STATS Brewpub - Downtown Atlanta Georgia

You can find STATS Brewpub at 300 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313 just up from the College Football Hall of Fame near Centennial Park. Speaking of park, the parking situation around this area basically sucks - you'll have to pay - your best bet is to leave your car in one of the nearby decks or take MARTA and walk around to several nearby things-to-do.

I knew nothing about STATS prior to being invited to attend a private event during DevNexus held by Object Frontier (shout out to those guys for doing this right). I initially entered downstairs in the main bar and then traveled upstairs to a private event space where there was food provided by STATS along with beer, both on tap and in bottles. I've since come in a couple of times and have had their brewed beer (this is a real Brewpub that offers up a few taps of whatever they happen to be brewing).

First the food - I've only eaten what was catered so probably not the ideal experience. I found it pretty generic but filling - for technology groups there's generally a lot of vegetarian options and that was the case here with hummus and pita chips, crudites, etc. They also had nachos and chicken wings that seem to be pretty good (no idea what they are on the menu so there may be a separate catering menu). On my initial visit I had a Kostritzer Schwarzbier black lager and a Paulaner Hefe-Weizen that were both pretty good.

Since then I've had a couple of their own brews:

• Slug Nutty Imperial New England IPA - I liked this quite a bit - pretty awesome hazy DIPA from STATS. Citrus, juicy and a bit of hops, just like I like with great mouthfeel. 
• Ryes Up Rye IPA - More IPA than not, good rye nose and a clean finish. 

The service both during the event and in subsequent visits has been very good. At some point I'll come back with a group and try more of the food options. This is the only downtown brewery currently so if you're looking for options and staying near the park, this is a pretty good one.

(Also posted to Yelp)
 

High Velocity - Marriott Marquis - Downtown Atlanta Georgia

You can find High Velocity at the Downtown Marriott Marquis - this is that pregnant-looking hotel next to the Downtown Hyatt Regency that acts as the headquarters for much of what happens during Dragon*Con. Parking is pretty much up to valet service during D*C, however there are some lots nearby that aren't too expensive. What I do is leave my truck at Chamblee or Doraville station and take MARTA to Peachtree station and walk down the hill - that's my normal method to get into town as I lack the patience to deal with the traffic, the parking and the costs associated with the latter (parking can be really expensive during Dragon*Con).

I've had many occasions to eat at High Velocity - it's no mistake that I mention Dragon*Con so many times in describing this restaurant, as it's a very popular venue during that event. It's right on the atrium of the Marriott Marquis which is one of the main stages of Cosplay during the event. As such, it's continually packed during the prime-times (Friday-Sunday) and very busy from Wednesday-Monday). High Velocity is more of a bar or pub than what you would think of as a regular restaurant and as such, the food tends to be more something you would find at a bar - your basic burgers, sandwiches and the like. When reading reviews of this place there's quite a difference of opinion on the quality and service. As with any event-hosting hotel restaurant, there's a high degree of variability dependent of when you visit. For me, I accept the fact that the food will take a long time and I come in with that expectation. I also expect the food to be mediocre with a few standouts - I'll describe what I've found below.

First and foremost, visit High Velocity when you're trapped in the hotel and it's difficult to impossible to get away during events. For this, the restaurant excels (as hard as it is to get to the venue during D*C it's even harder to get away - the Uber drivers and taxis have a hard time coming in to pick you up and just about all the nearby restaurants will be packed with convention visitors). During those times there will not be tables and the wait will be quite long - what I do is sidle up to the bar and have a pint- often there's a seat available or shortly available after I've sipped down my beer. The beer selection is above average for this area with several craft of near-craft brews - I usually stick with a Sweetwater 420, a Goose Island IPA, a Sierra Nevada IPA, Guinness Stout or my favorite of this group the Terrapin Hopsecutioner. Sometimes they'll have something better but really, any of these will do for me.

