We arrived and the first item we notice was the incredibly cool vibe. This place was alive with energy.

We were escorted to the rear and a large round table. As a head’s up, the entire party needs to be present before seating, but hanging at the bar is fun. While this was a great location for conversation, the table was just too large for four people (really a 6-top) and we asked for a smaller, more intimate table and the hostess was quick to oblige.

The server informed us that everyone on the staff have been there since the beginning, a good sign. She knew the menu very well, made recommendations, and suggested we order in stages, which we did. For the first phase we ordered the snapper tartare, the yellow fin tuna wraps and the Virginia oyster sliders. She informed us that the sliders and the tuna wraps were served as a group of three and since as a group of four, we asked if they could make four versus three. She told us they could not. Huh? I just do not understand why restaurants, who have created a sharing menu, do not align the number of items on the plate to the number of guests at the table. The kitchen cannot fry eight instead of six oysters, cannot make four instead of three beds of lettuce and scoops of tartare? But they decided that they would not comply with this simple request. Maybe it is a POS system limitation…then change the POS. Rant over.

Back to the food. The first round had two outstanding dishes and one that was disappointing.

The Florida Red Snapper Tartare was served with red onion, cilantro and leche de tigre (a Peruvian marinade). Everyone at the table loved this dish. The fish was fresh and the flavors of the marinade were wonderfully outrageous. I would rate this a 10.

The Yellow Fin Tuna Wraps were served on a bed of Bibb lettuce and accompanied with dashi aioli, smoked peanuts and yuzu pickles. Again, everyone in our group loved this dish. It was very different from the tartare, with the peanuts offering a great crunchiness and the aioli a lightened creaminess. Make sure you squeeze some of the lime wedge onto the dish, really kicks up the flavor profile. I would give this a 10.

The Virginia Oyster Sliders were served on a soft roll with lettuce, tomato, pickle and datil pepper aioli. We were all somewhat disappointed in this dish. While visually appealing, the centerpiece of the dish, the two fried oysters, lacked anything other than fried coating. The other ingredients were great but it did not give any oyster flavor, whatsoever. Because of the lack of true oyster-ness I can only give this a 4.

For phase two we ordered three additional items.

The Roasted Mushroom Empanada was served atop a black garlic aioli. The first item you should note is the tense in the title. This is a single empanada, sliced in half and nestled in the aioli. Given our request for four items in phase one, we were somewhat surprised our server did not mention this was one empanada, we were now four people sharing one empanada. Be careful and let the empanada cool, as it arrives with a piping hot mushroom filling. While the mushrooms were very good, they were scant in ratio to the breading. The half of a half I ate was was pretty good, but could have been so much better if there was more filling and less coating. I will give this a 6.

We asked that if the Crispy Brussels Sprouts could be prepared without bacon and they could. They were tossed in a spicy Thai sauce and served with a slice of lime. Even without the bacon, these were very good, while I thought they were a little on the burnt side. A few seconds less in the fryer would have been my preference. Even with that I would give this a 6.

The Blue Crab Fried Rice was served as an Omurice Omelet, with a drizzled Thai lime Nam Jim sauce. While others at the table thought this was great I thought it lacked continuity. The omelet is supposed to “explode” when sliced, creating a visual wonder, ours was merely soft cooked eggs. The crab rice was overly-ladened with scallions or onions and the sauce overwhelmed everything. This was a great idea, but the flavors did not work at all together. I can only give this a 4.

While this review gives somewhat disappointing aspects to some of the dishes, I will absolutely return to Bully Boy. It just felt the kitchen lost a little focus during the prep stage. The ideas and creativeness were evident, the execution just needed a little work. Most importantly if you brand yourself as a tapas-style sharing restaurant, make sure you have the flexibility to allow the guests to share full portions of each plate.

Our latest visit to St. Cecelia confirmed my earlier opinion that it is one of the best restaurants in Atlanta and our last visit was an anomaly. The meal and service were fantastic.

Let’s start with the space, one of the prettiest around, with 25-foot ceilings, romantic lighting, banquettes, tables and a private room on the second floor. You can choose from two dining areas, either near or away from the bar and open kitchen.

