweetie!
Atlanta Ranger
"maryanne kehoe" <atl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:8655-445...@storefull-3253.bay.webtv.net...
Different location. They both still exist. Buckhead is old school.
Atlanta Ranger
> Hey, Ranger, have a little respect for Chuckles.
> BTW, when did he go. I didn't hear a thing about it.
Oh about 17 years before Pilgreen's did
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckles_the_Clown
The Sanity Inspector
<cowg...@comcast.net> shared with usenet this thought...:
>Try the Reuben at the Marietta Diner..........
And the garlic rolls at Scalini's on Cobb Parkway.
--
bruce
The dignified don't even enter in the game.
-- The Jam
http://tinyurl.com/4sarw
http://postingwillbelight.blogspot.com
http://atlantarofters.blogspot.com
http://is-3.blogspot.com
Richard Steiner
>The only consistently acceptable restaurants in the
>metro area are Longhorn Steakhouse,
>Mcallister's Restaurant, and Applebee's
>All the rest are spotty at best for what you
>go there for:Service and Good eating.
The Old Mill Steakhouse by the Cumberland Mall is quite good, as is the
Scalini's in Smyrna just off Cobb Parkway.
I also like the Marietta Diner (it has one of the most varied menus
I've ever seen and HUGE desserts), but it might be too busy for some
people's tastes.
>Every time I patronize a Steak & Ale I swear I will
>never again, but after a few years, one forgets until
>one makes the mistake of returning. Their food is
>barely edible and the service is appalling.
I've not eaten at that particlar chain down here, but the Steak & Ale
up in Bloomington, MN is excellent. What I miss down here the most is
a small chain called The Green Mill. Their pizza is *incredible*.
>Olive Garden is an insult and should be shut down entirely
I agree. :-) I'd rather eat at places like Scalini's or even Romano's
Macaroni Grill.
>In all fairness, the Buckhead Diner is a real treat and we plan to
>visit it soon.
I've heard that it's similar in some ways to the Marietta Diner, but
we've not tried the Buckhead Diner yet.
--
-Rich Steiner >>>---> http://www.visi.com/~rsteiner >>>---> Mableton, GA USA
OS/2 + eCS + Linux + Win95 + DOS + PC/GEOS + Executor = PC Hobbyist Heaven!
WARNING: I've seen FIELDATA FORTRAN V and I know how to use it!
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
Richard Steiner
The Sanity Inspector <syna...@THETRASHhotmail.com>
spake unto us, saying:
><cowg...@comcast.net> shared with usenet this thought...:
>
>>Try the Reuben at the Marietta Diner..........
>
> And the garlic rolls at Scalini's on Cobb Parkway.
Heh. My wife absolutely **loves** those. :-)
cosmosaur
opinions without being snobbish and rude.
Thanks Kitty, Maryanne, Sanity Inspector,
Richard.
The Ranger can learn some manners from you.
Atlanta Ranger
Funny, as a business person myself, I'd give other businesses the "manners"
of elaborating before a called them "appalling" or "food is barely edible"
and demanding a business be "shut down completely". Clearly we have a
different definition of "manners". With all due respect, I'll stick with
mine.
Sorry, but after you made such broad sweeping statements, then praised fair
to middling chain restaurants, I expressed a chuckle. I love irony.
Though you didn't request it, I gave you the courtesy of good
recommendations. Again we have a completely different definition of
manners. I believe any and all times somebody asks me a direct question;
they should be given an answer.
Though you didn't return the favor of offending my sensitivities, your
so-called manners of ignoring my direct questions about Pilgreen's would
have been "manners". But like I said, clearly our definitions differ.
BTW, Scalini's is decent red sauce family Italian and the garlic rolls are
among the best in Atlanta.
Sorry my pointing out the irony hurt your feelings, it was not my intention.
Anyway, if you want to stoop to my level of "manners" and give me the
courtesy of a response to my questions, it would be appreciated.
Again I sincerely apologize for hurting your feelings.
