Watershed on Peachtree - Midtown - Seventh Stop of Eat the Peachtree Restaurant Crawl

(a shorter version of this review also posted to Yelp)
Watershed on Peachtree is the seventh of nine stops (almost there!) as part of "Eat the Peachtree 2014" - I called it the "Peachtree Road Crawl" in my Twitter and Facebook posts as the event was going on. Locate all the posts along with an intro if you search my blog with ETP2014. We walked from restaurant to restaurant in search of the best flavors and drinking venues in Atlanta, while enjoying the same sights as you would while running the Peachtree Rd Race.

Continuing from Hollman and Finch we walked into the Northern-most part of Midtown to Watershed on Peachtree. We walked quite a way with Piedmont Hospital part of the scenery - there's an awesome modernist building I didn't recall ever noticing before - the T. Harvey Mathis Rehabilitation and Fitness Center on the Eastern side of Peachtree Rd.

 Watershed on Peachtree is located at 1820 Peachtree Rd NW just below Collier Rd and 28th St (I'm not sure if it's considered Buckhead, Peachtree Battle or if it's Mid-Town - it's basically right in the transition). I've been in this restaurant before but haven't really spent any time here - I have frequented the location in Decatur (which moved here I believe) so had some familiarity with the menu and the great food.

The Peachtree location is a bit more industrial appearing with a modernist intent. There's a large bar in the center of the room that provides a great focal point - it's also where our lawless group sat (we once again were back to 7 as the two "pick ups" only lasted two locations). Watershed is a bit of what I refer to as a "small food, big plate" restaurant - don't get me wrong, the presentation is quite beautiful, the portions not-so-much. That being said, it's still quite tasty and the bartenders are professionals placing and emphasis on PRO.

I finally broke down and ordered something other than beer - while others ordered variations on the Manhattan or similar, I decided I needed the saltiness of a margarita (yeah, I know, boring) but it really did hit the spot from all the walking we had done - even with the mild temperatures for July, it was still in the 80's.

We had originally planned to only have drinks here, but Kevin (who seems to always be hungry) ordered an appetizer which we all got to sample - the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Beignet with bread and butter pickles. As usual, it was quite delicious and almost made us stay and order more food...

...however saner minds prevailed (it was getting dark) so we walked up to what would have been our eight planned stop only to find it closed (we substituted a pony can of Lite and ate chips at a Midtown gas station!) before continuing to the Tap...

-- John

Hollman and Finch Public House - Peachtree Battle - Sixth Stop of Eat the Peachtree Restaurant Crawl

Hollman and Finch Public House is the sixth of nine stops as part of "Eat the Peachtree 2014" - I called it the "Peachtree Road Crawl" in my Twitter and Facebook posts as the event was going on. Locate all the posts along with an intro if you search my blog with ETP2014. We walked from restaurant to restaurant in search of the best flavors in Atlanta, while enjoying the same sights as you would while running the Peachtree Rd Race. From Peachtree Battle we continued up the hill towards Mid-Town to Hollman and Finch.

(a shorter version of this review also posted to Yelp)
Hollman and Finch Public House has become something of an Atlanta institution, it's located at 2277 Peachtree Road (I'm not sure if it's considered Buckhead or if it's Mid-Town, but Peachtree Battle is probably more accurate). I don't know how many times I've heard about the hamburger offered here and how it's the best in town. I really, really wanted to sample one, only to find out that they have this peculiar custom of only serving a limited quantity (24 double patties) a night, right at 10:00 PM. Once they're gone, they're gone. Apparently fans start assembling around 9:00 PM to make sure they get one - I'm not sure if I'm that dedicated but maybe someday.

The interior is really interesting, with exposed glass walls to the exterior showcasing the bar. Inside there's a narrow hallway to wood booths. We elected to sit at open tables at the bar. Everyone else purchased signature drinks (mostly bourbon), but as you will note based on my reviews, I'm more of a beer-guzzling kind of guy. I chose the Lagunas IPA as one that I hadn't yet tried and was quite satisfied with it.

