Service was very good, if a bit overattentive, but they were very helpful and kind so no complaints about that. Â Good wine list. Â Tapas was mediocre, but to be fair the circumstances in which I visited were less than optimal and so rather than write any sort of in-depth review now, I will wait until I revisit and give them a clear chance to knock my socks off :)
Review Source:Great decor and well-made drinks. Â They invested some money here and apparently have good bartenders. Â Besides that, the food and the service are just bad. Â I have been here 4 times and always had some awkward moments with servers and hostesses. Â Whoever trains the staff here is clueless. Â
The garden salad was literally a very small pile of questionably fresh shredded lettuce, and that's it. Â I'd say more about the food but why bother. Â They aren't ready for the big-times, although they charge for it.
If I could give this place half a star--I would.
Pros:
--Decor
Cons:
--Bland/cold food
--Too expensive
--Plate design
Decor:
So the only nice thing about this place was the decor. It used to be a pool hall and seems like they put upwards of $150k to renovate this place and make it look like a midtown joint. The bar's really nice. That's the only good thing about it. You can always have a restaurant with shitty decor and great food--the opposite combination doesn't work.
Bland/cold food:
All food was cold. We ordered 9 dishes, all of which were at most lukewarm. I didn't want to say anything because we were starving and scarfed down the first 7 cold dishes. The eight dish was fried chicken on top of an orange, which was a terrible combination gustatorially, as well as temperature wise. It probably cooled down the chicken, so we gave the combination the benefit of the doubt. We requested our ninth dish (our second steak dish) medium, but the inside was room temperature. Our first steak dish was a tad bit warmer, and we asked for it medium rare--which theoretically should be 14 degrees cooler than our medium steak, but was actually probably 40 degrees warmer. With this ninth steak dish, I mentioned its off temperature, which our waiter took back, put on the grill only for it to be more than well done throughout, and too chewy to eat or cut with our butter knives (they never provided steak knives.
Too expensive:
My brother, my mother, and I came to have dinner, and it was the only place that we hadn't been to in the area. We were starving and ordered nine things between the three of us. After six dishes, I decided I was done, as it would probably take another $50 just to make me comfortable. We spent $80 and were still hungry. I ended up going home and having a bowl of cereal because I was so hungry after patronizing this 'restaurant'.
Plate design:
I feel a little stupid talking about this, but we ordered the soup of the day, which came in a tiny bowl with a large phallic attachment, and a large spoon. When my mom tried to rest the spoon down, the combined weight of the large spoon and phallic portion of the ceramic led to the full bowl of soup toppling, effectively cutting our already meager portion in half. Seriously, which designer thought affixing a boner on a bowl was a good idea?
Well we went back. It wasn't good. They changed the menu, apparently a new chef, noone who mentioned this seemed happy about it. Some one or something changed.
1st, we went for my birthday. I thought Yay!! A repeat! Wrong. The shrimp and grits were gone. They are not on the summer menu. My birthday is in December folks. Update the menu!
The bisque, gone, also not on the summer menu. All my life, I swore I was a winter baby. Hey what do I know?
The Tacos, gone. What the hell, either everything I liked sucked, or they are crazy.
You know what sucks, I just asked the Mr. what he ate, and "he goes I can't remember, I'd have to see the menu. "
Obviously who ever was cooking the food when I went in the summer, needs to come back or get a shake or something. Fix it!!! Bring back the shrimp and grits, STAT!
Dessert was good, something which chocolate and berries, but it was very forgettable. We woke up the next morning starving. I do remember that.
I just think if not for the drinks we would have left sooner. Bring back the food that was!
over priced, no flavor in any of the tapas. I went here for a group birthday party and everyone said the same thing. We all left hungry. The food was so bland we didn't want to order anything else. We all had different tapas but we had the same conclusion. Besides the party we were attending there was only 2 other people in this place on a thursday night and we were there for 3 hours. I think the chef is trying to do to much with the menu and it apparently not working. I say keep it simple.
