06/09/08

Good Food BUT Don't Expect Service

by Jelly123

Trendy atmosphere, creative menu selection, good quality food, large wine list....

BUT it took 25 minutes to get water and wine served, nearly drank the whole bottle of wine before entree arrived ("mishap" in the kitchen), had to flag down server--who performed dual duty as bartender that night--several times since he was unavailable to check in with us.

Staff was courteous but appeared to be overworked. We expected a better experience for $150+ meal, not to mention there were only 7 other tables occupied the night we dined.

Suggestion--perhaps, try lunch before committing to dinner!

11/25/07

Food was great, so was atmosphere, service was ok

by atlmetro

A group of us visited Food Studio on a recent Saturday night. We started our evening at the bar but the bar staff seemed a bit over whelmed where we had difficulty getting service. The wine selection at the bar was decent with a number of selections at different price points.

We were surprised to see Food Studio was offering a fixed course special that evening offering three courses for $25. This ended up being a tremendous deal. The quality of the food was excellent and the portions seem to be "normal" in size. This was a very pleasant surprise considering some of the lackluster meals we have of late during the Atlanta restaurant week at similar establishments. Give some kudos to Food Studio here.

I had a hanger steak appetizer and Monk fish entree that were both very good. Dessert was so-so (fig pastry) but the table though the apple turnover was good. Our server was friendly but had a few challenges. Hopefully this isn't the norm for such an establishment.

The space is amazing and is probably worth a meal on its own. Great place for a data or small gathering. Overall, I would recommend visiting Food studio again especially if they offer another promotion.

• Pros: Food, atmosphere
• Cons: Service

11/13/07

Great and OK Stuff here

by neatomosquito

If you've never been to King Plow Center you really should. Just looking around the complex is a treat. Then you get to Food Studio and that's just as impressive. Really cool space inside. A really impressive place for a first date, or any date. OK, so you're sitting in front of the fireplace, the wait staff is attentive. Now what? Food. Ok, so that's where I have to admit I was a wee bit disappointed. First course....parsnip soup...OK but a little too cream of parsnip for me. Kind of wimpy. Also had the beet dish. Afraid I was even less impressed by that. All sorts of impressive descriptions, still tasted like pickled beets to me. Oddly, this beet thing is a big deal these days and I've had them done exceptionally well and very creatively in other restaurants. Need to take a lesson there. Next dish, chicken with bread pudding. The bread pudding was to absolutely die for. The sauce was to die for. All is well right? Well, the chicken breast was a little dry. Ooops! Someone didn't pay attention. Otherwise, taste was very good. Also had the braised pork belly. Now that was creative and really nicely done. OK, so now to the desserts. They apparently had a new pastry chef. We'll be the judge of how great the new chef is. Well....OUTSTANDING. Rumor has it they snagged this person from 4 Seasons. Good for them, bad for 4 Seasons. The desserts were really delicious. Apple something and fig newton. Run don't walk for those!!! In short, great service, good wine list, great ambience, just a few little glitches in the food. I think I'd go back just to give it a try. In the meantime, if the chef could check out the beet situation, it would be a good thing.

• Pros: Great spot, great service, good wine selection, great desserts
• Cons: Spotty on the food prep

10/04/07

Romantic and Simple

by bob_arnold

I made a reservation 2 hours prior and I was seated immediately (a Wednesday evening, 8:45p). The waiter was knowledgeable and immediately offered a fine selection of wine when we were seated. The meal took maybe 20-25 minutes to prepare and was - to be honest - the BEST spiced pork tenderloin I have ever had (sorry Grandma!). When going on a date I enjoy the cliche candle-lit dinner, so this was the perfect spot. The ambience was quiet and I was actually able to hear my date - a nice change from the "trendy" spots around town where you end up yelling by the end of the night because you have lost your hearing. The music was low and upbeat, and the tables were spaced apart perfectly. I will definitely be going back soon.

