Renting condo and need suggestions for catered Thanksgiving dinner or kid friendly restaurant.
We are fans of Merge, but can't find website & 29 South seems closed.

Thanks for the recommendations. We hit Jim's BBQ, but must of hit it late because they were almost out of everything. Had pork sandwich...yum.

Planning multi-day road trip from Tallahassee, FL to Lexington, KY via Birmingham, AL and Nashville, TN with two kids. Willing to veer off interstate for good local or ethnic food. Thanks in advance.

Planning multi-day road trip from Tallahassee, FL to Lexington, KY via Birmingham, AL and Nashville, TN with two kids. Willing to veer off interstate for good local or ethnic food. Thanks in advance.

I don't know any of the attendees, but the mother-to-be lives in Brookhaven, it will be a Sat or Sun afternoon, some of the attendees are vegetarian. The mother-to-be is a foodie, so although I want to keep the food budget to about $15 a person, I want to make sure the food is tasty.

I don't live in Atlanta, but am throwing a baby shower with 20 guests. Need place that is roomy, with good food and serves vegetarian dishes. Light lunch or brunch items preferred and ethnic is fine. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

We have eaten as SALT, twice and would suggest for really special occasions or if you just have money to spare. I would second recs for Espana and Merge, although we enjoyed ambiance at Espana, and better service at Merge. Would not recommend anything at the Plantation.

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Espana Restaurant
22 S 4th St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034

In Dublin for next week and need good places where I can eat solo. Don't mind eating at bar, prefer vegetarian, but will eat fish and chips occasionally. Staying near Vicar Street so safe walking or easy transit distance a plus. Thanks in advance.

We ended up at Restaurant Eugene and did the tasting menu. It was great except for the dessert which was had some texture issues. Unlike other CH posters, we did not have a problem with portions; we had a grouper dish and beef tenderloin which were normal entree sizes. The cocktails were excellent, the wine list gave us a few new favorites. Thanks for recommendations.

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Restaurant Eugene
2277 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

We'll be spending our anniversary in Atlanta as we do every year. We try to find a place that has an interesting (and tasty) Tasting Menu; last year we enjoyed Woodfire Grill and in the past have been to Bacchanalia. Where should we go this year?

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Woodfire Grill
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324

Mixed reviews on these places elsewhere. Have been to SALT few years ago, and was wondering if it was still good. Have never been to PLAE and was wondering how and what to order (i.e, small plates v. big plates). Thanks in advance.

Had an amazing meal. Had a drink at the bar and then sat outside. My only negative experience was that I think my waiter forgot about me after my entree, and he also seemed offended when I asked if they ever try more local oysters instead of the oysters at the restaurant (they were from the Pacific Northwest). I can't wait to visit again and go with my friends and family.

Thanks, I know its a popular place and didn't realize you can order dinner at the bar. I'm really looking forward to it.

Coming into town for conference and have been wanting to try Ravenous Pig. Can a single patron eat at the bar, or is it frowned upon?

I would suggest staying at the Hotel Duval. Its walking distance to Downtown and Midtown which have a few decent restaurants and bars. There is a local coffee shop, Redeye Coffee in Midtown Manor and a nice Irish Pub, Finnegan's Wake. Also in Midtown is Kool Beanz which serves local ingredients when available.

Alto Rex is closed until April. Pacci's menu looked great, but was steakhousey we just had drinks at the bar and walked to Ecco. Would recommend the fried goat cheese w/ honey and pepper and we had an olive oil ice cream with pistachios and sea salt that was so interesting and fabulous.

I thought I would post about our meal at Woodfire Grill. It was fabulous...simple, but fabulous. We had the Chef's Tasting Menu, which was 5 courses with little treats in between. My husband did the wine pairings as well, but I was all about the food. We did see Kevin the fire pit, and another one of the co-owners, both were very gracious and really working.

Black eyed pea & cornmeal fritter w/ homemade tarter and hot sauce-- This was the "amuse bouche." It really was one perfect bite and you could taste each of the ingredients. And it was served in a really cute spoon.

1st Course - Mixed baby carrots on pickled cabbage on carrot soup, topped w/ Cherve. This was our least favorite course, but still amazing. The menu said they got their cheese from Sweet Dairy near Thomasville. If so, we'll have to give it a try. Not to make corny "Top Chef" references, but the carrots were "toothsome." Not really my thing. The rest of the dish was delish.

2nd course- Seared scallop w/ laughing shrimp on beet carpaccio w/ satsuma orange & dill. This was Pat's favorite course. Yes, beets (the red vegetables, not beef). Not sure what laughing shrimp are, but they were really fresh as was the scallop. I'm not a big dill fan, but the oranges w/ the dill and the beets was a strange, but yummy combo.

Kushi oysters w/ minced crunchy items. Okay technically this was not a course and I'm not sure what the oyster was topped with - some kind of minced shallots and peppers- but it was my favorite item. I think this edible extra epitomizes why this restaurant is so good. They took the oyster, (harvested in Victorian Bay in Washington State) shucked it, cleaned the oyster shell so there was no grit whatsoever. Then they put the meat of the oyster back in the shell and served it raw in its own brine. They saved the brine...what attention to detail.

