review

Tuesday’s Treats #30

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Marlow’s Tavern

Location: several in the Atlanta area


Marlow’s is the BEST! This is one of my favorite restaurants. The ingredients are picked up fresh daily, and the choices are unique and diverse. They have some of the best shrimp and grits I’ve put in my mouth. Now, I switch up mine from their menu description. I order mine with the jalapeño corn grits rather than the grit cakes, but that’s just according to your particular taste. I like them both.

The Tavern burgers, chicken panini and chicken stack are all delicious, and the salads are different than any you’ll get at another restaurant. Beware, the salads are of large proportion, too! You’ll definitely want to start out with the kettle chips or the firecracker shrimp, and the warm chocolate cake is a delicious finish.

If your appetite isn’t all that today, you can even order a few small plates to custom make your meal. There’s jalapeño corn grits, fried okra, fresh fruit and white cheddar grit cakes, just to name a few. If you enjoy a little spirits with your meal, I suppose they have plenty of that, too, because it is called a tavern. That’s just not my game; so, I apologize I won’t be too helpful in that area. 😉
The atmosphere is great, and the seating is very comfortable with booths, regular tables, high tops and even a great patio area. We had a group of 35 meet here recently, and the patio area was so comfortable and accommodating. The fans oscillate and rotate, and the tables are a cool wood/metal decor, and they even have a couch a table area for the more relaxed conversations.

I believe you’ll enjoy your visit; so, I hope you’ll check them out soon. Oh, I hear they just opened a location in Florida as well! 😊 Here’s their website for all your information needs.

Tuesday’s Treats #28

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Bare Bones Steakhouse

Location: Buford, Ga.  

For one of the best steaks you’ll put in your mouth, drive on past The Mall of Georgia and head toward the historic town of Buford, Georgia. In the old Bona Allen Tannery Building, the owner of Bare Bones Restaurant is grilling them up right! He has direct connections with a meat company out of Norcross; so, the steaks are cut and delivered fresh everyday.

My husband and I went here for the first time the other night, and we were highly impressed! From what I’ve been told, they have redone the building perfectly. You feel like you’ve walked into an upscale steakhouse yet not so upscale that you can’t show up in jeans and a cute top. The hostess is dressed in jeans and a plaid button up, and I saw the owner bustling around in his suit and tie. They asked if we had reservations, but seated us quickly even though we did not. They have booths and tables and a grand room in the back for really large groups.


We split the 22 oz Chateau Briand Filet with a side of Logan Turnpike Grits with cheese and a salad. Can I just say, “Oh. My. Word. That’s a lot of meat, but, oh, what a good steak!!” The grits were phenomenal and the wedge salad was incredible with the bacon, tomatoes and pecans (We got it with Ranch dressing instead of blue cheese). We were told by the hostess that everything here, except the bread and the cheesecake, is made in house, and you can tell! The grits were creamy and delicious…”Southern style” made just right.

Even though, we were almost full, and we had already had a portion of our steak boxed to go, we ordered the blackberry cobbler with homemade ice cream for dessert. Oh. My. Goodness!! That’s heaven in a bowl! It was served in this cute little white “crock,” and I’m so sorry, I don’t have a pic of this. We dove into it way too quickly, and it disappeared before I thought to take a photo. Just trust me when I say, you’ve got to get you some!!

These guys opened up back in the fall/winter of 2015, and they seem to be going great. I hope they do well. They are a great addition to the cool upgrade of downtown Buford. Here is their website; so, you can find their location and see the menu.

Tuesday’s Treats #25 

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Amicalola Lodge Restaurant

Location: Amicalola Falls State Park, Ga.

This was a pleasant surprise. We ate here several time YEARS ago and got burned BAD each time; so, we have just refused to try it again, until an evening in May, when we were at the Falls, and our boys were about to starve. We contemplated driving back into a town (30 minutes or more) to get them something, but with the recent renovations of the lodge, we decided to give the restaurant another try. We were glad we did.

It was a Friday night, and the restaurant was having a “Surf and Turf” seafood buffet. Everything was really tasty. The salad bar was great. They had fried shrimp, clams and mussels, baked fish, steak and crab cakes as the main entrees. The sides were green beans, roasted new potatoes and grilled veggies (squash and zucchini), and maybe another I didn’t try (?). These all were delicious!

They also had a gourmet chef who would cook your shrimp and pasta dish to order. The fried shrimp and steak weren’t too good, but the crab cakes and baked fish were delightful. The chef took a little too long to cook my shrimp scampi, and the shrimp was, actually, a little overcooked, but the taste was yummy!

They had a pretty good spread of desserts: pecan pie, banana pudding, chocolate cake and an assortment of cookies. The pecan pie was Amazing, and being from the South, I can be pretty picky about pecan pies! It was so chock full of pecans, and it tasted like homemade.

 

sorry for the reflection, but I wanted you to see our view from the table. 😉

The lodge is always beautiful with the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the mountains, and that view is continued throughout the restaurant. So, you get a delicious meal with an incredible view. We will definitely come here again when we’re visiting the falls.

If you’d like to check out this, or other state parks in ga, you can find them here.

Tuesday’s Treats #24

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The Rookery

Location: Macon, Ga.


This place has a great atmosphere, and good food. It’s noted as #1 on tripadvisor.com; however, I think I might not rate it that high. Don’t get me wrong, please. We did enjoy it; it just wasn’t a “hit it out of the park” kind of meal. We ordered the spicy pimento cheese appetizer, the bacon cheeseburger and the a chicken sandwich with goat cheese, bacon and a fried green tomato (I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten the name!). The appetizer was amazing. The burger was good, and the chicken sandwich was pretty good, but very messy. My husband didn’t really care for the goat cheese taste on the sandwich. I’ve been told they are known for their milkshakes, and we should’ve gotten one. However, the waiter seemed to be a little slow, or distracted, and the wait time went over the time we had; so, we opted out. I guess, we’ll have to go back and try that and maybe try a different sandwich to see if maybe it was just an off day. The crowd was full during lunch time on a Monday, and the ratings on TA were pretty high; so, yeah, maybe we just didn’t get a good first impression…?

They have several specials each day, as well as, two or three daily soups. The shakes are supposed to be awesome, and the desserts did sound yummy from the descriptions. If you’re in Macon, stop by and give it a try.

Here’s their menu to check it out. By the way, the whole menu doesn’t seem to be listed on line. It’s pretty extensive. 😉

Tuesday’s Treats #23

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Stonewood Grill

Location: Ormond Beach, Fl


This place is INCREDIBLE!! We went here for our 20th Anniversary dinner, and the only thing we regretted was that we had not found it sooner! We had the lobster bisque and bbq shrimp as an appetizer. They bring out bread before the meal, also. There were two different kinds, and both were scrumptious, but my personal favorite was the cranberry nut bread. It had such a delectable taste. This was followed by crab crusted mahi and the lightly blackened salmon. We finished the meal with a slice of key lime pie and chocolate indulgence. Oh. My. Word. I cannot tell you how incredible everything tasted! This is one of those meals that goes on our all-time “top 20” list. If you are in the Daytona area, or you are planning on vacationing here soon, make sure Stonewood Grill is on your itinerary!

Check out their website here.

Tuesday’s Treats #22

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Aunt Catfish’s

Location: Port Orange, Fl (Daytona)

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This is this is one of our favorite places to eat in Daytona. The seafood is wonderful, and the huge salad bar and “fixin’s bar” is to die for! It. Is. SOOO. Good!! The salad bar has so many great choices, and the fixin’s bar is full of cheese grits, baked beans, fried cinnamon apples and cornbread. You could simply fill up here, but the seafood is worth ordering. They have tons of choices, from fried shrimp to blackened swordfish.

