Westside

I don't know why it's taken me so long to finally check out 5 Seasons Brewery (1000 Marietta St NW, Atlanta 30318; http://www.5seasons.info/). I love the fact that they brew their own beers and they have a pretty killer rooftop patio, if the weather is nice, with a great view of downtown. Unfortunately, we went on a Saturday night and someone was having a private party upstairs so we had to sit in the main dining room. When I first entered the restaurant, I was surprised that there were only 3 flat-screen TVs and they were located at the bar. I figured the brewery would have more of a sports bar vibe for some reason with plasmas everywhere. Another wrong assumption I made was that the menu would only consist of glorified "bar food". Luckily, I was wrong. Very wrong! All of the beers they serve are brewed in-house but they offer a wide variety. To start off, my husband ordered the BR-549 Pale Ale. It is an American Pale Ale brewed with British barley. It is copper in color and has a nice citrusy aroma that comes from the American whole leaf hops. Later on with the meal, he also tried the Venus, named after the goddess of love. It is a Belgian white beer and brewed with orange peel and coriander as well as wheat, barley and a touch of oats. Both were very good! The first beer resembled a Sierra Nevada and the second was like a Blue Moon.

Dinner was a much harder decision. There were a lot of things on the menu I wanted to try like the homemade pretzel, the beer braised PEI mussels, chili seared sea scallops, 5 spice crispy duck leg and the mahi mahi special. After careful deliberation, I ordered the 3 fish tacos with chili slaw, mango and green tomato salsa, and skate wing which was the fish of the day. The fish was very mild and served with a side of black beans and rice. The mango had the perfect sweetness for a fish taco and was refreshing on a hot summer night. My husband ordered the organic salmon coated in a spicy red Thai curry sauce with a side of vegetables and organic rice. His plate was empty. Enough said. Finally, his uncle that was visiting us from Key West ordered the ropa vieja. This dish consisted of braised all natural steak, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic over a pile of lime avocado mashed potatoes and plantain chips. Even though the mashed potatoes were an interesting green color due to the avocado, he said he loved the flavor. All three meals were absolutely delicious. I think the best part of all was the easy parking, especially for downtown Atlanta. There's a lot directly next door that had plenty of empty spaces. If you're too lazy to cook one night and you want a casual but tasty meal, I recommend making a trip over to 5 Seasons.