Since the burgers weren't available, we elected to order two of their other signature dishes:

Sapelo Island Clams (we ordered two pots) - these fantastic local clams come from the waters around Savannah and Brunswick and at Hollman and Finch, they're boiled in a creamy stock with rye whisky, bacon and jalapeño. Served with toasted wedges to absorb all that flavor - I believe this was my favorite item sampled during our restaurant crawl - simple delicious. I could eat two pots of these easily by myself.

Veal Brains - now you won't often find me ordering organ meats although I've had plenty in my lifetime. Brains are actually one of the purest of the bunch with a light, delicate flavor (almost non-existent, which is usually why I pass on them). At Hollman and Finch, the brains are lightly breaded and pan-fried, served with a dark ghee, capers and vinegar. They are quite delicious (or at least what they're cooked in provides the right mix of fat and acid to satisfy anyone) - served with toasted bread wedges to sop up all those savory juices.

As a tease, there are H&F "Hamburger" shirts for sale behind the bar - bastards! I'll make sure to visit again and sample more of the fine fare at Hollman and Finch Public House - the foods really harken back to a time when you visited pubs for your nightly meal with the family.

I thought the service was quite good - now with 9 people it's tough managing a small crowd on bar tables. We even got more bread for the clam pots!

Finishing up here was difficult (getting full by this time) but as good troopers do, we continued on towards Mid-Town. Location seven will be one of my favorites, Watershed...

-- John

Whitehall Tavern - Buckhead - Fifth Stop of Eat the Peachtree Restaurant Crawl

The Whitehall Tavern is the fifth of nine stops as part of "Eat the Peachtree 2014" - I called it the "Peachtree Road Crawl" in my Twitter and Facebook posts as the event was going on. Locate all the posts along with an intro if you search my blog with ETP2014. We walked from restaurant to restaurant in search of the best flavors in Atlanta, while enjoying the same sights as you would while running the Peachtree Rd Race. From the last stop, Fellini's Pizza, we walked along Peachtree to Peachtree Battle to stop at Whitehall Tavern.

(a shorter version of this review also posted to Yelp)
This was my first time at the Whitehall Tavern (I had visited the earlier Cheyenne Grill located at the same spot) - a pub located on the back-side of the Peachtree Battle shopping center on 2391 Peachtree Rd NW. We decided ahead of time to only get drinks at this stop - you access by going down the stairs on the Northern corner of the shopping center, to the open-patio in the "elbow" of the line of buildings. As with the Cheyenne, Whitehall is a sports bar that features several flat panel TVs, an awesome draft beer selection and mucho bottled craft beers to sample. This places is much more intimate and pub-like than the mega beer venues like Taco Mac, and from the opinions of several in our party the food is quite good too.

The ambience is very sports bar, or for a little peace you can exit to the patio. There are several video games and the usual bar-type attractions - I really liked the overall look of this place - it's like going to Manuals in L5P or the Darkhorse.

Looking over the list of drafts, I selected an IPA from Goose Island - it was smooth as silk with the appropriate bitter hops and quite refreshing. Most of my companions selected IPAs or citrus lighter faire, but I was still feeling the pitchers from the previous location so I opted for something a bit lighter.

We had a good time catching up on the World Cup before drinking our beers, an extra pint of water for the next leg, and continuing down Peachtree to location number six, Hollman and Finch!

I'll be returning soon to try out the appetizers and to enjoy the great beers. It was interesting that there were quite a few kids in there getting lunch with their families - you don't typically see that in a bar and it really contributed to the pub-feel.

-- John

Fellini's Pizza - Buckhead - Fourth Stop of Eat the Peachtree Restaurant Crawl

This was the fourth of nine stops as part of "Eat the Peachtree 2014" - I called it the "Peachtree Road Crawl" in my Twitter and Facebook posts as the event was going on. Locate all the posts along with an intro if you search my blog with ETP2014. We walked from restaurant to restaurant in search of the best flavors in Atlanta, while enjoying the same sights as you would while running the Peachtree Rd Race. This time we visited a Buckhead cornerstone, Fellini's Pizza! As with the previous three locations, we walked along Peachtree - I believe it was about a mile from One Star Ranch.