BBQ Florida octopus w/ fried chile scallion on slaw ( Kevin's trademarked Terminus BBQ sauce ) - this was on the menu and when I asked the server about it, she said it wasn't part of the tasting menu, but they could work it in. And did they ever. As with every other ingredient the octopus was really fresh. The slaw with the BBQ sauce reminded me of kimchee (salty, crunchy, sweet with tang). My husband had qualms about eating octopus because they are really intelligent and Atlantic octopi are not as sustainable as Pacific octopi. We left a note on the comment card asking about the sustainability of the octopus, and the server ran out and stopped us as we were walking out the door to explain. She said that Kevin works regularly with some Florida fishermen and that the octopus apparently got caught in crab and lobster tracks. I don't know if I believe it, but it made my husband feel better (although he was feeling pretty good after cocktails and six glasses of wine).

3rd course --Pan fried quail on potato purée w/ black truffle and baby potatoes. The quail was delicious, but difficult to eat daintily. It had this yummy sweet glaze on it and sat on a beautiful pillow of potatoes with the smallest potatoes I ever saw...the size of whoppers.

4th course- Pork three ways- smoked pork loin, grilled pork belly w/ faro risotto w/ pork cracklins and roasted apple sauce. Okay pork belly is probably the most indulgent thing I've ever eaten. The pork loin was pale in comparison, but the faro was great.

5th course -- Chocolate crepe pockets w/ dark chocolate ganache in a chocolate flake cream soup & Vanilla Bread Pudding w/ cooked apples -- Okay, you know on Top Chef how the dessert trips up even the best cheftestant. Well, after this amazing meal the dessert was anti-climatic. Sure, they served two desserts, but the crepe pockets had a weird texture, like a stale fortune cookie. I had to eat the outside though to get to the dark chocolate ganache inside. The cream w/ chocolate flakes was just over the top.

The bread pudding was beautiful and not disappointing. Like every other course it was beautiful to look at. It was really simple and I think that the simpler dishes were the best. They showcased the ingredients, their beauty and their flavors.

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Woodfire Grill
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324

Thank you, we're looking for walking distance so I'll map these out.

We are staying at the Hotel Palomar in Mid-town and wanted to meet up with friends near there. How are the restaurants in that hotel, Pacci Ristorante and AltoRex? They must be new because I couldn't find any threads on them on chowhound.
Thanks in advance.

I'm making desert for a friend going through chemo who can't eat dairy or soy. I have some meyer lemons, but can't find a recipe that doesn't have some milk or tofu. Do any of you know of a substitute for the butter in a lemon curd recipe that works? Alternatively a substitute for the condensed milk in a key lime pie. Thanks.

Thanks. We actually love Kevin from Top Chef and made reservations weeks ago. Didn't know they had a tasting menu. Will let Chow know how it is.

Visitng ATL from ethnic food wasteland. Someone suggested Desta, but can't find any reviews or recent postings re: Ethopian food. Any advice from local chowhounds is appreciated. Thanks.

Coming to ATL for anniversary for and would like to experience a Chef's Menu or Tasting Menu with wine pairings. We have reservations at Woodfire Grill, so any reviews of the tasting menu there or other places we should try would be appreciated. Have seen posting for Joel, but nothing recent. We are staying Midtown (Hotel Palomar) and would prefer nearby or cab friendly places. Thanks in advance.

Good Banh Mi and other sandwiches and pho at Far East. Near downtown on College is Jasmine that has decent sushi and interesting asian fushion.

Just wanted to follow up. We had an amazing meal, but did not do the Seat in the Kitchen. We enjoyed the service, the view, but most of all the food. The lamb and filet were perfectly cooked and the chocolate souffle was amazing. Others at the table had the salmon which was average. I would recommend it.

Celebrating 40th Birthday at Ritz on Amelia Island and have reservations for the Seat in the Kitchen Chef's Adventure at the Salt restaurant. I'm wondering if anyone has done it, and how it was, and if you have any advice.

Thanks in advance.

Flying in for hearing at Circuit court in Tampa Courthouse and need lunch suggestions for best business lunch (walking distance) nearby. Thanks in advance.

I've used tastebuds for secretary day lunceon and they were reasonable and food was fresh. Nothing fancy, but salads and sandwiches. There is also a new caterer who does BBQ and desserts called Bacon and Bakin, located in All Saints that I've heard good things about.

Does anyone have any comments about the restaurants and dining options in The Canyons Resort in Park City. Will be there for a week with 2 year old.

Will be in Park City for all of next week and will have babysitting during the day. I can't find the hours for many of the restaurants recommended by other chowhounds. Any recommendations for nice lunches in and around Park City, or child friendly or good take out places for dinner. Open to all kinds of food, especially ethnic.

Will be staying at the Canyons and will have car. Thanks in advance.