Asante

I had dinner with some friends when it first open, the service was poor, we sat at our table for 2 hours before receiving our meal. I sent the chef an email 2 days later to tell him my concerns about my dining experience, he never responded. I have not been back since!

Waaaaay overpriced!!!
Meals are small
Waiting for table took too much…
Food is not great
Beautiful place
And friendly waitress

ordered the shrimp po’ boy.
when has a po’ boy ever come on a hamburger bun?
EVER?
how does 4 shrimp constitute a po’boy?
underwhelmed at best.
Sure the space is beautiful but honestly I had a po’boy from popeye’s an hour later and it was much better with more shrimp.

So the pear tart was single handedly the best desert I’ve ever had. Seriously emotional and wonderful m, Asanté is. The staff was perfectly friendly and helpful and attentive. The food was compllately delicious and I thoroughly whitewashing some truly fresh takes on classic dishes and side items (carrot hot sauce! Green Banana ceviche!). The décor and layout are wonderful as well, plus there’s plenty of room in the back for a small party or event.
What more can be said? I cant wait to go back

Fun place to eat, and super yummy. They have lots of great options for seating, eating, and drinking. Came here for dinner and brunch the next day (Sunday only). My son loved the chicharrones, the poussin and French toast was great, fillet mingon was superb. Also my sons eggs were so pro. The wine was mmm mmm. And they serve better than tap water which is really appreciated by water knowers. Good music. Great staff. Thanks guys!

Communication, communication, communication!
First, hostess offered various water options so we ordered still water. Then one of the servers (server# 1) came and topped my glass with regular water. Then offered to top my boyfriends glass with reg water a bit later when it was still pretty full so he told her that we were drinking still water. First communication problem here — between the server and the hostess. Oviously they didn’t talk to each other. If they did, the server would’ve known exactly what kind of water we were drinking. Wanna be fancy and offer fancy water? Then learn what ur diner is drinking! Plus, the server never gave me a new glass with still water for the entire dinner! So why should I pay extra to drink still water?
Second, their paring servers system should be improved. Server #1 came to take an order of our drinks. We asked for drink menu. 2 seconds later server#2 comes and asks the same darn question. We told him that we haven’t had a chance to look at the menu yet.
Entrées ordering time — although server #2 told us the concept of the restaurant, none of them bothered to really explain the menu or had a recommendation even tho we told them we’ve never we dined here. My boyfriend asked what the server recommends between fish and filet mignon since he wasn’t super hungry and the server recommended filet with no specific reason /​explanation — just go with filet. We thought he would recommend the fish since it would’ve been a lighter dish but no — the server of course went with more expensive option. Only if he could’ve added some description to the dish… I mean we didn’t know why he was suggested one dish over another.
Dessert time — again server #1 comes and asks if we wanted to order dessert. After just ordering the dessert, server #2 comes and asks if we want to order dessert. Really? Ok — by this time I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and told him that they needed to talk to each other! Then he told me that he was just trying to make sure we were being taken care of. For real dude? Come up with a better excuse next time! Being taken care of doesn’t mean the diners being disturbed and repeating their orders multiple times b/​c ur incompetent communication skills.
I was a server at one point in my life. for +5 years. I know how to appreciate a good service and this was certainly not one of them.
We r just visiting here for the weekend so we won’t be back anyway but they try to be all fancy yet they don’t even have just a simple communication down.
Oh and server #2 couldn’t even say good nite to us when we were leaving– just walked away as we were walking by him… Very professional! Thank god there was server #1 to take care of the bill. Maybe that’s why they have the pairing system. Now I think back, I don’t think he ever came back to check on us after our encounter.
I would’ve much rather spent our $ 120 somewhere else. Horrible dining experience on our vacation. The servers are totally not doing a favor for the chief who is trying to make good food in the kitchen.

You get only one star. The reason why you ask? I had a reservation here for 9÷12÷2015… And guess what? The place was closed. No phone call or anything from the management staff alerting its patrons that there was an incident in the kitchen… So needless to say we weren’t happy. We ended up going to Straits nearby.
Food for thought you can’t treat people this way… A simple phone call would have done the trick.,.