Review Source:I rarely venture outside Buckhead or Midtown but when I do plan a day trip up towards Gwinnett County; I always stop by PR for their white sangria (Cloud 9). Â Since Cuerno in Midtown closed its doors a few years back, I hadn't found a comparable replacement until now. Â
The menu is pretty straight forward with a clear description of eacg item.  I found the variety of entrées spanned from American to Euro-Asian Fusion, kinda neat compared to the multiple "plain-chain" restaurants in the area. Â
The interior is ultra plush with nice textures and color. Â The vast illuminating purple bar is the focal point when you enter and continues throughout the entire restaurant. Â Had to believe the space use to occupy a pool room. Â
Definitely coming back to try their "al fresca" patio seating with wooden beams spanning from inside the restaurant out to the patio.
Try these entrees and see if you'd go back to your typical chain restaurant:
Risotto Fritti- Risotto croquets, mozzarella, and romesco sauce
Thai Mussels- Steamed mussels, lemongrass, ginger broth, spicy garlic thai chili sauce
Biryani- Braised lamb, onion gravy, cliantro, spices, and basmati rice
Paella- saffron rice, crab, shrimp, clam, calamari, chicken, chorizo served in paella pan ( made to order- definitely worth the wait.)
During your next Happy Hour, try the Cloud 9 and tasty tapas before tackling Atlanta afternoon gridlock and you'll be " s-s-s-singing in the rain" too! [ cue cheesy applause :p ]
Went there after work to meet with some friends. The decor is beautiful and there's plenty of space to be comfortable and have conversation while listening to some good lounge/ chill-out music. I enjoyed their wine selection as their wine list is good. I didn't order from their tapas menu since I had eaten at home before I went there. But from what my friends ordered, the food was quite good. We all agreed that chef Michael does a great job! Definitely will go back and next time be there for their salsa event and other music nights as well. Would highly recommend for everyone to go and visit. Hoping to see wine events such as wine tastings in the near future.
Review Source:I haven't written a review in a while (almost 2 years?), but here I go...
I had purchased the $15 for $25 worth of food deal from Groupon a few days ago. Â Based on some reviews I found on Yelp, the place seemed pretty decent, so I took my sister there for lunch on Sunday. Â It was around 3 pm when we got to the restaurant. Â There were a few cars in the parking lot, so we thought there would be a few tables of customers inside. Â It turns out they were all employees' cars...
When we walked in, the place was empty. Â The hostess wasn't at the front, so we were not greeted when we walked in. Â We stood and waited at the front for about a minute, and then started walking inside towards the bar when we finally saw someone walk out from the back while talking on his cell phone! Â I'm guessing he may have been the manager or owner? Â Anyway, he told us he was sorry - that he was busy with a million things. Â Seriously... when the place had zero customers?
Anyway, we got to choose where we sat, and we went with a booth. Â The guy who seated us handed us their brunch menu and briefly explained their dishes were served tapas style. Â When he walked away to let us look at the menu, my sister and I started looking at the menu when our server brought us their lunch/dinner menu and took the brunch menu away. Â She apologized and said brunch was over, which we had expected initially anyway. Â
We were really hungry, so after looking at the menu for a few minutes, we decided to get the Beef Slider and Chimichurri Hanger Steak, both cooked medium. Â We knew the plates would be small since they're tapas, but we had no idea just how small since it was our first time at a tapas restaurant.
BEEF SLIDER - I'm going to start out by saying it was partly our bad for not looking carefully at the menu. Â It was "Beef Slider," not sliders. Â We were expecting at least 2 "sliders," but then looked at the menu again and saw it was singular. Â Boo. Â We still shared the tiny thing. Â It was juicy and flavorful, but I was disappointed at the quantity at $9. Â Now here is the kicker - the description of the Beef Slider says "GROUND WAGYU BEEF, BLACK TRUFFLES, FOIE GRAS AIOLI AND BRIOCHE BUN" (from their website). Â I guess we should've really paid attention to the description, since we only realized once we got back home and looked at the menu online that OUR slider was missing a key ingredient - the BLACK TRUFFLES! Â ARGHHHH! Â What the hell? Â I'm almost as mad at myself as I am at the chef!
CHIMICHURRI HANGER STEAK - My sister thought the steak was too salty, but I thought it was pretty good. Â I didn't realize that the steak would be topped with some type of cilantro sauce (I hate cilantro), but I scraped most of it off and it tasted fine. Â The roasted corn and tomatillo succotash was actually really good. Â It tasted like it was flavored with coconut milk and also contained soy beans (which I love).
