You all know that when the usual suspects get together for a girls night out, there's bound to be drama. Our group of ladies dine out for birthdays, and just about any occasion to eat and drink together. This week was no exception, except the drama was all about the food.
Hugo's is a beautiful restaurant located on Alpharetta Highway, just past Holcomb Bridge Rd. Their concept of Coastal Seafood is an interesting one for Atlanta since we are not coastal! The converted house that is now Hugo's, has a full bar, tin ceilings, ample seating and appears to be doing very well.
When we arrived, a lovely table in the back has been reserved for us and Barrett Noel , the General Manager, fills our glasses with a delicious Prosecco
( an Italian version of Champagne known by a different name since the French won't let anyone call a sparkling drink Champagne!) It is quite tasty and refreshing.
Barrett proceeds to tell me the owners history- Jon Schwenk is the Chef, along with Rick Clark/Owner and Operator. Jon is a graduate of CIA, Culinary Institute of America and Rick has been a Chef at the Ritz Carlton and for the Buckhead Life Group. They also own C&S Seafood in Vinings.
It seems to me that with all this background, you'd think the food would be amazing. Well, we did have a few issues at our table.
The birthday girl, Jill, ordered Blackened Swordfish, but was told they were out of it. She changed her order to the Blackened Mahi which she ended up not eating. It was very dry and the Crawfish Etouffee, which I also had, tasted like a bowl of chili. Not a good sign.
I ordered a simple Shrimp Po Boy, which comes with a side of coleslaw and their signature fried Mac' N Cheese. My coleslaw was so spicy that I could not eat it - way too much pepper in it. The Po Boy- also not so great. The shrimp was heavily fried and not very tasty at all. The bread was smothered in butter and grilled, which is also a turn off for me. All in all, we had two for two disappointed in their meals. Three others ordered what is supposed to be their Signature dish, the Grilled Redfish. All of them said it was so spicy they did not eat theirs either. Not sure if the Chef spilled a vat of pepper onto everyone's dish or this is the way it always tastes.
We did notify our server, who just looked at us in disbelieve. Another server, who recognized our birthday girl from a previous visit, came over to see what was happening and offered to remove Jill's dinner from our bill. We said no to that. She was a much better server than our original.
Barrett sent over several desserts for us to sample as a goodwill gesture. I would have to say that the desserts were scrumptious. The bread pudding and the Chocolate Fondant Cake- OMG!!!! Try them all when you go!
I want to say, I think it was a bad night for the restaurant since they were rather busy. I have heard that they have often run out of many menu dishes, so not sure if they have everything down to a science yet.
The menu is large with many options. I think I would give this restaurant another try once they work out all the kinks. With the experience of the Chef's in their kitchen, I am sure this will become one of the "go to" eateries in Roswell.
Our experience may have been an unusual one so I will look into another visit because I do think it has potential.
The upside to all this is the following:
The menu is varied- so lots to choose from
The Fried Mac 'N Cheese is worth the trip even if that's the only thing you eat
The bar is fully stocked
They are open for brunch and dinner on Sunday's- Another really important fact!
The desserts are amazing.
During Saturday and Sunday Brunch- after 12:00- they have a Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar. It has been a huge success.
Valet Parking is available
Reservations are accepted by either booking on Open Table or calling.
So you see, there is always a silver lining even when the meal is a disappointment. Give it a try and let me know about your experience.