Atlanta, GA
Just a bunch of teeming atoms on a brief quest to luxuriate in the finer pleasures of this sad plane
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Location
Atlanta, GA
Yelping since
November 2011
Reviews
Aug 13, 2018Updated reviewHad another great float this past weekend. I am upgrading to 5 stars as the crew at The Sandbar has seemingly phased out many of the ragged Tarpon boats I complained about in my initial review and added a fleet of nice new self-bailing boats with comfy seats and good storage/bungee points.
Just be chill and sensible about your cooler situation (don't board the shuttle carrying a funnel) and there shouldn't be any friction re: the NIMBY silliness of late. Enjoy and leave the river cleaner than you found it.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Jul 10, 2017Previous reviewI've been here 3 times over the last couple of years. It's a good solid float interspersed with some fun entry-level rapids (II+), at least at the water levels I've experienced. I've gone at gauge height 2.2ft, 2.9ft, and 3.5ft. I highly recommend waiting for a day above 3 feet. You'll spend a lot less time trying to scoot and drag yourself across rocky shoals, and you'll do less work on the flatwater stretches because of the increased current.
You can check real-time water levels here:
water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=ffc&gage=CARG1
There's a great spot right at the put-in to post up and have a sandwich, first beer and what have you before you tackle the initial section of rapids. It's also a nice spot to watch so many newbies invariably struggle and ditch it over the first drop. Good not to get too cocky, though, because there are a couple of tougher spots down the float that always claim a couple of our paddling group.
The biggest rapid is the 3 falls drop, which is a 5 foot ledge with 3 lines to choose from a couple of hours in. At the levels we've gone, the best option has always been to the far right. Hug the bank and lean back and you'll probably clear it. There's a piton rock at the bottom you'll hit if the water is low, so hang on.
The Sandbar is a cool place and the people are friendly. I'm docking one star because the boats are very hit or miss. I think the newer Jackson Rivieras are the most solid option, as many of the Wilderness Systems Tarpons are super leaky, and every time we've gone those with the Tarpons have had to stop multiple times and empty out many gallons (a lot!) of water from the hulls. This is an annoyance because the boats ride low and get very tippy with all the water sloshing around during vigorous sections. It's also difficult to do, and requires two people to do it properly if the boat is completely swamped. I actually think the Tarpon is the better boat new, but their fleet is worn pretty ragged.
On our last trip a pretty inebriated dude with a swamped and dumpy Tarpon was vociferously complaining about this to the helpers at the takeout, essentially saying throw this piece of shit away it's terrible. So yeah, boats are an issue. Getting one that doesn't leak, that has a decent seat, and that has workable D-rings to secure your cooler is a crapshoot. Ticking all 3 boxes has been difficult across all of our trips. I would say getting there before 11 will help your boat prospects, especially if it's a busy Spring day.
Broad River Outpost is the other operation in the area. Haven't used them yet, but want to give them a try next time. They're boats don't really look any better from what I've seen.
It's a long drive from Atlanta (~1 hr 45 min), but the Broad River is entirely undeveloped and the scenery is gorgeous. For a good 4 hour paddle (including 3-4 leisurely stops along the way) it's worth the trip.
Lastly but importantly: have a DD or drink low ABV beers, as State Patrol is definitely active on the roads around Ila and Danielsville.
Apr 16, 2018I can't overstate how thrilled I am that EAV has such a cool, vibrant food hall as the Global Grub Collective. I cherish the place and the SO and I wander in a couple of times a month. And when we do, Mushi Ni is usually my first choice, because their boas are just so goddamn delicious. Like, I think about them, I crave them, I am in a relationship with the frequent thought of their consumption--there's a new part of me now that can only be fulfilled by a Mushi Ni boa sampler and some crispy, piping hot sesame fries. It's like I'm in love. And you should be, too. Believe me, it's so easy to enhance your life in this small but meaningful way.
The bulgogi boa is my current favorite, a perfectly proportioned saucy and crisp little meat treat suspended inside a light boa cloud that steams delightful umami essence up into your thrilled little nostrils. Everything about it bangs so hard, yet it is so soft and perfect. The same could be said about all of their boas really. The octopus and cauliflower are also favorites, but you should definitely get the sampler because they rotate through recipes and try new stuff all the time. Go hungry and double your fun by getting some tasty glass noodles.
Check these guys out. Mushi Ni is the real deal. Everything is fresh and made on the spot, so make sure to tip well.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0
Jul 5, 2017This is a great burger and booze spot for Boone. Legit patio game, cool vibe inside, and good servers.
The house made sun-dried tomato hummus was choice, and paired well with toasty baguette from local Stickboy Bakery.