We started the meal with a Large Salumi and Cheese platter, which included Prosciutto di San Danielle, Cacciatorini and Calabrese meats, plus Manchego and Thomasville Tomme cheeses. Included on the platter were honeycomb, fig mostarda, and gnocco fritto. The large was true to its name with three piles of meats and enough cheese segments to pair with the meats. The cured meats ranged from the mild prosciutto to the spicy calabrese and addind a bit of the honeycomb created a delightful sweet-spicy combination. I would have liked little more honeycomb, it was really good.

We followed the meats with the Burrata, served with strawberries, atop crumbled pistachios and two thin slices of sourdough bread. While the meat-cheese platter was abundant, the burrata dish was scant. It was more the burrata was one of three components versus the center-staged star. The three items together created a wonderful flavor-texture delight.

For my entrée I ordered the Squid Ink Mafaldini with Calabrian chilies, charred calamari, clams, and shrimp. Mafaldini is best described as the curly edges of the lasagna noodle. The dish was delicious and the amount of seafood was focused on the calamari and shrimp with a few clams added, which I was fine with. The pasta did have a bit of a zip to it from the chilies, which I really enjoyed.

My wife ordered the Spaghetti Grosso, a simple pasta with San Marzano tomatoes, basil, and smoked ricotta salata. While the pasta was great and the sauce rich in flavor, it was a little on the salty side.

For side dishes we enjoyed both the Asparagus with almonds and the Artichokes with salsa verde, the latter being our favorite.

Service was spot on from beginning to end.

I am back to recommending St. Cecelia as a great restaurant in Buckhead.

ABCV is a Jean George vegan restaurant attached to ABC Kitchen. With a few communal tables in the front, a long bar on one side and a smattering of tables in the rear, securing a reservation is tough and having people leave at a socially responsible time is even more difficult. We waited over 45 minutes past our reservation time as the campers at our assigned table refused to leave.

Once seated we ordered most of the menu and enjoyed all of the dishes. I would never have guessed that I would write a review of the food at a vegan restaurant with such superlatives, but it was one of the best meals of my life, the flavors and textures exploded on the palate and the creativity of the kitchen was overwhelming.

Dishes are designed for sharing, so you can experience the vast varieties of culinary creativity. Some of the dishes I would recommend are:

The lasagnette with ramp pesto, asparagus, oyster mushrooms, ricotta was our favorite. The earthiness of the mushrooms and ramps and the sweetness of the asparagus were softened with the richness of the ricotta. Fantastic

The group also loved the fire roasted white yam, coconut yogurt, tamarind, tandoori masala. I never would have guessed this combination would be so sweet, and the balance from the tamarind and tandoori masala was great.

Morel wontons, lemon broth, green peppercorn, fava beans, spring garlic. This simple presentation was mild and delightful.

For some rich, deep flavors, order the dosa with smoky eggplant, tomato chutney, coconut yogurt, cilantro.

A refreshing option was the strawberries, sugar snap peas, avocado, ice wine vinaigrette, basil. It was an example that the chef was fully capable of creating a pleasant, versus bold combination.

The Roasted cauliflower with turmeric-tahini and pistachios was another surprise. The cauliflower offered a moistness I have not experienced from roasting this vegetable and it was elevated with the coating of the turmeric-tahini.

The most fun dish was the avocado lettuce cups, with toasted cumin, serrano and lime, and peppitas. The challenge was to use your hands or use a fork and knife. I opted for the former and it was a challenge with bites number two and three. We all loved the variety of freshness and spice.

While the evening started very rough with our wait for the table, management finally understood their missteps and brought a few dishes and ensured our server was overly pleasant during the first three-fourths of meal. Our original server’s shift ended at that point and her replacement was not in the same league. So, the beginning and the end were very rough, but the meal itself was spectacular.

I know I am in the minority and this is not what most people say about Fox Brothers BBQ, but I was pretty disappointed. I was really excited about the prospect of enjoying what many have described as the best Q in Atlanta, and as we waited in the parking lot for our table, the visuals of the plates going by and the smells that permeated the entire area raised my hopes.

