Ford Fry is all sizzle no steak. He’s a volume scorer with a smart design firm. Have had some eminently forgettable meals at his places. JCT is solid. Far better, far more authentic options abound otherwise, however. Update: @mshriver3 put it perfectly re:Ford Fry. St. Cecilia is a prime example - more of a place to be seen rather than get an all-world meal. Superica stinks. And on the subject of TdS, also agree. Is it authentic? No. Are the tacos great? No. They’re good. But the Chile, the queso, the setup and the specials are always good, and when they have New Mexico Hatch Chiles in you can cancel Christmas. I have found that some of the new locations leave a lot to be desired. West Midtown and Cheshire Bridge are the gold standards.
Nuevo Laredo is good, not great. Chance, the owner, is a good guy - used to stay at the Ritz a lot.
@Just-a-little-right I disagree on the checkout experience. I’m fine with that sort of thing at Whole Foods or a specialty market, but not as much when I’m loading up on BoGo’s and staples.
I will drive to Pinehurst before I get on a plane. That’s 6 hours from my door in theoretical time, 7 hours once you stop a couple of times for gas or food or restroom stops. I flew nearly every week for 15 years. I like ATL the airport, but I avoid it whenever possible. Charlotte? Jacksonville? I’m driving.
Partly agree. But I think JCT (besides the bar upstairs) is his weakest offering. The menu can be had at any given restaurant in Atlanta. Fried chicken, trout, and steak frites. Ok. Its the booze margin keeping that one around.
I have had some damn fine plates at the Optimist and No. 246.
I have 2 or 3 favorite dishes at at JCT and don’t venture beyond that, which is rare. I think I also like the lower key aesthetic of the place when you juxtapose it with some of the other stuff he’s got going on. The Optimist is hit or miss, and aggressively overpriced. Was never bowled over by No. 246 - always feels like cultural appropriation Italian. Would rather go somewhere like La Grotta and get the real thing.
Hatch szn at Central Market gets at the soul of what Spencer was saying about enjoying going to the grocery store. Roasting outside smelling up a multi-block area, eight million cooked and packaged items with hatch chilis being sold inside, and lots of punny radio commercials about it. It’s so damn exciting.
That’s a place I’ve always heard about but never made it around to going there. I promise you 30 years ago somebody would have immediately answered Bones. (That’s a compliment)
Bone’s is a little more ‘business’ whereas Hal’s is a bit more laid back, but both are great. If I’m going purely based on the steak, I’m taking Bone’s
Chops (surf & turf), Hal’s (blackened or au poivre + crawfish tails), NY Prime (during stone crab season getting a barrel cut + stone crabs and smell like cigars for a week) all interchangeable IMO. Bones experience outweighs the actual food, which is unfortunate considering the price tag. Went to Arnette’s Chop Shop in Brookhaven with my parents last year and was bowled over.
Its definitely a younger demo (25-30) but the local hang out for me is Neighbors off of ponce on N Highland. Ginormous outdoor patio thanks to buying Hand N Hand’s building. Great for Saturdays in the fall.