Wife gave two big thumbs up for the 'bottom of the bowl' salad. Not that hard to get right, but the corndog was very tasty.
Also tried a friend's burger and was impressed. Looks like they get creative with different meat grinds that change frequently. The special the afternoon we went was a duck burger. Not many places pulling off that type of thing.
Cool bathroom art, too, though while I was taking a leak some suburban golf-bro looking little shitweasel wrote a ton of Trump propaganda on the urinal chalkboard. Whatever, world is a screwed up place. Just order another round and love people.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0
Jun 13, 2017The food here is as good as other Jason's Delis, but this is the worst run location I've ever been to. Consistently have only one normal cashier working at peak times, as today, when the line was out the door and no sense of urgency. I literally watched at least 20 people walk up and then turn right around. I have seen this repeatedly over the last year--ridiculous. Don't get me started on the ice machine being out of order for weeks, and then the drink machine having no carbonation. Totally unreliable this place.
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Apr 13, 2017Updated reviewFinally made it back to this place for dinner after a lackluster brunch a couple of years ago. I can't say that this latest experience improved my initial opinion, with the exception of the very friendly and able service our waitress provided.
The entrée selections are very limited and nothing really jumps out as interesting. I had the burger which, at nearly a Jackson, is not a good deal. From the bottom up, the bun was not toasty and robust enough to stand up to the wet bacon jam that for some reason is place on the underside of the patty. This resulted in a quickly sogged out foundation that disintegrated and made eating the thing a progressively more frustrating affair.
The patty was actually cooked skillfully to the medium rare I requested, but had an unpleasantly firm texture, kind of like the sausage consistency one gets if they mix salt into the meat while forming the patty. Such preparation affects the protein structure in a not good way. Burger meat should ideally be pretty loose. I don't know if that was the culprit in this case, though, because there wasn't much in the way of salt or pepper that I detected (all you need). Not saying it was low quality meat, or that they made the rookie mistake with the salt, but I did find the texture off putting.
Finally, the huge mound of poblano cheese dookied on top of this thing seemed like overkill, and it was noticeably cool/cold in the center. As with the bacon jam, the flavor was not bad, but the implementation was curious. I prefer a more melty relationship between my cheese and my bun man. All in all The Shed is not putting out a top tier burger, but that's how they're pricing it. Vastly different type of place, but Fred's Meat & Bread is putting out the most satisfying burgers I know of in Atlanta right now.
I really want to like this place because it is so close and is trying to be classy, but everything seems to be about 20% more than it should be and the execution has been spotty both times I've been.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Mar 8, 2015Previous reviewMy parents were in town today, so the wife and I took them to The Shed for brunch because we'd always heard good things about it, because Canoe was booked solid, and because it was time to venture out of a South City Kitchen rut (even though in my opinion it is still one of the very best restaurants in town). On the whole it was an underwhelming experience and has't inspired any curiosity for trying their dinner service.
The space is large and open, and there's a decent side patio. Inside it feels a little soul-less, and even with such a beamingly beautiful afternoon as we had today, it seemed very dim--just not a lot of atmosphere floating through this place. Lastly, the acoustics are quite poor, with lots of hard noise bouncing around at a volume that can make conversation taxing.
The food was not bad, but I don't think anyone at the table felt especially jazzed about it either, especially considering the price. We started with the pastry basket, and that was perhaps the highlight of the experience, yet still on a vastly lower plane than the rarefied joy of wetly biting into a warm sticky bun from Canoe.
My French Toast was okay, but I basically paid $10 for two pieces of smallish H&F bread and a few candied pecans. Similar plates from nearby Dakota Blue and H. Harper station have been tastier and more generous.
My wife got through the fried chicken and thought it was passable, but if you're going to charge $18 for some skillet potatoes and two pieces of chicken, it had better be fucking fantastic. Not so much in this case. The batter was alright, but the oil must not have been all the way to temp, because it was excessively greasy and not quite done inside.
Dad had the burger and seemed to enjoy it well enough, but it was just a burger. One that cost $17. There's the rub: why the hell should a burger cost $17? Granted, he did do the up-charge for mushrooms (plain button ones), but unless the addition of those shrooms gives me a VIP pass to the swirling psychedelic parade where Jesus comes out as a lesbian and the breath of the cosmos cleanses every accretion of existential grime on my exposed soul, I'm going to feel a little shorted. It was not a magic burger, I'll pass.
Finally, the service was attentive and kept pace, but the lady had a stilted, butlerish affectation that rang false and was actually a little weird. That really summed up the whole experience--it was just a little off. I might come back since it's so close to home, but I'm not planning on it.