A very different experience from my first night in Atlanta.
Let’s start with the positives. First, they have a good cocktail menu: Creative and well-​executed. The bartender was initially friendly and got our drinks quickly. It took a while, however, once we were ready to close out our tab even thought we were the only ones at the bar.
Next, being seated. This was a weird issue. We were told that we could not eat at the bar because they were not set up for that «this evening» and would need to wait 20 – 25 minutes for a table. While waiting for our table, we were given menus and asked by the bartender if we were ready to order. We explained we were told we couldn’t eat at the bar. She said, that wasn’t true. Not sure why there was this discrepancy amongst the staff.
It was also unclear why we needed to wait at all. When we were seated, we could see that there were plenty of tables available. In hindsight, I surmise it is because the kitchen couldn’t handle the load. [more on that to come]
We went to the table and we placed our order. We initially were told that the lamb may not be available. Our waiter came back and said that it was. He then returned 10 minutes later to say it wasn’t available, and we would need to order something else. Then, after we finished our appetizers, he confirmed it WAS available. The great lamb mystery was solved.
The appetizers were good. I had the conch fritters. They weren’t the best I ever had but they weren’t the worst. Larry had a crab cake which was good, well-​made and fresh. I will say that the salad greens on both plates were remarkably fresh and beyond delicious. I particularly enjoyed the salad dressing on the greens on the crab cake app.
Entrees — I had the scallops, which were OK. They should have been seared better than they were particularly in light of the price. Larry’s lamb was borderline terrible and not worth the fuss. First, for baby lamb chops, they were unevenly butchered and cooked, and greasy. Second, there were competing sauces on the plate.
This restaurant desperately needs to hire someone to take over the front of the house to (1) get consistency between whether they do and don’t allow eating at the bar; (2) allow for better expediting between courses because we waited a long time between our appetizer and entrée; (3) get rid of the $ 5 surcharge for their water service (really?), which is ridiculous, pompous, and just silly; (4) train the waitstaff so they know the menu in case diners ask questions about specific dishes; (5) allow wiggle room for substitutions should someone have allergies; (6) train staff so that diners aren’t asked the same question by 4 or 5 different waiters over the course of an evening (Ummmmmm… did you order your appetizer yet???)
We also overheard the chef explaining to the next table that he was planning to open ANOTHER restaurant in the coming months, which to be frank, is shocking. To me, that would be like competing in a triathlon before learning how to swim.
I really wanted to like this place especially because I love Caribbean food (it is my favorite cuisine) and the chef is from our area. Alas, Larry and I had a very disappointing evening.

Loved, loved this place. The décor is beautiful. The service is excellent. The food is a wonderful mix of comfort food and adventure food. A good place for small plates. My favorites were the cashew cheese and tomatoes, the Mac and cheese and the greens. Within walking distance of the Georgia dome.

This place is classy. We dropped in for dinner right when they opened. The website says 5:30, but they didn’t seem to happy that we were here at that time. The prices are what I’d expect for this type of restaurant in Atlanta close to so many convention centers. I was surprised to see on the menus that entrée substitutions incur an $ 8 charge. Apparently the chef is very particular about his pairings. Too bad. I really wanted the Mac and cheese but it didn’t come with my dish. The weird thing is $ 8 is more than the sides cost, so I don’t know why anyone would pay the substitution fee when you could just buy the side as additional side.
In any case, I ordered the filet, and while I’m not an asparagus person, I was not too upset because the steak was great. It was a touch overcooked, but it was so tender and flavorful. I highly recommend it.
I can’t give it 5 stars because they have weak beer offerings (no draft selections at all).

Had dinner there while in Atlanta. Food was pretty good, but the drinks were even better. May be biased as we sat at the bar, but they were unique and refreshing. A lot of house made ingredients at the bar as well as the Kitchen. Definitely will make another trip when I’m in the «A».

Dad & I came for a lunch date. Great location near centennial park. Park at the Hilton Garden hotel and they are happy to validate for you.
Quaint little 2 story eatery decorated simply but elegantly. We came on a Friday afternoon, there were only 3 other tables so we were promptly seated. For the restaurant week menu, we were told the entire table had to order from it. We simply chose from the regular menu.
Tried the crab cake and catfish «po boy.» It’s a tasty modern twist to the traditional po boy. The fried catfish was crunchy and flavorful and thankfully not oily at all. Would have preferred crab lumps, but there was a good amount of crab in the crab cake po boy. The chips were hit and miss: some were crispy while some were limp. Service was quick and attentive.

We had dinner at Asante on a BUSY holiday weekend. You would never know from them amazing attitude of everyone who served our needs. They took time to make recommendations, share stories about the restaurant, and to just make us feel welcome.
We had a fresh kale salad, conch fritters, a huge portion of fancy fried chicken, and the most delightful bread pudding we have ever enjoyed. Treat yourself to the beauty, love, and joy of Asante. If nothing else, go for the bread pudding and coffee — you won’t regret it!

