While in Atlanta, one of my co-workers, knowing I’m a beer guy, recommended a local sports bar to see while we were in town. The restaurant is called Stats, and it’s known for providing beer taps at the tables for customers to pour their own beer. I was sold.
We were trying to figure out when we were going to go, and he suggested going there on Sunday to catch some football games, but we all agreed that it would probably be so packed that we probably would have a hard time getting a seat, so we waited until Monday for lunch. It was generally empty, but you could tell that it filled up in the evenings.
This was just one of the rooms, which included another large dining room, a sizable bar area, and a nice rooftop deck. There were large banks of TVs, projectors, and even a flat screen available at our table. This TV was right at our table, located on a boom right above our table. A switch on the wall lowers the TV into place adjacent to the table, directly above the taps.
As promised, our table had beer taps on the table. When we asked “so… how does this work?”, our friendly waitress, Courtney, told us that we pour what we want, and she charges us on a per-ounce-poured basis when we get the check.
They had a great lunch menu, and I had a hard time picking out my meal. As our reader knows, we love mac and cheese, so it was a must for lunch, but the spicy grilled cheese with tomato bisque was just too much to pass up. The mac and cheese was listed as a side, so I ordered both.
The grilled cheese was every bit as good as it looks, and the tomato bisque was excellent. Actually, I was shocked at how good the food was. I have generally found that when a place has a great, well-defined atmosphere, with moderately-priced food, you end up paying for the atmosphere, and the food quality suffers. Not so at Stats. The food exceeded all of my expectations.
The mac and cheese was exceptional, leading me to tell Courtney how I felt. She conspiratorially confided in me that the staff calls it “crack and cheese”, and most of the staff find it to be one of their favorite items on the menu. I could see why. The cheese sauce was flavorful, but not too thick. It’s clearly baked, and not just cooked on the stove. To put it over the top for the Wife, the pasta is cavatapi. It was outstanding.
To top off our afternoon, the waitress was top notch. She was friendly and engaging, but not intrusive. Thanks, Courtney!
That place looks dangerous for our husbands!
<3 cavatappi
Question though – tables with taps – do you get to choose which beer is at the table? or in reverse, can you request a table with a certain beer? I see that yours had your general favorite…
That place looks freakin’ awesome. Beer mugs never go dry, personal televisions and the food… WOW! Good stuff!
You can request them, but there’s no guarantee they have it open. The hostess was about to seat us at one table, when I saw one with my favorite, Sam Adams Lager, when I requested a table switch. It was early afternoon, so it was easy for her to accommodate her. I’m guessing that during a game day, you get what you get, IF you get a table with taps.
As I said, I was SHOCKED at the quality of it all. Most places like that, I find you’re really paying for the atmosphere, but with Stats, it was the whole package; atmosphere, great food, AND a gimmick (taps). You should try it, if you happen by Atlanta!