• Pros: Prompt service, knowledgeable staff, easy valet service
• Cons: Hard to find location

09/11/07

I expected better.

by brandon03

I took my friends and brother to Food Studio on Friday. It wasn't crowd, nor pack. I made reservations for 4 @9:15pm. It was our first time. We came at 9pm, our hostess said we won't be seated until exactly "9:15pm". So we waited around. At 9:15pm, she tells us to wait a few minute for a big party to finish paying. We did not get seated until 9:40pm. Whoever was suppose to wait on our table, didn't acknowledge us at all until 9:55pm. I was a bit upset, because I really thought the service at Food Studio wold be as exceptional as it was at South City Kitchen in midtown and Ecco. We love Ecco and never had any customer service problems. But I don't know about Food Studio, what was it that made them not take us so seriously?

When we finally got our food, I must say.. the food is tasty, very good.. however you want to put it. I would settle for Ecco, but since the giftcard, I got only let me go to Food Studio. I thought it'll be nice to try something new from Fifth Group.

Just, don't make me put in reservations, when I'm not going to get seated at a certain time. If you're going to be our waiter/waitress, don't walk by our table constantly and act like we don't exist!

• Pros: Food was good, place was unique and treandy setting.
• Cons: Workers don't communicate much

12/25/06

Terrific!

by nowhammies

The waitress we had was prompt and polite. She offered great wine suggestions. I must say one of the nicest servers I've had. The ambience was ridiculous, from the chairs to the layout I was impressed. Very hip and modern looking. Nothing about this place makes you feel uncomfortable. My girlfriend had the pork and I had the shellfish hotpot. The pork was hot and tender, and the shellfish hotpot was great with their bread. I wish I would have tried the pork instead. That is not to say that my entree was poor, but I enjoyed hers more. I am a meat kind of person. The desserts were awesome! The lemon basil bombe is longest lasting dessert item on their menu, and the taste explains why. This lemon basil bombe was probably the most refreshing and crisp tasting dessert i've ever experienced. Also, be sure to try the chocolate banana because it is also remarkable. The value was also a plus. Please go because walking from the valet to the restaurant provides great scenery.

• Pros: Service,food,ambience
• Cons: Can't think of one

11/22/06

Wonderful Atmoshere...

by courtmed

This restaurant has a great feel to it. The food is good but nothing outstanding but it is very romantic and in a funky part of town.

11/14/06

Terribly Average, overrpriced restaurant for trend-monkeys.

by dhamrick

This place is all atmosphere and very little substance. It is sadly typical of trendy, overpriced, "it" locales. All style, no substance. The food, while not bad, was far from remarkable and certainly not worth the price. The wine selection is quite good however, even if it is delivered by waiters whom are more interested in where they work over why.

At around 50 bucks a person its quite disappointing.

At 25 I would go back.

In a word there are much better restaurants in town and out that will give you better farew for less or just a little more.

• Pros: Atmosphere
• Cons: Food is Average

10/16/06

Perfect Dining Experience

by garlito

This place was absolutely fantastic!! I was looking for a nice place to celebrate my one-year wedding anniversary. Some place elegant and quiet but not stuffy...this is exactly what I wanted. I only discovered it after couldn't get reservations at a "sister restaurant" (Ecco) and the guy on the phone recommended it. Everyone I spoke to here was extremely nice and willing to help me make it a special night. The perfect place for a romantic dinner. The food and service were great. Dont worry about the location. Its not that difficult to find as long as you do a little homework before you go. Highly recommended.

• Pros: Ambience, food, service
• Cons: None worth keeping me from going back

07/19/06

Still amazing after all these years

by thestudog

I just went back to the Food Studio, and learned from my server that the restaurant just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Most places that are 10 years old seem to go out of business, this one just keeps getting better! Our server was probably the best we have had anywhere in Atlanta--knowledgable, passionate, warm and friendly, prompt, great detail awareness, just simply amazing. The food was off-the-charts-fantastic. I've been to many other so called fine dining restaurants lately in Atlanta, and they mostly seem to be best at dishing up attitude and high prices. I thought the Food Studio was a great value, and even if it wasn't, it was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. I have to rank it as my favorite place in Atlanta.

• Pros: Food, service, valet
• Cons: none I can think of