We have had several different entrees, and the menu is quite extensive. I think our absolute favorite is the blackened swordfish and the bblackened mahi mahi. Oh. My. Word! It is so delicious!! You even get a homemade cinnamon roll served with your meal. Oh, I’m craving these things right now. Yum!!

Check them out here:

http://auntcatfishontheriver.com

Tuesday’s Treats #21

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Uncle Maddio’s

Location: Buford, Ga

This place is great! It has a comfortable atmosphere, and you get to “direct” the making of your own pizza. It’s almost like a Subway for pizzas. You walk in, and the staff is usually very friendly with a shout out, “Welcome to Maddio’s!” You can see the menu at the beginning, but you really don’t need it, as you walk down the line telling the staff what you would like on your pizza. You can choose from white and whole wheat dough, sundried tomatoes, spinach, sauce, pepperoni, grilled chicken, steak, veggies, and even anchovies. You can do the same thing with a salad.

The salads are great. You can choose the toppings, or they can simply make you a garden, Greek or Ceasar salad. Personally, I love the Greek with the dressing. It is delicious. Oh, you also get a little breadstick with this. It is just as good, and, I think, you can order a bunch, too. The prices are pretty good, too. You can order a pizza and salad for $8.99. I can’t remember the cost of the drinks, but the sweet tea is just as it’s supposed to be in the South, and the cookies are maybe $2-3 (a little steep, but oh, so worth it!) So, for about $15, you can fill your tummy to overflowing. When we go, I am usually taking half of my pizza home, cuz I eat my dessert before finishing. Now, let me tell you about that…

You MUST have a cookie for dessert, too! Oh. My. Word!! These things are delicious! Being LOTR fans, our family calls these The Arkenstone, because they have this yummy goodness in the center. You can choose from chocolate chip and oatmeal cranberry. They are both incredible, but you definitely must like oatmeal for the latter. Our boys don’t much care for it, but I love it. It’s always hard for me to decide which one I want; so, usually, I order the oatmeal cranberry and just steal a bite of their chocolate chip! (…best of both worlds. haha!)

 

These drops of yumminess just came out of the oven…

If you haven’t been to Uncle Maddio’s, you must find one soon. You won’t regret it. I’m just so glad they are building so many of these around. You can find them many more places than there used to be. Check out their website for all of the locations, as well as, the menu and other needed information.

Tuesday’s Treats #20

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Sweet Magnolia’s

Location: Gainesville, Ga

Okay, I know I should have had such a better picture to post today, but I promise you, this Hello Dollie will be one of the best things you’ll put in your mouth!

These are rather delicious, too. Homemade coconut pecan cookies, two of my favorite flavors in one bite. Wow.

Okay, excuse me for getting distracted, but it’s yummy desserts. I always get distracted by dessert!  So, now onto the rest of the story. This place is simply delightful. You walk in and feel like you’re entering a little storefront cafe. You order at the counter, take a number and then find a table. There are adjoining shops where you can meaner while you wait or after your meal; it’s probably best after your meal, as you have a number that your waiter has to find once your meal is ready, but I was able to find a table right beside one of the shops; so, I took a quick peak while I waited. It took just a few minutes for them to being my (already mentioned) yummy desserts and my lunch special of chicken salad on croissant with a small cup of chicken noodle soup. (I’m sorry I don’t have a pic. I thought I had, but I can’t find it! 😁) They call this sandwich the Rebecca’s Famous Chicken Salad, chosen by Esquire Magazine as one of the best sandwiches in America, and if you like chicken salad, I can see why. It is delicious. They took that croissant, loaded it with this yummy chicken salad and grilled it just enough to toast the outside without heating up the salad or lettuce. I am really picky with chicken salad, too; so, I was a little hesitant. I don’t like a lot of mayo or celery, the chicken can’t be fatty and the grapes need to be firm and fresh. This one is made perfect!

