Brewhouse (Rome, GA)

DISCLOSURE: Let me start this off by saying this is not a review of The Brewhouse.  They're a new business and deserve to get their legs under them for at least a month. This is simply my take on a recent Brewhouse experience.

The Brewhouse is a new spot for music, food, and drinks on Broad St. Great music venue, nice open floor plan, and very clean. We started off with the southwestern egg rolls (I could be wrong about the name, I didn't take a picture of the menu) they were very similar to Chili's with the bits of corn and black beans in them with a nice zesty creamy filling. My husband liked them but for my taste they were a bit over fried.  He also had the Brewhouse Burger and loved it.  Said it was "excellent" -quote, unquote. Nice thick juicy burger with all the "fixins" topped with a perfectly fried egg. I had a Philly cheese steak type of sandwich. When it arrived it was sitting in a basket with way too much grease. The meat was a bit overcooked, but the bell peppers were perfect, they had a nice crisp tender texture, and the cheese was nicely melted on top. I was not happy with that it had so much grease. The manager addressed our concerns but seemed to be a bit defensive which was odd. It was definitely not the "customer is always right" type of service I've had at other establishments. Then the chef comes out (we never asked to see him) and tells us it was cooked on a flat top and supposed to be greasy "just like the Waffle House" -quote, unquote. Fine. Asked what they offer as sides, our waitress told us fries, onion rings, tater tots, but that they make their cole slaw. I ordered the cole slaw.  (If you have a facebook account and saw all the hoopla about tater tots, I somehow am responsible for that little bit of comic relief and no harm/no foul.) The cole slaw was very good and is the only option for something made in-house, the rest are frozen. Hey, it's bar food it's not fine dining.  For some reason as were were leaving the back exit we heard someone call my husbands name.  We turned around and there was one of Rome's Finest telling us "You have to leave". When I asked why he said it was because of cursing. We were not sitting at the bar cursing. All I did was send back a sandwich, I've sent back food at other places, but no one has ever asked the police to escort me out because I didn't like their food. Embarrassing to say the least but certainly unnecessary.  I know they're growing and I wish them nothing but success.

As always you can read my reviews on coosavalleynews.com

Cheers, 

Regan

Sweet Pickles (Rome, GA)

Score: 4  "Make ya slap your momma"

Sweet Pickles is a charming little lunch spot sandwiched between The Forrest building and the Forrest Barber Shop. There are a couple of high top tables inside along with bar seating as well as sidewalk seating. The server/host was pleasant and rushed to clean off a corner table for us. My dining companion and I both had the daily specials. I had the summer sandwich, which was superb. Roasted slices of juicy turkey, swiss cheese, crisp cucumbers, earthy spouts, and a scallion cream cheese spread. (My mouth is watering as I type this). The other sandwich we had was so good we left and immediately went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients to make it. It was a prosciutto panini. Buttery crisp bread with slices of salty prosciutto, creamy fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and mixed baby greens. I rarely go nuts over a sandwich, but this was that good! Staff was friendly prices were reasonable, and the food was exceptional. I highly recommend you give them a try.
As always be sure to read my reviews on coosavalleynews.com

Cheers,
Regan

Here's my scoring terminology:

1-5 "(5 being the highest)"

1: "Bless your heart"

2: "Don't stop Green Beanin' (For my Journey friends)"

3: "Medi'okra"

4: "Make ya slap your momma"

5: "MAKE A PUPPY PULL A FREIGHT TRAIN"

                                                                                     The prosciutto panini.

Curlee's (Rome, GA)

Score 2: "Don't stop Green Beanin'"

Curlee's is an attractive building and restaurant with a courteous staff. The food, however, needs a bit of work. They offer a few "signature" cocktails all priced at $7.00. I had the Shark Attack. It was so sweet that I was afraid I was going to go into diabetic shock. Ditto from my Iced Tea expert.  We started off with the tuna tartare (I originally ordered the chef's special that was advertised on the chalkboard outside, but was told they sold out of that the previous day). The tuna was fresh, with a nice kick of jalapeno and the tartness of the lime was a perfect balance. However, it was slightly over seasoned.

My server suggested the chef's special of the day, tilapia with rice while my dining companion had the fried shrimp (if you're a seafood restaurant you better make decent fried shrimp). Oh dear, where to begin. My entree was all over the place, the fish was dry, the rice was overcooked, and visually it was messy and monochromatic. The fried shrimp were so oily they left a pool of grease on the plate. I also found it rather expensive for a lunch. $14.99 for 6 shrimp hushpuppies and a side of coleslaw, $10.99 for a piece of tilapia, rice and a side salad. Also, it's a fish joint but neither of us had a slice of lemon on our plate.

