Hand in Hand

Brit Burger with Rocket Salad.

On Saturday we wanted to relax on the patio at a neighborhood restaurant with our friends from the neighborhood. We decided to go to Hand in Hand, a Virginia Highlands staple with a great patio. The food was fine, although the fried mushrooms and fried fish were too greasy for my taste. The burger was good and the fries were decent as well. However, the service was definitely BAD.

Now because of the awesome patio and the location Hand in Hand probably isn't lacking for customers. They also have some great recurring daily specials such as the $1 fish taco and $1 PBR on Sundays. Upon arrival, we seated ourselves at an outdoor picnic table. Nobody came although we could see several waitresses in the vicinity. Finally after about 20 minutes one of us got up and went inside to find out if we could get menus. After that we ordered quickly and the food came out in a timely fashion. Still, it was impossible to find our waitress. We got malt vinegar and hot sauce on our own (we could see it on a stand near the door); we asked another waiter for a refill of iced tea and Coke. We asked twice for a side of blue cheese dressing that took at least 20 minutes to materialize. We ordered the fish & chips because our waitress told us it was $5 instead of the usual $12. When we got our check it was $12 and she said "Oops I forgot it is Saturday, that special is on Friday. Sorry." We made it clear we were not going to pay $12 for something she told us was $5 and she did take care of it although I thought it was terrible customer service for her to even suggest we would pay full price at that point.

In any event, this place is a great find for the patio but beware of the service. And you probably want to come when they are actually having one of their specials!

Fried Mushrooms.



Fish & Chips.

Firkin & Lindbergh - Trivia Night

Sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo - delicious.



Burger with salad - skip the salad!

Just after we returned from Europe (more posts on the trip coming soon) my neighbors invited us to play trivia at the new pub Firkin & Lindbergh near the Lindbergh MARTA station. Firkin is a franchise of pubs, with the majority of their outlets in Ontario, Canada. They also have pubs in 11 U.S. states.

The decor includes red velvet booths, which provided comfy seats for us as we were served up some fine pub fare. The sweet potato fries really hit the spot - I could have devoured the whole basket! The burger delivered as well, although we should not have opted for the overdressed, underwhelming salad - who orders a side salad at a pub anyway? The cottage pie was tasty, although the potato topping made up a substantial portion of the entree. Next time I want to try their chicken curry with chutney. We also sampled the bread pudding (not pictured), which was tasty but in my opinion had too much nutmeg and lacked a good sauce. The pudding was not as warm as we'd have liked either.

As for drinks, our party tried several enjoyable cocktails and beers and the beer flight. It's neat that they offer this selection of beer tastings from their ample offering of brews. Our server did fairly well throughout the meal but did not know how to properly handle the check, which we wanted gift certificates applied to and then split evenly. She corrected the problem, but what should have been a quick transaction turned out to take a few minutes. Overall this place is a welcome addition to the Atlanta pub scene and is probably a nice place to watch football if Taco Mac at Lindbergh is too full.

Cottage Pie with veggies.



Reuben with waffle fries.

Porter Beer Bar Lunch

Beer Menu - it goes on and on!

On Friday I met a friend for lunch at The Porter Beer Bar in Little Five Points. I felt like we had been transported to an English pub - they really have achieved a special atmosphere! We shared the arugula salad and Belgian fries and each ordered mussels. All was very good, especially the garlic smothered fries and the pickled beets in the arugula salad. The mussels were quality also, although I felt the broth could have been spicier as the garlic fries really overpowered them. Although we abstained from any alcohol during working hours, their beer menu is incredible. I must return to try one of the ciders or chocolate inspired ales. The dessert list also looked good - including a chocolate ice cream made with beer.

Arugula salad and Belgian garlic fries.



Mussels (appetizer portion)



Outside shot.



The bar.



This place has a real pub atmosphere - I felt like I was in England with the dark halls and faux lanterns lighting the way.