complEAT: Where Everybody Knows Our Name

Without a doubt, our favorite place to go when we want to eat out is...

...close to our home in Roswell, Georgia. We always enjoy great food and good company at

Oak Street Cafe.

Since Kim and Joe McCaffrey opened this pleasant establishment over 5 1/2 years ago, we have dined here often. (Twice in one day is not unheard of!)

While preparing to write this inaugural post, we had dinner here with our good friends and next door neighbors, Anita and Stephen, on a stormy Saturday night. And returned the next day for Sunday brunch.

**Note to all of our friends and family:**

Be prepared to participate in reviewing restaurants when you dine out with us in the future.

Oak Street Cafe is located in an old commercial building turned strip center called SOCA, meaning South of Canton... Canton Street, that is. Just turn at the Krispy Kreme (ignore the hot light) and get a table inside or out on the patio, weather permitting.

One of the nicest things about this restaurant is the environment. We always find a warm and cozy dining room in the winter and a cool and relaxing one in the warmer months...a very pleasant ambiance that is hard to find. (There is no way to be warm and cozy at Table 1280.)

And for us, the song is true...everybody knows our name! And they're always glad we came. We believe everyone needs a favorite dining establishment in their "neighborhood." You know, sometimes you don't really want to cook at home but the thought of driving 10 to 15 miles is out of the question.

Oak Street Cafe is our favorite neighborhood place and #1 on our list of Favorite 5 in Atlanta.

Please try NOT to sit at our table! Anyway we'll probably be there before you. And be sure to check out the "Specials" on the chalkboard as you enter. You should expect very friendly service, although dining here is more like going to dinner in someone's home rather than a casual restaurant. In fact, you will likely be greeted and served by family members!

As in most restaurants, Oak Street Cafe offers an À la carte menu with signature dishes and seasonal features. This night with four of us at the table, we saw all three offerings from the kitchen. Anita and the men enjoyed signature dishes; while I gladly ordered the seasonal feature...Shrimp Risotto! And our desserts were ordered from the "Specials" board.

Although we passed on the appetizers this evening in order to save room for dessert, you should definitely start your evening here with an order of Hand-Cut French Fries with 3 Dipping Sauces.

Folks, we have eaten a lot of french-fried potatoes in our lives and these are the best we can get on a regular basis! (The only others we care to eat are served in Portland, Maine.)

That being said, we are anxious to return and sample their latest addition to the menu...Porchetta Panini.

Oak Street also offers delicious soups. Tomato Basil is always on the menu and our favorite "Soup of the Day" is Tuscan White Bean.

Let's get to the entrees set before us on this evening. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the seasonal Shrimp Risotto. Shrimp with tomatoes, roasted peppers and grilled onions cooked in a creamy risotto. Wonderful! If you are a fan of Risotto, this is the place to enjoy it.

Anita had an Oak Street Salad. Mixed baby lettuces topped with blue cheese crumbles and toasted pecans seasoned with a red wine vinaigrette. Along with a side of Mac & Cheese. Delicious! Just one more word about this Mac & Cheese...SCRUMPTIOUS!

And the men both ordered the Carolina Trout. Pan roasted trout with roasted Red Bliss Potatoes, green beans and bacon vinaigrette. Delectable!

(Although I find it difficult to write negative remarks about Oak Street...the trout dish would have benefited from a more generous portion of potatoes and green beans.)

Before I move on to the desserts, I must advise you to try the - POLPETTONE. This is literally Grandma's (Rosalie) Italian meatloaf with olive oil-crushed potatoes and tomato gravy. This is as close to my Sicilian grandfather's meatballs as you can get. (Excuse me while I dry my tears.) And my mother never made spaghetti sauce in her life...only tomato gravy!

From the "Specials" board we chose two homemade desserts from Aunt Chris. (This is one talented family in the kitchen.)

Fried Apple Pies with Vanilla Ice Cream. This is no joke; it's slap the table good!

And Toasted Pound Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberries. Guy and I debated which one was the winner, but he just wanted to keep tasting mine. It was a draw!

Of course, we all enjoyed beverages with our meals. After all, we couldn't leave in the middle of a severe thunderstorm!

The La Crema 2008 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay with vibrant citrus and crisp green apple aromas, laced with subtle notes of butterscotch and clove is my favorite. And served in a juice glass it reminded me yet again of my grandfather, Nicolo Parrino.

http://www.lacrema.com/

Everyone else at the table enjoyed Fat Tire Amber Ale. (I don't know a thing about beer...so the following is straight from the brewing company's web site.)

"Fat Tire won fans with its sense of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness."