Hardy "Dirty South Wine" W.'s Profile

I love this place.  I mean really love this place.

In the last 4 months, Octane has become Dirty South Wine's remote office.  I love the people, they have great regular coffee (as well as fancy stuff), and the free wi-fi rocks.  

The tables, desks, and powerstrips galore make it work friendly, and I'm becoming a big fan of off hours (early Sun AM rocks!)

Throw in that they have Sublime Donuts too...  Hot Dang!

Octane is part of my regular routine.

The food at this place is on a different level..

Ingredients, preparation and soul.

My folks were in town and we headed over on Thurs for the half-price bottle night (which is a great deal) and Nick picked 2 great wines to pair with our 5-course tasting menus.  I love their wine list, and Nick knows his stuff.

Since the departure of Soto, this was perhaps the best meal I've had in ATL.

This is not intricate, dolled up, food for the catwalk--  It is almost rustic, pure, true to the food, and just really freakin' good.

Our 5 course menu consisted of-  Sea Scallops, Striped Bass, Duck Breast, and some crazy good pork (and dessert).  A full meal, but without being totally gorged.

Kevin is doing something special here, and it is great to seem him get the James Beard Rising Star nomination.  

This place has never been better.

I've stayed at this Marriott 7 or 8 times over the years.  It is nice, clean, and feels much smaller than the Hilton across the street.

Friendly staff, decent bar, expensive Starbucks / Coffee Shop.  

If you are doing anything at the convention center or at the Hilton- it is right there (100yds or less away).

This is an up-to-date Marriott, and I'll stay here again.

My only knock-  No concierge floor / lounge.

Bern's gets knocked by people looking for foodie heaven, or that consider Morton's, Ruth's Chris, and the other steak chains top of the list.

Foremost, Bern's is a wine destination. There is no place in the world that you can drink this well, for their prices.  Even if you have a grasp on wine, not speaking with one of their sommeliers is a sin.  They have so many treasures on that list, that going for what you know is insane.  Let them know what you are looking for (in style) and your budget.  

I will defend the food (currently) at Bern's to my grave.  I rarely order their steaks (though I do like them), but they are often the least interesting thing on the menu-  Crispy duckling, pork loin, super fresh sea food. lamb and veal have never led me wrong.  

Amazing value-  All entrees come with soup, salad, and some veggies on the side.  There is no reason to do the ridiculous steakhouse a la carte thing here.

It is old, it looks like a bordello, and it isn't edgy cuisine-  The food is very good, and it is the greatest restaurant wine destination on the planet.

I had an amazing experience at the back bar at Palate.  

If you like well thought out, unique choices, that are heavy on the Biodynamic and Organic side, this is a killer and nerdy list.

Great salumii, mason jars, and we had a veal tongue dish that was out of this world.  Also, a wonderful cheese selection.

All glasses of wine are available by the 2.5oz pour, so we were able to taste around with our food and wine, instead of being locked in to a glass.

I will return.

First time at the BookHouse last night.

They have a good beer list.  The space is cozy, dark, (at night, it feels a little closed in).  The food we had was ok.  The artisanal cheese plate is not artisanal and was pretty boring.  The arugula and smoked salmon salad was tasty, but finished with so much salt that a few bites were all I could manage.  People liked their homemade fish sticks.

We went with a group of 7 and had a hard time sitting-  the tables are screwed into the ground and can't be slid together.  The music was loud and it was tough to understand what anyone was saying without reading their lips.

Could've been an off night, and perhaps better for a smaller group.

I love The Wine Warehouse.

Their pricing is incredible, service great, selection unique, eclectic, and well thought out.  The only frills in this place are the wines.

If you like natural, biodynamic, traditional wines, they carry a lot of Kermit Lynch and Jon-David Headrick's portfolios.  Also a nice selection of grower Champagnes, top-tier Rieslings, and killer Burgs.  

I hit wine shops all over the US and Canada and Tim and crew have one of my favorites.

I'm glad I don't have kids yet, because this place would break me.  

Every Xmas I get a gift for a client's daughter.  Not knowing what 5 year old's like, the folks at Sprout has always helped me find really cool stuff that she loves but that her parents love too.

Their books are very cool, and it appears that their staff has read and knows each one inside and out.

These folks help me look like a star every year.

Getting ridiculously ill on a business trip in FL, I managed my butt onto a plane to get home to ATL.

After 18 hours of not being able to hold down even h20 (I will spare you the violent details), the little lady said it was time to go the hospital to get an iv or meds.  Primary care doc was closed, my ER visit is $150 copay, and she suggested going to an urgent care spot-  copay $30.  

North ATL Urgent Care was in my network, and we headed up.

First, though the building looks like an old bank, it was really nice inside.  Kind of swanky actually-  nice floors, good magazines, clean restroom...  I was impressed.

The woman at the front desk was super friendly, and didn't mind going through the hoops with my whacked out insurance plan.  After getting all the paperwork out of the way, I was admitted, saw a nurse, who was also very nice, and then the doc.

Dr. Andy (can't remember last name), was great.   He took plenty of time, asked a lot of questions, and I was surprised.  I got more time from him than I do with my primary-care Dr.

I got some meds, a shot, and they kept me for about an hour for observation and to make sure the meds were effective.

4 days later, I got a call from Dr. Andy (not a nurse or assistant), checking on my status.

Clean office, friendly staff, lot's of time with the Dr., and follow up.  If this is their normal level of service, I highly recommend this place.

My experience at Kokyo = Quantity and Quality.

I have never seen sushi this big that was actually good.  Kokyo's fish was fresh, clean, and I was impressed.  My sampler plate cost about $17 and I couldn't finish it.  The sheer quantity almost looked ridiculous...

Nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary (except portions)- just good, fresh fish.  Again, it is just rare that quantity and quality go together...

I also ordered some uni along with the sampler, and it was not as solid as the rest of the stuff.

I stay at the Courtyard next door fairly often, and I wouldn't hesitate coming back.