Tuesday, October 4, 2016

UNCLE JACK'S MEAT HOUSE, Duluth, GA

I've been wanting to try a new restaurant that opened near me in the 'burbs of Atlanta.  We are so hungry (pun intended) for great food in the outlying areas of the city.  The norm is to have to drive 30 minutes or more to get really good food.

Uncle Jack's is owned by Food Network star, Willie Degel, who owns numerous restaurants in New York City. He has left no detail behind in this newest restaurant opening!

6590 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, GA 30097
770-497-2400

Uncle Jack's is located in a small strip center adjacent to the Infinity Arena in Duluth, GA.  It's in the corner spot and is easy to miss.  But...upon entering the restaurant the interior feel is nothing like you'd expect.  It's beautifully appointed - cool lighting over the bar, wood plank tables inside with a very cool vibe (unlike most suburban chain restaurants).  It was a lovely night in Atlanta so we opted for the outside seating.

Here's a view of the exterior:
unclejacks
And a pic of some of the gorgeous lighting over the bar area:

unclejacks
Even the floors are cool with paint splattering:
unclejacks


Outside, it was absolutely beautiful.  We watched the sun set while sipping on Moscow Mules (made with fabulous Ginger Beer I might add).

The concept is this - quality food all local all farm to table.  And it shows - excellent food.  And - the people he has hired to work there are top notch.  From the hostess to the bus boys to our server (Bailey) - all outstanding.  Clearly, they have put trained people in place.  It felt like the place had been around for years rather than weeks.

 Lighting and seating outside:
 The view from our seats of the Infinity Arena:
 The drink menu:
 Our delish Moscow Mule:
 Very cool flatware and dishes:
 We had just come from playing golf and were starving!  We decided to start off with a charcuterie selection (4 local cheeses, 2 "meat" selections and yummy bread along with a pickled jar of veggies = a delectable combination):
 We were debating back and forth what to get for our main courses.  The menu is chock full of meats (naturally) but there are chicken and fish selections as well, and there was a special sandwich (redfish) that sounded amazing too. BUT we were in a meat frame of mind!

There were so many items to chose from that sounded great - and on their website they have (very smartly) included beautiful pictures of each dish: http://www.unclejacksmeathouse.com/gallery

Here was my steak sandwich.  Served with their fabulous fries and a jar of pickled veggies and au jus.  Very very very good.
 My son and husband both went with their burger. It was devine - it's called the Oooey Gooey Mooey Burger for a reason - blue cheese fondue, prime beef, onion jam, their "special sauce" and maple pepper bacon.  Served with heirloom tomato, lettuce, fries and those pickled veggies.

 We had no room for dessert but those sound so so good - next time....all sound enticing.

So all in all the dinner was fabulous.  We totally enjoyed ourselves and I kept saying how happy I was that this restaurant is in my back yard (as we have very few really good places nearby).The place is impeccably appointed and clearly is managed well.

But I would be remiss if I didn't also add one big piece of information - - - it is on the expensive side.  You need to be prepared to pay a bit more.  Realizing we were eating only the finest organic ingredients that were masterfully prepared, our bill still was pricey for Duluth, Georgia.    BUT, I really hope that this place finds a following.  The location is nice in that it is right next to a popular venue, and there are loads of local businesses that have employees and customers that are starving (pun intended again) for good food. I've already found myself talking it up to friends and neighbors since my visit.

We will be back for sure - many more items to sample...

***All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.

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