To be honest, I probably won’t order the chicken soup again. It was more like Campbell’s condensed soup with larger noodles, which isn’t too bad, but I just didn’t care too much for it. I’ll try the chili next time. They offer that everyday, and I think that might be one of their better ones.

Everything else was wonderful, and I will definitely be back again. I knew I’ve included the menus in the photos, but you may need some more info, like their location. 😉 Here ya go.

Tuesday’s Treats #18

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Madison’s

Location: Highlands, NC

Madison’s is located inside the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands. They have inside seating, a wine garden with outside seating, and even a rooftop terrace where you can choose to have your meal. We have eaten both inside and on the rooftop terrace and enjoyed both immensely. We have friends who had lunch in the wine garden and just loved the patio feel with the sound of the waterfall trickling nearby.

Let me stage for you and tell you about one of our favorite moments here… Now just imagine: a lovely rooftop terrace, with beautiful shutters, table settings and cushioned seating, overlooking the little town, and a gentle summer breeze blowing in the “heat” of summer with ceiling fans gently rolling. The temperature gauge rising no more than about 70-72 degrees, because you’re at such a high elevation! The waiter brings you a pleasant cheese and cracker tray for an appetizer, “just right” sweet Southern tea, mini biscuits and cornbread made fresh daily, and your meal consists of fish and chips and the best shrimp and grits you’ve ever tasted. You sit around the table with family and friends and feel like royalty… Yes, it was that wonderful!

The food is incredible, and we haven’t had one thing yet that we didn’t like! As I mentioned before, their fish and chips are great, and they serve it in a really cool style. (See pic below) Their fries are more like miniature potato logs, and the dill/tartar sauce is great. I don’t have it pictured, but they also have a great cheese tray which comes with several cheese, currant and several other delicacies that are just fantastic. They have a pimento cheese burger that is just as fantastic, too.

As I’ve also mentioned, they have some of the best shrimp and grits I’ve ever put in my mouth…and being a Southern girl, that’s quite a bit! They serve the dish in a cute little crock/skillet; so, your grits stay nice and warm throughout the duration of the meal. However, they’re usually gobbled up so quickly, it’s difficult to let the grits grow cold anyway. Haha. The grits are so creamy, and the shrimp are just right, never chewy.

It is simply a fine Southern meal to remember! If you have time, and can afford it, be sure to stay a night or two at the Old Edward’s Inn, too. It is breathtaking!

I will include the whole website on this blog; so, you can find all your needs. When you go to the site, if you just want info on Madison’s, click on the little circle icon in the top right hand corner, and a drop down menu will appear they has “dining” listed. Click there, and it will direct you to the restaurant. If you’d like to know more about the town of Highlands, you can read one of my past Wednesday’s Odes telling all. It is a delightful little town!

Tuesday’s Treats #17

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The Grand Marlin

Location: Pensacola Beach, Fl

Market Freah Fish: Swordfish

 

The Grand Marlin is a great upscale seafood restaurant located just across the Pensacola Beach Bridge. They have a little more limited menu than some restaurants, but what they have is phenomenal! They have market fresh fish daily, and the price is moderate for market prices.

Shrimp & Grits (sauce on side)

 

We have had the shrimp and grits, grouper, shrimp, crab cakes, grilled lobster, snapper and swordfish. Everything we have had there is absolutely wonderful! The BBQ Shrimp and he Blue Angel Chips appetizers are so yummy!

Prailine Basket

 

The last time we went, we were celebrating two birthdays; so, they decorated our dessert plates beautifully. The key lime pie is good; however, it could stand to be a little bigger slice. They have a praline basket that is made in-house, and it is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth goodness!! They serve it with ice cream, fresh seasonal berries and a granola crunch. Oh. My. Word. It is SOOO good!

For more information, check out their website. They may even give the daily market choices there.