Immediately after being seated we ordered the Lopez and the Fried Pickles. The Lopez was tater tots smothered with brisket chili and cheese. There was barely any chili on our serving smothered, suffocated and overwhelmed the tots; it broke the rule more was not better. On the other hand, the fried pickles were pretty good, but they were extremely salty; you had to dip them in the ranch dressing to soften the saltines6. I will rate the Lopez a 2 and the pickles a 7.

Onto the main event…we ordered a Combo Plate (chopped brisket and sausage) and an Everything Plate (doubling up on the ribs and pulled pork).

Ribs. Of the smoked items, the ribs were the best. A good amount of seasoning and the smoking created a great crust and fall off the bone preparation made these very good, but I was not a big fan of the seasoning. Dipping the fall off the bone meat into the BBQ sauce lessened the overwhelming seasoning. I give the ribs a 7.

Pulled pork. This was very inconsistent. While I really liked the first bite, the second was incredibly disappointing. There was no smokiness in the latter and it was similar to biting into boiled pork. I immediately went from a believer to a nonbeliever. This is rated a gentlemanly 4.

Brisket. Let’s start with the portion size, ridiculously skimpy and a slap in the face to all BBQ lovers. My guess is 2 ounces. After tasting my portion, it did not bother me that much as one forkful was enough. Again, there was little smokiness to the dish. I’ll be generous and give it a 3.

The best of the sides was the mac & cheese. This was delicious, a creaminess that was fantastic, the shells were cooked perfectly and the cheese melted to great lusciousness. The M&C deserves an 8.

The other interesting side was the Frito Pie, chili, cheese, onions inside a Fritos bag. It was both fun and tasty, and for a side a good option. I give it a 7.

Service was great. Our serve ensured we ordered enough for the three of us and kept our sweet tea glasses full. Best art of the meal and deserves a 10.

Overall, I was expecting greatness from Fox Brothers and was very disappointed.

As much as I would like to continue to recommend M&M, our latest two visits were not up to the standards that made our initial visits so memorable. It does not appear I am alone, since the dining area on a beautiful Saturday evening had more empty tables than occupied, while other restaurants (in particular Little Alley next door) were booming.

If you are using Waze or GPS set your guidance for Little Alley Steak House, and drive past its valet and Mission and Market is just beyond it on the right. If you place Mission and Market in the GPS it will take you to the rear, delivery entrance.

Once you arrive, there are two dining areas, the bar in the front and the dining room in the rear, plus outdoor seating overlooking Lenox. Our server arrived immediately upon our being seated and started very strong with recommendations on food and wines.

I ordered the Grilled Spanish Octopus Hazelnut Romesco, with Shaved Vegetables. It was beautifully plated and while the Romesco sauce was delicious, the octopus was flavorless, with a spongy texture that was more aligned with it being boiled. Likewise, there was little seasoning on the dish. It was disappointing.

I also ordered the special entrée of the evening, which was described by the server as grouper over a risotto infused with white asparagus oil. I asked the server if it also contained white asparagus and she replied there were pieces of white asparagus as part of the accompaniments. The dish arrived and it was beautifully plated. The four, small fish pieces were inconsistently cooked. The biggest drawback was the complete and total lack of seasoning. There was little in the fish itself I could recommend. On the other hand, the risotto was delicious, great flavor.

For dessert we ordered the chocolate tart, which comes with Jeni’s coffee, cream and sugar ice cream. We asked if we could substitute the salty caramel ice cream from one of the other desserts and the server was agreeable. She approached a few minutes later and informed us they were out of the other, and offered plain vanilla. The dessert was the best part of the meal, fantastic flavors in the rich, dense chocolatey goodness.

I almost felt sorry for our server. She was performing her tasks plus, delivering some of the food and bussing the finished plates. While we very much enjoyed the room and the company, the food was extremely disappointing, for the second straight visit. Others at the table said the duck was extremely salty, while my wife enjoyed her salmon.

Mission and Market started strong last year, but it needs to refocus on the food if it expects me, and others to return.

Kawi is located on the fifth floor of the new Harbor Yards complex. To find it, look for Brooks Brothers, make a left and take the elevators to the fifth floor. When you enter the restaurant, there is a few banquettes to the left in the bar area, a medium sized bar along the left wall, tables and banquettes in the bar area and to the right is a main dining room, overlooking the kitchen. It is not an exceptionally large space, but relaxed in its décor, and comfortable in the seating.

