Fault in Firesalt Tavern

Last night, the family and I decided to finally give Firesalt Tavern in Buford a try.  I had purchased a discounted gift certificate on Restaurant.com a while back.  I went in with a little trepidation because I had read some fairly bad reviews of the place.  But many of the reviews were critical of the service.  So prepared with this info, I went in with an open mind.

The decor of the Firesalt Tavern is very cool.  I would classify it as upscale casual.  In fact, when we walked in dressed in t-shirts and shorts I immediately felt like we were underdressed.  However, since it was a weeknight and the place was relatively empty, those feelings were quickly dismissed.  The furnishings are warm and welcoming.  Definitely a classy looking place.

The restaurant must have a seat yourself policy. I'd read this in previous reviews.  And I guess if it were very busy, this might be a problem.  But at 9pm on a weeknight, this is a non-issue.  Upon entering the restaurant, a nice waitress immediately approached us and sat us down at a booth and got us menus and took our drink order.  For those of you keeping score at home, that's an early score for the service.  Unfortunately for Firesalt Tavern, it all went downhill from there.

We decided to start out with the spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer.  I've had many iterations of this menu item at restaurants and at parties.  I have to say the one the Firesalt Tavern delivered was disappointing.  It looked like it had been prepared weeks ago and stored in the fridge and microwaved to order.  Plus, it was mostly cheese with very little spinach or artichoke.  They should really call it cheese dip.  It was served with tortilla chips.  The tortilla chips tasted old and just ever-so-slightly stale.  For a starter, it was definitely poor execution.  I dare say I could find a microwave version of this in the freezer at Kroger down the street.  So score this a point off for the food.

The dinner menu is a mixture of grilled and fried entree items as well as a selection of sandwiches and miscellaneous bar food.  On paper, it certainly looked good.  Keep in mind that this is just on paper.  The waitress went over the specials for the evening.  All you can eat crablegs.  Or all you can eat shrimp cooked 3 different ways.  Or all you can eat fish and chips. 

Steph went for the shrimp and grits.  At $19, its a bit pricey.  But based on the decor of the place and the upscale menu, it seems (keyword "seems") worth it.  I decide to try the fish and chips.  Will orders the Firesalt burger.  Lindsay tries the Turkey Reuben.

The food arrived about 10-15 min after ordering. This is about the right amount of time.  Not too long.  Not too short.  The shrimp & grits look fairly well presented but I could tell right away the shrimp looked a tad out of place.  They looked a bit overcooked and perhaps were perhaps frozen and quick thawed and sauteed.  The turkey reuben was rather skimpy on the meat.  The Firesalt burger was slightly undercooked and seemed hastily put together.  And the fish and chips....well, its just that.  The fish looked like oversized frozen fish sticks. And the chips were just that.  Chips.  Albeit they looked like they were homemade chips.  But they were piled into a wire serving rack and were mostly broken pieces at the bottom.  It appeared as if they scooped out the bottom of the chip holder to make the order.  So based on appearances, another point deduction for the food.  It just does not LOOK good.


To make matters worse, there are no condiments on the table.  No ketchup.  No mustard.  Nothing.  So when the kids's sandwiches with fries and my fish and chips arrive at the table, its seems awfully strange to have to ask for ketchup.  We ask and our attentive waitress brings 2 small plastic cups filled with ketchup to our table.  Come on.  Really?  This place probably serves 50% of its meals with fries.  Why not have ketchup on the table??  Or at least have bottles to bring to the table.  Its not THAT expensive.  To divvy it out in such small amounts just seems silly.  AND, to serve fried fish & chips without any condiments is even more insane.  No tartar sauce.  No malt vinegar.  No special sauce.  Nothing.  Just plain dry fish and chips.  WOW!  I was shocked.  So again, I ask and our attentive waitress brings me some malt vinegar.

Here's where the wheels came completely off.  I'm expecting the traditional dark brown bottle that we use to apply as needed.  (see Long John Silvers)  NOPE, she brings 5 plastic packets.  PACKETS!  REALLY!  Who decided to put an all you can eat special of fish and chips on the menu and then decide to pass out packets of malt vinegar.  The folks at Firesalt should be ashamed.  You know you have problems when a dump like Long John Silvers can be used as an example of HOW TO DO IT.

Steph and the kids pick through their food.  As expected, its a disappointment.  Steph said the shrimp did not taste very fresh.  The grits were pretty bland.  Lindsay did not even finish her reuben. And Will was very disappointed in his burger.  He did not finish it either.  That is a first. He usually likes everything.  But not this time.  More points off of the food.

So our bill arrives.  And with our $25 gift certificate taken out (and gratuity added back in), the total comes to $54.  For a family of 4, I guess that is about average.  But considering the $25 gift certificate, the pricing is completely out of line. My overall impression of Firesalt Tavern is that they are doing all they can to cut corners and cut costs.  They have a beautiful restaurant and they are killing themselves by sacrificing the quality of the food.  This place totally misses the mark.  For nearly $90 (what it would have cost me without the certificate) I would happily drive down to Atlanta and eat somewhere with much better quality and have extra $$ left to pay for the gas for the trip.  Firesalt Tavern.  You are BANNED.

Fond of La Fonda

So the boys and I ventured out today to La Fonda off Howell Mill Road in Atlanta.  La Fonda is a local chain and this appears to be their 5th location. The location we visited today sits in the former "Slice" location, across the street from that dreadful all you can eat, pick your own ingredients stir fry trough.

One of the good things you notice right away is PLENTY of parking in the back. No valet parking to deal with, unlike the place 100 yards down the road (6 feet under). So its generally easy in and out. A definite plus for a quick lunch.