But again as a successful business person myself, perhaps I too was a bit
overly sensitive to a person demanding a business be shut down simply
because they personally don't like it or the sweeping generalizations.
Atlanta has plenty of good restaurants, but frankly if Applebee's and
Longhorn is your standard, I will admit, I can't help much in directing you.
KenStahl
Nevertheless, we need people like him so that we never
forget what it means for a person to be snobbish and rude.
Sometimes even bad examples have their purpose. At least we
know who not to imitate.
cosmosaur
I accept your apology and I apologize for not being clear
enough. I should have said that out of all the places I visited rather
than
saying all the metro eateries. The statement about Olive Garden must be
toned
down also. Suffice it to say, IMHO, they have been a big disappointment
to me,
but Provino's and Scalini's were very good.
Wired_and_Tired
"maryanne kehoe" <atl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:8655-445...@storefull-3253.bay.webtv.net...
Sergio is still there. Some of the best food and the very best tarimasue I
have ever had is still in the basement of that apartment building. Sergio's
brother in law opened a location in old Roswell and had some success so
Sergio tried the Crown Plaza area but found it was tough to run a good
restaurant remotely.
Atlanta Ranger
You da man...or women. Provino's and Scanlin's are essentially the same
restaurant, but my understanding is one owner has more ownership in
Scalini's and more control. It's bitter than its step sister Provino's.
cosmosaur
handle
Atlanta Ranger, if you look at my email addy, urbane(at)nycmail.com.
Most females are not likely to use "urbane" and BTW, that is a working,
bonafide email address!
Deuteros
news:1146091068....@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
> The only consistently acceptable restaurants in the
> metro area are Longhorn Steakhouse,
> Mcallister's Restaurant, and Applebee's
> All the rest are spotty at best for what you
> go there for:Service and Good eating.
You don't get out much, do you.
maryanne kehoe
anniversary last year and had a great meal!
Atlanta Ranger
> Has anyone been to Brio near Perimeter? We went there for our
> anniversary last year and had a great meal!
Decent chain food. Chains are almost never as good as the top independent
places but Brio is better than most chains.
The Sanity Inspector
<moel...@dontspame.net> shared with usenet this thought...:
I wonder about that, sometimes. If we were presented with a blind
taste test, how often would we pick the decent chain food over the
decent indy food? Not counting international food--too much variety.
American fare is mostly sugar, salt, grease, and fat, and there's only
so many ways to fix it.
Atlanta Ranger
"The Sanity Inspector" <syna...@THETRASHhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:kl5g52h3uvtlaa27r...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 2 May 2006 14:54:50 -0400 in atl.general, "Atlanta Ranger"
> <moel...@dontspame.net> shared with usenet this thought...:
>
>>
>>"maryanne kehoe" <atl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
>>news:24542-445...@storefull-3253.bay.webtv.net...
>>> Has anyone been to Brio near Perimeter? We went there for our
>>> anniversary last year and had a great meal!
>>
>>Decent chain food. Chains are almost never as good as the top independent
>>places but Brio is better than most chains.
>
> I wonder about that, sometimes. If we were presented with a blind
> taste test, how often would we pick the decent chain food over the
> decent indy food?
Well there are many chains that are better than indies, but if I did a blind
taste test of 100 chains and 100 indies, no doubt I'd rate
disproportionately the indies much higher.
Guarantee you I could do a blind test of Applebee's, Friday's and the other
slop and give them very low ratings.
maryanne kehoe
InterContinental Hotel?
Atlanta Ranger
> Has anyone been to The Palm or any of the restaurants at the
> InterContinental Hotel?
Palm way overpriced. I've been to Vegas and Atlanta. McKendrick's, Bones,
Chops or even Ruth's Cris and Morton's are much better choices. Heck, I'd
take Stony River.
maryanne kehoe
3rd anniversary.
Re: Why such mediocre restaurants?
