Parish on Cherry — Restaurant in Macon

As someone Louisiana born and reared, it peaks my curiosity when restaurants outside of Louisiana claim Creole and Cajun fare, so I had to give the place a try before heading back to Atlanta. The live musicians and bar at the entrance gave the place an energetic vibe. We were seated in comfortable booths toward the back, which was just fine because it offered us a bit of privacy.

I chose a shrimp and crawfish pasta (dish reminded me of mac and cheese with seafood but was well seasoned and flavorful), crawfish "gumbo," and the seafood dip and chips as an appetizer. My littlest one had the Lil' Shrimp Basket which she said was like most restaurant shrimp baskets she'd had, with the exception of the shrimp being a little better than most. My oldest had red beans and rice, which she described as being a bit dry and not too reminiscent of home but satisfying, nonetheless. According to her, the sausage helped the dish substantially.

The seafood dip and chips weren't worth the price. The menu described the chips as seasoned, but I tasted none. The only flavor was the dip, which began to taste weird after a few chips. Or maybe it was the chips.

My "gumbo" which contained NO roux and seemed to be more of a clear, gelled substance, arrived with scorched crawfish set on top of a bed of rice (see photos). If presentation reflected taste, this would have been everything, but it didn't and it wasn't.

I informed the waitress that the crawfish were all burnt and pointed them out on my plate. She said she'd remove the dish from the check, but when the check arrived, it was still there. Twice I brought this to her attention. She finally came back to inform me that on an almost $70 check, the owner wasn't willing to remove the item because I hadn't said anything earlier, when I had, and it was evident from the burnt crawfish on the saucer.

I requested she bring this to his attention. He offered a manager's discount, which was half of the cost of the "gumbo" that's not really gumbo. Not in the mood to argue a few more dollars and figuring the best arguments are had by making better future decisions on where I spend money, I decided to let it go. Paid the check, gave her a nice tip because she deserved it for the attentive service she offered, and we were out.

Up until the check incident, I wanted to recommend the place, not because the food reminded me of home, but because it could be defined as decent Georgia fare with a twist and the live music was...

Today was my first time visiting. I was super excited to try the food. We were greeted immediately and seated. The server Susan walked over got our drink order. Then our real server comes inside from smoking her cigarette and swiftly seat at the table with us. Hands all over the table... Absolutely I have a problem with this. I requested the woman who came to us first to continue serving us. We sat for a while waiting for her to return. Finally I just got up and asked someone to inform her we were ready to order. The seafood dip was delicious. The Shrimp Cajun pasta came piping hot and was very tasty. The Chicken Cajun Pasta I ordered came a little cool. It took a super long time for her to come back and see if everything was okay. While sitting waiting for things to happen an employee shows up for work. He quickly get prepared for his shift. A few minutes go by and then he sit down to eat. He goes from eating to seating people and digs in his ear and never washes his hands or use hand sanitizer. The servers aren't attentive enough. The food was great everything else was horrible.

I was convinced to try them again because I was looking at this place with a server eye and not a regular patron. With a new start and open mind, I gave a it a real chance. The service was okay, I could tell he was a new server. He did his best to answer questions and if he didn't know he found out and I appreciate that. Definitely worked well with small kids and made them feel important. I'm just going to say I am not a big fan of their menu options. Some of the ingredients the kitchen went way too heavy on. Helpful tip, just because someone doesn't want something does not mean load their plate up with garnish or go heavy on another ingredient. Too much ruins the dish. The apps were good and hot, no...

How's about a "Let's Eat" Review for Brunch? Today we decided to go to Parish on Cherry Street.

We got there shortly after 11 and the place was pretty empty, which surprised me being a holiday weekend.

I ordered the Bottomless Mimosas (because I was raised right 😂🤣) and let me say, whatever Orange Juice they're using, it is tasty and was impressive!

Had to try the Macon Bacon as an appetizer. It definitely is a MUST TRY. It's got this whole sweet smoked thing happening. They use the thick cut too, a personal fav of mine.

We tried the Eggs Benedict. While the taste was good, the eggs weren't poached, they were more like medium boiled and that was a disappointment.

I also got the Fried Chicken Biscuit. Later found out that they have someone come in every weekend to make the biscuits from scratch and it's evident. They were so good! The fried chicken was your basic breaded white meat and it came with Pimento Cheese. That was it. Pretty basic. I think a Fried Green Tomato on it would have made this a super star.

Summing it up... The brunch was good, I don't know if I'd run back there for brunch but I will DEFINITELY be back for their craft cocktails and appetizers.

Breaking It Down... I was disappointed that they have a 3% surcharge for using a credit card. Honestly, I found it kind of lame. Credit card fees are the price every business owner faces. Build it into the cost. I found it to be unnecessary and at the end, it was less than $2 but it was the principle. Who carries cash anymore? 🤷🏻‍♂️

All in all, we paid $63 for two people for Brunch and while it wasn't bad, I feel like they're going to need to make some modifications to their brunch but I am excited to try them out...