First Impression

John: I’m sure that 67 percent of the people reading the Dining Duo right now expected to open their Beacon this week and read a review of an Irish pub or restaurant (St. Patrick’s Day is on Wednesday after all). The sales team thought we should go Irish, but I was concerned, I mean, there are non-Irish people in North Fulton, where are they going to eat on Wednesday? So this review is for all the people out there who don’t like Lucky Charms, Guinness or corned beef and cabbage. So what did we do instead of an Irish Pub? We went to Brookwood Grill which turned out to be more exciting than finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow (lame Irish reference intended). In the last two years, I’ve seen Brookwood Grill more than I’ve seen my family (I see Brookwood on my way to work everyday, I do not see my family on my way to work everyday), but I had only been there once and that was for a great lunch. So I was pretty excited about the dinner. Let me end my first impression with this: if you like your first five minutes in a restaurant to be inviting, pleasant and friendly while your being engulfed in a slight aroma of hickory smoke, then I think you’re going to also have a good first impression of Brookwood.

Tim: I too had only known Brookwood Grill by a) its reputation as a destination site for Roswell's finest citizens, and b) the one time I met a source there to conduct an interview and drink ice water. Once we got inside and took a look at the menu, I was reminded why I got into the restaurant review business in the first place--the opportunity to eat at places like this for free. It had everything you expect a high end restaurant to have--good mood lighting, nice big booths that offer a sense of privacy, and plenty of attractive women.

John: A
Tim: A

Appetizers

John: For the appetizer, we decided to order seared tuna and chicken satay. The seared tuna was cooked medium rare. Now, most people like their seared tuna rare, but we had to make sure the chef wasn’t lazy and that he could do a good medium rare. Verdict: the chef is not lazy at all, he is awesome. Our medium rare tuna was cooked perfectly and one bite of the dish proved that. As good as the tuna was though, it wasn’t even the best thing on the plate. That would go to the vegetable noodle cake. As most people who regularly read this, I’m not a big fan of vegetables, but when you mix them in with a noodle cake, wow. It’s almost impossible to describe the flavor of the noodle cake, but I can almost guarantee that you’ll like it. As for the chicken satay, it is served with two dipping sauces, make sure you try both. Tim hijacked the peanut sauce, so I never got to taste it. However, I did try the orange chili glaze, which tasted kind of like a sweet and sour sauce except it had a citrus after taste. I brush my teeth with a citrus toothpaste and I love orange tic-tacs, so the orange chili glaze was a winner.

Tim: I can vouch for Breech's love of orange tic-tacs. At another event we covered later in the week he pulled out a full pack of them and set it on the table. Literally within 30 seconds after we sat down, the entire pack was gone. I was simultaneously amazed, and bummed out that I didn't get a chance to ask for one. I think he was getting me back for hogging the peanut sauce.

Anyway, the appetizers were spot on. It was nice, light food in good portions, so we weren't completely stuffed by the time we got to the main part of the meal.

John: A
Tim: A

Entrées

John: First, I have to say something: Brookwood Grill has ribs on their menu. They are described as the best in Atlanta. I’m always skeptical when someone or something is called the best. On a road trip once, I supposedly ate ‘the best pork sandwich in Tennessee,’ which was ironic because it tasted like a combination of cat food and beans. However, Brookwood’s ribs come through. The sauce is tangy and tasty, the meat falls right off the bone and I am not exaggerating. If you pick up a rib, the meat just falls off and it happens so fast, it’s almost confusing. Now I know that not everyone out there likes ribs. I also know that Catholics don’t eat meat on Friday’s during lent. Well, I have a perfect solution: it’s called the crispy grouper sandwich. The grouper is tender and flaky, just the way it should be. Friday is five days away, call Brookwood now and order crispy grouper sandwiches for everyone in your household.

Tim: If you have followed the Dining Duo for a long time, then you know that I have a rule about ribs. If there's no smoke emanating from somewhere on the premises, then I'm not eating the ribs. Smoke signifies a smoker, which signifies that the ribs are being properly cooked. No smoke means they are being cooked inside and that's never good - except at Brookwood Grill. The ribs were tender, flavorful and perfectly sauced. I could have polished off the whole rack by myself without breaking a sweat. We also had a 10 oz. ribeye steak and some killer macaroni and cheese. The steak was up to par (tender, tasty and perfectly cooked to order). The mac and cheese was a revelation. The best word to describe it is "rich," which is a word that is usually reserved for desserts and the people who I pay my student loan to. (I've been out of college for 11 years, I've made monthly payments for that entire time, and somehow the balance has only come down about $2,000. Trust me, they're loaded.)

John: A
Tim: A

Dessert

John: I can count on one finger the amount of times that I have seen the words ‘grilled’ and ‘dessert’ in the same sentence. For the most part, grilled desserts just don’t exist. Naturally, we saw that Brookwood had grilled strawberry shortcake where they grilled the shortcake (not the strawberries). I don’t know who thought of it, but it was fantastic. I don’t like using the term ‘pleasant surprise,’ but it was a pleasant surprise.

Tim: We also went with a more classic dessert, the fudge brownie. It comes just like you would expect - topped with ice cream and a delicious fudge sauce. This dish is the dessert version of comfort food. It's warm, delicious and probably contains about 1,500 calories.

John: A
Tim: A

Final Impression

John: As you can probably see, I loved this place. There’s a reason Brookwood Grill has been around for 17 years. As we were walking out the door, I was talking to Tim about climate change during the paleozoic era (and you thought you knew us) when I heard a voice. “Excuse me, EXCUSE ME.” I turned around and it was our server Jason, we had left our to-go box on the table and he ran out to the parking lot to give it to us. Now that’s service. By the way, we don’t ever do teaser’s in the Dining Duo, but I’m going to do one now: a big change will be coming next week. We’re going to add six people and be called the ‘Out-to-Eat Octuplets.’ OK, that’s not true, just make sure you read next week.

Tim: Wow. A cliffhanger ending to the Dining Duo. What is this, "Lost"?

John: A
Tim: A