This sexy steakhouse opened last month in Philips Arena downtown. The idea is that patrons can enjoy fine dining while watching their Atlanta team, or special event in Philips Arena. RED has tiered seating to ensure that all have a terrific view of the action going on below them. In order to enter RED, patrons must have a ticket for the game taking place that evening.

RED is open before, during and after games and shows at Philips Arena. Since I was attending the Hawks game that evening, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to visit RED. Arriving about an hour before start time, the restaurant was just starting to fill up. With the bar and kitchen in the center of the restaurant, the seating is all around these two focal points.

Besides pricey steaks, the menu features burgers, pizzas, and a mixture of starters and sides. I sampled one of the signature cocktails, however, I was a bigger fan of the beers and switched to that after my cocktail. We began our meal with a berry salad with balsamic dressing, crab cakes and the “Pow Pow” rock shrimp. All were good, but the shrimp was by far the best item we sampled all evening. It was crispy, flavorful and a large portion for sharing.

Staff was very quick to bring out our starters, but I believe they got pretty backed up when we ordered our steak (we shared as it was large and >$40). The manager came around to explain they were working out the kinks. By this time, the game was well underway. And, although we could have sat there with a terrific view, we chose to go to our suite to watch the game.

Overall, I think RED is a good concept. It is a pain in the ass to get to a restaurant and wolf down a meal then drive to Philips Arena for a game starting at 7:30, especially on a weekday. And, let’s face it, they do have upscale food kiosks at Philips Arena, but I don’t exactly enjoy getting my fancy Italian dish from Veni Vidi Vici and trying to enjoy it while cramped in my small seat eating it out of a paper container.

RED solves this by offering a nice environment to enjoy a fancy meal without the pressure of wondering if you make it to your destination on time. I just think they need a bit of time to work out issues with the kitchen and polish the staff a bit more. In the meantime, stick to beer and the starters and you’ll have a tasty and fun evening!

1 Phillips Dr
Atlanta, GA 30303

The recipe for Joe’s hummus and Baba Ganoush is a family recipe kept under wraps. We, of course, sampled that and the stuffed pepper and lamb ribs recommended by him as well. I usually enjoy hummus more than Baba Ganoush, but there was a unique smokey flavor to the Baba Ganoush that made it irresistible. And the stuffed pepper was so tasty, I was a bit bothered I had to share it with Mr. ARB. The lamb ribs, meaty and juicy were served up with a side of cilantro lime slaw that shouldn’t be missed.

We also sampled the mushroom flatbread and the artichoke. Both of these were just exquisite, the mushroom flatbread being one of the highlights of our meal. I only wish I had ordered a glass of white wine to enjoy with them. The wine list is carefully chosen to pair with food, however we were too busy enjoying our cocktails to swap to wine.

Mixologist Shawn dazzles guests with unique drinks like the Jalapeno Margarita, and Cucumber and Basil martini. There’s even a dessert drink: Andes Candies (see the video below for how to make it). He is also skilled at wine pairing recs, turning us onto a Malbec to compliment our veal and lamb dishes. And only $28 a bottle was extremely reasonable for this Malbec.

Lamb is really the star of the show here. Veal is good, but the lamb chops were the better of the two. I wasn’t crazy about the risotto served with the lamb chops, but the house made grits are to die for. Love ‘em. Get yourself over to Basil’s patio pronto before it gets too hot to really enjoy it. And don’t forget to get an Andies Candies from Shawn for dessert.

Basil’s Website
2985 Grandview Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30305

I visited H. Harper with a friend for brunch on a recent Sunday. When you pull into the parking lot (if they don’t have a valet, which they don’t at brunch) you just self-park. Although there is a large sign at the front which lights up at night, the main entrance is actually on the side of the restaurant. You’ll see a ramp – just walk up that ramp and go through the revolving doors to the hostess stand. If you don’t, and walk in the front like I did, the staff just stares at and ignores you.

The layout of the restaurant focuses heavily on the bar rather than the seating for dining. I think I’d actually enjoy it more for just cocktails than food. Not that the food was bad, I just hated the tables. They were tightly packed in, so there’s no privacy to any conversation and good luck squeezing in between the tables if you weigh over 100 lbs.

I arrived before my brunch mate, and was seated immediately. Then as I waited, the staff once again ignored me. I understand I was waiting on a guest. But I would have expected our server to come by and ask if I wanted to order an appetizer, a drink or even just get a glass of water. I didn’t try to flag anyone down but I desperately tried to make eye contact and was amazed at how server after server acted as if I were invisible, even though they were coming within two feet of me as the tables are so closely spaced together.

Once my brunch mate arrived, service actually was quite pleasant. We started with the pimento cheese, creamy and perfect, it didn’t disappoint. However, they are quite filling and we only ended up eating one each.

I ordered a Blood Mary after our appetizer arrived. Another reason they should have asked if I wanted a drink when I sat down? Drinks take forever to make. Their Blood Mary was good and quite strong, worth the wait, I suppose. Oh, and bonus, Blood Mary’s are served with a Sweetwater 420 shorty as a chaser. That was definitely more booze than I was expecting at noon.