We ended our afternoon "snacktime" (seriously, I was still starving after eating half of each of the above tapas) with a dessert...
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BOMB - Now this was really yummy. Â Of course, it was tiny, but wow. Â The raspberry mousse was sweet and tart, and it went perfectly with the chocolate shell, Oreo cookie crust, and raspberry syrup topping. Â It was pricey at $7, but I was happy with it.
Service - Although my sister and I were the only customers in the entire restaurant, service was slow. Â Does this make any sense? Â We had to wait awhile before we could ask for straws for our waters. Â And at one point, we saw the chef walk out and hand a plate to the server (possibly because he was waiting for the server to come get it and she took too long), who then brought it over to our table. Â I'd never seen that happen at a restaurant before.
Overall, I'm giving 3 stars because the food tasted pretty good, but I guess I'm not really into the "tapas" style of dining. Â I'd like to get full if I'm paying $9 for a dish. Â And I'm still really pissed about the lack of black truffles in our Beef Slider... Â =P Â I probably wouldn't return based on the price, and the fact that one of our tapas was missing a key ingredient. Â I'm just really glad we didn't pay full price for our "snacks."
*NOTE: Â We were told that they were going to have a new menu starting today, so the two tapas I reviewed above are no longer even in the menu anymore... Â But the Chocolate Raspberry Bomb (now called "Chocolate Raspberry Bombon") is still on the menu, so I would recommend that for anyone who wants to try this place.
HIDDEN GEM
I love this place. Â I had blast here on a Saturday night. Â The food was delicious, the atmosphere was gorgeous, the drinks were perfect, the waitstaff was awesome, and the owner was a visible centerpiece.
We made 9:30p reservations and were greeted by the hostess with a smile. Â She gave us a quick tour of the place and seated us. Â Our waitress gave is a drink and menu rundown with recommendations. Â I ordered the Carne Asada and Pollo Asado Tacos and Au Gratin Potatoes. Â My boyfriend ordered the Shrimp and Grits plate. Our drinks- Sunset Margarita and the Gentleman Sidecar. Â We loved every sip and cherished every bite. Â The Pollo Taco's were better than the beef but they were both really good. Â The grits were creamy and perfect topped with fresh large shrimp.
After dinner we stayed for the DJ and moved to the lounge area. Â Saturday is Hip Hop night and the DJ played the top hits. Â It was a good time. Â There was a nice crowd. Â I give this place an A+ all around.
Given Purple Rain's close proximity to my house, we decided to give this place ago with a group of 5, in spite of the mixed reviews.
The atmosphere was absolutely excellent; we were blown away that somewhere out in the burbs would have such a nifty club/lounge vibe. Â It's a little over the top with the purple theme, but fun anyway - very Buckhead.
The service was quite good. Â There was an initial delay getting our drinks, but since we ordered 5 complicated cocktails from the drink list, I can't hold that against them. Â The staff were all extremely friendly, and our water glasses were never empty (emphatically never empty - even after we finished our meal and told 3 different people "no, we don't need more water!").
The drinks were very good - interesting, complex, balanced flavors, and pleasantly strong. Â Of the 5 drinks ordered, it was hard to pick a favorite, but the ginger-orange mojito was fantastic (if not a little over-sweet).
We split 12 tapas plates between the 5 of us, and everything was excellent. Â The Lamb Gyros, Friend Chicken Sliders, and Hangar Steak were all to die for. The Camarones Tacos and Risotto Fritti were excellent (if not mind blowing). Â The ceviche, lobster roll, and beef nekigami were tasty, but could have been seasoned better, and the portion size on the pork belly was overwhelmingly large (too much fat, and about 4x as much overall as was needed). Â The waiter was very interested in our feedback about the dishes, and said he'd pass it along to the chef.
The price is slightly higher than what I would normally pay for tapas of this quality (ex: my favorite tapas place in Decatur is similarly priced, but slightly better quality). Â Still, I'm willing to pay an extra dollar for the convenience of a tasty tapas joint in my neck of the woods.
We'll definitely be back in the future; I can only imagine as Purple Rain works out its "new restaurant growing pains" that it will go from 4 stars to 5!
