Shaun's Edgewood Social Club

I went to Shaun's last night (Thursday, 7/8/10) and we were the first customers there. My husband cannot eat gluten and I am 8 months pregnant. It was an outstanding meal and there were many gluten free options. The thing that makes Shaun's special is that it has all of the characteristics of a ""gem"" restaurant. It's not a chain by any means, it's quaint, it's affordable, the menu is small, the food is local, it's a good place to take people who are visiting. I had the salmon crusted in bacon and my husband had the steak with fries. My salmon was paired with these amazing mushrooms and tomatos. I've never tasted anything quite like it even though I've had salmon a billion times. Although each bite was a new flavor and a pairing that I would never have thought of (the mushrooms on my salmon were compeltely new to me), it was not at all pretentious (and that's key). You could actually eat it and get the sense that you're eating comfort food as opposed to tasting it, appreciating the ""newness"" and then moving on. There was not one part of either dish or appetizer (beef salad dish) that I did not marvel at and enjoy. I left stuffed to the brim and with a take away box. I would not recommend just one dish - I would say to have each person get something different and share. You want to try it all, trust me. Their new fixed price menu is a good idea and a great value (though we didn't get it) - you get I think 3 courses for about 30 dollars. I love this restaurant. Last night confirmed in my mind that it is my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. Hands down. \r \r For those of you wondering about the prices, if you do not get the fixed price menu, these are the prices (as I recall):\r salmon meal $26\r steak meal $28\r beef salad appetizer $16\r (all apps are about $12-16 and entrees about $25-30, thought they may have one much cheaper option under each category)\r \r drinks - \r crown & coke $9\r small selzer water and juice $3 Pros: everything you taste can be savored Cons: drink prices are very high comparably more

My DH and I had dinner here based on recommendations from some ""foodie"" friends. We had a reservation and when we walked in, no one greeted us. Several servers passed us, the bartender saw us, no one smiled, no one said ""just a moment"". I find this rude. People come to nice restaurants for the whole experience, you're paying for food AND service.\r Anyway, a manager type finally noticed us and then the host came and took us to our table. It was very loud, close to other tables, near the computer where orders are put in, the office door was wide open, and the A/C must have been broken b/c it was really hot and there were fans running. Needless to say the ambiance was sorely lacking and I was expecting a fine dining experience! We waited atleast 10 min. for our server to show up but she did apologize and she was nice....just not super attentive. We ordered the $16 ""jumbo"" crab cake app and when it finally showed up it was delicious, but pretty small. We didn't receive any bread, though I did see some on other tables. Entrees: shrimp and grits were great, but they came to the table SO HOT it took a good 15 minutes before we could eat them. The steak frites were just ok....the fries are fried in duck fat and I found them to be very heavy and not overly flavorful. The pinot grigio is $11 / glass and it's terrible. The banoffee desert is good, but not great. \r Overall the meal had it's good and poor points, Shaun's is not 'fine dining' but it's prices are. If I could do it again, I'd go elsewhere. Pros: Some dishes are tasty, parking is easy Cons: Ambiance, too pricey for what it is more

An old friend of mine and I met for dinner, last night at Shauns. From the minute we walked in the service was off. The host seemed flustered and confused when we said we had reservation. He finally got us seated at a table. The table was in a great location and the dining room was beautiful. it took more than ten minutes to have a server come greet our table. When he finally came over he struggled to get a drink order. he came back with drinks (and still no water) another 5-10 minutes later. We ordered a glass of wine and two appetizers ( the pork buns and arugula salad) it was all delicious. When the server came back to get our order he didn't know the menu or the specials or anything. We had a question about one of the menu items and he did not know or bother to ask. For dinner we got the crab cakes and the hanger steak with fries. The crab cakes were small and breaded and the steak was a hanger steak. Both items were good but we were hoping for great. Honestly they did not seem to live up to the price tag. Overall it just seemed frustrating like no one cared about our dining experience so that was disappointing. Pros: Atmosphere, Location, The Vallet guy was awesome Cons: Service more

