Deciding to have dinner downtown (in Midtown) before attending Hamilton at The Fox this past Saturday (02/24), Mary Mac's was top choice out of seven restaurants near the theater considered for an evening out. My girlfriend is still getting acquainted with The South, and Southern cuisine was fitting for the play.

It was a solid choice. The food was good... despite oddities experienced or observed, beginning with my phone camera having an existential moment before even walking through the front door of Mary Mac's. (I talk about this in more detail in my online journal.)

Then there was the three confirmations with the Matron Host that my girlfriend and I were the party of two that I had indicated with giving my surname for a table. It was as if the Matron confused her with another party (of White people, because she is White), as she had called for two parties at once. On the third confirmation and recognizing the tell of a suppressed smile and a disposition that made my girlfriend invisible, it was clear we were being shunned as a multi-cultural couple. Fortunately, with Matron's drill sergeant efficiency to seat as many patrons as possible, due to the apparent dinner bell ringing loud and long, for people were rushing in to Mary Mac's, I was used to the personality and checking with my girlfriend's impression, she was a real trooper about the Matron. (I would later apologize on behalf of the Matron in any case.)

After that, our personal dinning experience went well. The fried green tomatoes ordered as an appetizer were on point, and reminded me of making them at home. Our entrees were even more delectable. Even though the menu stated no sharing of meals, my girlfriend and I sampled each other's catfish, fried chicken, and sides. I did think the fried chicken breast was a little undersized, compared to the mountain range of two pieces of catfish my girlfriend received; but, it was all good. Literally.

Granted, it wasn't lost upon me that a cook (I presumed) served our meals, as the restaurant had picked up and kept our server busy. I noticed some other patrons were either waiting, snacking on appetizers, or eating. But I felt bad for the family of eight at what appeared to be the only round table in the Atlanta Room of Mary Mac's. They had waited for the longest time before being served. Nearly an hour. By the time my girlfriend and I received our peach cobbler—which I recommend one should only indulge in if they are comfortable in accepting the risk of eating such a decadent dessert—that family had received their food, nearly an hour after my girlfriend and I were seated and served dinner & dessert. The husband and wife were visibly upset with their service, but I suspected someone had made a decision on who was going to be served and when, over who arrived and were seated first. Naturally that family should have been served first, ahead of my girlfriend and I, and the anticipated delay for serving such a large group should have been communicated to us. I mean, we did order an appetizer. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Anyway, by the time we were done and paid for our dinner, Mary Mac's was packed. I couldn't say I was surprised by the wait and crowding of the restroom either, with cleaning up for a nice stroll to The Fox.

All-in-all, we enjoyed dinning at Mary Mac's. Part of the planning to dine out was setting a budget, and we went over what I anticipated was the average price range for two people ($40-60). For a moment, I thought we had paid more for less, but after a review of images of other reviews and experiences, I was mistaken in this regard. The price range I anticipated didn't account for the appetizer or three dollar teas—which our server never did return with a refill of mine. But given the business of the place, he seemed pretty cool under pressure in trying to tend to other patrons. Still, when looking at the photos and videos from others, what you see is what you get. Truly, and it's all deliciously good.

Mary Mac's offers a true experience of Southern dinning and cuisine.

I have no pictures to share from Mary Mac's.