I finally came around to using my living social deal tonight. $25 for $50 worth of food. I really wanted to like this venue because it's set up really nice and it's close to home but the food here is "meh." Â The drinks are nice and strong though. This place used to be a pool hall but you never would know that by how it looks now.
Now on to the food...
My fiance and I started with a few tapas:
Moroccan Yucca Fries- Fries. Nothing special.
Patron Ceviche- The blandest ceviche I've ever had! Â I could make ceviche better than this. There was absolutely NO flavor to it and the chips that accompanied it were stale.
Lobster Roll- This was tasty but way too small! The whole dish was as big as the palm of my hand, and I have small hands. At $9, it was way overpriced.
Fried Chicken Sliders- Didn't get to try this because they ran out of the bread that the chicken is served on. Weird. How do you run out of bread??
Main Dishes:
Jumbo Sea Scallop- BEST dish of the night. The scallops were seared and seasoned perfectly. The wasabi mashed potatoes complemented the edamame and scallops very well. My only gripe is that there were only 3 scallops. BOO.
Filet Mignon- The filet was overcooked and super dry. The whole dish was way over salted and was just bleh.
I've been craving beignets and I really wanted to try the ones here but decided to skip out on them because everything else was so unimpressive. Service was ok but I probably won't be coming back.
I give this place 3 stars because the place is very upscale and after seeing it transform from a pool hall to this they deserve credit.
Beyond that though the owners need to focus on promotion because there was no one in there on a Saturday night. This place has a lot going for it in that it is close to 85, and there is no real competition in the immediate vicinity besides Bella. I suggest they spend some advertising $$ and get some better DJ's. It was all Indian house music and that ain't what's up! Â Hopefully a good promoter will come in an take this to another level. Otherwise in a year they will wish they kept the pool tables.
Purple Rain service A plus the hostess gave a nice tour and out look of their vision they wish to create. Food pretty good Chicken Sliders hit the spot and spicy. Beef Brisket Tacos alright at best served at room temp but they do take the time to pull the brisket with a fork gets some points on the hard work. Morrocan Fries a little limey but very tastefull. Over all I will be back for more and to hide out. Sexy hide away spot.
Review Source:A fun place to enjoy small bites and a few cocktail..
The Lobster rolls and Patron tequila where great
Duck breast was cooked perfect with the Chinese five spices...
If you do not know what the 5 spices are...star anise, cloves, cinnamon, huajiao (Sichuan pepper) and ground fennel seeds...
The bartender she made me a Sakiri Vodka perfect dirty martini...
Will be back soon..
I am giving 2 stars because according to yelp 2 stars = "Meh. I've experienced better". And I have experienced better ... in the form of SHOUT in midtown. Â Both Purple Rain and Shout are restaurant/lounge places so I think it's fair to compare.
When/Why I went: Friday. A friend was celebrating her birthday there.
Getting there: I live on the southern end of Atlanta so when I finally arrived at Purple Rain it literally felt like I had driven to South Carolina.
The Interior: Very nice and upscale.
The Crowd: You know that perfect balance between crowded and not-so- crowded? Purple Rain did not have that. Â The crowd was almost nonexistent for it to have been a friday night. I'm not sure why... but my guess is because we were in South Carolina!!
The food: *Note: This is definitely not the place to go to get full* I ordered a lobster bisque (which if you hold out your hand and cup it, my lobster bisque would struggle to fill your cup). And I also ordered the Potato Au Gratin, which is basically a potato soup. Â Both orders were delicious and perfectly seasoned. Â However I was with a party of 15. And majority of the party who ordered other dishes did not enjoy their food. Â The couple beside me received their order after I was finished with my two plates. Â But in all fairness our waitress warned us that the orders might come out at different times...
The dance floor: ... There was a dance floor that could be easily missed if you weren't paying close attention while making your way to the co-ed bathroom. Â We got there at 9 and it seemed that by 11 they were still playing elevator music! Â Finally around 12 the dj's shift came and he was alright. Â I just couldn't get passed the fact that there were only females on the dance floor while the guys looked on. The only time the floor was "packed" was when the dj played "Wobble" ...the guys still looked on.
