The New Garrett's Restaurant

Well, we all went out to Garrett's last Friday, and had dinner in the Chef's room, in the back. Garrett's is a great new restaurant just opened in the Sommerset Shopping Center on the Atlanta Highway, just across from the entrance to Lake Forest Neighborhood. There were 11 of us at the table. The service was pleasant. This being the first night they were open to the public, things were slightly slow, but not terribly so. We had only one server to wait on all of us, but he did a fine job. The wine list was diverse, but not extensive, which is actualy above par for Montgomery. The menu had quite a bit of variety from filet mignon to duck breast, and lobster to chicken. All the entree's sounded good.

I started with an appetizer of sauteed crabcakes with spinach, lobster and corn buerre' blanc sauce. These were very good, but as a matter of preference, I like my crabcakes with lump crabmeat and very little breading. These were tasty and the buerre' blanc sauce was delicious, but the crabmeat was very fine and mixed with a little too much bread crumbs. In spite of this, I still enjoyed this appetizer a lot. Next came a classic Ceasar salad, which was also quite good. An excellent transition from the crabcakes to my entree of filet mignon. My filet was very good. I was a little concerned as there was some confusion upon ordering the steak. As he should have, our server inquired as to how I would like the meat cooked. I prefer mine medium rare, but depending on where you are dining, this can get you a variety of results. In nicer restaurants, I usually just request that it be cooked to the "chef's preference" since he or she should know how the meat will be best served. When I told the server this, he seemed somewhat confused. I clarified that I like mine medium rare, but to me that usually means a warm red center, and to please give the Chef leeway if he felt the meat should be cooked differently. This seemed to satisfy him. When the entree arrived, it was plated beautifully and the meat was cooked just about right. It was a very thick cut, and the center was maybe just a bit more rare than I prefer, but since the meat quality was very high, this did not pose a problem with eating the entire thing.

My wife ordered the blackened salmon with a crawfish tarragon cream sauce over fettucini. I'm not a huge fan of salmon so I didn't try this. She said it was good, but not great. I personally felt that the concept of salmon, crawfish and tarragon wasn't the best set of flavors, but I also think you have to try something to know for sure. Apparently, she wasn't all that impressed.

Another friend of mind ordered the trio peppered seared tuna, and I did taste this dish, and it was quite good. Several people at the table ordered the porterhouse steak, and true to the porterhouse definition, these steaks were huge! Everyone seemed pleased with their meals, so I think we all had a good experience. I was somewhat disappointed that we didn't get a visit from the chef, but on opening night, I'm quite sure that his time was a bit monopolized in the kitchen.

For dessert, I had the chocolate souffle, and it was very nice. My wife ordered the creme brulee' and was not pleased with hers. She isn't a huge egg fan, so why she ordered creme brulee' is a bit of a mystery, but I tasted the dish and it was a bit more "eggy" than it should have been, and not as sweet as it should be.

In the end, after two appetizers, a salad, two entrees, two deserts, and two bottles of a nice pinot noir, our bill came to just under $200, so I felt that the prices weren't too bad either, given the quality of the restaurant, the service and the food. The few areas where we weren't completely satisfied, I felt were just part of the "newness" of the crew and the kitchen, and will likely improve in a short amount of time.

After dinner, we stopped at the bar in the front of the restaurant for after dinner drinks and some quiet conversation with a few of the friends from our group, since with a table of 11, you can't really talk with everybody at the table. The bar at Garrett's is very beautiful, with rich dark wood, and black marble inlays. The backdrop for the bar area is a glass pane with Garrett's logo etched in it, and a water fall flowing over it, setting a very nice ambiance to the area. The bartender was attentive and sociable, so we had some conversation with her, and we also saw some friends who own some other restaurants and bars in Montgomery visiting that night as well. The entire evening was a very enjoyable experience and I look forward to freqenting Garrett's on a regular basis. Be sure to try it yourself sometime!

DINK plans

Well, tonight we are going to go revel in our "DINKdom" and celebrate food, fun and friendship....and wine!

We have arranged for the "Chef's Room" at the new Garrett's restaurant tonight. We will be dining with 10 of our closest DINK friends in a secluded room in the back (hopefully well away from anyone who might have the audacity to bring a child to such a fine establishment), entertained by the staff and chef of Garrett's. The menu looks great, and I'm excited about the potential for great ambiance in this new restaurant. I hope the wine list lives up to my expectations.

If you want to see the menu, check it out here

Sometime this weekend, I'll put a post up about how the evening went. Until then, War Eagle!

One more reason to be a DINK

Well, If your a parent, you just got slapped in the face by Uncle Sam! Seems you don't really have enough sense to know when your kids should be learning about sex. That's something the State is far more qualified to do.

In a recent ruling, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (that be the Left Coast) determined that parents do not have a fundamental right to control when, where and how their children are taught about sex. Rather the state -- in its far greater wisdom about what's right and wrong -- has ultimate power over your kids.

http://www.afa.net/pdfs/parentstakeanotherhit.pdf

Of all the many reasons to be a DINK, this aspect of raising children has to be the most compelling reason for me. I think if I had kids in public schools (which I wouldn't) I'd likely go on a rampage after this crap. Sure alternatives exist for educating your kids, but those options only solidify my interest in remaining child free. Even if your kids don't go to public school, they will still have to interact with little Johnny and Jill who do. What the hell do you tell your 7 year old when his friends are sharing their stories about when to use a condom, and how its ok for boys and girls or boys and boys, or girls and girls, to touch each other? Are these appropriate problems to have to deal with at 7 years of age? Hell No! But the State says different! Well, this is just one place the DINKs win against the government control.

DINKhood wins... HoooAhh!

The Montgomery DINK Scene

Montgomery is a quaint little big town. A lot like Mayberry, everybody knows everybody. But bigger in geographical scope. We DINKs sometimes have a hard time finding things to do in Montgomery. Most social activities seem to revolve around one extreme or the other. Either people are out on the dating scene, or their attending a youth sporting event. If your scene isn't about getting laid, or dealing with the consequences of having gotten laid, well, your options are kinda slim. Fortunately, us DINKs fit in better with the former rather than the latter, and they are a lot more fun. Check this blog for news of our latest DINK activities. We'll try to keep it humorous and informative, but I'm sure we'll get into a rant from time to time, as we deal with the family atmosphere so ubiquitous in our town. I know my wife will have some comments in that area, so look for rinkydink's posts to be inflammatory occasionally!