Poor Hendrix — Restaurant in Atlanta

[Time & Date of visit]: Multiple Sundays for dinner

[Location/Ambiance]: Nested in the quiet intersection of Hosea Williams and 2nd ave, I would have to say the area and the mood of the restaurant, including the bar side is chill. There's usually plenty of parking in the back and in the front if you're lucky. Most Atlanta people don't know how to parallel park, so if you have mastered it, you're in luck.

The back patio looks like a great spot to share some drinks and chill in the summer nights.

[Service]: Each visit, service has been down to earth friendly. It's really genuine and far from any act to try to get more tip from the bill. I think the staff actually do like doing what they do. I wish that more places in Atlanta had that. Especially places in Buckhead.

[Food Highlights]:

Just about everything on the small plates menu is under $10. If you have a party of four, definitely splurge a bit and order everything. Because of the menu being seasonal, you might not get to try it again.

Marinated mussels crostini - Not only is this one of the photogenic dishes but one of my favorites. The sauce brings everything together for the savory crostini bread, the mussels and the included veggies. There's a variety of textures from the crunchy edges of the toasts. The soft, chewy inner parts of the bread. Tender but firm mussels. To the crisp radishes.

Moroccan lamb skewers - Wow, if only if they had pitas to make this wrap. For anyone who shy's away from lamb from past experiences of gamey flavors, this is one recommendation I would vouch for on trying. The paprika vinaigrette has just the right amount of acidity to balance the savory, juicy lamb.

Old Bay fried cauliflower - I will have to admit, I might not share just because I can double dip. The light crunchy fried cauliflower is dusted with Old Bay seasonings for a good play of texture and flavor. Another personal favorite.

Chicken Liver pate toasts - There's something a little missing that I am not getting. I'm not sure its just not as savory as I was expecting. But the peanuts also throw me off a little due to the mixture of textures. I'm iffy on this one.

Warm hummus - let's just say, the green lids of the premade stuff in the grocery store can't compete.

Dry-rubbed shrimp skewers - There's a good amount of heat that works it's way up after a few bites. Though I'm not sure how I feel about the Alabama white sauce that accompanies it. It's still good on its own though.

Chimichurri roasted chicken leg - Wow, I'm very surprised at how good the refried black beans are. It's not just a garnish for plating. The chicken was juicy all the way through and is a fairly large entree. My tip is, take a bite of the chicken and beans all together.

Grilled cheese sandwich - I would have to say hands down, this is ultimate comfort food and wish they had a tomato bisque soup to pair this with. The then spread of a semi-sweet jam and the melted cheese of slightly salty and savory just makes this dish worth the asking price. If you're feeling guilty for indulging, the salad is also tasty. Mix it in with the lamb for a more complementing meal.

Salted Brown Butter rice crispy treats - Almost like homemade, if your mom was a pastry chef. Nostalgia and then some with each bite. Without the sugar rush afterwards.

Dark chocolate terrine - Almost like.... a chocolate soup. It was pretty good but not my favorite.

Walnut cake - Be forwarned, this has a deep nutty taste. Though the poached apples and ice cream bring in tart and sweet together.

[Total Bill w/ Tip & Tax]:

Even with two people sharing a drink and about most of the small plates, the split was about $24 among four people. It's a really great value for the quality of food you're getting.

{Summary}: Great food, great prices, great service. This is one of the few gems in Atlanta that hits all the marks and makes it worth the drive for me to want to keep coming back.

Just be mindful that the bar has it's own food menu, which also includes...

Had a very questionable bar experience. Food was very good.

I was with a group of friends waiting for a table and asked about their scotch selection. Glenlivet 12, Great King Street (the artist's blend, Compass Box) and Ardbeg 10. Not bad. I ordered a glass of Ardbeg 10; it was the first drink of the evening, so my palette was not fatigued at all. The glass comes, but clearly it wasn't Ardbeg 10. Ardbeg is one of the most heavily peated whiskys, but there wasn't really a whiff of smoke or peat in the glass.

(Note: I am a huge Islay whisky fan, have been to Islay multiple times, own a large selection of scotch whisky including many Ardbeg bottlings.)

So I take the glass to the bar and mention this to the bartender who says, "it's Ardbeg, poured it myself." Not wanting to be a jackass, I kind of let it slide, but let a couple of my friends try it and asked them if they thought it was peaty or smokey at all. They agreed that it definitely tasted like a different whisky. I asked another bartender – who was listening to my conversation – if there was a chance someone had refilled the Ardbeg bottle with another scotch (presumably with a speyside or highland whisky, which is what it tasted like), and she said it was "highly unlikely." But I have to differ. I know what Ardbeg tastes like, and it wasn't it.

It's not the end of the world, but when you are charged bar prices for what they are considering top shelf whisky – and you probably know more about the subject than most of the people in the restaurant – you simply expect to get what you ordered. I know the restaurant industry is tough – I have industry friends. But this sure came across as at least questionable. I wouldn't expect the bartenders to be privy to everything management might do to help profits, as well. It's not really a "whisky bar," I guess. Maybe this was an oversight – but when the $100 tab comes at the end of the night, it raises doubt to ordering any drink but beer there again.

The food was certainly flavorful, if maybe a couple dollars overpriced. I would recommend dining at Poor Hendrix. I simply lost...

I've wanted to go to PH for over a decade but for some reason never went. Until now! And I'm so glad I went. The dining arrangement is a bit odd, with only a few tables in the front to go with the long bar and the patio out back. Apart from the weirdness of this, everything was pretty great. According to the website, the owners decided to open a restaurant after visiting Spain, and the menu does feel quite Spanish / tapas-ish. We had the shrimp skewers with some kind of amazing sauce; the chili mushroom skewers packed a punch; the cabbage wedge was deliciously saucy and bacony. The stand-out small plate, though, was the potatoes two ways, all sticky and caramelized. The service was very quick and attentive, and the food comes out fast, so you can really order 2-3 things, eat, and then see if you're still hungry. We continued with the cauliflower version of hot wings (very good) and the lettuce salad (good, needed more of those pickled beans). Finally, I can never resist a creme brulee, and the waiter steered me away from port and towards the amontillado sherry - genius move. A great experience and we'll...