Curlee's is relatively new and I'm sure they are still working out some kinks. Although my dining experience wasn't the best, it wasn't for lack of effort and we applaud effort.  We'll give them some time and another review in the future.
You can find all of my reviews at coosavalleynews.com

Cheers,
Regan

Here's my scoring terminology:

1-5 "(5 being the highest)"

1: "Bless your heart"

2: "Don't stop Green Beanin' (For my Journey friends)"

3: "Medi'okra"

4: "Make ya slap your moma"

5: "MAKE A PUPPY PULL A FREIGHT TRAIN"

                                                     Interior of Curlee's.

                                                      Tuna tartare.

                                                       Tilapia (this is literally how they served it to me)

                                               Fried shrimp with hushpuppies and cole slaw

Local Three (Atlanta, GA)

Score (5)- "MAKE A PUPPY PULL A FREIGHT TRAIN"
"Careful man, there's a beverage here!" -The Dude. Yes, folks, that is what's written on the front of the expansive drink menu at Local Three. Local Three is located just off I-75 S on Northside Parkway. This is the perfect place to bring a date, hip young atmosphere, ice cold drinks, and fun creative food. We opted for the outdoor seating  and were quickly greeted by our waitress, Adrienne. She was friendly, attentive and made excellent suggestions being that it was our first time dining with them. To say this place is a bourbon bar is an understatement. I started out with the "I'll Be Your Huckleberry" it was fruity (blackberry liqueur) and reminded me of a Manhattan. We also tried a couple of the appetizers, the chicken liver bruschetta, and the duck fat fried okra. I'm not typically a fan of chicken livers, but Local Three has converted me into a believer. The bread was nicely toasted without being hard, the perfect base for creamy chopped chicken livers with egg, smokey bacon, and a hint of sweetness from the shallot jam. Duck fat fried okra, they had me at duck fat. One thing we do really well in the south is fry okra, but this was hands down the best I've ever had. The duck fat added a depth and richness to the light crispy exterior, and the okra was almost meaty, not slimy at all. Great music, amazing service, exceptional food and spirits. I'm already planning my next trip there!!

Here's my scoring terminology:

1-"5 (5 being the highest)"

1: "Bless your heart"

2: "Don't stop Green Beanin' (For my Journey friends)"

3: "Medi'okra"

4: "Make ya slap your moma"

5: "MAKE A PUPPY PULL A FREIGHT TRAIN"

http://localthree.com/
coosavalleynews.com

Johnny's New York Style Pizza (Rome, GA)

Score: (4) Make ya slap your moma

My husband and I are downtown Rome dwellers and have dined at Johnny's several times. Today we walked downtown with our little dog Nancy, and Sunday afternoon lunch at Johnny's. Since we had the dog with us we sat outside. Upon arrival we were greeted by a lovely waitress (sorry if that's not the politically correct term), named "Tuesday" (not everyday you meet someone named Tuesday). We ordered a 1/2 & 1/2 tea, water with lemon, and a Bloody Mary. The drinks arrived, I don't drink tea, but ML assured me it was "good tea". The Bloody Mary was perfect, (I still believe that the best Bloody Mary's in the world are in NOLA) spicy, thick almost like gazpacho with vodka. She was also more than happy to bring our dog a bowl of water. We had the Margherita Pizza well done. Fantastic!!! Crispy crust with a slight chewiness, the mozzarella was fresh and gooey, the tomatoes added a nice "wetness"and the anise kick of the basil was a perfect finishing touch. The guy manning the pizza oven today was Jack Rhyne, he obviously knows his way around a ball of dough. Great lunch and a perfect Sunday afternoon. We will definitely be back.

Here's my scoring terminology:

1-5 (5 being the highest)

1: Bless your heart

2: Don't stop Green Beanin' (For my Journey friends)

3: Medi'okra

4: Make ya slap your moma

5: MAKE A PUPPY PULL A FREIGHT TRAIN

My New Restaurant Review Blog

Welcome to my latest adventure. 

  
Hi everyone, my name is Regan, a Northwest Georgia girl that is passionate about her food. This blog was started to share with you my experiences at local restaurants as well as some out of town places. Just so you know, I will never accept a free meal in exchange for a favorable review. My opinion cannot be bought -that wouldn't be fair to you. The goal here is to encourage better food and better service from our restaurants.  They benefit from honest feedback so everybody wins. I'm new to this (not the eating part, or the complaining part) and I'm open to any and all suggestions. Here's hoping  you enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it!

As always you can read my reviews at coosavalleynews.com

Here's my scoring terminology:

1-5 (5 being the highest)

1: Bless your heart

2: Don't stop Green Beanin' (For my Journey friends)

3: Medi'okra

4: Make ya slap your moma

5: MAKE A PUPPY PULL A FREIGHT TRAIN

Cheers, 
 Regan