Bourbon, Burgers, and Barbecue

This past weekend was my wife's birthday. I wanted to take her out somewhere nice and the Village Tavern was a place she kept telling me she wanted to go back to since my brother-in-law's birthday back in January. So we decided to go back and was just as happy this time as we did the previous event. 1555 Rainwater Dr Alpharetta, GA 30009 770-777-6490 https://www.villagetavern.com/ About the Village Tavern The original Village Tavern opened in Winston Salem, NC in 1984. The concept was to serve the best food at affordable prices using the freshest ingredients. Drink: Apple Knocker (Knob Creek Bourbon, Apricot Brandy, Crisp Green Apple, and Ginger Beer) Score: 8.5 out of 10 Comments: This was a strong drink. I mean, it was enough where two or three of these will knock you on your butt. You could taste the Brandy more than any other flavors. It paired well with the rest of the liquor which made the drink enjoyable. Appetizer: Baked Brie ...

3626 Mundy Mill Road Gainesville, GA 30504 https://cookout.com/ For over a year, I kept hearing about this place and how good the food and shakes were. Every time I tried to go, something or someone always prevented me from going. I finally decided to give them a try to see if they lived up to the hype. Food: A Big Double Burger with Cheese (Ketchup, pickles and onions) Tray (included fries, a quesadilla, and an oreo shake). Burger Score: 7.5 out of 10 Comments: The burger was juicy but there was barely any cheese on it. It was nice I could pick out what I wanted on the burger, but they don't provide a list of options so I had no idea what to select other than the basic ketchup, pickles and onions. Fries Score: 6.5 out of 10 Comments : I was very disappointed with the fries. There was no taste to them. They tasted like they were dipped in oil and dried and put in the container. There was no seasoning on them. You have to ask for cajun seasoning. What happened t...

El Campesino 6630 Highway 53 East Dawsonville, GA  (706) 216-3036 Okay, this was my second time going for Mexican food since moving to Dawsonville. I found this restaurant by random when I decided to take Highway 53 home instead of 400.  My wife and I were in the mood to get out of the house on a Friday night and wanted to try a new place (new to us). About El Campesino: Owned by the Guzman brothers, Salvador and Carlos, El Campesino opened its doors in 1997 in Dawsonville. The brothers learned the art of Mexican cuisine from their mother in Guanajuato, Mexico. They had always dreamt of providing food and a warm atmosphere to patrons of their restaurant. They currently own and operate two locations (Dawsonville and Cleveland, GA) Drink: Margarita Score: 9 out of 10 Comments : The margaritas at El Campesino give you a lot for your money. The one in the picture is the large and took the whole meal to finish it. The taste of the liquor was not overp...

Friends 837 Hwy 400, Suite 175 Dawsonville, GA 30534 706-216-2800 https://www.friendsamericangrill.com/ I apologize for the delay in my posts this week. It's been a busy few days and I have been juggling a few things including a release of my upcoming book, The Kritana Contract.  This review was one I had been interested in doing since moving to Dawsonville, GA. My wife and I have driven passed Friends Dawson Grill numerous times. I pass it twice a day during the week to pickup or drop off my kid at school. Every afternoon or night we drive by it, we always see the parking lot full. About Friends: Opened in 2010, Friends is a neighborhood grill & bar which is locally owned. They have locations in Dacula, Dawsonville, Suwanee, Winder, and Buford. The establishment is filled with HDTVs to show NFL, MLB, and UFC. Their menu is fresh-ground steakburgers, hand-cut steaks, and homemade dressings and sauces. They also contribute to the community by holding an ann...

Pizza, it is the big debate in our house. My wife is what I call a pizza snob. She only likes a certain style of pizza from specific places (mostly Ozone Pizza in Ozone Park). Me on the other hand, like pizza from all over, but even I was skeptical about eating pizza in the south. We decided to take our debate and our curiosity, and put it to the test against a pizzeria a few blocks from our new home. So let's take a bite out of Brooklyn Joe's and see if they measure up. 219 Crossroads Blvd,  Dawsonville, GA 30534 Dawsonville (706) 265-8000 Milton (770) 754-0202 Canton (770) 720-7700 http://www.brooklynjoespizza.com/#home-section Brooklyn Joe's says they are authentic NY style pizza. They opened the doors in 2007 and have been voted the best Pizza and Italian restaurant 5 years in a row. Now, I have not actually dined in at the restaurant, so it will not be a typical review. I have ordered and picked up my food twice from them in the month I mo...

El Jinete Phone: 706-531-0012 Address: 100 North 400 Center Lane, Dawsonville, GA 30534 http://eljinetemexicanrestaurant.com/about-us/ I know this one doesn't exactly fall into one of the three main categories for this blog, but tacos are still considered food and I love them. We decided to venture out for some good Mexican food in our area. We chose El Jinete due to its location (being right off of 400), the price and the numerous options they had available on their menu. Again, I apologize for the lack of food pics as my son once again hijacked my phone. About El Jinete They are a family-friendly restaurant in business for more than a decade in the Georgia area (Dawsonville, Woodstock, Jefferson, Snellville, Clarksville, Roswell, and Dacula)/ They maintain the belief of creating a restaurant that's friendly and exceptional in attention to every detail. Drink: Coke I'm not going to score this one. You can't screw this one up unless the line nee...

https://www.loyalq.com/ My wife and I moved down to Georgia with our almost 3-year-old at the beginning of the month. Dining with a toddler is not really fun, but we've learned to make the most of it. We visited the Alpharetta area earlier this year. I was amazed at how gorgeous the town is and they are continuing to build it up. We enjoy spending time there and plan on checking out a lot of the dining options since moving to the Georgia area. The Loyal Q and Brew was the first restaurant we stopped at since officially making the move. It was a great family outing with my sister, my brother-in-law, and my two nieces. I had been wanting some good barbecue and couldn't wait to sink my teeth into my meal. The recommendation came from my brother-in-law who had passed the restaurant numerous times and visited it for lunch a few days prior. I would have to admit, this was a great place to eat. The Loyal Q and Brew use smokers to cook all of their meat. Each one (named Har...