Stockyard Burgers and Bones — Restaurant in Vinings

We've been to this location about 3 times now, with the first 2 experiences being mediocre. However, this last time, the food was so good that it warranted a review. So I would say the menu can be hit or miss, and it matters what you order, if you want a tasty 😋 experience. We ordered the smoked shrimp salad 🍤 🥗 as an appetizer and split it. It was bursting with flavor and freshness and absolutely delicious. I had the steak and Frites, which comes with Brussel sprouts. The bourbon 👌🏻 glaze on the perfectly cooked tender and juicy angus skirt steak was very yummy. The fresh cut fries and Brussel sprouts were very good. My partner ordered the Dirty South Burger 🍔 and thoroughly enjoyed it and raved about perfectly crispy bacon 🥓, smoked mac & cheese, and the apple butter BBQ sauce that topped it. Our drinks 🍸 were quite tasty and balanced. The warm bread pudding 🍞 🍮 with ice cream was a generous portion and insanely good, hitting you with a surge of dopamine that is almost debilitating. Lastly, our waitress was very personable, attentive, and professional. The atmosphere is laid-back but a bit loud, and parking space is limited. The reason for 4 stars is their hostess team. It's always been an awkward encounter for us entering this restaurant. This time, there were 3 young men at the stand talking. 2 didn't bother to look up when we walked up, and the other stared for a bit before I requested a booth for 2. He grabbed 2 menues and promptly took us to a little table smashed in the back of the restaurant. I told him I asked for a booth, and he said he didn't catch that, and they didn't have one. I said we'll wait, he then said he could clean one off for us. The other hostess seemed bothered to be cleaning an empty booth and even seemed to chastise us for sitting after they cleared it, speaking for the first time, stating, "I'm not done yet", as he did a quick wipe down and walked away... quite off-putting. A bit of training and refinement for their hostesses in actually welcoming patrons would easily make this place...

First take: On our recent visit, the hostess (petite lady with brown hair), Very, Very brash attitude. Typically, the hostess is the first face/voice welcoming you to an establishment, right?-- well this lady did not present welcoming nor accommodating.

Ambiance: There's a fireplace in the center of the restaurant, and the warmth certainly permeates through the restaurant. Considering we're in a bipolar south climate, management, the heat HVAC + fireplace isn't needed when it's still 55+ degrees outside. All this to say -- It was uncomfortably warm in there. Guest, Dress light or in layers when visiting 🤷🏾‍♀️. They dim the lights at dinner. Cleanliness was definitely subpar. Our booth/table hadn't been cleaned prior to seating.

Food: Now, I visited for the first time in Nov 2022 with a large party, and every single person at that table Enjoyed their meal 💯. However During this recent visit ('23) with a much smaller party, the food was hit/miss. 2 people enjoyed their meal without complaint, while others not so much.

Ordered the bourbon bulleit bacon chicken + gouda mac + Brussel sprouts. Chicken, overcooked (had to use the steak knife to cut, it was stringy and chewy) sent it back, received a "fresher" piece after 20 minutes which wasn't perfected. If the first piece was ranked 0/5 this second piece of cheddar covered chicken was a 2.5/5. At this point, my sides are cold. You would think the waitress would have put in for freshly cooked everything.

I made mention of my first visit being A1 because I'm assuming there's new cooks or new kitchen management, and it's not comparable to what I was Expecting.

Overall, would I return? Not likely anytime soon. Perhaps for the bar.

If the 3rd times a strike, I'm good on any further experiences...

This was our 2nd time ever being here. The first time was probably 3 years ago. We were seated instantly and as our waiter walked up, we realized he was our waiter that very first time we came a few years back. We remembered him instantly (I regretfully forgot his name… preschool teacher brain!) he took such great care and we had a wonderful dining experience. We ordered the Fry Board and the Pork Belly Bites as starters. I have been craving that fry board for those years haha but just never made it that way until today. The runner that brought the fries out explained what each thing on the board was. Everything paired well and I had to get extra of the aiolis bc they were 🔥… the pork belly bites were flavorful and the house made pickles were very good.

For mains I got the Salmon Caesar, my daughter got the mini corn dogs with carrots, and my husband got the Smoked Gouda burger. My salmon was cooked perfectly and had great flavor. My husband loved that first bite of his burger, but then realized upon eating that it was much more rare than he liked. Our waiter came by and asked about it and my husband said it was too red for him and our waiter offered to bring him a new one. My husband politely declined as he was already full from everything else and there was no need to take it off or anything. We then ordered the bread pudding and all 3 of us shared it. It was just as yummy as I had remembered, just maybe a little more dense than last time.

When our waiter brought the check, he had kindly deducted the burger due to it not being eaten and not what my husband had wanted. He definitely gave top notch service and we really hope to have him again (just much sooner than 3...