Group: atl.general Date: Wed, May 3, 2006, 8:00am From:
moel...@dontspame.net (Atlanta Ranger)
Gregory Morrow
moronanne kehoe belched:
>Thanks for the suggestions! We are trying to decide >where to go for our
>3rd anniversary.
Thanks for TOP POSTING, moron...
--
Best
Greg
sot...@hotmail.com
>in the area, so we finally went to the one
>in the Southlake area and it was a flop.
I agree with you about that particular Pilgreen's - I do not even
understand how it stays in business. Very unimpressed. With the other
restaurants you mention, I have been more pleased with most of them,
even Steak & Ale.
maryanne kehoe
Gregory Morrow
maryanne kehoe wrote:
> Has anyone been to Fellinni's Pizza lately?
Nope...
--
Best
Greg
KenStahl
> Has anyone been to Fellinni's Pizza lately?
>
Every time I drive by I tell myself that I should stop there
sometime. It's really only about two miles from my place.
One of these days, perhaps.
Gregory Morrow
cosmosaur wrote:
> The only consistently acceptable restaurants in the
> metro area are Longhorn Steakhouse,
> Mcallister's Restaurant, and Applebee's
> All the rest are spotty at best for what you
> go there for:Service and Good eating.
[...]
Atlanta is widely considered a culinary "dead zone"...it's a reflection
of the city itself, since Atlanta is largely an arriviste suburban
construct of strip malls and dire chain restos; it's the kind of place
where The Cheesecake Factories and Kalifornia Pizza Kitchens of the
world are considered "upscale" dining. The problem with Atlanta is that
there is simply no "there" there...
--
Best
Greg
Valeria Palmer
Gregory Morrow
Atlanta Ranger
"Gregory Morrow" <gregorymorrowDESTROYALLLOAFHEADS!@earthlink.net> wrote in
message news:lp%ag.724$SX5...@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>
> Valeria Palmer wrote:
>
>> Troll
>
>
> Nope. See:
>
> http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=557140
Ah some dopey person on a posting board counts? Not exactly. Fact is
Atlanta is ranked 4th
http://www.atlantacuisine.com/tomate/ayearinreview'05.html
Most publications like Epicureans, Zagat's, Gourmet, Food & Wine, etc rate
us Top 5 or Top 10. But yes if people think Applebee's and Longhorn are
fine dining of course. There are tons of great restaurants in this town.
Sorry ONE stoned slacker on a posting board can't find them.
Atlanta Ranger
"Anywhere in England". LMAO. Is London still in England? Most people will
tell you England is the top city on the planet for dining. True indigineous
food, no, but it is the No.1 dining city in the world. I guess he hates SF,
NYC and Paris too.
EricF
but the changes I've seen since moving here in '93 are remarkable. Lots of
good ethnic dining along Buford Hwy too.
Eric
EricF
Keep driving. It's reasonable and quick for a few slices but it's not great
pizza.
Eric
KenStahl
Hadn't someone posted a few months back that it is one of
those places where certain people swear it is the best pizza
ever while others can't stand it?
Now, I have tried Terra Cotta just up the street a bit and
while the pizza there is acceptable, it really doesn't fit
into my idea of what a pizza should be. It wasn't that it
tasted bad, but I like a bit more tomato sauce and a denser
distribution of the toppings.
eglam...@angelfire.com
Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian,
Mexican, Brazilian, Peruvian, Ethiopian, French, etc. etc. etc.
If you aren't willing to eat foreign food then yeah, there may not be
much selection, but I'd imagine that's a problem just about everywhere
and not just Atlanta. If you want good eating, you gotta eat foreign.
American food is just so damn blah by comparison...
KenStahl
Is there any place where I can get Greek γάτα? What about
Portuguese bichano? Spanish gatito?
Atlanta Ranger
"KenStahl" <kts...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6eydncQ4LO-...@comcast.com...
Yes
What about
> Portuguese bichano?
Don't know
>Spanish gatito?
Yes
Gregory Morrow
EricF wrote:
"Good ethnic dining" is no big deal, you can find good ethnic dining on the
plains of northern Iowa or in some hillybilly burg in Texas...
