MURPHY'S

He says:
For Uptown Girl and me, Murphy’s always seems to be Plan B. For example, we might have coupons to eat at American Roadhouse just up the street, but it happens to be closed. What do we do? We go to Murphy’s. Or we’re excited for tapas at Noche, but the Friday night crowd is piled out into the street. What do we do? We go to Murphy’s. You get the idea.

According to their website, Murphy’s "fuses fresh local and international ingredients to create a new genre of American cuisine," but it's really just a generically competent eatery with a prime location in Virginia Highlands. Frankly, it’s hard to get excited about a restaurant where fried calamari and meatloaf are the most daring items on the menu. To their credit, the staff at Murphy’s always seems happy to see you, and they can often find you a great seat right away.

This restaurant also happens to serve some of the best pre-meal bread around. The sourdough slices have a hot, soft interior with a wonderfully crunchy crust, and they come with a robust olive oil for dipping. I’m a total sucker for details like this.

She says:
For appetizers, we tried the cod croquets and the crabcakes, neither of which I thought were very impressive. The croquets – delicately fried chunks of cod and potato – were on the bland side, although others in our party seemed to like them quite a bit (including Downtown Boy). In my opinion, the only saving grace was the zingy tomatillo-avocado sauce that came with the croquets. As for the crabcakes, they tasted fresh, but the celery flavor unfortunately overwhelmed the crab.

He says:
The rainbow trout I ordered was a genuine surprise, mostly because I got two seriously huge fillets of it – you’ve got to love Southern portions! Better still was that it was delicious. The trout’s skin had been wisely left on and seared, giving this white fish both crispiness and a bold flavor. Even if the accompanying wild rice is completely flavorless, at $17 this is one of the true bargains on Murphy’s overpriced menu.

She says:
On the other hand, the all natural herb-roasted chicken wasn’t much of a surprise. It’s rare to find really good chicken in a restaurant. As with most places, Murphy’s “free bird” had juicy dark meat and dried-out breast meat. The roasted autumn root vegetables that came with it tasted great, although they made the entire dish feel out of season (autumn vegetables in March?). The exception was the potatoes, which were the blandest, starchiest things I’ve ever had. Thank god for the sweet potatoes and new carrots.

The one thing that Murphy’s does right is dessert, and specifically, the Tollhouse Pie. With an Oreo cookie and walnut crust, chewy chocolate filling, and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, this pie is part chocolate chip cookie, part brownie, and totally delicious. It’s good enough to make Murphy’s Plan A.

We say:
Murphy’s is boring food done right!



Murphy’s
997 Virginia Avenue NE, Atlanta GA 30306
http://www.murphysvh.com/home.html

R. THOMAS DELUXE GRILLE

He says:
If you’re ever wondering what to order at a restaurant, ask the waiter what the most popular dish is. I got this tip from a magazine recently, and it’s darn good advice! When I asked this question at the bohemian eatery R. Thomas, where we recently dined with two of our friends, our waitress immediately responded, “The Thai Bowl. Everyone gets it.”

Unfortunately, I failed to take my own advice. Instead I ordered the organic salmon piccata, a fillet of salmon marinated in lemon and clarified butter. The salmon was tender enough, but its flavors were strangely muted. Neither the butter nor lemon had a strong presence, which made me wonder if the fish had been steamed. On the side, the raw kale salad and hiziki (a sea vegetable from Japan) in Dijon were too pickled for my taste; the quinoa had a great hearty texture though.

She says:
One of our friends and I did order the Thai Bowl – he had also suggested it based on previous visits. The dish is composed of a mélange of sautéed vegetables mixed with peanut sauce on a bed of quinoa. We both ordered tofu with ours, although it normally comes with the option of tempeh or chicken. I was a little disappointed with the peanut sauce, which I generally expect to be on the sweeter side, but this sauce was heavily soy sauce based. Otherwise, the dish tasted very wholesome and fresh.

Our other friend ordered the second “most popular” dish, the Down Home (it’s basically a smorgasbord of veggies, including collard greens). She commented that the millet corn casserole was what you’d get if meatloaf and cornbread ever procreated – I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or not, but she did clean her plate!

One of the great things about R Thomas is its strong vegetarian menu, but it also has plenty of organic meat dishes to keep everyone happy. Breakfast is literally served all day since this place is open 24/7. Another interesting aspect of the menu is its wide selection of fresh juices, smoothies, and other beverages. The Chai I ordered tasted real – not like a mix – and it was perfectly sweetened with honey. One of our friends ordered a shot of coconut kefir (fermented green coconut milk), which the waitress sternly warned was “very good” for digestion. We’ll have to ask her how that worked out.

