Norcross, Georgia, USA
Nice spot north of Atlanta
Dined
in August 2014
I came down to Atlanta for a weekend in early august 2014 to
visit friends just north of Atlanta, and had made reservation at Grace 17.20
mainly based on two factors, the name which popped out as not very ordinary to
a restaurant, and the menu, focusing on fresh, innovative Southern Cuisine.
Scroll down to read the main review
World’s Top 100:
The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa
The Tasting room at Le Quartier Français, Franschhoek, South
Africa
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin, Ireland
Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
Star
ratings chart:
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5 stars
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Extraordinary
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4 stars
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Outstanding
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3 stars
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Exceeded
expectations
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2 stars
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Above average
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1 star
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Average
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No star rating
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Basic,
poor, or appalling
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Review basics:
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Overall Star rating by
Wine, Dine, & Play:
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3 of 5
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Quality of food:
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7 of 10
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Presentation:
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7 of 10
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Wine selections by
region:
Scroll below the main review section to see the tasting
notes of the wines chosen.
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6 of 10
Old world:
1.
France:
Côtes du Rhône, and
Champagne
2.
Italy: Veneto, Toscana
3.
Austria: Wachau.
New World:
1.
Argentina: Mendoza,
2.
Chile:
A). Central Valley: (Maipo, Curicó, Maule
Valley, & Curico Valley).
Rapel Valley
3.
Australia: McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Victoria, & South Western
Australia
4.
California: Sonoma, Napa, Edna Valley, Santa Barbara County,
Carneros, Sonoma Coast, Paso robles, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Russian
River Valley, Alexander Valley, Rutherford, North Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
5.
Oregon: Rogue Valley, Willamette Valley
6.
Washington State: Columbia Valley
7.
Georgia: Lumpkin County
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Customer service:
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7 of 10
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Ambiance:
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8 of 10
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Corkage fee’s:
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American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Dress code:
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Business casual, Smart casual,
or Conservative attire
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Reservations:
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Recommended
Make reservation through opentable.com,
or by contacting the restaurant directly. See contact info below the review
section
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted, but not
guaranteed
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on
this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full
enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in
attendance. Hire a Babysitter. See Alinea Baby Gate,
god I love Alinea.
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Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Bistro, Modern, Seafood, American, Southern
& Vegetarian
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Business parties, Romantic, Great
outdoor dining, Classy, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Gratuities:
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Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s,
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Parking:
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Public lot
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Transport options:
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Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
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The restaurants reviewed on
this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the
excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead
of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Chef:
Barbara DiJames
Food price per person
(Excluding tax & gratuity)
Price chart:
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - Under 75.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
Currencies
chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur's
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My food bill:
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Currency:
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Country :
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Price chart:
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$ 68.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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£44.76
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Great Britain Pound
Sterling (GBP)
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£
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€57.08
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European Union
(EUR)
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€
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$80.27
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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$83.68
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Australian Dollar
(AUS)
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$$
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¥416.54
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Chinese Yuan
(CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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Visit these sites to
get up to date currency rates:
Alternatively, visit:
The innovative team at grace 1720 represents a blending of
backgrounds and philosophies with one common goal: to present a unique dining
culture where casual elegance is conveyed in everything from the creative,
ingredient-driven menu to the comfortable, stylish atmosphere and gracious care
in service. (Matthew 17:20) "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as
small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to
there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
I arrived in Atlanta, and took the Marta Train up to Norcross,
and met my friend, proceeding to dinner, since it was almost 8 PM by the time
we arrived at Grace, having to change the reservation times twice because of
traffic and other delays. The restaurant
was very understanding and held our seats. When we arrived the dinner rush was
over, so we could basically sit anywhere, and it was a nice Georgia Summer
evening, so the patio was calling. At the time, I had no idea that the
restaurant closed at 10 PM, I assumed we had time to relax, drink some wine and
enjoy a coursed meal. Since I work in the restaurant industry, I became what I
disliked, and that was people arriving late, and staying later. I did not do it
by design that evening, strictly by mistake, and as a matter of fact, when I
was made aware of the closing time, I asked for the food to be boxed up so that
we could leave. My friend did not understand why I was instant to leave, and it
wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the food, atmosphere or her company, it was that
I respected the workers, and wanted them to get out of there. They had already
put in their 8-10 hour day or longer, and they wanted to go home and be with
their friends or family, and we were the only table holding them up from doing
that.
