Shit List/Hit List

I had two completely different dining experiences this past week that perfectly highlight what I'm looking for when I eat out. Wednesday afternoon I took in lunch at the brand-spanking-new Peasant Bistro downtown adjacent to Centennial Park. This sleek two-story "French-style" eatery comes from the same people that brought you Mick's. I should have known better than to go here beforehand.

Peasant Bistro is all style and no substance. Cool taupe walls, an imposing spiral staircase leading up to the dining area, and giant hanging mirrors do nothing to mask the inferior quality of the food here. I went during the first few weeks of the restaurant's opening, so the service was spot on. However, it does get a little annoying after the fourth time the manager comes over to make sure everyone is doing okay, me unable to speak because I'm fucking mid-chew. The only positive thing I can say about the food is that the complimentary bread was good. It had a pleasantly soft and chewy interior and was served with a decent olive oil that tasted Italian. My grilled flat-iron steak sandwich was a disaster, the sinewy meat was quite fatty and overcooked and the roll on which it was served tasted stale. The "frites" tasted like they came from the Sysco Corp. and the "house-made garlic aioli" looked and tasted suspiciously like a blob of Hellmann's on a bread plate. To put it simply, it was downright gross and above all expensive. Luckily, I wasn't the one paying for the meal this time so I wasn't out any money, otherwise I would have been pissed. Atlanta's claim that it's a world-class dining destination is a fucking joke. There are hundreds of shiny, vapid eateries like Peasant Bistro dotting the metro area and unfortunately only a handful of soulful, family-driven restaurants like Mezza, where I went for Ilani's birthday.

I had a great time at Mezza. It was a completely relaxed atmosphere and the service was outstanding. The food there is served in a tapas style, so we ate a lot of food without waddling through the door at the end of the meal. I highly recommend the fried cauliflower with tahini and the vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. All of the dishes went well with the bottle of pear-scented Viognier we ordered. Get your asses out to Mezza, and try going on the weekends when they open up the lounge adjacent to the restaurant if you want to be entertained by bellydancers.