I am a foodie. I worked at A Southern Season for two years, love to cook, and am passionate about fresh local ingredients and inventive cooking. For our first wedding anniversary, my husband surprised me with dinner at Magnolia Grill. Lots of the reviews on this site complain about the ambiance, but personally, I go to a restaurant for the food, period. I would much rather have INCREDIBLE food on plain china than mediocre food on crystal plates. For two twenty-somethings who are very knowledgeable about food but don't go to fancy restaurants much (and don't know much about wine), the ambiance was perfect--pretty casual, and the server was not condescending at all about our lack of wine knowledge. The food was amazing, especially the appetizer (baby beet and goat cheese salad) and dessert. When I took the first bite of my dessert (a lemon custard cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream), I started crying. I'm not kidding. The only con (and this was a year ago)--the handwritten menu was incredibly hard to read. They need a good graphic designer (or at least someone who can type). Also, for the person who thinks the cooks are back there opening up jars, take a look at their cookbook. Many of the recipes must be started days in advance. If you're passionate about food, go. If you want a ""big night out"" maybe try somewhere where the ambiance is more important than the food.
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