Categories: Local

J. Alexander’s at the Perimeter Center in Atlanta, Georgia – Classy Atmosphere, Casual Prices

Lunch time in Perimeter Mall’s general vicinity can be a frenzied experience. There are literally dozens of restaurants haunted by the “business crowd.” With so many companies in the area (not to mention nearby “Hospital Hill”), finding a relaxing place to have a good lunch can cause quite the conundrum. Step into J. Alexander’s in the middle of a busy work day and you’ll immediately be transported into a casual, yet seductively intimate atmosphere. The place is filled with roomy booths and calm lighting that screams “evening first date.” The overabundance of wood, warm colors, and clean lines creates a Zen-like ambiance. The sprawling, woody place doesn’t allow cell phones in the dining room. In a world where texting and chatting overrules face-to-face conversation, this was actually a welcome rule.

Dining at J. Alexander’s is an experience in sensible urban chic. The waiters are all smartly attired, looking more like doctors in their stocky white jackets than part of a competent wait staff. Our waiter was a bright-eyed blond young man who looked as if he could have been one of American Idol’s more attractive contestants. He explained the specials with gracious precision, managing even to include elements of his pleasant personality—instead of sounding like a pre-programmed robot. After squaring away the business of beverages and lunch orders, my little group and I were left to settle in and relax a bit.

The Good Stuff…

One of the things I love about dining out is the pre-dining “show.” No, I am not referring to a karaoke stage stuffed into a corner of the room; I am referring to the display of dishes making their way from the kitchen to the various tables about the restaurant. Traveling to and fro were plates piled high with all sorts of shredded goodies. It seemed that everything served had been shredded in some way. The salads, as green and fertile as they appeared, fit this mold. And as other meals materialized, I noticed that even the fries took on this appearance, looking more like piles of tan spaghetti than the confections served at McDonald’s. Other entrees were massive, like the half-chicken a woman happened to be devouring at a nearby table. This is one of my favorite parts of the dining experience, because the dishes are all paraded by like some kind of edible fashion show.

After being tortured by the sights and sounds of the assortment of entrees, our meals arrived at long last. Despite the numerous selections available on the menu, I opted for an ordinary cheeseburger. Often, when trying out a relatively new restaurant (new for me, anyway) I like to order something extremely simple, just to see how chefs interpret traditional dishes. I was not disappointed by this medium-well example of lunchtime perfection. The burger had not an ounce too much blood or “char”; I was more than pleased with the savory grilled taste, and the fresh condiments which accompanied it. Truly, the kitchen staff had taken their time in choosing the freshest lettuce, the ripest onions, and the most perfectly shaped pickle slices I’d ever seen. A huge pile of J. Alexander’s shredded French fries accompanied my burger. I will admit that I wasn’t that fond of the potatoes. While there was nothing wrong with the taste per se, I found that capturing the full flavor was difficult without shoving at least twelve of the little suckers into my mouth at one time. Being that I was in a public place, I found this particular style of dining to be in poor taste; thus, I settled for munching just two or three per mouthful. Satisfied that the chef could turn out a worthy cheeseburger, I ventured on to dessert, at the urging of my lunchtime companions. The Very Best Chocolate Cake” accompanied by a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream was in order. Truly, this was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. None of that bland yellow stuff, with sticky frosting—but rather, a molten chunk of Heaven, congealed in its own fudgy goodness. Each bite was a step closer to the biggest sugar rush I’d ever experienced.

The Verdict…

You won’t be dipping into your mortgage by risking a meal at J. Alexander’s. The entrees are all comfortably priced somewhere between 10 and 20 dollars, give or take—a price which more than accounts for the freshness and precision with which the meals are prepared and presented. This is actually the perfect place for a first date at any hour, as the atmosphere itself is classy enough to impress a new paramour, yet reasonable enough not to dent the pockets too deeply. In a city where restaurants are constantly competing for a dependable revolving door of customers, J. Alexander’s is pretty attractive option.