Prices: Â Not too bad
Moscato (less than halfway filled and only served as "twisted") : $7
Lobster Bisque: $6
Potato Au Gratin: $5
Included %18 gratituity: $1.98
Tax: .77
Came here Saturday night with a few friends. Â Ordered scotch on the rocks. Â It took 10 minutes for the server to bring our drinks, which by that time I could see the scotch was watered down. Â I wasn't very happy with that. Â So we ordered another round and let the server know the watered down effect wasn't making anyone's night. Â So she let us know it's the bartender's fault. Â She did however bring the next round of drinks without the ice, but brought a bucket of ice on the side. Â So that made things a little better. Â Better until my friend wanted some beignets. Â Whoever prepared this crap forgot to deep fry them. Â The crap they called beignets tasted more like dry pancake mix. Â It was so bad I didn't even finish mine. Â
Overall not very impressed. Â Probably won't be going there again.
We were looking around on Yelp for a tapas place for a Sunday afternoon brunch. Â Purple Rain is just around the corner so we decided to give it a try. Â We arrived after 3pm which put us between the brunch and dinner menu for the Happy Hour menu. Â That's what we get for having too much fun the night before. Â
Upon walking in we were greeted by the hostess who was very polite and explained that they are a tapas restaurant and bar. Â The decor was very hip and the background music was an interesting mix of what sounded like traditional Indian and some dance beats. Â The Happy Hour menu has some interesting picks so we decided to check it out.
We went with the Moroccan Yucca Fries, Crispy Pig Ears, & Beef Slider. Â The sauce that went with the Pig Ears was very pleasant and as weird as the menu item sounds it's worth trying out. Â The Yucca Fries are a winner as well. Â The salsa like sauce on the side is spicy in a nice way and adds to the dish. Â The roasted garlic is also a nice touch. Â The beef slider was the main treat. Â It's small but if you haven't figured out that this place is about flavor and atmosphere by this point you're in the wrong restaurant. Â We really enjoyed the slider and would recommend it for anyone who wants a tasty treat. Â The Cloud 9 white sangria is a nice refreshing treat while the different olives in the Ultimat Martini give you nice mix of flavors.
Our final treat came when talking to the bartender and we mentioned that we're members at Lifetime Fitness. Â As it turns out Purple Rain is a Member Advantage partner with Lifetime Fitness and we got 15% off our tab for being LTF members. Â We're definitely planning to go back and try the rest of the menu.
ahhh , the purple rain experience was similar to my experiences with microwave popcorn ( something I don't eat). When I smell the butter and salt I desire to have it really bad but once I taste a piece of popcorn I always end up spitting it out due to my expectations not being met. I went to Purple Rain on a Saturday night the decor is really trendy and contemporary including the plates and glasses. We arrived around 9 planning to celebrate a friend's birthday, unfortunately the waitress could not seat us due to the Valentine's Day special that only excepts reservations and offers a limited menu. My friend saw the inside and said it was pretty empty inside and she was shocked they turned her around. The late night menu was offered at 10:30, so we decided to come back since our options were limited in Duluth.
When I made it back I ordered the risotto fritti , chicken sliders, and lemon and pepper chicken wings and white sangria to drink. Out of the 3 the chicken sliders was the better choice, not the best but better than the rest. They seemed to be out of a alot of things, for example they ran out of menus but the place wasn't packed. HUHH??? The white sangria offered 4 or 5 different fruits but only had two fruits plus it was watered down! Â If I go back it has to be for a special event for a good friend or something similar.
I had promised to take my mom to dinner, we drove around, and Purple Rain had caught my mother's eyes. The parking lot was empty so I was a bit worried, but from the street, it was very appealing. We walked in, the hostess was on the phone and was not very good at multi-tasking
(greeting us with at least a smile as we walked in).
The decor and music were great. General feel: Sophisticated, clean, upscale, uppity, and relaxing. Seems like this restaurant belongs in Atlanta, not near Gwinnett Mall (I hope it does last though!)
The food was delectable! Although it is quite a hodgepodge of food--not really one theme, there is "American", "European"...and even tacos?? But everything we had  was fantastic. Small portions (how I like it), but very tasty, and good presentation.
The servers were a bit casual (dress and demeanor) for what type feel/crowd they are going for.