(a shorter version of this review also posted to Yelp)
There are two Fellini's Pizza locations in Buckhead (I've actually visited the one on Roswell Rd the most often of the two), this one is located on 2809 Peachtree Rd NE, just South of the Whole Foods shopping center just south of East Paces Ferry Rd. I've staggered into this location quite a few times, especially back when the Garden Hills Cinema was still open.

This Fellini's Pizza has tall neon letters and a big fountain on the deck where you can enjoy the various strollers on Peachtree's sidewalks.

As with all the Fellini's, the menu is hand-painted (believe the originals were all done by J.J. of L.A RIP) - you order over the counter and the goodies are delivered to your table. I've always favored the slices over the whole pies (I think it's because the reheat crisps up the crust and dries out a bit of the grease). Pitchers are cheap so we had a couple.

We were also joined by two more participants expanding our number from 7 to 9. We had some of the other people there cracking up with our antics. Slices included:

Meatball and Spinach - this looked to be quite the delicious combo - probably the next one I try.

Thick Crust Hawaiian - haven't tried this here but it looked great. Kevin indicated that it was quite good.

Pepperoni and Mushroom - this is my old standby (yeah, I know, boring as hell but it's just what appealed to me that day). This was pretty greasy with oil running down the back of my hand.

Pepperoni - sometimes the simplest pizzas are the best.

Sausage, Meatball and Pepperoni - another combo that appeals to me as a dedicated carnivore!

The beers went down smooth and easy - Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA!

In general the pizza is/was good - I think these days there are much better pies out there but if nothing else Fellini's Pizza has been consistent for the close to 30 years I've lived in Atlanta. After finishing up (and washing up a bit), we filled up on an pint of water and hit the road again - the next stop is the Whitehall Tavern (man I sure do miss Oxford Two) were we plan to fuel up on alcohol only.

-- John

One Star Ranch - Buckhead - Third Stop of Eat the Peachtree Restaurant Crawl

This was the third of nine stops as part of "Eat the Peachtree 2014" - I called it the "Peachtree Road Crawl" in my Twitter and Facebook posts as the event was happening. Locate all the posts along with an intro if you search my blog with ETP2014. We walked from restaurant to restaurant in search of the best flavors in Atlanta, while enjoying the same sights as you would while running the Peachtree Rd Race. This time we had to sample a Buckhead institution, One Star Ranch!

(a shorter version of this review also posted to Yelp)
One Star Ranch is in Buckhead located on 25 Irby Ave NW, just South of where Roswell Rd dives into Peachtree. I first ate this great BBQ when it was called the Rib Ranch - it's your typical throwback to a time when BBQ was all about the food and good times - this is a no frills restaurant with picnic tables and ice cold beer - no fancy table cloths here. We decided to eat outside under the cover of an awning, and enjoy all the foot traffic (at one point a handful of Belgian soccer fans walked by, sporting bright orange wigs and hooting loudly - the World Cup match was about to start shortly).

I've had many of the various types of BBQ offered by One Star, but I basically forced everyone to share a single order of the Beef Rib. If you haven't had this before, it's really One Star's signature dish - it's basically  a large "brontosaurus" rib with the ribeye still attached! It's really awesome, and for our group of 7 the perfect amount of food that allowed everyone to have a bite.

Accompanying the rib was a side of beans (more like chili beans) and a chunk of cornbread.

We all elected to drink bottles of Shiner Bock - if you're from Texas you'll understand. This is perhaps Texas' biggest contribution to the world of beer (at least in the US).

The interior of the restaurant is what you would expect - dark and covered up with souvenirs from Texas and elsewhere - I especially like the "buck" wall with the stuffed armadillo.

Service was excellent with our food and drink coming to us in record time. The rib was out-of-this world - if you go, make sure someone orders it and is willing to share!

Parking can be a bit iffy - your best bet is to park on the street in the surrounding blocks. We were on foot so it wasn't an issue.

After eating our succulent morsels, we continued down the street to location four, the classic Fellini's Pizza! Good times!

-- John