He says:
I had the Big Bang, a hot concoction of apple juice, lemons, and ginger. Each of these ingredients came through loud and clear, especially the zing of the lemon, which definitely cleared my sinuses!

What I like about R. Thomas is that it is a breath of fresh air in a city like Atlanta. Downtown Girl said that it’s the kind of place you’d find Portland, OR, and I have to agree that its hippy flair makes it stand out from the other eateries on Peachtree. Along the restaurant’s exterior you’ll find actual parrots in cages, as well as a dizzying array of wind chimes and other knick-knacks. The inside is a cross between a tiki bar and a 70’s disco, with its woven grass decorations and rainbow colored lights. Yup, it’s a trip.

We say:
Order whatever the waitress says to at this vegetarian wonderland.




R. Thomas Deluxe Grill
1812 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
http://www.rthomasdeluxegrill.com/index.htm

RATHBUN'S

She says:
If you’ve never seen Rathbun’s before, it’s understandable. Along with Kevin Rathbun’s two other businesses (Krog Bar and Kevin Rathbun Steak), it occupies a former stove factory on a dark graffitied street in Inman Park that you’d never just stumble upon.

If you’ve never heard of Rathbun’s before, well that’s another story. Creative Loafing readers rated Kevin Rathbun Atlanta’s “best chef” in 2007, and Esquire named Rathbun’s as one of the Top 21 New Restaurants when it opened in 2004. And just last month, Kevin and his brother defeated Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America.” How much more famous can you get?

Needless to say, we entered Rathbun’s with high expectations. Exposed brick walls and warehouse-high ceilings set the scene as we perused the lengthy menu. There were numerous mouth-watering fish and seafood options to choose from, as well as a heavy emphasis on red meat. Red meat seems to be a particular passion of the chef’s, making up most of the “Second Mortgage” section of the menu, which can only refer to how much debt you’re going to be in after you pay for your meal! The waitress gave us plenty of time to look over the menu. Actually, I think she just forgot about us. She certainly forgot about the glass of wine I ordered until Downtown Boy reminded her.

He says:
The mediocre service aside, our Rathbun’s dining experience started off on the right foot with an excellent crab tart. It consisted of sweet crabmeat mixed with Creole mustard and served in a pastry tart crust; a smear of sweet pepper ketchup provided a zingy contrast. In the hands of a lesser chef, the creamy mustard and buttery crust might have drowned out the crab’s remarkable freshness, but instead they heightened its flavor. With an appetizer like this, we couldn’t wait to see what entrees Kevin Rathbun could whip out.

She says:
The Carolina Mountain Red trout was perfect. Fried with the skin on, the flavor was outstanding – as if it had been pulled from a stream minutes before. It was drizzled with a teriyaki-type sauce, which was unnecessary and distracting, but a puddle of ponzu hollandaise did add a nice creaminess to the dish. The fish came with stir-fried broccoli which was WAY too salty.

He says:
Judging from the success of his steakhouse (and his Iron Chef victory using elk) Kevin Rathbun knows red meat, and I was eager to see what he could do with my Second Mortgage platter. The venison I ordered was, unfortunately, a letdown. The fist-sized shank tasted like filet mignon in its preparation and juiciness, with just a slight gaminess to differentiate it from its bovine cousin. But for $46 (an extravagant price by Atlanta’s standards) I expected a truly magnificent dish, and this one was simply ordinary. The meat came with a rubbery fennel bulb that I left untouched. Fortunately, my side-order of mashed potatoes was delightfully buttery and smooth. Uptown Girl and I scraped the serving bowl clean.

She says:
The best value at Rathbun’s is the dessert: for $11, you can sample 4 desserts from an extensive menu. Since desserts in most fine restaurants are usually around $8 for a conservative serving, for $11 I was expecting four tiny bites. But the desserts were decently sized – more than we could finish after our meaty entrees. My favorite was the chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache. The cake reminded me of my mom’s own delicious homemade cakes, and the dark chocolate frosting was decadently bittersweet. I didn’t love the banana peanut butter cream pie. With what tasted like toasted marshmallow on top, it was far too sweet, and it was otherwise a little simplistic – for example, the peanut butter aspect of the pie was literally a thick layer of peanut butter spread onto the meager flake that constituted the crust.

