Parker's On Ponce Website Up and Running
Decatur Metro | November 27, 2008 | 9:19 am
Photo Courtesy of Parker's On Ponce
Click here to check out Parker’s new, fully launched website, complete with photos and a menu.
Looks delicious! And the prices seem reasonable.
h/t: InDecatur
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Ate at Parker’s on Wednesday night. Gorgeous renovation of the existing space just very pretty inside and spacious. Well-priced, but steak was a little tough and oversalted (but that just might be opening week jitters), but the caesar salad was great. Of course I’ll be back again though as the service was very attentive to my 1-year-old son and the other diners with small children. Attentive, but not in a way that prohibited other patrons from enjoying their meal. Nice experience.
I notice on the menu that they state that the meat is “choice” or better….I wonder if you will be able to ask if it is Prime? And if so, will there be a difference in price?
Is there an adults only section? Somtimes like to go out for a meal in Decatur at the same dinner hour as families without the kiddie atmosphere…
never heard of an “adults only” section.
Marlys, I so agree!
I’ve never understood why restaurants have not either openly or quietly set aside an adults-only area. Is it that they’re worried that parents would be insulted?
Do they have any idea how insulted and annoyed we are when the host seats a family with toddler-types RIGHT next to us? And we tip well, don’t leave a mess, order full-price entrees and high-margin drinks. Someone should do the math.
Maybe some of the restaurant-industry readers can shed some light?
I think its a reality of living in Decatur, and while i’m not against a restaurant creating an adult only area, or adult only restaurant in general, if I were a restaurant owner I certanly would not alienate a hole group of people (families) from my establishment.
dining in Decatur and not wanting to deal with kids is like driving atlanta and not wanting to deal with traffic!
Its a reality of the location.
like I said, I’m not against the concept, just think its a tuff reality to try and buck.
Who takes toddlers to a freaking steak joint anyway?
people who want steak!…and have kids.
hey, its a free country…! till January anway… 😉
Oh boy, another kid-friendly restaurant. I used to consider sitting in the smoking sections, thinking that parents would naturally stay away from it. Not true, by the way, and no longer an option anyhow.
Oh I am not suggesting to the exclusion of the family-just an option for folks to enjoy dinner without the kid factor next to you. Sometimes in our city it feels like everything has to have a kid component or option, and often without thinking about the large number of attendees/customers who would like to enjoy the concert/dinner/etc. without kids running, crying;, smashing saltine crackers etc. This is not an indictment of family, just a suggestion mind you!
I never see many kids running around when I dine out at Cafe Lily, Cakes & Ale, Watershed, Cafe Alsace, etc. Not so much at places like El Tesoro (which had really, really gone downhill the last time I went there a couple of weeks ago and was like one of only two tables in the whole place at like 8PM on a weeknight).
I think parents instinctively know which restaurants are “kid friendly” and which are not and it is up to those businesses to send those signals. But I think there are plenty of options for both experiences in Decatur.
If you don’t want to eat around kids, just skip the early bird and eat after 7pm. Or move to The Villages. Or if you want to eat by yourself, go to a restaurant in Downtown Atlanta.
Wow. What [edited: no name calling] a blog make. I leave reading the blog for two days and find a personal attack on my post. I can’t believe people who don’t know me or my child attack my choice to bring him out in public where adults choose to eat a $20 steak – what an idiot I am to think that was okay. For your information, it was my first son’s birthday and we had a ton of family in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. I had planned to cook for three days straight and sorry if I felt like a reservation at the new restaurant in town was appropriate. And for your information, he wore a tuxedo, ate asparagus and mushrooms from the menu (not saltine crackers) and sat quietly in his highchair. We also ordered full-priced entrees and several ‘high margin’ drinks and tipped well.
Wow, am I hearing a bit of defensiveness here? SMoody, I don’t recall anyone attacking you personally OR your child OR making any reference to you or your party.
As a parent, I’m sure you recognize the unpredictability of a young child’s behavior. All the rest of us want is a somewhat reliable opportunity to enjoy pleasant dinner without the risk of a meltdown at the table next to us.
And Bo, sadly, eating at 8, 9 or 10pm guarantees nothing.
Now the Vill…eh…jez… (you’ve got their jingle stuck in my head!) –there’s an idea!
LW — I noticed that too re: choice or better. Kind of bizzare in that it implies you might get choice or something “better” by random draw. In the end, I can’t imagine they would serve prime beef at the listed prices.
