An Artistic Taste — Restaurant in Town of Monroe

Discovered this place accidentally, & decided to try it after seeing great reviews. Didn't expect it to be busy on a Wed night, but it was! A small place, but nice, tasteful, & comfortable. Great music and not too loud where it's chaotic or you can't hear conversation. There was only 1 'maitre de/server/bartender', & 1 Chef, which was unfortunate with how busy they were, but they handled everything calmly, & like pro's. (My "hus-friend" & myself are NY Hospitality Veterans - so we KNOW!). Destiny greeted us smiling, let us know there may be some delay in service ahead of time, & never was upset, distressed, or negative. She apologized, & thanked everyone for understanding, even as more people came in; text book Hospitality, A++. The young Chef (?) came out to assist her from the kitchen several times, quietly, smiling as well, even as a 7 top came in. Neither looked to close the doors early, even knowing an 8pm close was not happening! The food & drinks were great. We especially loved the sauces and dips which were unique & enhanced all the dishes. Nothing was over powering or heavy, even the Goat cheese/beet ravioli was delicate and balanced. All the crisp dishes like Parmigian Fries, Lobster Fritters, & jerk chicken dumplings were fresh, light, and with great texture. My hus-friend (not a big foodie like me), was super impressed. He said how fun the menu/place/vibe was, & that he already wants to go back. It's now one of his new favorite places- even without Beer available! I would have gave all 5 🌟 aside that, & the wait time. I know its hard to gage staffing in these unpredictable times, & that will sort out. To be THAT busy on a Wednesday night in a small town is a good problem to have! Great job, we will be back, & likely regulars like some others we...

Ignore the reviews alleging poor service and aggrandizing the issue of a long wait. The young ladies and gentlemen running the front of the house are exactly that: ladies and gentlemen who are hard working, service oriented, and they do not spare the alcohol when making your drinks! I have visited AAT no less than ten times and had them cater my Family Christmas Party - the staff have always been consistently attentive and kind. Yes, you may wait a bit longer than you are accustomed to for your food, but that's because there is no "B Team" in the kitchen. There is one Chef back there and when your food arrives, its because he's literally just finished making it - it won't be sitting under a hot light, it will be right out to you. And that food will be amazing - just amazing. The Chef is always adding thoughtful, seasonal additions to the menu, like Ramen in the winter, and this summer's Baby Back Ribs - which are absolutely BANANAS. Staples like the Brussels Sprouts, Lobster Mac, and Wings always arrive out of this world and the Mains are varied and eye opening - so many amazing dishes to try. The food is so good that I would gladly eat if off of a paper towel, but the panache doesn't stop with the recipes, but carries on to delightfully artistic presentations. For instance the wings come out looking like an experiment from Frankenstein's lab, with smoke swirling and encircling the dish under a glass dome cover - when they lift that cover and send all that delicious, smoky aroma up into the air you are already convinced these are gonna' be special wings - and they ARE. Every dish arrives thoughtfully presented - EVERY DISH. An Artistic Taste indeed... this is a ten star restaurant and categorically the best Orange County haunt...

First off, the quality, presentation and imagination that goes into this chef's food is AMAZING! Hat's off to you on all of that! Where they began losing stars was: wait time for the food (40-45 mins! - and that in itself may have added to my frustration with the other following annoyances: the steady "drone" of contemporary R&B/Rap fusion, irregular beat rhythms that didn't fit the atmosphere that the food quality/presentation/pricing suggests. It was geared more towards a young crowd, most of whom would not have been able to afford the cost of eating here..and were not in attendance. There is an unpadded, hard wood bench w/an unpadded hard wood back support along one wall. This is not comfortable seating nor a consistent look for the quality and imagination that's been put into this fine cuisine they offer. The wait staff was very pleasant...but not properly trained to work a restaurant a this level of fine dining. I felt they were probably family/friends of the owners. However, one does have to train staff in the way that is consistent w/ YOUR business/brand and how you wish to be represented. We were handed a dessert menu that was professionally formated but with no prices. When we asked the prices, she had to go in the kitchen to find out. Really? Then the desserts (Creme brulee and Strawberry puff - fresh sliced strawberries, puff pastry w/couple scoups of ice cream) took 15 minutes more to come out?! I'm not understanding that. The devil is in the details at this price point for dining and they added up to an overall negative experience for us this visit. Yet, we will be back and give them another chance to see if anything...