Before I get into my review, I have to preface it by saying that my husband is one of those unfortunate Christmas babies. You know, the ones whose birthdays are right before or right after Christmas and usually get lost or downplayed in the shuffle of the holidays? Yep, that's him. My Mom just happens to be a Christmas baby too, so I've had lots of experience in how to handle this sort of thing. Oh yes, there are rules, you know. The first rule is NEVER, NEVER wrap their presents in Christmas paper. It might be convenient, but it's not very nice. Their birthday is NOT Christmas. And NEVER, NEVER lump their birthday celebration in with a holiday party. You have to do it separate and you have to make as big a deal out of it as you would have made for anyone else's birthday (sometimes a little bigger deal, just to combat all the Christmas hoopla)!
So for hubby's birthday this year I made reservations at Georgio's. When the lovely woman on the phone asked if I had a seating preference, I asked what my options were and she began to rattle off a list of about 12 different areas within the restaurant that we could choose from - in the room with the piano player, up on a higher level, etc, etc. Having never been to Georgio's before and not knowing the lay of the land, I told her it was my husband's birthday and asked what she would recommend. She told me she would reserve a private area for us. Sounded perfect!
When we arrived, we were promptly ushered to our table in The Alcove - a tiny private room (that probably could have been a storage closet) off of another small secluded area (which you can see in the pic above). And when I say tiny, I mean, we were the only table in that room and our server didn't even have room to talk to us beside our table, so he just stood at the doorway and took our orders. It was definitely private, so that was nice. But because we were situated near the front windows of the restaurant, there was also a slight draft coming in from outside, and so it was also a bit chilly. But it made hubby feel special, so hey, my plan worked!
Georgio's is decorated much like a gentleman's lodge. Dark woods dominate a landscape of maroon and green colored furnishings and pictures of racing horses and dogs decorate the walls. It definitely feels as though it was originally established much earlier than 1994.
The menu is extensive, as is the list of daily specials, but the waiter was quick to pair it down to the most worthwhile selections for us. We were debating whether or not to get an appetizer, but after hearing that our entrees came with fresh bread (with smoked salmon spread), fresh vegetable and potato sides and our choice of soup or salad, we opted to skip the appetizer course.
So we both started with the Roasted Pecan Salad with their house vinaigrette. And I must say, this salad was extremely scrumptious! With creamy feta cheese and a tart dressing, it was all we could do not to lick the bowls after we had finished with the greens!
Many of the menu items have a decidedly Greek/Mediterranean flair to them, but we headed straight for the steaks since this was a special occasion. Hubby picked the Filet Alla Rossini - filet mignon atop a crostini topped with cognac and bernaise sauces and pieces of prosciutto. I ordered the Filet Au Poivre - a peppercorn crusted filet with cognac sauce. While both steaks were equally tender and flavorful, I think I preferred hubby's over my own. I think the combination of the two sauces on his steak made for an interesting mix of tangy and savory.
Both of our steaks also came with asparagus, a potato cake and cooked carrots. The potato cake was absolutely yummy - with layers of cheese, melty potatoes and crispy bacon - what a trio! The carrots were also delicious - they tasted like they had been basted in honey and were topped with poppy seeds. The asparagus, while decent, was nothing more special than your average cooked asparagus.
All in all, it was a very nice meal. I think if we go again, we'll decide to sit in the main dining room - perhaps in the area with the piano player so we can feel like we're a bit more in on the action. No one ended up sitting in the adjacent room next to us the entire time we were there, so we felt a bit isolated, but hey - it was a Tuesday night and we wanted to have our alone time anyway. We left with full bellies, happy smiles on our faces and high hopes of making a return trip sometime soon.
Tally Foodie Rating:
Atmosphere - B- (a bit outdated)
Taste - A
Presentation - B
Service - A
Price - $$$
Restaurant Info:
Georgio's
3425 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee FL 32309
850-893-4161