Once seated I usually stick with the sandwiches - the burgers and chicken sandwiches are all quite good and the fries are freshly cut (skin on) and not bad. The little side-salad is pretty weak but passable. Two entry standouts are the ribs (the full rack is a double portion and worth the extra $4. It's not your standard smokey Southern style - more of a pull-apart with standard BBQ sauce, but quite filling and much more than I expected) and the chicken pasta (this is on their regular menu and not on the D*C menu).

And while the food mentioned above is passable, the real, real treat are the desserts and in particular the Chocolate Nachos (while the HIT ME Cake is good, the Nachos are exceptional). We end up eating several of these as a group, usually late night after the main rush. "Huge portion of cinnamon sugar tortillas, chopped Baby Ruth bars, vanilla ice cream, marshmallows, dark chocolate sauce, cherries, whipped cream, serves up to four people" - I don't know who dreamed up this dish but it's exceptional - just make sure you have a couple of friends nearby to share it - 4-6 seems to be a good total number.

Service is all over the place. I think the bartenders are the most kind, especially after you tip a buck on the first drink (seems there's a lot of D*C guests in attendance that don't tip). Be warned that it may take some time for you to get your food and compensate for it.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)

Morton's The Steakhouse - Downtown Atlanta Georgia

You can find this location of Morton's at 303 Peachtree Center Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 at the base of Suntrust Plaza (this is across Baker Street from the Hyatt Regency) and a bit hard to see until you're right up on it.

I have previously eaten at two other Morton's Steakhouses - first at the one that used to be in Buckhead and another time while in Chicago. Both previous experiences were quite good - I never revisited the Buckhead location due to its proximity to the Palm restaurant - also with Bones and Chops nearby it made for a hard choice. I ended up at this downtown location quite by accident while attending Dragon*Con. We were celebrating a birthday with a group of 17 people - calling around during that weekend was an impossible task however Morton's was able to take us right away - I think the overall price-point beyond most Dragon*Con revelers who tend to spend most of their money on alcohol or genre items while attending. We walked over from the Marriott and were seated immediately - they had set-up a long table with ample seating with only a 30 minute advance notice - quite nice.

This location of Morton's is a bit different from what I'm used to as there's a lack of windows or views - you're in a fairly large room with dimmed lighting - quite elegant actually in an old-school kind a way. This is how I was introduced to fine quality steaks 20 years ago and Morton's maintains those traditions. This is fine-dining with wood features, cloth napkins and very attentive service. What you'll find here are premium aged cuts of beef, fantastic fresh seafood and high quality side items. As a group we ordered quite a bit and everything I tasted was exceptional. I was also quite full by the end of the evening with a bit of a buzz from the drinks. I was alone so my part of the check came up to about $100 - those of you who know me know that I tend to be on the budget end of the scale when it comes to dining, however I do think that this was $100 well spent. The food and service here are top-notch - very difficult to get much better.

Having had it before, I would recommend the Bone-In Manhattan Sirloin, the Signature Cut Prime New York Strip, or the Center Cut Filet Mignon. If you're really hungry the Chicago Style Prime Bone-In Ribeye and the Porterhouse Steak are both fantastic. For you non-beef eaters (and what are you doing in a steakhouse?) I can recommend several of the Signature Dishes - the Beef Short Rib and Sea Scallop Surf & Turf is excellent as is the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and Chilean Sea Bass a la Nage. One of my favorites though is the Mixed Grill with a 6 oz Filet Mignon with 3 Grilled Shrimp and 2 Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops - just delicious and what I ordered this evening (with a perfectly cooked rare steak). Our group ordered quite the variety and then shared several sides for the table - everything is à la carte but the side portions are quite large - look at the area on the menu "Side Dishes for Sharing."

I sipped down several Aviations - this cocktail isn't something you see very often.  I started with a Chopped Spinach Salad with bacon and egg that was delicious and perfectly dressed. We were provided with boules of soft onion bread that was quite delicious. I only tasted the brussel sprouts (not a big fan) and these were quite good as was the asparagus on my Mixed Grill.

As already mentioned, we had exceptional service - our waiter was very dry but extremely attentive. I think he was quite happy to see a bunch of people in T-shirts spending money - even if we were a bit under-dressed we certainly made his evening a bit more worthwhile.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)