Attending a conference in Atlanta and looking for something nearby, gluten-​free friendly, tasty and reasonably priced, I found the restaurant using «nearby» on Unilocal.
The décor is very lovely — the high ceiling main floor with the staircase up to a larger dining area makes the interior look deceivingly intimate. Upstairs there is plenty of tables. The service was friendly and accommodating from the person who greeted us at the door to our server who knew the menu well and guided me with the GF options.
We shared the Creole Eggplant and the Chopped Salad. The eggplant was thinly sliced, nicely charred then layered between cheese and tomato sauce and baked. Yum! The chopped salad had plenty of super fresh vegetables, fresh herbs and a boiled egg. Their unsweetened ice tea is perfectly steeped and plentiful.
Great food, décor, reasonably priced and in a highly visited area. Score!

I was really excited to check this place out for lunch since it is so close to where I work. I suppose it’s possible they serve much better food at dinner, but if they are going to be open for lunch, they should offer solid fare that will make me want to come back.
The price was right for lunch; it really wasn’t much more than I would have paid at a casual to-​go restaurant. Unfortunately since I was working, I couldn’t experience their extensive wine list or cocktail menu. I’d steer clear of their beer options — nothing very exciting and it included Kalik from the Bahamas which is legitimately the worst beer I’ve ever had.
I ordered the fliet mignon cheese steak and my friend ordered the chicharrones de pollo. All lunch sandwiches come with fermented cabbage and house chips. The bread on the sandwiches is from H&F. I liked the cabbage, it tasted like one of the sides you would get at a Korean restaurant. The house chips were a mix of regular and sweet potato and were very thin. I enjoyed the sweet potato version, but the regular was pretty bland. The sandwich I got was definitely mis-​advertised as filet mignon — not that I fully expected that quality at lunch, but about ¹⁄₃ of the meat was so fatty and chewy it was unedible. The bread was very blah and I LOVE bread. I ate about ¼ of the loaf. I guess I just expected a little more. The only saving grace was a zesty Zaxby’s style sauce they put on the sandwiches. My friend’s order was basically a chicken finger sandwich so really was like a Zax order!
I’m not sure if they just had one waitress working, but the service was incredibly slow. It was a full hour and a half for the lunch service, which for most people would be a little long for lunch. My friend ordered a sweet tea and it took until after our food had arrived for it to be delivered. I spent a majority of the meal without water.
I’d like to say I’d visit this place for dinner, but this experience just leaves me a little down on it.

The demons of Peasant Bistro (see my previous review) have been exorcised from this gorgeous space by Asante. From the moment I stepped in I was greeted so warmly I didn’t know how to react. «what? You want me here?»
The two level space is approachable upscale: think Sunday brunch with Al Green in the background. I hung out downstairs. Mik-​el, Christine and Christian (sp) at the main level bar make you feel like you’re relaxing at a friends house; watching them pal around and make tempting cocktails was truly entertaining!
If personable people aren’t you’re thing, the expertly seasoned shrimp and grits with bell peppers justify a trip. The shrimp are not Red Lobster-​sized either; so plump I needed to cut one in half. The carrot cake is light enough that you can make room for it, even if you are stuffed. And I didn’t feel strange or lonely at the bar by myself, every one was so engaging, so it’s a good solo dining option. If you want to truly impress but not overwhelm a date or client, or you want to relax after dumping your kids at the Aquarium for a few hours, make Asante your destination.

This is one of those local gems that you have to take all you’re friends to when they come to town.
While on a short business trip to Atlanta we found this place by accident and we were totally impressed.
Chef Marv clearly has a passion for quality, delicious food. The dishes are unexpected pairings that work together incredibly. Attention to detail is top of mind at Asante. Everything from the knowledgable staff to the décor is on point. Clean, beautiful, unpretentious — we will make a point of visiting Asante the next time we are in Atlanta. You won’t find a better value.

If you happen to oversleep for Sunday brunch, look no further. With an early 6:30 PM dinner reservation, we received a mix of dinner and brunch menus. When we informed our first server of the mistake, he promptly replaced our dinner menus with the correct brunch menus. We discovered the only menu offered until 8:00 was the brunch menu, which consisted of a selection of the standard dinner entrees with eggs and classic brunch items with a coastal soul twist.
Mysteriously presented as «30 years in the making», this restaurant’s price point is ambitious for its execution and reading the menu comes across as pretentious after seeing the plates’ aesthetics and presentation.
The conch fritters were the highlight of the meal but unmemorable. The real letdown was the Pernil Traditional Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder, which I paired with Sofrito Red Beans and Carolina Gold Rice. The pork shoulder was bland and dry. The rice was underseasoned and overcooked. And the red beans were undercooked.
The service was good, but still presents its opportunities. They came across as green and inexperienced. Our second server was courteous and attentive, although I expected some concern from her when she cleared my full plate of food but to no avail.
With Asante Restaurant still in its infancy, I hope it turns things around. After all, it’s been 30 years in the making.