Delicious food here, price is very reasonable, still needs a little fine tuning as far as management goes... :)
We had Sun brunch and will be back for dinner. Service is slow as some reviews mention, but we had time and didn't mind. Our waiter was attentive and the chef came out to answer questions about the menu. Go with an open mind as they just opened and seems to be going through a learning curve. Â
Would highly recommend the nutella stuffed banana french toast, duck and coffee. Avoided items mentioned in other reviews. Â
I don't think they're figured out what kind of a place they want to be yet, but for a reasonable price, you get decent food and a great ambiance.
By the way, looking at the interior pics, we were a bit surprised to see how plain the outside was but rest assured, the interior is nice.
I have to say, the place is not bad as you first walk in. Although the "Zen" wasn't all there in their ambience of dimmed purple lights, we thought it was kind of a neat place for Pleasant Hill. I've seen a lot of unsuccessful businesses in and out of there so for a minute, I was rooting for them.
The services/hosts was very mediocre for the socialite status they're trying to be, this isn't exactly Buckhead... to have such an unwelcoming attitude of "I don't need you" but deep down, you really do, especially all your workers. It took them forever to greet us.
The hostess sprouted an attitude when one of our friends walked in with a toboggan. According to their commandment that was sitting on the counter, "hats" were not allowed. Clearly, would not have been an issue at all if she actually approached it in a more friendly tone. We can read, speak, write, spell and throw things from the black book you wouldn't know exist. Do not test me.
The so called manager did not handle the whole situation well either. They were just not nice about it and all we really asked was a little bit of respects, especially to your customers of 8. That could make your restaurant look busier than the people working there because it was not happening that night for them.
The food was awful. The presentation was very pretty but the taste was absolutely disappointing. The lobster rolls were very cute on a plate but after you bite into it, it wasn't so cute. The lobster meat was not fresh and there's a smell. Do not try to play off a pretty dish of seafood; if you're a seafood lover, it's a dead giveaway by the smell of it. Even the slightest hint would let you know it's not fresh. The meat was bland and salty.
The only time I've ever put cayenne pepper on my apples is to bake with my pork chops for my friends. Sorry, but cayenne pepper only works on savory dishes, not on bruised sour apples. It was not marinated long enough to sweeten it nor gave it any taste other than spicy and sour. The "crisp" should be called "crumbled" because as soon as it was forked, it just surrenders itself all over the plate. I thought I was eating a packet of wet uncooked oatmeal.
The most disappointing of all is their beignets. I'm from the south and was only 1.5 hours away from New Orleans. I know what beignets are and what they're suppose to look like. They honestly have butchered the beignets, which New Orleans have pride themselves for many decades. It was flat, the dough was just FLAT. It didn't rise as if someone has put a voodoo curse on it!!! It was raw inside because it wasn't fried all the way through. It didn't taste like beignets and they really could have doused the plate with confectioner's sugar to get away with the looks.
Their beef nemeyaki (sp?) (tender beef wrapped in asparagus) was actually good. I did enjoy that and the fried yuccas. But can you really mess up anything fried? If the chef really overcooked the beef, then he needs to demote himself to dishwasher.
Asian and European fusion does not consist of tacos; then you're just crossing the border. Whatever they were trying to accomplish that night, did not work. Makes me wonder if they've actually sat down and taste their food before they serve it. And study their food culture to see what fusion really means.
The so called culprit behind this whole thing never once walked by another table to greet them and asked if there's anything they can do to better themselves so they can extend their 6 months lease. She stood at her "people's table" the whole night, I only noticed because our table was right behind theirs. She never looked around nor cares to check up on anyone. That itself shows she has no hospitalities to overlook such a place, which is really sad. It's very much a crime in my book. A restaurant only gets better with customer's critics.
That all being said, the DJ was awesome!!
I would love another opportunity to come back here to see if there's any improvement since New Year 's Day. We do need something new and cool and enjoyable around Gwinnett. If they want to stay, they need to suck up the attitude and just be nice and friendly. We're paying customers; we're not there to beg for our food. We are there to enjoy what they have to offer. I'm not attacking anyone on a personal level, but on a professional level in the name of customer services.