It's cutting - edge and innovative dining that is the true test of an area's
cuisine. Chicago, New York, San Francisco, London, and other large cities
have it. Atlanta doesn't -- it ranks at about the level of a St. Louis or a
Cincinnati or a Detroit. This is not a criticism per se, merely a fact...
--
Best
Greg
Atlanta Ranger
Bit naive methinks. I doubt if you can even find much bad Honduran,
Persian, Russian or Ethiopian in any of those areas. In fact, I'll bet you
can't get quality Cajun, Chicago Italian beef, Philly cheesesteak or NY deli
in Iowa.
> It's cutting - edge and innovative dining that is the true test of an
> area's
> cuisine.
Such as?
How about Seeger's, Joel, Eugene, Ritz Carlton, Bacclanalia...
There are tons in the burbs too: Little Alley, Sushi Zutto, Slovakia...
>Chicago, New York, San Francisco, London, and other large cities
> have it.
You just named four of the world's top cities for restaurants. Atlanta my
not be in the top 4 in the world but among the better in the US. Which
"other large cities?".
>Atlanta doesn't -- it ranks at about the level of a St. Louis or a
> Cincinnati or a Detroit. This is not a criticism per se, merely a fact...
No it ranks behind San Fran, NY, Chicago, perhaps the improving Vegas.
After that it's Atlanta, LA, Washington, Philly. That's about it.
Atlanta Ranger
restaurant in Iowa then the middle of nowhere. Palm Beach County for
example has 32East and Nirvana, two "cutting edge" restaurants. You have NY
Prime for steak.
Yet where can I get a *homemade* pastrami sandwich, deep dish pizza, NY
quality bagel, good po boy, pho, ribeye cheesesteak.....*real* Mexican?
Anywhere there is an expense account, there are top shelf upper crust
restaurants. The killer holes in the wall are the toughest to find. And
Atlanta has come a long way there.
Valeria Palmer
Oh, please. There are a dozen restaurants that meet that criteria -
Bacchanalia for starters.
You must restrict your dining to the $12 and under entree places.
Gregory Morrow
Valeria Palmer wrote:
Maryanne Kehoe treated me to dinner at the Waffle House once...and I
hear the Varsity drive - is still considered "fine dining" by the
_Deliverance_ set...
Is Mammy's Place still open...???
--
Best
Greg
Valeria Palmer
You clearly haven't dined much in the last 20 years in Atlanta
KenStahl
The Picadilly Cafeteria on Church road in Decatur gets my
vote for the best sweet tea that I have had in a while. I
wish I would have thought to ask which brand of tea they
use. For the most part I find that Lusianne tea is better
then Lipton, but there doesn't seem to be any real
consistancy. Perhaps most of it is in the skill of the
person who brews the tea and adds the sugar.
maryanne kehoe
on Peachtree Industrial Blvd?
KenStahl
> Ken, ALL the Picadilly's have great sweet tea! Have you been to the one
> on Peachtree Industrial Blvd?
>
I know they all have it. Serving sweet tea is de regieur for
almost every restaurant in the south. If a restaurant
doesn't serve sweet tea they should just save themselves the
bother and just close the doors and send all of the
employees home because they just won't do much business if
they don't serve sweet tea.
However, there is a difference between sweet tea and great
sweet tea. All I was saying is that the Picadilly in Decatur
had some that was particularly good. By contrast I
occasionally eat at the one that is just off Northlake
Parkway here in Tucker and their's is acceptable but hardly
noteworthy.
It has been a while since I have been on Peachtree
Industrial. If memory serves me correctly that is a pretty
long road. You may have to narrow the location down a bit.
Atlanta Ranger
It's getting more and more absurd. We start at Applebee's and Longhorn's
being great choices, go to only cutting edge (which still hasn't been
defined) counts, when in reality it's the total opposite, and now
Piccadilly's? Does anyone here at real restaurants?
Jos. Wheeler
news:c2Fdg.59402$MM6....@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
Kinda' partial to the Golden Corral...