If you look at the online menu for H. Harper, you’ll notice that it is different than what you’ll get when you visit the restaurant. At the time of this post, there’s a crispy duck sandwich which was highly recommended by our server and the Steak and Eggs, that you won’t find on the website.

My brunch cohort honed in on the Scallops, Shrimp and Grits right away and since she agreed to let me have a taste, I ordered my second choice, the Steak and Eggs. Her Scallops, Shrimp and Grits had a unique taste. The smokey tomato flavor really came through, very different from your average shrimp ‘n grits. My hanger steak was lovely – tender and served with fluffy scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes. I actually took most of my steak home – and it was so filling, I didn’t eat again for another eight hours. I’d be willing to go back and sit at the bar for cocktails, but their seating would definitely deter me from eating there again.

904 Memorial Drive
Atlanta, GA 30316
678.732.0415
H. Harper Station Website

The Legend of Four Roses:
“It began when Paul Jones, Jr., the founder of Four Roses Bourbon, became smitten by the beauty of a Southern belle. It is said that he sent a proposal to her, and she replied that if her answer were “Yes,” she would wear a corsage of roses on her gown to the upcoming grand ball. Paul Jones waited for her answer excitedly on that night of the grand ball…when she arrived in her beautiful gown, she wore a corsage of four red roses. He later named his Bourbon “Four Roses” as a symbol of his devout passion for the lovely belle, a passion he thereafter transferred to making his beloved Four Roses Bourbon.” – FourRoses.us

The 5 Napkin staff really took care of us. Along with our Bourbon samples, we were treated to a variety of delicious appetizers along with our choice of burger.

We sampled three different kinds of Bourbon:
The Single Barrel – Contains hints of ripe plum and cherry tastes with fruity, spicy aromas including maple syrup and cocoa.
Four Roses Small Batch – rich, spicy flavors along with sweet, fruity aromas and hints of sweet oak and caramel. This one was my favorite with the sweetness and caramel really coming through.
Four Roses Yellow Hints of pear and apple compliment floral aromas and mix with a taste of honey and spice. We also were lucky enough to try a new Bourbon. It was strong but quite smooth.

And of course, we couldn’t leave without having Bourbon Pecan pie, could we? Actually, I thought the pie went very well with that bourbon. I may have found a new drink to accompany my desserts. Well, pecan pie, anyways.

We were treated to an Old Fashioned as soon we entered 5 Napkin. It was so tasty, I’d love to sip on this again. Want to make it yourself? Here’s the recipe courtesy of FourRoses.us

Ingredients:
50ml Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
1 cube of sugar (or a splash of simple syrup)
2 dashes bitters
2-3 ice cubes
Twist of lemon

The classic Old Fashioned, originally created in Louisville, KY, not far from the home of Four Roses, in the 1880s by a bartender at the Pendennis Club.

In an Old Fashioned Glass, place a sugar cube or use simple syrup as a substitute. Add bitters and just enough water to help dissolve the sugar. Crush or muddle the sugar in the glass and coat the bottom of the glass. Add 2-3 ice cubes and Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon. Garnish with a twist, or if you’d like, a slice of orange and a cherry.

As I was the first to arrive, I perused the cocktail list and picked out the Asian Pear Martini ($9). This is made with Soju (sometimes spelled Schochu), an alternative to Vodka. It was super sweet and had me wishing I had just ordered a regular margarita. If you are going to order a Soju cocktail, you’d be better off to visit Miso Izakaya.

We both were starving and I ordered more food than I could possibly eat. I asked our server about the Sticky Chicky and she said it was her favorite thing on the menu. Basically, it reminded me of sweet and sour chicken but with an Apricot sauce. It was tasty and quite a filling appetizer. It’s a perfect choice if there are three or four of you, but quite filling for only two people.

I ordered three tacos – Calamari, Shrimp and Pork – thinking they would be smaller than they were. They range in price from $3-4. If you are ordering appetizers, or what they call “Street Snacks” two tacos will most likely fill you up. Remembering how much I liked the calamari taco at Hankook, I couldn’t pass that up and Shrimp is always a must for me. The calamari taco was as yummy as I had remembered, but the shrimp with hoisin tatar sauce was my favorite. The pork taco, recommended by our waitress, I found to be quite forgettable as were the sesame fries. It’s a shame, as I really loved those fries when I visited Hankook.

Lauren had the beef and fish tacos plus an order of fried dumplings. She loved the beef with its spicy sauce. And I’m sorry but if I see Tilapia on the menu, I’m just not ordering it, but I guess that’s how they keep the prices at four bucks a taco. Lauren fell in love with the fried dumplings. So good, you don’t want to miss out on these if you visit Takorea. Again, another great app for sharing.

There are nightly specials at Takorea including a Monday night all you can eat tacos for $10, Fridays are Hite beer for only $2.50 after 5pm. On Saturdays Street Snacks like the Fries or Tempura Sweet Potatoes are half off. Oh, and they are on Scoutmob with $15 off until some time in June.

818 Juniper Street
Atlanta GA, 30308
404-532-1944
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