The four of us were seated in a banquette in the main dining area and the server immediately brought menus, both food and beverage, plus offered water (tap, sparkling, flat). The emphasis of the menu is Korean, and it is advised that you ask a lot of questions to the server, the original server (more on that later) was friendly and quite knowledgeable. The four of us decided to try a few smaller plates, plus a rice noodle dish and a main course.

We knew we wanted the Sweet and Sour Ribs ($15) and immediately placed that order, which include three; the server was quick to point out they could easily make that four ribs so each of us could enjoy. They were delicious, but the description should read sweet and spicy as the glaze offered a little kick as an after-note. The meat was fall off the bone tender and a perfect size to set the tone for the rest of the meal. This was a solid 9.

The next dish to arrive was the overwhelming favorite of the table. The Pickled Brisket ($16) and Mustard was slightly cured, and served with a delicious sauce and mustard greens. The ultra-thin slices were melt in your mouth spectacular, take you time and enjoy every bite. This dish was a 10+.

The most unusual dish was the Foie Gras Kimbap ($36), which resembled Japanese maki, seaweed wrapped rice with a slightly cure foie gras terrine, pickled daikon and chives. A simple sauce accompanied the twelve slices of the bitmap. The luscious creaminess of the foie gras terrine was divine. It was a centerpiece of the dish and so rich and flavorful that the other components were slightly overwhelmed and none of the items complemented the others. I can only give this dish a 6.

The next dish to arrive was the Rice Cake Dumplings ($38) with parmesan and summer truffles. The term, dumplings, is a complete misnomer; I would describe them more in the style of ricotta gnocchi. They arrived in a bowl covered with the Parmesan cheese sauce and the server sliced the white truffles on top. The truffle slices were delicious, the cheese sauce was rich and creamy, but the dumplings were extremely dense and gummy. The dish was so rich and the dumplings so dense that I do not think one, or even two, people could finish. Even with the four of us, there was still some left in the bowl. I would not order this dish again. Except for the truffles this dish only receives a 2.

The last dish to arrive was the Boiled Whole Chicken for two people ($64). Again, a proper description is required. We were told the chicken is boiled for an hour and then the skinless breast is sliced and placed on a large serving platter alongside glass noodles, beech mushrooms, bok choy, spring onions, cabbage, pickled daikon and two sauces. The remainder of the chicken was cut into portions, seasoned and deep fried. This dish was a cacophony of flavors and textures, two completely different dishes in one. We loved the crispy, seasoned fried pieces. The breast meat and the accompaniments were also outstanding, and gave each diner a chance to experiment. Overall it was a great use of every part of the bird and lots of ways to enjoy, I give this an 8.

Service needs more focus. The restaurant has only been open a few days and there are adjustments in the kitchen and on the floor that need addressing. When we ordered the chicken, we were told it was cooked when ordered and it takes an hour. We liked that idea and mentioned it to the server; it would give us time to slowly enjoy the rest of our dishes. We were very surprised when it arrived twenty minutes into the meal, while we were only halfway through our appetizers, even before the rice dumplings arrived. What was very disappointing was how it was handled. I told the server we were not ready for it, that she originally informed us it would take an hour to arrive, and we planned around that information. It took close to ten minutes for her to scurry around and get approval to remove the two chicken platters and all the accompaniments from our table. Meanwhile the table was overwhelmed with so many plates, we could not eat anything else. In addition, it would have been a nice gesture for one of the managers to, at a minimum, apologize. Another unusual event was two-thirds of the way through the meal, our server arrived and introduced us to her replacement. It was very disjointed with a new server now needing to understand the rhythm of our table and the rapport developed with server #1 who worked with us in creating the meal. Given the bad timing of the food from the kitchen, the lack of management oversight when there was an issue, the manager spending more time sipping wine than addressing an issue and the uncomfortable hand-off of servers two-thirds of the way through the meal I can only give the service a 2.

Overall, as much as I enjoyed most of the dishes, I expected a smoother evening from a David Chang restaurant. When you spend ~$100 per person, there is an expectation that the kinks have been resolved, this was not the case. Everyone in the restaurant welcomed us at the table when we arrived, but when we had an issue, they were invisible.

