Parks Edge

Date and Time Visited:  Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 8:20 p.m.

Restaurant Name:  Parks Edge

Location:   913 Bernina Ave Ne, Atlanta, GA

Hours of Operation:   Monday:   Closed

                                Tuesday – Thursday: 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
                                Friday – Saturday: 5:00 p.m. –11:00 p.m.
                                Saturday – Sunday Brunch: 11:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
                                Saturday – Sunday Dinner: 5:00 p.m. –  9:30 p.m.


Reservations:  Not Necessary

Dining Style:  Casual Elegant

Cuisine:  American

Entrees Order: Appetizer: Crispy Calamari ($9.00)  Entrees: Agria (fish special) ($21.00) and Grilled Lamb Chops (21.00).

Rating criteria: We rate using the Likert Scale, from 1-5, where one (1) is considered a poor rating and five (5) is considered an excellent rating and three (3) indicates an average score.

Food:                                       Service:
Taste                   2.5                Wait time                    5

Presentation            2                Quality of Service         3  

Texture                  3                 Wait staff knowledge    3    

Portion Size            3           

Authenticity            3

Entrée Prices:

Lowest:  $15.00     Highest: $27.00

Restaurant Cleanliness:

Appearance            4

Atmosphere            4

Cleanliness             4

Noise level             4

Restrooms              4           

Smoking?                        No

Patio Dinning:            Yes                       

Parking:                        Valet park/Ample free street parking outside restaurant premises.            

Overall Experience (reflects the collaboration of both critics):

            Parks Edge was mediocre. This is not to say that it was an unpleasant experience, just a bla experience. The restaurant was crowded but we only waited a minute or two to be seated. The restaurant was divided into two sections, the main dining area and the lounge area. As for the main dining area, the deco was bla and boring. The room felt more like we were inside a living room in a house with our sits far too close to our neighbors.  On the other side of the restaurant was a small lounge area with a live band playing smooth jazz. Now that part we found delightful and wished they had provided that same atmosphere on our boring side of the restaurant.

I (Jack) ordered the grilled lamb chops. They were good but they were the smallest lamb chops I had ever seen. One bite from each one and it was gone! And yes, I know that lamb chops are somewhat smaller than pork chops, but these needed a magnifying glass to see. My dish came with a vegetable and rice risotto. Some of the risotto was undercooked.

I (Jill) ordered the special, the Agria, which is basically fish on a bed of collards and lumpy mashed potatoes. The fish was descent alone, but in combination with the over powering taste of the collards, it didn’t stand a chance. The collards were cooked to perfection and should have been served in a bowl as a side dish. Laying the fish on top of them allow the fish to soak up the juices, so in effect, I actually had “Collardfish.” I didn’t finish it all because the flavors just didn’t mingle together. As for the mashed potatoes, there are some restaurants that know how to prepare lumpy mashed potatoes in a way that will leave your mouth screaming for more, but these were done badly. These were left unfinished too.

The one thing we found impressive at Parks Edge though, was that the chef redelivered dishes where mistakes were made. For example, the couple sitting next to us ordered two fillet mignons which arrived cold, so they were sent back. One would think that their waitress would return the plates but to our surprise, the chef delivered them personally, accompanied by an apology. In the time we were there, we witnessed the chef come out three different times. That seemed a lot for such a small dining room, so maybe we shouldn’t be impressed after all.

Would we go back? I (Jill) say no, but Jack says yes. We asked the couple sitting next to us would they ever come back and they said “Never.” We discussed it and Jack wants to at some point give them another chance. He found their menu interesting and wants to try two more of their dishes and he wants to try sitting on the lounge side of the restaurant. Hey, we want all restaurants to succeed and if Jack wants to visit again, than I guess we are going back.

Suggested Improvements: Dress up the main dining room. Also, change the name of your Agria Special. We looked up the definition and it said and we quote, “A medical term for an eruption. A small inflamed elevated area of skin containing pus. Gross!!!! We are guessing it also is a Spanish or Italian word for fish. We hope!