But the more important question is for SMoody: where does one buy a tux for a toddler? Never heard of such a thing. Have to agree with runswith on this one. If I’m sitting down to what will be a fairly expensive meal at a place with white tablecloths, stemware, etc., I don’t expect to have to listen to a 1 year old crying. Atmosphere is part of the experience, and crying babies ruins the atmosphere. And I say that as the parent of two kids under the age of 5. It may well be that your son was well-behaved this time, but you have to acknowledge that a 1 year old can lose it at any moment.
Hmm, tough one. I am going to have to go with decaturguy ( Decaturguy “It is up to those businesses to send those signals”). As a mother of small children I am always glad to hear of a place that has good food and is kid friendly so when my family comes to town we can all enjoy a good meal–and I find it very appropriate to bring our children to welcoming fine dining establishments for special occasions when we can immediately remove our children if they do “lose it.” I think our parents had it somewhat easier here…anywhere you would dress up to go was not for kids…now it seems that whenever we do dress up to go out on a date the person sitting next to us is in blue jeans and a T-shirt. My friends and I typically do not bring our kids to restaurants we would go to on a date with our husbands, but if there is any question we always call the restaurant first and ask not if they are kid friendly (because the answer has always been “yes” even when it should have been “no”), but if people frequently bring toddlers into the restaurant (“sometimes” really means “no”). I’ve used this line to find restaurants that would be more appropriate for date-night too. Maybe someone can come up with a Decatur restaurant rating guide…zero high chairs is good for an adult’s night out…five highchairs and bring the playgroup:)
If you go to Parker’s and see the space you will all realize how silly this whole issue is! There is an enormous bar, there is a quiet area with romantic streetviews. They also have a large open space with a fireplace and guess what? They have yet, another room! A quiet back area that seated three families WITHOUT DISTURBING ANYONE IN ANY OF THE OTHER ROOMS. Seems they will appeal to all demographics here in Decatur. So childless Decaturites relax! Bottom line, if you have highchairs, I am going to bring my kid (that’s why I don’t go to Tacqueria del Sol). Yeah, I am defensive, I felt ‘Left Wing’ and ‘Nancy’ comments were a little irritating.
Furthermore, I have eaten restaurants where an individual passed out drunk, got into a huge fight, and verbally assaulted a waiter. I have also sat next to a couple that decide to propose marriage and ‘celebrated’ through the rest of our meal. They are hilarious stories now. Bottom line, no guarantees when eating out – people.
What if I have a one-year-old but don’t want to sit with all the other toddlers in a confined “area”? Is the restaurant going to force me to sit there anyway? Could I then sue the establishment for discrimination against my one-year-old?
What a nightmare of an idea for the proprietor.
But god knows a bunch of you think its the bee’s knees, since you continue to bring it up about as often as we hear a rumor about a Trader Joe’s in Oakhurst.
Wow…I am really biting my tounge on this topic but I can’t resist. I will say that I have had many pleasant experiences at a place like Fellinis where I expect to have kids running around like banshees or at Willis where parents come in with 4 kids and tow and basically trash the table with chips, napkins and burrito parts strewn all over and don’t even attempt to clean any of it up. I will roll with the punches in that environment but if I am spending a pretty penny to enjoy an evening of elegant dining, please show some respect for others and either hire a babysitter or remove your child from the vicinity of others if they start acting up. It all boils down to common sense and SOME respect for others and not the feeling of entitlement that everyone seems to hold these days.
If you don’t like the policies of a restaurant, don’t go there. If you can’t immediately be considerate of others and take a whiny child outside, then don’t bring your kids. If you don’t want to chance possibly having an obnoxious person near you in public, stay home. Geez people, this is America where everyone is welcome everywhere, including children and obnoxious people. You are only responsible for yours and your children’s behavior. I too have been to places where folks acted like idiots, it isn’t the restaurants fault, it’s the idiots’ fault.
And thank you for the review SMoody….I had a great meal there at Parker’s as well. It certanly sounds like your one year old acted like a perfect gentleman that night. It sounds like you have the right kind of attitude towards respecting other’s desire to have a good meal out. I promise to hold up my end of the bargain and not get drunk and punch the waiter out too.
So back to the restaurant – how is the food? Has anyone else been yet?
We had a great meal there as well, in the front room by the window. Excellent service, pleasant vibe and a properly cooked steak. All good.
As for the Kid Free Zone, I gotta come out against that, but maybe for a different reason. I don’t like it because it puts what should be the parent’s burden on the restaurant. A restaurant should be allowed to put their energy into service and food, not compensating for people’s unwillingness to exercise their own responsibilities.
