empire grill - carrollton, Georgia

First review: February 16, 2009

It is nice to see that the former location for Miller's Downtown did not stay vacant long.  In fact, the owners of Miller's Downtown and the guy that built the bar in both the old and new store, Shawn Cubitt, were behind the startup of Empire Grill.  The Times-Georgian did a very nice background piece here so we'll get straight to the food!

Starting a new restaurant and new concept, especially without the benefit of a proven franchise, is a very time and financially intensive effort.  Most of us can't begin to understand the long hours, sleepless nights, and frustrations that come with launching something of this scale, particularly in this economy.

 

So it wasn't unexpected that there were bumps the first few weeks.  Family and friends reported long waits for a table and food, menu items were out of stock, and equipment wasn't working.  On one Friday in January, I had hoped to have lunch there with a friend only to find the store closing because of another mechanical failure that needed noisy repair.

 

However, like the story of Noah, the raven and the doves, my youngest son and I didn't give up and we were excited to finally have lunch at Empire Grill five weeks after it opened.

 

Our first surprise was that we were seated right away.  Proudly taking a spot at the bar, my five year old boy couldn't stop listing all the things he wanted to order.  As this was our first visit (my wife, daughter, and sister-in-law had been a couple of times earlier), I was eager to try as many things as I could so I didn't make much of an effort to restrain his appetite.

 

We received service very quickly but weren't ready to order.  Empire Grill has a broad menu selection to which you must add a phenomenal variety of bottled soda.  After looking it all over, however, my son and I both settled on the draft root beer to drink and found it much better than the typical canned drinks you find at the local supermarket.

 

After we put in our order for a milk shake, chili cheese dog, cheeseburger and fries, it took less than ten minutes for the food to come.

 

While the milk shake was primarily for my boy, I managed to coerce a few sips and have to say it was one of the best shakes I've had in a long time.  He thought so too finishing it off before anything else.  I rather enjoyed the dog that I ordered though I wished there had been a little bit more.  And the cheeseburger, from which I also begged a bite, had a good, fresh flavor to it.

 

The only thing we couldn't finish was the fries, but it wasn't for trying!  These babies are cut by hand from fresh potatoes and deep-fried perfectly.  The order is huge and just one round was more than the two of us could handle.  Friends of ours who have eaten at Empire Grill even more recently made the same comment.  So order easy with the fries.  You can always ask for more.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the food, the service, and the atmosphere.  With a little more interior decoration, specialty uniforms for the staff, and perhaps a souvenir counter, we believe this would be a destination restaurant.  As it is, we are pleased to rank Empire Grill with our second-highest Now You're Talkin' rating.

 

Perhaps the best way to summarize our experience would be to share the quip from my son who had passed up his favorite fast-food restaurant to come here.  As we hopped down from our seats he exclaimed "Dad, we've gotta come back here again!"

 

And we will...

 

Likes: Unique, fun atmosphere, really good food and a nice menu selection, fantastic choice for soda fans

 

Dislikes: A little small (though outdoor seating in good weather will help), a touch pricey (our lunch for two with tip was $25)

 

Rating: Now You're Talkin'

-- Stephen W. Beam, WestGeorgiaDining.com