He says:
My favorite was the dark chocolate brownie with dulce de leche filling and coffee ice cream; it tasted as good it sounds. The gooey toffee cake with Jack Daniel’s ice cream had potential, but the cake’s sponginess lent the dessert an odd texture.

We say:
If you are thinking about taking out a second mortgage, Rathbun’s is certainly worth a visit – it is, overall, an excellent restaurant. Just be warned that the pricier dishes do not always pan out. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t leave without dessert.




Rathbun’s
112 Krog St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
http://www.rathbunsrestaurant.com/

TWO URBAN LICKS

He says:
When I say that Two Urban Licks is the epitome of the soulless, superficial Atlanta restaurant scene, I mean it in the kindest possible way. Other restaurants may offer similarly dim mood lighting, but do they hang 20-foot-tall paper lanterns from the ceiling as Two does? Other restaurants may have incomprehensible postmodern art on their walls, but do they have an unfathomably large oil painting of a girl walking through a field filled with falcons and wildcats to assail the diner’s eye? No matter what any other restaurant in town has ever done, Two does it bigger and bolder. And it seems to be working. Two Urban Lick’s single-minded dedication to substitute any sort of homegrown character for over-the-top glitz will probably keep it standing long after its imitators have bit the dust.

Located in a converted warehouse just off Freedom Parkway, Two occupies a dark, thunderous space that creates the aura of eating dinner at a rave – I’m surprised the waiters weren’t twirling glow sticks. A wall of wine barrels lines the bar and in the middle of the enormous restaurant lies an open kitchen, where you can watch the cooks do their thing. Jam-packed with everyone from Buckhead blondes to rap stars to middle-aged yuppies in parties of 14, Two is definitely a place to see and be seen. In fact, seeing is the only thing you can do, since the live band’s guitars and the chaotic conversations booming off the walls make intimate conversation impossible. At most other Atlanta eateries, such a focus on visual fireworks would suggest a deficiency in the kitchen, but fortunately at Two this is not the case.

She says:
After shouting our drink orders to the waitress, our party of four (my brother and sister-in-law were in town for the week) tried our best to carry on a coherent conversation over the din. Fortunately the appetizers arrived soon enough and we could communicate more easily through mouthed “mmm’s” and nods of agreement. The salmon chips (smoked salmon chunks mixed with chipotle cream cheese, capers, and red onions and served on a large potato chip) were delectable, with a pleasant, subtle spiciness. Even more innovative were the eggplant hush puppies, which came drizzled with blue cheese dressing and pico de gallo. The eggplant lent much-needed moisture and flavor to a typically bland, dried-out side dish. If only all hush puppies were so good! We also shared the “rocket salad” between us, a solid combination of greens with candied pecans, dried cranberries, and feta in a cranberry Serrano vinagrette.

He says:
My main entrée, braised pork with a side of baked cheddar macaroni, was less successful. The pork was very tender, especially the sections happily located along the veins of fat. But it was also bland, lacking both the meaty oomph I expected and an accompanying sauce to add some complexity. The mac’n cheese was creamy, but it wasn’t any better than what I could have whipped up at home.

In contrast, Uptown Girl’s sister-in-law ordered the duck breast stuffed with Italian sausage, and it was exceptional. The duck was silky and rich, practically melting on the tongue. The only drawback, she said, was that the sausage provided an unnecessary distraction from the duck. The cayenne sweet potato puree on the side was also excellent, sweet and hot in just proportions.

She says:
My brother and I both sprung for the seared tuna, on the waitress’ recommendation. The strips of rare tuna steak were lightly seasoned with a sesame dressing, letting the meat stand on its own accord. A wise choice on the chef’s part, although I occasionally tasted an odd, earthy flavor in the meat; I’m not sure if this is an indication of the quality of the fish or not. The tuna came with an avocado and edamame salad, which added to the simple freshness of the dish.

He says:
The dessert choices were the weakest part of the menu. The four of us ended up splitting the chocolate banana bread pudding, as it was the only interesting option. It sounded a whole lot better than it tasted… we all agreed that it wasn’t nearly chocolatey enough. It also would have also benefited from a greater variety of textures, say crunchy on top and silken below, instead of a singularly mushy one.

We say:
Two Urban Licks is the Las Vegas of restaurants: incredibly shallow and yet immensely entertaining. It stands apart from its flashy Atlanta brethren in the scale of its ambition and the quality of its kitchen. Aside from a weak dessert list and a few bum entrées, Two is a winner. Just don’t expect to have a conversation over dinner.



Two Urban Licks
820 Ralph McGill Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30306
http://www.twourbanlicks.com/home.html