ZEA YEA! Dale's Fails...

Disclaimer: if you like dale's southern grill, please don't be offended by my humble opinions as a chef and restauranteur. I write this food blog for me as a personal outlet.It has been a while since I've posted. What can I say, I'm busy.

I am not a fan of negative restaurant reviews. I like to dwell on the positives. So here's a bit of both. I have two new restaurants to report on: ZEA at Brookwood Mall, and Dale's Southern Grill.

The Positive: Zea had excellent food. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the dishes that I tried. I had a hummus dish with olives and roasted garlic that was excellent as well as a seared tuna steak that was very well seasoned with citrus. That being said - I am not a picky eater; My wife, however, is. She had the hardest time finding something suitable for her tastes. She does not eat seafood. or pepper. or undercooked meat. or tomatoes. or cheese. let's face it, she enjoys chicken. without pepper. But for normal diners, the food is outstanding and I would definitely recommend eating at ZEA. My only real complaint is that I had the misfortune to sit at a table near the window at sunset and was blinded for half of my time there.

On a sadder dining experince, Dale's Southern Grill was not anything exciting at all. This restaurant feels confused and odd. The decor is along the lines of an old folk's home. with fake plastic grapes, hanging lights, and cushions tied to the backs of the high backed boothes. That being said, over the speakers we were serenaded by K-C and JoJo, followed by Nat King Cole and Nickleback? wierd. just wierd.

Aside from the decor being confusing, it was at least clean, and comfortable. Our server was friendly, though slightly awkward. Not sure if he's been waiting tables much. (hovers when getting the check, had a hard time understanding my order)

The food all came out right (accurate) but to say it was lackluster is nice. My favorite things that I ate tonight were the muffin that was made from a mix, the pillsbury frozen biscuit, and the peppermint on the way out. I had an appetizer of crab cakes and fried green tomatoes witha remoulade. frozen, frozen and bottle. "country fried steak" that was smothered in either a mix or canned gravy. cheap frozen okra, instant potatoes smothered in the same mix or canned gravy. and a piece of frozen cheesecake with canned strawberries and ready whip on top. My wife had pot roast that was actually not bad, except they smothered it in canned stew. grilled vegetables and sweet potato. the sweet potato was good. I'm not saying that I myself am not guilty of using frozen onion rings, okra, etc. The difference is that I make sure I'm using the best quality frozen ingredients that I can buy. All the rest is made from scratch. At least it was fairly inexpensive. I can only imagine they are appealing to an older crowd. a much older crowd. one who enjoys bland food and cannot remember if it was bad or not.

I did not complain because I have no doubts that is what they serve on a consistent basis. the food was a stellar example of mediocre food. They are doing what they do very well, but what they do is canned and pre packaged foods that just don't suit my tastes. If it were my restaurant, I would consolidate the menu, make at least some of the items fresh, and liven up the atmosphere because it felt like an evening at st. martin's.