Parkers is in the old Mick’s location in downtown Decatur. It’s run by two brothers, one who used to work at Mick’s and the other with even less restaurant experience.
I got a $50 Groupon a while back and we decided that this weekend is the perfect time to use it. I called and made a 7:30pm reservation. The fact that they prefer reservations to walk ins should tell you the level of frou frou these people are trying to achieve. The interior of the place has been updated with lots of muted colors and stone walls.
We arrived at 7pm and headed to the packed bar. We decided to try a couple of their frou frou overpriced cocktails. I had a pear something that was pear Grey Goose and limoncello (tasty) and Nick got a Pimm’s Cup which was their spin on a traditional Pimm’s cocktail. It had Pimm’s, ginger liqueur, ginger ale and too much mint. Neither drink was particularly pretty and for $9 each, I’d expect at least a garnish. The bartender seemed harried and not particularly friendly.
They came and got us at around 7:15 and sat us at a deuce near the kitchen door. Eh, not the best seat in the house, but at least the deuce was decent sized. The biggest problem with the dining room was the reek of the gas logs in the faux fireplace. It was so pervasive that it made the food taste slightly chemically. I asked the waiter about the reek and he said it “wasn’t too bad tonite”. He regaled us of a time when all the employees got sick from it – yet there it was, lit and stinking. I even spoke to the owner about it and he seemed vague and not really concerned about it. Even when I told him that it affected the taste of my food, he just smiled wanly and was clearly looking to leave our table.
WTF ever, dude, when you charge $33 for a steak, you might be a bit more concerned with your ambiance!
So, this place is trying REALLY hard to be Bone’s of Decatur. Bone’s doesn’t need to worry. The menu is very pricey and there are waitstaff of every stripe buzzing around. Bussers, waiters, food expos, managers. Too many, IMO. Makes for much “excuse me, excuse me” chatter in the dining room. They also give the waiters little name cards of the guests, which is cute, especially when I’d booked us under “Mizgala” and not a single employee could pronounce it. Our waiter was nice and the courses came out fine. He was very professional other than not being able to pronounce a 3 syllable name. :-/
The food. We skipped the appetizers and went straight for the Porterhouse for Two. It’s $52, but comes with 2 sides, so it’s not a bad deal. This menu is all a la carte, so sides will cost you $5 (the same as Bone’s set up). We ordered the Porterhouse cooked Med Rare with Creamed Spinach and Black Truffle Mac n Cheese.
A foreshadowing of the food to come was given with the breadbasket: unsalted butter. Look, if you made a herbed butter, maybe, but for buttering bread? NO. Bland, bland, bland.
The steak was undercooked (rare) and pre cut, which I found a bit disconcerting. What? I can’t cut my own freaking steak? Didn’t like that one bit. Besides that, if I had sent it back for a recook, it would have been overcooked in an instant thanks to being hacked up. This presentation does NOT work for me. The Prime meat was tasty, but there was no seasoning at all. Not a grain of salt or pepper, nothing. I’m all for letting the food stand on its own, but seriously? For $52 you can’t cook to temp and do basic seasoning? I ate it bare, but I won’t lie: A-1 would have at least given it some character. SEASON THE FOOD.
The sides were lackluster as well. The Creamed Spinach was just that: spinach and onions in a bland cream sauce. Again, no seasoning, no garlic, nothing. It was OK, but certainly not memorable. The Black Truffle Mac n Cheese was also nothing to note. The truffles did little for the flavour – I barely noticed. Could have been the strong cheese masking the delicate truffle and it needed salt, of course.
The dessert was the best part of the meal. It was a dark chocolate kahlua cake with a dollop of whipped cream and a caramel drizzle. Very good and perfectly portioned for two.
This place has the right idea, but they need to be more aware of the big picture. Stinking gas logs, employees running all over each other and a kitchen that doesn’t understand basic seasoning all conspire to mar what could be a great little steak house.
Don’t ask me $52 for a steak, then cook it wrong and cut it up!! I’m not THREE!!
I’m glad we tried out Parker’s on Ponce, but had I been paying the full tab, I’d have been LIVID with the stink and the mangled steak. As it was, I got the steak for $25 (Groupon $25 for a $50 coupon), so I didn’t bitch. Will I go back? Nah. Not unless someone else is picking up the tab or I can get another Groupon. This place is seriously not worth the prices they charge. If you charge a premium (like Bone’s) then you better, by gods, give a premium experience. If you want to send out unseasoned, undercooked and hacked up steak, then lower your prices to reflect that. It really doesn’t matter if it’s dry aged, premium high dollar steaks if you can’t cook and present them properly.
I understand that the two owners have no formal food training – and that is the main problem. They are local boys whose father was in local government. I am happy that they opened their restaurant, but honestly, waiting tables and being a manager does NOT an CHEF make. These guys need to get a chef in there that knows cuisine and can present food that justifies what they charge. Hell, at least get someone on the grill who can season and properly cook those high dollar steaks! I’m not sure who told them that “overpriced steak house” was the perfect choice for people with no food experience, but whoever did led them astray. They should have done something much more casual – then they could turn out half assed product and not be held to such a high standard. If this was a casual steak house, I’d give them a much better review.
Like many places in Decatur, it’s always packed because it’s in Decatur. Around here, local is what it’s all about, nevermind the actual quality of the food. This place is the epitome of that. I feel the same about Leon’s. It’s new, it’s in Decatur, it MUST be good!! I heard how wonderful Leon’s was and was underwhelmed when we tried it.
I give Parker’s 2.5 stars out of 5. And most of that is the fact that they are trying to be Bone’s quality and very chi-chi and failing at it. If they’d loosen up the concept and get a better kitchen, it’d be 4 stars.