If you go, I would also suggest planning on sharing the dishes to gain a full appreciation for the flavors that Chang and team have developed. Some of the dishes are really good, the ribs, brisket and chicken, while others should be revamped or eliminated. Overall, Kawi was an experience, but it is not a place I would rush back to.

Pleasantly surprised, pleasantly surprised.

I was looking for a quick bite in the ‘hood, pizza was a good option and my wife told me she heard good things about Your Pie. I decided to give it a try. With a pretty easy way on line interface, I chose The Lineage, with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms and olives (I deleted the sliced red onions). I also requested cherry tomatoes as an add-on. The site gave me a time for pick-up.

A short walk to the restaurant and it was beginning to fill. The atmosphere was friendly, groups of patrons were beginning to settle in and have a good time and the pizza makers were in full swing. At first glance I was concerned I would need another course after the pizza (they are ~10-inches), and grabbed a slice. My normal procedure is to taste the crust first. It was very good, just this side of excellent. My hopes rose.

My first real bite included all of the ingredients. The sausage was very good, the pepperoni added a nice level of spiciness and the olives the required saltiness. But the star of the show were the mushrooms, not you canned squirmy button mushrooms, but a great variety of real, honest to goodness sliced mushrooms. And the amount and flavor of the marinara was there to complement, not overwhelm the other ingredients. Before I knew it, the entire pie was consumed.

My only disappointment was that I waited over a year to try Your Pie. For $10, this is one great pie.

Hal’s is a little bit of New Orleans trying to be a NY steak house. In the end it comes across as a businessman’s oasis, with a touch of interesting meetups. It is located, unobtrusively off the intersection of Habersham, Roswell, Old Ivy and Piedmont, on a quasi-dead end. With very limited parking, valet is offered and they have the process down to a science. You enter from the side into the bar area, a long highly-buffed wooden structure with about twenty stools, plus 4-5 high top tables. Cigar smoking is allowed in the bar and there were several patrons partaking. With no barrier to the dining area, there is a high likelihood that you will receive a dose, now and then, of the cigar smoke while you eat. In the front corner of the bar is an old-fashioned piano man, singing tunes from the last 50 years. You will never know which decade the next song originated from.

The walls are covered with memorabilia, the tables are all wood, wood seats, and the dining area probably seats about 100 patrons. When we sat, the server immediately offered the menus, wine lists and all of the water glasses were filled. He was a NY steak house clone with a southern accent, and he recited the specials flawlessly.

We had a large group so we ordered a lot of the appetizers to share. There were roasted and raw oysters, clams, calamari, shrimp, fried crawfish, and others. All of them were delicious. If the rest of the meal was on the same level it would be a great night. My favorites were the fried items.

When the appetizer plates were removed, our salads arrived. I ordered a Caesar and it was disappointing, not that it was bad, it was just the run of the mill Romaine thrown on a plate with some dressing and croutons. It was more a time filler than a course.

Service between the salads and the entrée was painfully slow. Other tables surrounding ours were served much quicker. When the entrees arrived, and I had my first taste, it was well worth the wait.

I ordered the special Chilean Sea Bass over spinach and covered with a lobster sauce. The size of the fish filet was enormous, the size of a good strip steak, and when I tasted the first bite I was extremely impressed. It was cooked to perfection. It had just a tinge of crust and the interior was moist, flavorful and worked really well with the spinach and sauce. It was a major hit. I tasted the strip steak from one of my colleagues and it was delicious, with great flavor and seared to a crispy exterior with lots of butter. It is rare that a fish dish at a steak house is this good.

For dessert, we ordered a bunch of them. The cheesecake was probably the best of the desserts, but I thought the addition of the turtle sauce was unnecessary, great cheesecake needs no toppings, and the sauce was over the top sweet. I would stay away from the crème brulée, it was watery and under-sweetened.

Overall, I really liked Hal’s. Would I take my family? Probably not; the portions were just too large and the atmosphere is not a family-oriented environment. Make sure you bring a good credit card as it is not inexpensive, it will run north of $70 per person without wine or liquor.