02/16/09

Fantastic Latin bistro, one of Atlanta's hidden gems...

by abcgroup

We went there on Valentines Day (2 days ago) and the restaurant was packed (which heightens the liability for your food to get messed up in my opinion). The atmosphere was nicely lit, the color of the room is amazing and I learned they have a back patio too. We were greeted immediately and we surveyed the plates in the room as everything looked fantastic. The food we ordered: Caesar salad w/Manchego--the strength was the cheese. The Casar we okay but nothing great, needed more dressing. Roasted Chicken breast

in Oaxacan black mole served with onion quesadilla and grilled zucchini--this dish was amazing. The mole was complemented by the quesadilla and the zucchini was firm, not too watery, and served as a solid way to clean your pallet. Grilled filet--Free range beef tenderloin over gordita with Mayan green sauce and cheese--this dish was the kicker for me. I don't normally order filets as I think they can be quite boring. I was compelled by the green sauce and gordita. I was incredibly happy with my meal. My meat was cooked perfectly, the Mayan sauce (a nice salsa verde) blended well with my meat and the gordita--which I felt held the dish together. Both dishes were plated perfectly, the presentation couldn't get much better. We had bottle of the Paul Hobbs 'Cocodrilo" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (all the wines are very reasonably priced) which blended well with our meal. Dessert was the fig pie, another great accent to the night. Hands down, Tierra is a new favorite..

• Pros: Great service, food & wine.
• Cons: none

07/11/08

Good, but not great

by spiffsteph

I'm split on Tierra, everything I got was mediocre at best. we had mussels for an appetizer, I got the beef tenderloin for the entree and the flan for desert. The mussels were cooked very well, but were in a very mild broth that made the fishy taste very apparent. The beef tenderloin was smothered in seasonings that completely overpowered the taste of the meat. The dish was not bad by any means, just overpowering and not what I expected. The flan was so bad that I could barely choke it down. It tasted like I was eating coffee beans plain. My boyfriend ordered the pionono to start which was absolutely delectable. He got the scallops for his entree which were easily the best scallops I've had in a very long time, intense flavor and cooked to perfection. For desert, he ordered Tres leches cake which was also great. I'd love to give Tierra a higher rating, but considering our experience, I feel like it's too hit-or-miss to be much above average. The restaurant itself was nice and made for a romantic setting, however, we were seated extremely close to other tables and could clearly hear our neighbors' conversation, it made me feel self conscious the whole time, as I felt like I was talking too loudly.

A side note- though I wouldn't say this affected my experience at all, there was a woman, who I now believe may be the owner, that sort of lurked around the restaurant, and since it is a small space, it almost felt a little intrusive. She seemed to keep a very close eye on the tables, though she never actually served anyone.

Overall, it was a nice place, and even though I got a few disappointing menu items, the rest of the food was good enough to pick up the slack.

• Pros: Good food, good service, good wine list
• Cons: Bad food, sitting uncomfortably close to other

06/08/08

Best Latin Food

by tomk42

Tierra is my favorite restaurant. They have a small menu, but it changes frequently. The steamed kale and the calabaza (squash) are incredible side dishes. The restaurant is small and can be crowded, but is not unpleasant.