KenStahl
I only wish there were one that was closer to where I live.
The closest one I know of is all the way out in Stone Mountain.
All I want from a restaurant is a decent meal and hopefully
not too much noise. I don't need ambiance, high fashion
dress for the employee, sprigs of some unknown herb on the
side of my plate, artistic arrangement, etc. I am also
totally unimpressed by high prices.
Atlanta Ranger
Ah Kenneth, I think at GC you will be 0-for-2. There's one in Gwinnett
Kenny S. That's not that far from you. Enjoy.
Richard Steiner
"Atlanta Ranger" <moel...@dontspame.net> spake unto us, saying:
>It's getting more and more absurd. We start at Applebee's and Longhorn's
>being great choices, go to only cutting edge (which still hasn't been
>defined) counts, when in reality it's the total opposite, and now
>Piccadilly's? Does anyone here at real restaurants?
I *would* eat at real restaurants, but there's no White Castles down
here at all... :-)
--
-Rich Steiner >>>---> http://www.visi.com/~rsteiner >>>---> Mableton, GA USA
OS/2 + eCS + Linux + Win95 + DOS + PC/GEOS + Executor = PC Hobbyist Heaven!
WARNING: I've seen FIELDATA FORTRAN V and I know how to use it!
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
Jos. Wheeler
news:cKOeEpHp...@visi.com...
> Here in atl.general,
> "Atlanta Ranger" <moel...@dontspame.net> spake unto us, saying:
>
>>It's getting more and more absurd. We start at Applebee's and Longhorn's
>>being great choices, go to only cutting edge (which still hasn't been
>>defined) counts, when in reality it's the total opposite, and now
>>Piccadilly's? Does anyone here at real restaurants?
>
> I *would* eat at real restaurants, but there's no White Castles down
> here at all... :-)
>
I travel to Nashville and Bowling Green (KY) on business-- and they got 'em
there. You can make it to Nashville in about 4-5 hours if you're desperate
;-)
Jos.
briarpa...@gmail.com
I used to, before marriage and kids. Now I concentrate on making real
foods at home. My wife and I both like to experiment. But the real
truth is that most people will stick to the comfort foods they ate when
they were growing up. Piccadilly's success is built on that. Their
cooking is like my mother's (and she was a big fan). Every once in
awhile, I'll go for a meal like that out of nostalgia. Either that or
I'll go to the Colonnade for a standard, Southern "meat and two" kind
of meal. But don't count on most people exploring creative cuisines.
When I lived abroad for an extended period, I saw the incredible
lengths Americans abroad will go to just to eat something familiar like
a crappy hamburger or a mediocre pizza. There was good local food right
under their noses, but few of them were trying it.
maryanne kehoe
The Picadilly's on PIB is next door to the Wendy's and down the street
from the Nissan dealership on the right hand side travelling north.
KenStahl
I don't know where the Wendy's or the Nissan dealership is
located. I don't travel Peachtree Industrial very often so
having it framed by some major cross streets would be more
helpful.
maryanne kehoe
maryanne kehoe
expensive!
You will love it!
Atlanta Ranger
"maryanne kehoe" <atl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:16028-447...@storefull-3254.bay.webtv.net...
> Has anyone tried the Smokey Bones near Perimeter? Is it any good?
Very mediocre. It's better than most barbecue chains like Sonny's or Famous
Dave's but not in the same league with real barbecue. It's cue for the many
transplanted Yankees.
Dana
maryanne kehoe
(Grady's?).....great BBQ (and I am finicky about that!)
Re: Why such mediocre restaurants?
Group: atl.general Date: Fri, Jun 23, 2006, 7:55am From: da...@panix.com
(Dana)
Atlanta Ranger
> >There's LaGrotta
>
>
> I remember when they used to be in Buckhead. Some people said the
> quality suffered when they moved to their current location at the Crowne
> Plaza.
Yep, you have been stumbled upon by your 11 Alive post. I knew I recognized the name from somewhere.