I recently got a chance to dine at Shaun’s a few weeks ago & got damn did I walk away impressed; impressed by the food & the atmosphere. As it was a beautiful southern spring evening, we sat outside on the patio. It’s a comfortable enclosed setting out back, thus its separated from the traffic & noise of the street. Its well decorated with flowers & plants & the tables are appropriately spaced to give you the sense of privacy & intimacy you want at a place of Shaun’s caliber. So lets get to the apps. I’ll start off by saying that the duck fat fries were the worst thing we had. That’s how damn good the appetizers were! Duck fat fries rock & if they’re the worst of the lot that is most definitely saying something. The fries were excellent, don’t get me wrong, but for me they just weren’t as incredible as the other 3 apps. In addition to the fries, we also had the pork buns, which are Shaun’s take on the traditional dim sum pork bun. It was a perfectly cooked slice of pork belly with some cool greens tossed in a dressing that tasted sort of caesaresque, topped with a touch of this fabulous salt, all sitting in a traditional light, airy & delicious dim sum bun. Each bite was this marvelous combination of porkiness from the porkbelly, a slightly crunchy bite of the cool, creamy greens, followed by the airiness & sweetness of the bun & then rounded out by this incredible salt flavor. I love salt & damn this was some cosmic ass stuff. It was just fantastic. Next we had the chopped liver. Yeah, I’m a southerner & I love chopped liver & let me tell you, Shaun’s definitely didn’t disappoint. It was a rustic preparation that just blew me away. Nice big chunks of chicken liver & egg & then pulled together with a fantastic mayonnaise. All served with this great rustic, artisan bread, grilled to perfection. The mayo is really what set Shaun’s chopped liver apart. It added a creaminess & depth of flavor that I’d never really had before. All of that smeared on that fantastic bread & I was in flavor overload. The last app was the asparagus & once again, I was floored with the incredible flavors of the dish. A plate of perfectly cooked asparagus served slightly cool/bordering on room temp, topped with a slightly piquant & lightly textured cream sauce & finished with a healthy heaping of crawfish. A damn near perfect combination of flavors! You had the nice cool, earthiness of the asparagus, topped with a delicious & slightly spicy cream sauce that was nice & light… not the heavy cream sauces you’re use to seeing with pastas.. & then topped with succulent & sweet crawfish. After we’d finished the asparagus, I sopped up all the sauce with some bread it was that damn good! For the entrée we went with the Salmon. It was a seared filet of Sockeye salmon, topped with a bourbon sauce & served with a mustard mash & grilled ramps. The mustard mash was incredible. The mashers had just the right amount of mustard to pep them up & get them the right flavor w/o being overpowering. The ramps, while a very simplistic preparation, were also fantastic. I never knew a grilled ramp could taste so good… I’ll definitely be adding them to my grilled vegetable repertoire. For me the salmon was a bit overcooked (I like mine mid-rare) but my dining companion thought it was perfect… so what the hell do I know. But it was topped with a delicious bourbon sauce that certainly helped compensate for my issues with how the fish was cooked. All in all, I freaking loved Shaun’s & will be back very soon. You should get there at your earliest convenience! Pros: INCREDIBLE food, awesome patio Cons: a touch expensive more

We had our wedding reception brunch here a few weeks ago and I cannot say enough about how great it was! My husband and I are foodies so we combed the city for the perfect place with great food. They made this day stress free and the food was absolutely phenomenal! It is very hard to cook all the food to order and get it out at the same time and they did just that! I would highly suggest going there for brunch or whatever. Pros: great food, great staff Cons: can't think of any more

