Food & Reviews

119 Chops

Macon/Middle Georgia

In pretty, tourist-friendly Milledgeville, it can be hard to find a grown-up dinner spot downtown when the college crowd is in residence. Chops fits the bill – the cool, quiet brick environment, good service and friendly bar are its strong points; the menu centers on simple, unsophisticated steaks and chops. But sometimes a well-charred steak and well-shaken martini are all you need.119 South Wayne St., Milledgeville. 478-452-8119.

Full review on Georgia Trend website

Chef Lee's Peking Restaurant II

Macon/Middle Georgia

This tile-roofed, Technicolor pagoda fully outfitted with gardens, carved dogs and dragons, tasseled lanterns – even a wooden bridge over a koi pond inside the restaurant -- features my favorite Chinese-food criteria: Table service, umbrella drinks and handmade noodles. No indifferent buffet food here; Chef Lee himself makes the noodles, and may stop by your table to see how you like them. 6100 Bradley Park Drive, Columbus. (706) 653-8888.
 

Full review on Georgia Trend website

Edgar's Bistro

Macon/Middle Georgia

When the going gets tough, the tough go dining. This full-service restaurant is an arm of Goodwill's next-door culinary school -- and one of Macon's best places to eat. Your server might be young and inexperienced, but he is also learning a valuable job skill with plenty of oversight. Though the décor appears handmade and inexpensive, it’s a clever use of the concrete-floored space, with contemporary fabrics and light fixtures lending an urban-loft feel. The bar area has interesting framed photos and comfortable seating -- and even a pleasant patio.The menu mixes familiar and uptempo bistro classics, with lunches offering paninis, lobster bisque, asparagus soup, salads and pastas in addition to a few entrees. At dinner, it’s more consciously Continental, but never too serious: New York strip with red wine demi; Florida prawns in risotto; pork tenderloin with fennel gratin and eggplant. The highest-priced dinner entrée is $24, with sides like pea tendrils and Gruyere cheese potato croquettes. Even the drink list is amusing, with the “Miami Beach” (scotch, dry vermouth and grapefruit juice) a good bet for snowbirds staying over before hitting I-75 again the next day. Says one Goodwill administrator: "It's 30 great menu items for one great cause." Edgar’s Bistro, 5171 Eisenhower Parkwy, Macon. 478-471-4250.

Full review on Georgia Trend website

Grits Cafe

Macon/Middle Georgia

True to its name, the Grits Café serves grits. Really good grits – stone-ground and creamy, with bacon and shiitake mushrooms, in a martini glass; blended with asiago cheese and fried into fritters; and in compact, grilled cakes, topped with cornmeal-dusted shrimp and a roasted corn and green tomato salsa. Chef-owner Wayne Wetendorf’s culinary degree is from Canada, but like almost everything I tried, the shrimp and grits are as fanciful as a garden party dress, while true to authentic Southern flavors – gritty grits, Georgia wild shrimp, fresh corn. 17 West Johnston St., Forsyth. (478) 994-8325.

 

Rookery, The

Macon/Middle Georgia

Once a smoke-filled dive with pretty good eats, the Rookery has new owners. Now it's a clean, well-lighted (and smoke-free) dive with really good eats. Of course, in this case, we mean “dive” as a compliment – where else would you go for a great burger on a buttered, grill-toasted Kaiser bun, with crusty onion rings? The menu salutes Georgia history, with hat tips to Capricorn records (Carousel soup), Wet Willie (chiliburger), the Allman Brothers (Sweet Melissa cocktail) and of course the Ty Cobb salad. The pimento cheese atop the Johnny Jenkins burger is house-made. If you’re brave, you’ll try the Jimmy Carter burger – with bacon and peanut butter. The wait staff insists it’s one of their most popular dishes. 543 Cherry St., Macon. 478-746-8658.