When our daughter was young, any restaurant behavior that infringed on other’s enjoyment resulted in an immediate trip outside. And in some cases, a swift kick in the ass. Kidding. Sort of. It’s nothing you want to do. It’s just what you’re supposed to do.
Only had a limited amount of time so I had the French Onion soup and the steak sandwich. Both were very good. The soup tasted good but I always have issues with French onion being incredibly difficult to eat. In this case, a piece of bread covered in cheese was used. It was difficult to cut into the bread and eat it without making a bit of a mess. Maybe smaller pieces of bread could make it easier to eat. The steak pieces in the sandwich were VERY good as was the fried onions and the home made fried that came with it. I also tried the asparagus which was ok. Nothing special but they were cooked to the right amount.
The only complaint I had was the unfortunate position I had with the headlights from those people rounding the circle in front of Brickstore shining right into me eyes. I would hate to see blinds or shades obstruct the view of the sidewalk and the street but the headlights could be blinding at times. I had to wonder if they were having a bit of a lighting issue as well as many of the lights seemed to dim or go out randomly throughout the meal. The wait staff was very good and they seemed to be well trained. Nice job at establishing rapport with those dining and creatively selling items. I really appreciate a good effort when a waiter or waitress will enhance the experience with suggestions or information rather than reading the list of specials and being more concerned with their tip than anything else. Poor or indifferent service can ruin an excellent meal. That was certainly not the case at Parker’s. By the end of my conversation with our server, I had all but guaranteed that I would be back again soon to have the bread pudding dessert that I wanted but did not have any time or room in my stomach to eat.
Scott: I had a similar experience growing up. If I ever acted up in public, I would get a stern talking to and a swat on the rear end. My father was particularly eloquent in his punishments as well; I would have to apologize to the other patrons next to us for acting like a horse’s-a** and disturbing them before I was allowed to return to the table. Not only did the embarrassment of having to publicly admit to my misbehaviors work wonders but I learned to respect others at a very early age.
Please stop bringing your kids to restaurants, especially brickstore. Take them to mcdonalds, or you can go to Ruby Tuesdays if you want fancy. Thanks.
Dedogur – why should others change to suit you? Sounds like you are the one with the problem with others.
Instead of others changing for you…why dont you just take the initiative and dine in Midtown?
I’ve seen pleanty of kids in Brickstore, and the Irish pub here off Ponce, and other restaurants in town, and NEVER have had an issue. I dont get this problem people have.
Maybe we should make a restaurant that doesnt allow; kids, old folks who smell, young adults with baggy pants, democrats, republicans, and people born in Alabama…but allows smoking.
this is the best thread ever.
because its sooooo off topic? 😉
Newborn– dining in midtown is fine and all but you have a few too many overly jolly folk there of you know what I mean. But I do like your idea of having the Decatur restaurants implement a no kids or baggy pants or older political types, but I don’t know how you could enforce that. Can you describe your plan further.
Wow, there certainly are some uptight folks going out to eat. We try and not take our 2-year-old to any place nicer than a typical Mexican restaurant and are very careful about letting her have her way (any screaming leads to going outside). But there are times, like today, we’re celebrating my wife’s 30th for lunch at Sal Grosso in Smyrna (yeah, we’re driving all the way over there for their food) and baby will come along. I’ll just ask the waiter to seat us away from the main room if possible. I think that’s fair.
As long as we’re instituting restaurant patron bans, may I suggest one on people who talk too loudly? Also, one for people with body odor.
And body odeur as well. The over-fragranced have crossed the line one too many times!
Well, I certainly don’t want my kids sitting next to intolerant homophobes because that would ruin OUR meal. So Dedogur, be sure to let me know where you’re dining and I’ll be sure not to go there.
Hello, dad is taking us to dining at Ruby Tuesdays, mom wanted something fancy tonight.
Guys, FYI… dedogur is messing with you.
well, now thats silly…why would dedogur mess with any of us?
did dedo put dedo’s cranky pants on this morning?
I think it makes most sense to follow a time segmentation strategy rather than a physical partition strategy. For restuarants that fall above the “kid pit” classifcation on the kid tolerance classification spectrum, kids should be gone by around 7pm as a courtesy to those wanting a kid-free environment. This kidographic shift is pretty common around 7pm and directly correlated to proximity to bed time. But a peaceful dinner cannot be expected even past 7pm at a kid pit, such as Fellini’s, Melton’s, Los Bravos, etc. And if one desires a kid-free place before before 7pm, patronize a place that people with kids generally can’t afford (at least not with kids in tow), or hang out and have a drink at a place like Carpe Diem or The Chocolate bar until the kids clear.
