"The good, the bad, and the ugly" sums up my first experience with Cabernet. But in the end, I believe that the good won out.
Let's start with some good. This upscale Alpharetta steakhouse manages to flawlessly balance the feeling of an upscale steakhouse while leaving out all of the pretentiousness of a Bones or a Chops. It had a more casual and down to earth feel that felt like a breath of fresh air.
Now for some of the great. If it weren't for a little fate, I would have missed out on the highlight of the entire evening. The "rock star" of this restaurant is the signature "rock salt" ribeye. This prime rib is marinated for 48 hours and is absolute steak bliss. It was fan-friggin-tastic!!!
And to think I came within a whisker of missing out!! My waiter had almost talked me out of it after I explained to him that I don't like "sweet meat", and the prime rib does have a little sweetness in the marinade such as oyster sauce. He therefore recommended that I try something else!!!
And then fate intervened. A guy named Joe at the table next to us overheard our conversation and shared a secret he learned from a waiter named Blair. He said that if you get it cooked at least medium, all the sweet flavor from the marinade boils off and you are left with a delicious, savory, rock salted hunk of prime rib deliciousness. This faithful meat emissary even offered me a small sample of his prime rib that had just arrived at the table. One bite and I was sold!!
If you learn nothing else in this life, get the prime rib at Cabernet! You will thank me for it!!!
A great tip is to ask for it whole rather than sliced, as it is much more flavorful and enjoyable.
And that brings us to some of the bad. Not only did my server almost cause me to miss out on the prime rib, but he was also MIA for most of the evening. Although extremely nice, he was nowhere to be found. Even after our food was served, he never bothered to come back and check up on us! Fortunately, Blair came to the rescue again as he happened to be waiting on the table next to us. He picked up the slack and took great care of us. Ask for Blair!!!
Here's "the ugly". My wife and a friend both ordered the salmon and wanted it cooked medium. At first, they drastically overcooked it, and so they sent it back. Unfortunately, it returned so raw it was sushi grade!!
Jason, the manager, was very accommodating and offered to bring them anything else on the menu. However, the whole ordeal had worn them out. Tasting the raw salmon literally and figuratively left a bad taste in their mouth, and they opted to get nothing. Needless to say, we were not charged for the salmon entree's. In addition, we were both offered gift certificates and one of the items was comped. Jason was very kind and tried to do everything in his power to rectify the situation. One of the girls who ordered the salmon mentioned that she has never had this problem in the past.
Back to the good stuff. I'm all about the sides. And some of these sides were delicious. The huge onion rings, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and french fries were all on point. In addition, the appetizer salads were delicious. In addition, my friends sea bass was cooked to perfection.
Despite the hiccups, I can see that this place has plenty of "good" to offer. And even though the service and salmon didn't quite make the grade tonight, any place can have a bad night. I would love to see this place on a good night. I'll keep you posted, as another visit is definitely warranted.
Til then, I hope to see that prime rib again in my dreams... read more