Corby Kummer Gives Oak Steakhouse One Star

Atlanta Magazine's Corby Kummer reviews Oak Steakhouse, awarding the Avalon restaurant a "good" rating of one star. Kummer says some of the pricey steaks underwhelm, but finds reason to return:

In practice, the wet-aged handily beat the dry: Sixteen ounces of wet-aged, boneless ribeye for $49 had far more beef flavor, not to mention moistness and tenderness, than the 24-ounce bone-in, dry-aged ribeye for a whopping $85. ... By far the best steak was half the price of the others. For $25, the five-ounce tenderloin packed into its sane size more steak flavor-that charred-outside-tender-inside, know-it-when-you-taste-it umami flavor-than any other cut. ... So the giant hunks of beef may not live up to the standards of that [chocolate cake]. But there are plenty of other things to like-and a discreet little piece of tenderloin I'll be coming to Alpharetta for when I need a steak fix.

Over at Creative Loafing, Brad Kaplan takes a first look at Kirkwood's Dish Dive. Kaplan believes it's a nice contrast to the big, flashy restaurants that are all over the city:

Some of the combinations, including a predilection for throwing sweet into the savory, may have you questioning the quirk. But somehow, chef Travis pulls disparate notes together with aplomb. The strangest example is the dish labeled pork belly with wild mushroom and leek grits, French toast, and maple sorghum braising jus. ... Atlanta could use a bit more of what Dish Dive is trying to bring to the table - the intimate, the modest, the quirky. Jeff and Travis do manage to make you feel at home, but also leave you thinking how comfortably strange your meal was as you walk out the door.

THE ELSEWHERE AND THE BLOGS: Marie, Let's Eat! puts Macon's Pho Saigon on par with other quality Vietnamese restaurants in the Atlanta area. Burgers, Barbecue and Everything Else digs the burgers and fries at Little's Food Store in Cabbagetown. Weekend Eats ATL's expectations are exceeded by the seafood at Lusca. Fried Chicken Lips says Community Smith has potential, but it needs work. Bella Vivere has an exemplary dining experience at The Southern Gentleman. Hot Dish Review says STK is a sexy spot to dine on red meat. Friday Date Night plans on making a return to Baked in Marietta. ATL Food Snob says the food and service are spot on, but the prices are steep at Doraku Sushi.