G, stop making sense! After being a little concerned with Sal Grosso and a toddler with us for lunch, I was surprised that most of the patrons were dressed like they were at Moe’s and oblivious to our quiet toddler.
G – When’s the time cut-off for loud and smelly patrons? Scott and I need to know.
Per Judge Schmails, loud and smelly hour runs from 7:00 – 7:15.
Had a nice, big, juicy burger for my birthday lunch today. Service was very friendly and attentive, the roaring fire (in the fireplace, not the kitchen) was inviting, the tea was sweet, and there was nary a rugrat in sight.
FM, Have you ever had a burger at Wisteria or Shaun’s or Watershed, and if so, how did it compare? Those places have the best burgers that I’ve had in town, in that order.
There is a restaurant in the remote New Guinea highlands that actually has children on the menu. Presumably children who misbehaved in Decatur restaurants.
I’ve had the burger at Watershed, and it’s terrific. Wisteria is probably our family’s favorite restaurant (our rugrat will soon be 19) and we love Shaun’s, but have never had burgers at either joint. Cakes and Ale’s burger was swell, and I recently had a real fine one at The Bureau on Edgewood. Carmen Cappello’s scrapple burger construction at The Lamplighter at Memorial and Connally is pretty amazing, too.
Tried Parker’s last night with friends. The refurb of the building is really nice although they could use some artwork on the bare walls. As for the food I would say average at best. All of our steaks were over done. Both of the owners actually came to our table and were very apologetic and offered complimentary desserts. I realize this was a soft opening, but first impressions do last. They have the potential to do really well in Decatur. I am hopeful that they will find their groove soon.
You know, I have three rugrats myself, and I have to side with the people without kids on this one. I would have no problem at all with a restaurant being sectioned off a bit with a (spoken or unspoken) adult area and a more kid friendly area. My kids can be like wild apes sometimes so I totally get the notion that they could be a big headache for someone who is trying to have a romantic adult dinner.
I normally remove my kids from the restaurant when they misbehave.. .unless we are in some sort of kid restaurant jungle where everyone is out of control (aka Los Bravos or MoJo on Fridays). I have missed many a dinner myself b/c I had to walk an out of control kid home or go sit in the car with them.
I have also had many adult dinners out ruined (at places like Feast) because someone thought it was a good idea to take their three preschoolers out to a nice restaurant at 8:00 P.M. and ended up sitting next to us. Granted… maybe I am uptight b/c we don’t get out alone much ourselves!
Same thing goes for riding 1st class on a plane with a bunch of little kids… just make the sacrifice and ride coach.. you can ride 1st class when your kids are grown and you are on your own.
I know, it’s a free country – you can do what you want……. but in a free country people are free to be rude… Just because rudeness is legal doesn’t make it pleasant for others,
I think many parents today need to be more considerate of those without kids.
The issue in nice restaurants isn’t just those with kids vs those without kids.
When my children were small, we got precious few chances to go out alone for a date night. The last thing we wanted was to go to an upscale restaurant and deal with children being loud, squirming and rushing back and forth to the restroom,etc. We could have stayed home for that !
I’ve had the burgers at both Watershed and Cakes & Ale, and both are tasty, but that’s not what I go to those restaurants for. If you’re specifically looking for a great burger, you won’t do better than The Vortex, and you won’t have to worry about kids there, either.
Do have to watch out for drunk bikers, though.
All this discussion boils down to really one thing: it’s not about kids, no kids. It’s about rude patrons: people, of any age, who are too loud and rambunctious; people who wear too much cologne; people who don’t control their eating companions, again of any age; people , of any age,who don’t respect their servers, the food the chef has prepared, and the people around them. Anybody who acts like this, from 1-day olds to 99-year olds, will ruin a restaurant experience. So, please Decatur restaurant goers, conduct yourselves accordingly and we won’t need any special hours or rules! 😉
If Parkers is not a success it will not be for a lack of trying, if my experience there is typical. Went for dinner last Thursday and had a lovely time. The place is beautiful and sophisticated as several posters have mentioned.
Husband and I shared the Porterhouse with sides of creamed spinach and mushrooms. The steak arrived medium rare, as ordered, and nicely presented for sharing–sliced, but rearranged back on the bone.
When we mentioned to the waiter that we did not recognize many of the wines on the list, she brought us samples of the ones we were interested in. She decanted our wine tableside.
Next day I received an email from the restaurant asking for my comments.
I am not an avid beef eater but I will happily return to Parkers.
For readers who may be economizing (who isn’t?), we were please to use a coupon from restaurant.com. It was no trouble and it saved us about $19.