Planned a date with a baker that I know and once she accepted the hunt was on for finding someplace that was closer to her than last time (really who doesn't like heading down to Decatur? :-D )
So I come across this new place "purple rain" [insert Prince song here]. Checking out there website it looks pretty cool and is defiantly something different to do in Gwinnett. Â Now Gwinnett is defiantly going through some growing pains. Â It's not sure what it want's to be and that shows based on the business's that are a stone's throw away from the mall. I know the water tower shout's "Gwinnett is Great" but this place would fit into the midtown scene with no problem. Â It's directly across the street from Wild Bill's and up the street from Barnacles and based on the crowd that, those places draw hopefully they won't drunk stumble over to PR.
It's a European type atmosphere inside & they lean towards the lounge side of things with the couches pillows and relaxed seating. Our meal was pretty good our waitress suggested trying the Crispy Pig Ears but neither one of us was feeling that adventurous so we settled on the De constructed Caesar salad (good), Thai Mussels (my date said they were good, but a touch on the spicy side), Moroccan Yucca Fries (by far the most tasty thing we had that night) & the Chimichurri Hanger Steak (now it wasn't bad, but it just felt like it just wasn't seasoned right, i'd give them one more try going back). Â
Now that was the good, so now for the... well I won't say bad but odd, for a Wednesday night at a restaurant that's been open for about 3 weeks and not so crowded the service was pretty slow. I'm not sure if our waitress was trying to give us "date space" or if that's the norm there, Â also the manager was walking the rest of the wait staff around explaining what the different areas of the restaurant what each represented, that's odd especially when you have people in the restaurant eating & finally the bathroom it's as close to co-ed that I've experienced. Â The area where you wash your hands is large wide open and co-ed, the men's and women's bathrooms are on opposite sides of this room and I guess it's a way to promote the sexes talking to each other as they are washing there hands but I don't know if i'm sold on that idea. Â Finally back to the wait staff, as I said they weren't the greatest but the runner for our waitress Eric was funny, personable and really made our evening. He was johnny on the spot with refills, jokes and he even told us about the live music and wrote down what type of music would be playing each night [see picture]. Â So thank you PR for a good date that made me look like a rock star i'll be back again.
Oh and I forgot my date insists that I mention that she looked really cute that night and her legs were cold :-)
There's a piece of me that gets all warm when a date suggests a place I haven't been before, especially when it's a place I've wanted to try...like Purple Rain. In all honesty I'd only added it to my Yelp list of places to try a couple hours before he suggested it, so I did kinda think he may have been Yelp-stalking me. No way he could be psychic like that.
When I walked in it was everything I expected. Very cute, very purple, very empty. Ok, so I didn't expect the empty part, but it is pretty new so it wasn't super shocking or anything. As empty as it was it kinda disappointed me that it took so long for our server to come offer us drinks and when she finally did arrive I felt like I was going to d-i-e while waiting for her to finish talking about the damn menu. We'd been sitting there for close to 10 minutes so we pretty much had the menu memorized. Â Can I get some wine already, yo?
I asked my cute (and semi-funny) date to order for us, as this is one of my big tests. Â Ok, I lied - I'm just really indecisive and also find it to be slightly adorable when the man orders for me. Â Jus sayin. Â I can abandon my liberal ways at times. Â Anyyyyway....he chose the Moroccan yucca fries, deconstructed Caesar salad and Hanger Steak. Â I added the Thai mussels to the list, as I happen to love mussels. Â Our server warned me that they're spicy, but I am all about the heat so I told her to bring it!
I'm generally the queen of giving out 4 stars, but I happen to think my date may have over-starred this place. Â The food was OK...maybe a little better than OK, but they need a little work. Â There were enough flaws to make me really hope they get it together because the place is cute enough that I want it to stay around. Â The yucca fries - delicious! Â Hanger Steak? Â Major disappointment. Â It needed flavor - plain and simple. Â I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my eyes did totally water as I was eating the mussels, but they were good. Â
Our server was nice and all, but Eric was great! Â He made up for her lack of attentiveness and truly did make the experience. Â Because of him I'm tempted to bump my 3 to a 4, but I just don't think I can based on the food. Â Management of Purple Rain - take note! Â You have a star in Eric. Â He made the whole night much more enjoyable and sold me on possibly giving ya'll another shot in the future.
And as for my cute date...well, if Yelp would get with the program and let me review my dates I'd give him 5 stars. Â For real.
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