Famous Toastery
So... I was out location scouting for a photoshoot, when the place I was headed too was shut down due to a gas leak. As I pondered over fighting traffic or having an early lunch, my mind was quickly made up for me when I stumbled across this place, "Famous Toastery.". Now that being said, I knew absolutely nothing about this restaurant except for the GINORMOUS entry and signage so I took a shot!
When I entered, the establishment was extremely packed so I figured I had "DONE GOOD" on my selection for a location to eat. However, to my surprise I was immediately disappointed when I sat at the bar and the representative stated that it would be a minute due to staffing issues. I was upset but relieved at the same time becuase she was honest about the situation and considering how busy the restaurant was, she took time to acknowledge me sitting at the bar.
After about 20 minutes, I just could not delay any longer due to a previous commitment and it appeared that my order was not going to be taken anytime soon. The representative "Deborah" apologized 1000 times and she looked overwhelmed with the more than 15 credit cards in her hand. I told her that it was okay and to relax but she said the group of 35 that came in was unexpected. So I decided to give up but I did promise I would be back. Now in most cases, I would have probably never returned but Deborah did something to me that day. If you have read any of my other reviews, the ONE thing that turns me off about an establishment is LACK of CUSTOMER SERVICE. If I am there to spend my money, please acknowledge my presence and be honest when you have a service failure. I can handle that even if the food is spectacular, its the entire experience that matters.
I promised Deborah that I would be back!
Fast Forward Two Weeks.....
As promised, I returned to give Famous Toastery another shot. I did not want to penalize them due to an unexpected large crowd. Even then they were handling the situation for all of the patron who were already seated but since I arrived after the large group I had to wait....
So this time the experience was COMPLETELY different. I approached the bar and happen to get my same seat, and the representative immediately asked me how I was doing and what would I like to drink. I asked for some water and immediately joked about the difference between my first visit and the subsequent visit. The representative asked me what happened and I explained a she said, "OH NO IM SORRY YOU HAD TO EXPERIENCE THAT!" I was handed a menu and about five minutes later the owner appeared. The owner went on to further apologize and was grateful that I returned.
Since it was my first time actually getting a chance to order something, I asked her what did she recommend. Of course she defaulted to a dish she created called the Georgia Bowl. It was created when she was stuck here in Atlanta during the snow storm and the ingredients were from the only items she had in house at the time.
Now on to this here "Georgia Bowl!" When it first arrived, I was skeptical becuase it looked like just a bunch of stuff put in a bowl with some sauce added to it! However!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was so good I ate the entire bowl... (The employees said that most people could not eat the entire bowl). Being a southern boy, this dish was right up my alley....
Breakfast potatoes, onion, peppers, topped with pepper jack cheese, smothered with sausage gravy, two eggs (cooked the way you like... mines were over medium) and chorizo.
It was so delicious that I almost ordered a to-go plate but thought that would be over the top. There are several other dishes that I will certainly try in the future but I highly recommend you visit Famous Toastery. They have been open only since the beginning of the year but certainly can hold their own against some well known established restaurants.
Go by and visit them and when you do, tell'em Drew sent ya!
Ya'll be Easy now!
Drew
