We surprised Stephen's grandma the other night when we showed up at dinner. For the big event we dined at the French restaurant, Le Giverny Bistro. The restaurant is actually in a hotel, The Emory Inn, for those of you who go looking for it.
The website is pretty informative and we were excited, as always, to try someplace new. Being in a hotel threw me because I tend to stay away from hotel restaurants, I get enough of those when I travel. The dining room was packed, but I must say, our table was the youngest table in the room. Stephen and I had to be the youngest people in the room, next to his mom.
Our server was knowledgeable when it came to the menu, but I learned later that she didn't know anything about the wine menu when first asked. A little unexpected for such a nice and expensive restaurant. We ordered a few appetizers, the favorite being the warm brie in a honey glaze with grilled flat bread. (I looked on the online menu and it's not listed for the official, French name.) It was absolutely delicious. We've had baked brie with bread and apples before, we'll be adding honey next time.
For our entrees we each went with something a little different and everyone enjoyed their meal. I had the Truite Grenobloise, fresh rainbow trout with almonds, capers and asparagus. It was my first time with trout and I enjoyed it. I also love anything with capers. The asparagus wasn't good however, it was very twig-like and over cooked. I prefer mine to be green and crisp with a crunch to them. Stephen had the salmon and was pleased with his choice. The plate was clean at the end of the meal.
The desserts were split between the four of us with some coffee. A great way to end the meal. Le Giverny has fantastic food, but in terms of atmosphere, there are plenty of other great restaurants in Atlanta with a better atmosphere. It also annoyed me that before 10:00, what I'm pretty sure was closing time, a waiter came out of the kitchen into the dining room, untucked his shirt in front of the tables (showing skin, not in a good way) and then walked around to all of the tables collecting the candles and blowing them out. Now I worked in a restaurant for years in college and I understand the urgency one might feel to begin closing duties - but I'd never do them as blatantly as this gentleman did BEFORE the dining room was closed. And just because the dining room is closed doesn't mean the tables still eating should have to see some guy cleaning up the room. It made me feel very rushed.
If you're looking for good food and don't care about the atmosphere, it's delicious. If you're looking for a place to take your grandmother or grandfather, it's perfect! Would I recommend to any of my friends, not likely.
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