I've been receiving a lot of sweet emails from you all lately, and I really appreciate them! I told you I had so many reviews coming up for you guys, for those that didn't believe me. It's because of your support that I continue to blog & share my dining experiences with you all-so that next time you're in town, or if you're already in town, to be in the know of some of my favorite restaurants in Georgia-not only in terms of food, but in terms of the service, decor and overall environment and experience. Stay tuned in the next few weeks, as I've yet to share more NOLA eats with you all from my recent trip earlier this month.
Speaking of NOLA (New Orleans, LA), Parish located on N Highland Ave in Inman Park, brought back some great memories of my recent trip there a few weeks back. Here's some history from their website: "PARISH is located in the heart of Inman Park in a historical Terminal Building built in 1890. The only remaining structure from an old pipe factory building had been abandoned for some time. With respect to the building's fundamental spirit, Concentrics’ Bob Amick and Todd Rushing have restored the building to its original grandeur allowing patrons to relish the antiquated structure as they take in the organically funky vibe found throughout PARISH. The space features fully-restored crown moldings, antique Parisian sconces, red murano chandeliers, vaulted interior brick arches, a walnut and zinc bar, the original tin ceiling, refurbished windows, original exposed brick and a Vermont slate roof. A spacious outdoor dining area offers patrons an alfresco escape. Good food at moderate prices, quality company and comforting original rustic design makes PARISH a destination."Perfect explanation-definitely way better than what I could've summarized myself, I'm glad I didn't attempt to describe the history. With that being said, little bits and pieces of Louisiana can be found here, with a twist on the classic Southern menu.
Let's get started:
☆Parish Foods & Goods
☆Exterior of Parish
☆Interior of Parish Pt.I
☆Interior of Parish Pt.II
☆Interior of Parish Pt.III
☆Warm sourdough bread with butter
☆Fried Chicken ($18): Springer Mountain airline chicken breast, collard greens, carrot and potato puree, smoked paprika honey
☆Roasted strawberry vanilla crème brûlée with black pepper shortbread ($7)
☆FOOD (4/5): Yum! I'm such a carb fiend, I swear carbs are my weakness. I love that they give freshly baked warm sourdough bread before your meal comes out. You can smell the sourness in the bread before you even take a bite, it's quite a scent. On to the main meal-after reading a handful of reviews via Yelp and Urbanspoon, everyone was raving about Parish's fried chicken, which seems to be one of the most popular items on the menu. So of course, I had to order it and try it for myself! At $18 for a piece of fried chicken, it does seem pretty ridiculous, but hey, you're eating in Atlanta and you're surrounded in a breathtaking environment, so don't expect it to be your local KFC (no offense, I love my KFC & Popeyes, too!). Not to mention, it's Springer Mountain Farms chicken (popular chicken source for many Atlanta restaurants) which from their website states "our chickens are 100% All Natural with NO Antibiotics, NO Growth Stimulants or Hormones, and are NEVER fed Animal By-products... they only receive a Vegetarian Diet with natural vitamins and minerals and fresh mountain water." What part of that doesn't sound good? I'd prefer their chicken over the ones grown in harsh conditions and raised inhumanely any day. Anyways, I was blown away by the size of the breast! In the picture, it does look a bit small, but don't let that fool you. It was a very generous portion with tons of fresh, moist white breast meat. I've eaten a lot of fried chicken in my days, and I'd have to say that Parish's fried chicken definitely ranks up there in the top 5 best fried chicken I've ever eaten!! The white breast meat was incredibly succulent, juicy, and not at all greasy/oily. It's like the chicken melted in your mouth with the softest chew. The fried layer was just as mouthwatering as well. Perfectly crispy, beautifully fried, and glazed with that smoked paprika honey-simply amazing. Not to mention, the layer was paper thin, but still just as crunchy as any layer had it been thicker. Definitely a winner in my book, that's without a doubt. The sides though, were a bit disappointing, to be honest. I love my vegetables, but I felt that there should've been a real carb added to this dish. The collard greens, which I'm usually a fan of, were so bitter, they were hard to consume. In addition, the carrot and potato puree, while pretty tasty, were a little underseasoned, and caused the plate to be a little on the watery side. I think that Parish should offer you to choose your own sides, whether it be a side salad, mac n' cheese, or something, especially for how pricey (but worth it) the dish is itself. So the fried chicken-two huge thumbs up, the sides-two thumbs down. Next was the crème brûlée. For $7, I'm pretty disappointed that this dessert only came in a TINY ramekin, especially considering the fact that at Murphy's (another Concentrics Restaurant), you get the exact same dessert, but three times the size. Nothing too standout about this dessert, and if I had known how miniscule it was, I would've ventured out and tried something else on the menu. I really like the black pepper shortbread cookies though, and wish they were a little big bigger-very delicious and there's a strong pepper taste, so it gets a little spicy.
☆SERVICE (5/5): Service here was pretty great, considering I arrived right as the restaurant opened. Even though there is street parking available, I usually just take the complimentary valet option because not only does it end up being cheaper anyways, but sometimes street parking has so many restrictions that I'd just rather not deal with, if you know what I mean. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I was greeted by the friendly host and seated. Within minutes of being seated and looking over the menu, my friendly, smiling waitress came by, immediately starting me out with water. She asked questions, we chatted, I placed my order, warm bread was brought out-everything was done in such a timely manner, which I greatly appreciated. My meal was brought out rather first (considering I was amongst the first three tables there), my waitress came around and asked how everything was, a dessert menu was brought out, my bill was brought out-overall, the experience was just fabulous. Very helpful and nice-I wish more Atlanta restaurants would hire servers like hers. Side note-doesn't it frustrate you when your servers are really awkward and not talkative? It does to me-it ruins my dining experience here and will make or break my next visit.
☆DECOR (5/5): Gorgeous and elegant with a little touch of home is the perfect way to describe the decor at Parish. As you can tell from my pictures, the restaurant has high ceilings and different areas being separated by brick-made corridors. In addition, all of the lighting fixtures, especially those in Pt.II, are so beautiful, not to mention the vintage feel of the place. As soon as you enter the restaurant, there's a jeweled curtain-like entrance, which sort of reminded me of my room in middle school, in addition to a large seating area (like a living room!!) complete with sofas, tall display cabinets, paintings and more-it's a very welcoming set up. Also, the light wooden tables, sleek black chairs (which were pretty comfy if you ask me), the elongated bar all added unique touches to the restaurant. It's not a super fancy set up, which I really like. Heck, I wore jeans and a t-shirt into Parish, and no one gave me a mean look, which is definitely my kind of place.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Parish. While the sides to my main dish didn't completely blow me away, the fried chicken sure had no trouble doing so! The amiable service along with all the unique touches was inviting and definitely some place I could see myself dining at more often. Not to mention, they have a Market downstairs, which sells a variety of baked goods, sandwiches, food-on-the-go and more, and they offer daily brunch too! But my recommendation-DEFINITELY get the fried chicken no matter what! I'd definitely get it again on my next visit (and ask if the sides could be replaced) :)
Here's the physical address: 240 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Have a blessed day,
-Sandy
FTC: I was not paid or compensated for this review, all reviews and opinions expressed are my own.
If you'd like to invite Bella Vivere to cover & share your restaurant's media events, tastings or parties, feel free to shoot me an email at bellavivere@gmail.com-Thanks!
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