==Butternut squash cottage cheese fritter with pear yogurt dressing and spice Brazilian nuts:
Make sure to eat it with the roasted nuts! It complements by adding a different consistency. The pear yogurt is subtle and sweet. Overall, this was perfectly fried. The light cheese is interesting but I prefer a stronger cheese.
==Asante spiced crispy okra matinees verde:
Dehydrated and crispy, completely void of the slimey consistency of okra. Cannot complain here!
==Pernil (traditional Puerto Rican pork shoulder):
It was so tender to the touch and it was equally delicious when I tasted it. It had the perfect amount of fat to give this a non-​dry consistency. The dish went well with the collard greens which were seasoned well with a slightly sour and sweet taste. The plantains are a great addition. Sweet but not too sweet.
==Asante coconut Caribbean seafood gumbo (shrimp, Sapelo clams, mussels):
My least favorite dish. It was a bit salty. About half of the clams (four) were still closed. We brought it to the attention of the GM and he brought it back out within a few minutes, opened. I was hesitant to eat it because I didn’t know if it was cooked thoroughly.
==Mac and cheese side:
Comfort food! Not too creamy but it was not lacking in flavor!
Reasonably priced for the ambiance, location, and quality of food.
Nice ambiance with different types of seating for different groups (romantic, family, co workers, etc).
The restaurant officially opened yesterday (12÷12÷14). The waiters are still familiarizing themselves with the menu and it was a team effort to explain the different dishes to us. They were very friendly and attentive, eager to please and check on us.

Asante is a new coastal soul food restaurant in town. The brains behind the restaurant is Marvin Woods, who was host of Emmy-​award winning tv show Home Plate, author of best-​selling cookbook Home Plate Cooking and The New Low Country, and was also the lead chef for First Lady Michelle Obama’s «Let’s Move» campaign. So he brings that health conscious dining to the Asante here.
It’s located behind the centennial Olympic park at the downtown. There is street parking and they have some parking spot reserved for the restaurant.
The menu has appetizers, salads, entrees, specials, dumplings and variety of sides. And some desserts of course.
The restaurant is divided into two floors, with ground floor having a lounge area and 12 seat bar. The second floor hosts the main dining area that can seat upto 60. The whole place is tastefully decorated with beautiful paintings and chandeliers.
The dining area has a 10 seat table overlooking the centennial park — aptly named park view table. Special reservation is needed for this table. Other than that there are booths and table, all covered in white cloth and spotless silverwares laid out for us, nice and neat. Man, the place looked like million bucks! We were given a quick tour, since we were the first guests for the day. Fellow Unilocaler Thi, noted that this place looks like a museum. And I agree, you have to see some of the beautiful chandeliers here.
We ordered the following,
1) Butternut squash cottage cheese fritter with pear dressing and spiced Brazilian nuts garnish. The fritters was very tasty and nice but I didn’t really taste butternut squash as much as cottage cheese and Brazilian nuts. (When we mentioned that we didn’t taste nuts, one waitress said that it was in our dressing and then other waitress came and apologized that it was supposed to garnish and it was a mistake in kitchen and brought our nut mix, which was good anyways)$ 8
2) Asante spiced crispy okra with matinée verde sauce. The okra wasn’t fried, but I think dehydrated. We liked it very much. $ 6
For the location and quality of food, we were impressed with the price of the appetizers.
For entrees we ordered,
1) Pernil — traditional Puerto Rican pork shoulders with collard greens and Maduros. The pork shoulder was cooked tender and just right and I appreciate that they didn’t put too much seasoning, so flavor was completely pork’s as opposed to spices overpowering it. Collard green has nice sweet and sour taste to it.($ 17) MUST TRY!
2) Asante coconut Caribbean seafood gumbo with shrimps, sapelo clams and mussels.($ 27) I have never had coconut gumbo before but I am not as impressed with it, it didn’t taste anything like gumbo. It was more like some seafood thai curry than anything. One thing though, shrimps, mussels and clams in the gumbo were big and quality items. But unfortunately for us, some of the clams (4) in the gumbo was closed (you are not supposed to consume closed clams). I am surprised that a big restaurant like this would make such mistake. When we told them, they apologized, took our unopened clams and brought four opened clams. I didn’t eat that clams because I wasn’t sure if they just brought the same clam opened or fresh ones. Call me paranoid!
And we also ordered a side of mac n cheese, which was sinfully good. By the way, the mac n cheese has bacon in it, if that’s something to note if you don’t eat pork.
Overall I think the restaurant is up to a good start. A little training to the wait staff will go a long way, currently some of them really don’t know the menu well. But it’s definitely a great addition to the downtown restaurant scene. Nice place to take a date!
4 stars.