So while we dined, we enjoyed two courses with the wine. I
started with the appetizer of smoked salmon with an herbed cream cheese flatbread
garnished with cucumber and red onion relish. There is nothing like the taste
and texture to smoked salmon, and add in cream cheese, put me close to heaven.
My friend ordered the traditional “Grace Caesar” salad with Traditional Caesar,
Challah Croutons. On the patio besides the tables and typical umbrella
coverings was a very nice stone fireplace which added to the ambiance of the
experience of dining and the affluence of the area and people that came and
dined in restaurants such as Grace. This area was not your area for the typical
chain restaurant; this was a higher end style of people who enjoyed their
living and playing, my kind of people.
For the main entrée courses my friend enjoyed the pan roasted
organic chicken dish which consisted of a six ounce breast baked, and served
over a bed of bleu cheese macaroni, French cut green beans, and topped with a
lite flavored sweet and sour bacon sauce. The presentation was very typical of
a chicken dish but the contract of the blue cheese flavor in the pasta with the
bacon sauce and rich natural sauces of the chicken had my taste buds begging
for more. Since this was her dish though, I only took two bites.
Now, I had been living up north for a few months with my
brother in Ohio, enjoying restaurants in the Akron and Canton area such as Flemings, the Basil Asian Bistro, and Tapas 218, so being back down
south in Georgia where I had lived for almost ten years, made me cry out for
some good southern food which in the north you rarely see, and when you do, it
typically tastes like shit. So here in Georgia at Grace 17.20 I indulged with
the shrimp and Logan Turnpike Grits served with green chile, onion and garlic, white
wine and butter sauce. Overall, nice since I hadn’t had any since my trip to
Charleston, South Carolina back in April of that year. I wouldn’t rate it at
the top of my experiences for the best shrimp and grits, but they were good and
hit the spot. Besides once you’ve eaten at Hank’s Seafood, Muse, Restaurant, or Oak Steakhouse in
Charleston, then it’s hard to find shrimp and grits anywhere that are better. Funny
enough and off subject, but an Oak Steakhouse with same ownership will be
opening in the Norcross area in 2015.
As it was late and they were closed, as I mentioned earlier,
I didn’t want to hold the crew up. I even left more than my customary 20%
gratuity since we did keep them late, and skipped dessert. I would eat there
again, as the food was good, atmosphere was above par for a neighborhood
restaurant, and the staff was very friendly.
This Restaurant reminds me of:
Good quality Southern Fare, mixed with great hospitality,
and a feel good atmosphere, has me compare this experience to other restaurants
I have eaten at such as High Cotton in Charleston, the Prato in Orlando,
and Rioja in Denver. I will return and
recommend it to you.
Other Atlanta / Norcross
favorites:
Cost of wines and other
alcoholic beverages in USD:
$60.00
Wine Regulatory:
Trending wines on Wine, Dine,
and Play:
Kamen Estates, Sonoma
Restaurant address:
5155 Peachtree Pkwy #320, Peachtree corners, GA 30092,
United States
Neighborhood:
Norcross
Cross streets:
Medlock Bridge Road & Peachtree corners circle
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 33.980175
Longitude: -84.216088
Contact Information:
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Maître d, reservations:
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+1 678-421-1720
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Website:
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Email:
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Online Reservations :
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Social Media:
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Hours:
Lunch:
Daily: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Dinner:
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Monday
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5:30–10:00 pm
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Tuesday
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5:30–10:00 pm
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Wednesday
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5:30–10:00 pm
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Thursday
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5:30–10:00 pm
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Friday
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5:30–10:00 pm
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Saturday
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5:30–10:00 pm
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Sunday
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11:30 am – 3 pm
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Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5:00)
Review by:
Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE)
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TTFN