The food is a combination of Cuban, Spanish and Mexican offerings. The menu is pretty inclusive. The Cuban offerings include traditional hot sandwiches as well grilled entrees. The Spanish influenced dishes include classics like Arroz Con Pollo and Paella. And of course, they have your traditional Mexican/American classics: Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas, and Quesadillas.

And the atmosphere was excellent. Bright and open, the floor plan is inviting. But the concrete floors and high ceilings make for a very loud acoustic backdrop.  It has a very casual atmosphere with an attentive wait staff. The clientele appeared to be mostly professionals and maybe a few students from the nearby trade school.

Today, I had the paella. Not many places offer paella. And its one of my favorite Spanish dishes. I love to make it at home so I always like to get it out whenever I see it on the menu. Their paella had a good mix of seafood (shrimp and calamari rings), chorizo and chicken (a full chicken thigh) and had bits of carmelized onions and peppers throughout. And the flavor was outstanding. It comes served in its own small iron skillet. I finished mine and was completely stuffed.

We also had their fresh guacamole as well as a small order of their fried plantains. The guac was good. Not as flavorful as I've had elsewhere but still good nonetheless. And I typically don't care for fried plantains because they usually come out soggy and uninspiring. But La Fonda's had a crispy texture on the outside, yet remained soft and delicate on the inside. Paired with the spicy dipping sauce, these plantains were quite good.

I've never been to the other locations so I don't know how the Howell Mill branch fares vs. the other ones scattered around town. But I can say that I had a good first impression of La Fonda. Unlike Kip's ghetto girlfriend from Napoleon Dynamite, this La Fonda is easy to handle on the first visit.

Bravo to the Bravos: A Great Trip to Turner Field

I have to admit it, I've lost interest in baseball the past few years.  I am not exactly sure how it happened. It could be that my son gave up baseball a few years back.  Or it could be that the game has lost its luster.  Or it could be that our local team, the Atlanta Braves, have not played to the same level they did back in their heyday in the 90's.  So unfortunately I have not attended a Braves game in the last two seasons.  Its not that I have not had the opportunity.  It is more that I have always had something else going on that prevented me from going.

So when I was offered two free tickets last week to attend a game last Saturday and I checked my calendar and saw it was wide open, I was actually thrilled.  The tickets were club level seats in the Golden Moon Casino level.  AND, it was against our hated division rivals, The Phillies.  Sweet!  However, I'm still confused by this Golden Moon Casino level.  I looked around and did not see one slot machine, not one poker or blackjack table, not even a roulette wheel.  Given the fact that the team already sports a name that offends most Native Americans, I think that calling your Club Level seats by this name to be an interesting choice.  Maybe it is a compromise for using the name "Braves"??  Anyway, regardless of the name, the Golden Moon Casino is level is a great place to watch a game.  Air conditioned portals, nice restrooms, and great food options.  And of course, good food is important to me!

We arrive and are greeting by very helpful Braves personnel.  They direct us to where our section is located and point out the restrooms as well.  Then we arrive at our seats.  We are greeted by another very friendly usher who helps us locate our seats.  The usher then informs us that our tickets have a $10 food and beverage credit attached to them that can be used like a debit card.  Awesome! Our usher also lets us know all of our food options near our seats.  Great service Atlanta Braves!

My wife and I leave our seats and set out to find some lunch and use our newly found $20 credit.  There are all kinds of options: Bar-B-Que, tacos, burritos, hot dogs, hamburgers, even sushi!  While I love sushi, the thought of eating sushi at the ball park just does not appeal to me.  We ended up settling on the taqueria.  As we walk up to place our order, we were greeting once again by a friendly vendor who said "Welcome to Braves Country".  What a refreshing change from the usual mumbled "may I take your order".  I tried a grilled chicken burrito and my wife had the grilled chicken tacos.  Admittedly the guy making my burrito clearly lacked the burrito-rolling skills that the folks at Willy's, Chipotle or Moe's have.  But I cut him some slack since it was just home game #2 of the year.  Our orders came with chips and salsa.  The chips were a bit too greasy and the salsa very bland.  Our food was better than average for ballpark food.  It was not as good as a restaurant would serve, but for the ballpark,I guess it was not too bad.  Certainly there is room for improvement. 

Once finished with lunch, we head back to our seats and kick back and try to enjoy the game.  And for the first 5 innings, things went OK.  Not great, but OK.  Trailing 3-2, the Braves starting pitcher was struggling.  With men on base, Gonzalez, the Braves manager, calls to the bullpen.  The next thing I know, the bases are loaded with no outs.  The Braves reliever, up 0-2, grooves a pitch over the fat part of the plate.  Bam, Grand Slam.  Game over.  At least not then, but it sure seemed like it.  The game played out quickly from there with the Braves giving up a few more runs.  We take off in the 8th to get a head start on traffic.  And after getting to the car, I realize the highlight of the game was eating lunch and enjoying a cold beer while watching warmups from our covered shaded perch overlooking first base.

I guess it could be worse.  But certainly I was very pleased with the friendliness and attentiveness of the employees at Turner Field.  Maybe it was just the fact that it was Game 2 and its early in the season.  I sure hope not because the Turner Field folks did a great job.  I had a great visit to the ballpark and a great afternoon.  At least until the game started.  The team needs to start playing  better or the nice folks working at Turner Field will be working to a sparse crowd.  I'm still not in love with baseball.  Not even a little bit. But I will at least try to fit in another game or two should tickets fall into my lap again.  Will I pay my own money?  Probably not.  At least not yet.  Lets see how the team does.  I'll check back later this year and see how things are going.