Also, I asked for our uneaten meat and the bone to be packed to go. The leftover meat held up well and we got additional meals out of it.
To echo Parker’s comments, these guys are trying to make it a go. I hope they can pull it off because they’ve done a great job on the interior and the attention to service seems top notch . . . opposite of Ted’s which has high quality food but clueless servers who really need to be trained.
I don’t mind the kiddies as long as I don’t have to go home with them. After all, it’s Decatur which seems to be exploding with youngins. As long as they don’t steel my vino 😉
I think that restaurants that serve alcohol should only allow children between 11am-3pm and 6pm-8pm. That way adults can have happy hour or a nice late meal without “new age” parents letting their kids run around and shake salt all over tables, trip over things, etc while they check their Blackberry.
I grew up in Decatur and for one, can’t stand the overwhelming presence of privileged, entitled, new age parenting yuppies. As a regular lower middle-class resident, I get looked at funny and get shoddy service in many places on the square where I played as a child.
Anyway, enough of the self-righteous rant. Parker’s is a great restaurant run by regular folks.
This is now the 2nd post in 2 weeks in a Decatur blog where people have complained about kids in restaurants and I would like to ask something.
We are encouraged to do everything that we can to patronize Decatur restaurants but when we do, apparently we annoy people. Would you rather that we don’t go and then we end up having places close down?
Frankly, I enjoy going out to eat with my family and I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old. I want them to grow up enjoying going out and loving great local restaurants.
Where would you like me to go that is not a chain?
After reading many of these posts, my initial reaction is that if it really galls you that I want to take my kids to Cafe Lilly, Parker’s, Brickstore, Steinbeck’s or wherever, come later in the evening, feel free to ask those restaurants to turn us away or go to the Vortex. Otherwise, appreciate the fact that we are there supporting our local establishments and raising kids who understand that there is more to the world than McDonalds and Ruby Tuesday.
DanG:
I see your point. I just get irritated when parents let their children run around without supervision. I remember watching a kid wreak havoc in a Decatur restaurant and the mother just said “Oh quit it honey” and continued reading her paper. As long as you are respectful of the people around you, I can concede that it’s fine to bring the kids. Bringing them to a brewpub/bar, however, still remains questionable in my mind.
It is very simple to me: If parents cannot keep (or don’t want to keep) their kids from screaming and running around, then they should not be in sit-down restaurants like Watershed. That is common civility and courtesy. The same goes for men and women who drown themselves in perfume. Do they not realize that they are making others miserable? This seems to be especially common among older women. Almost every time I go to the ASO I end up with a headache from the fumes. Once again, common civility and courtesy should prevail.
OK, so we’ve ruled out youngsters coming into Decatur restaurants (because they can’t possibly be trusted to behave), and we’ve ruled out elderly ladies (because they wear too much perfume). Smoking is of course banned anyway, but we could expand the ban to include people who have touched a cigarette packet in the last week (in case the smell lingers). If we do the smoking rule that way it should ensure we keep the supermarket shelf stackers out. There’s got to be some people we’re missing though!
Hmm, I wonder why some of the local restaurants have been struggling?
Flaka, your sarcasm doesn’t change the fact some people have no concern for others. No one would object to well-behaved kids, and if they did then they are the ones with the problem. I’m not in favor of bans, but I’m definitely in favor of shaming people into being more conscious of their rude behavior.
How about folks that throw cigarette butts outside their car or on the curb instead of waiting to hit a trash can. It is polluting and against the law! Burns me inside to see folks do this! Just plain rude and selfish!
Rebecca, a bit off topic, but I’m completely with you! You don’t need to be Einstein to understand why it isn’t wise to toss a burning hot cigarette butt in a trash can full of paper, but don’t just stub it out on the street and leave it. It doesn’t just vanish into thin air!
I agree completely brian. And to jpgotcha’s point – I normally would avoid bars but living in Oakhurst, i am pretty much stuck with bars if i want to walk (plus, Steinbeck’s does have the best brunch around and Mescalito’s is just plain great)
Ate at Parker’s for the first time last night and I thought it was very good. My wife and I split the house salad and thought it was tasty and a good value. I had a filet that was a bit undercooked (med rare instead the requested med) but still otherwise quite good. My wife had the flat-iron and she enjoyed it. We did not care for the lamb lolipop appetiezer, although I liked the grilled figs that accompanied the lamb. Very attentive service and great atmosphere; we really enjoyed sitting by one of the two fireplaces.
Hope this place can ride out the tough economy. There were only a few other diners (none of them children) there at 5:30, and no one at the bar.