I love to rant and rave about Atlanta dining, but after watching so many people in our city pass over the famous restauranteurs from NY and head to Atlanta owned and operated restaurants, I think I understand why. And I found the answer in Shaun's. The atmosphere reminds me of Fig or Trattoria Lucca in Charleston, it's a simple neighborhood restaurant. A small bar, muted tones and white-but-casual tablecloths. The menu is adventurous enough to where the foodies get excited, but not so adventurous where it alienates their core Inman Park clientele. It has a simple menu but is magically versatile. Lastly, a lot has been made of the sustainable movement, and I think Shaun had a lot to do with that. He's always been one to champion our local farmers, and seems to put others first in more than one occasion. (Gluten free diners? A charity that benefits Autism? Great guy, obviously.) Shaun gets simple right, and in my book, that's the hardest part. more

Butcher-papered tables, brick walls painted white, light grey-green accents, simple lighting - Shaun Doty set this sleek restaurant space up to bring the patrons focus to what is on there plate... and folks, what is on the plate is good. Not shying away one bit for what helped him rise to ATL notoriety, delicious portions of chicken liver fettucini, organic beef burgers served with fries deep fried in rendered duck fat, local this, sustainable that - you get the picture. Shaun is a progressive-thinking chef mixing the best of local ingredients and experiences mixed with the best of what other regions offer as well. The front of house knows their stuff, and are happy to offer suggestions or wine pairings. Be sure to check out the wallet-friendly Sunday night three-course pasta dinner for a mere $12. That makes it one of the best values in town. Pros: The Chef, Creative Menu , Sunday Pasta Night more

I had the best new years eve ever! To start the filet was amazing. Way better than any ""steak house"" has. The service was great, my server was very accommodating to all my special needs. A lot of restaurants don't have servers that have knowledge of certain food allergies. David was great and answered all my questions. Shaun definitely outdid himself with the menu as well as the atmosphere. There was a countdown to the new year with a champagne toast. Great food, Great people, there is no better way to ring in the new year. Thank You Shaun Doty! Pros: food and drinks Cons: nothing more

Just enjoyed dinner there last night, Menu changes daily and features local ingredents and an excellent wine list. I had Venison with perogis, and my partner had the fish and chips which was a massive portion and super fresh. We had an Eton mess and homemade coffee ice crean, top notch. Pros: unique creative menu more

We've been to Shaun's about 6 times in the past year and a half, and every time it's another roller coaster ride. The last time we were there (a couple weeks ago) the service was just unforgivable. The restaurant was practically vacant, and on Saturday night no less, and after nearly an hour wait for our appetizers to be served, I went to the hostess stand to ask for at least a bread basket. A minute later, the bartender (I know, weird, huh?) brings us some bread. A few minutes later butter arrives. Then we had to ask for olive oil. The appetizers finally arrive about 10 minutes later. Amazing, it took nearly an hour to get a plate of watermelon salad ball$. I guess word got back to Shaun that we were not happy, because he personally came to the table to apologize and comped our meal. Sorry, but we won't be back. After several visits and probably $2,000 later, it's just not worth the risk anymore. Pros: Good, neighborhood feel Cons: Service is lacking more

The food at Shaun’s is bland, unimpressive and *way* overpriced. The menu online doesn’t even remotely resemble what’s actually available at the restaurant, so don’t get your hopes up. The wait staff is aloof and inhospitable, unwilling to accommodate minor requests or changes. While the restaurant was mostly empty the night we were there, all parties were seated at closely situated adjoining tables, so that we could all hear every word of each other’s conversations in an otherwise quite room. The party sitting next to us was loud and intoxicated, kept interrupting conversations at other tables and playing “bodily function” noises on iPhones. The staff at Shaun’s seemed wholly uninterested in the comfort of guests. Unfortunately the food was not good enough to make up for tragically deficient service. Cons: poor service, underwhelming cuisine, poor management more

Wide range of items. I had the fish and chips, which were delicious. The service was outstanding and very friendly. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Pros: Very flavorful and well prepared food, friendly service more

This restaurant is certainly a neighborhood favorite. Their menu is very diverse and the taste is unique. They have some chef choices and you leave it to them because the food is melt in your mouth good. A totally impressive experience in so unlikely a spot. \r more

I'm a long time resident of Inman Park and have enjoyed the caliber of restaurants that have moved to the neighborhood. I recently dined at Shaun's on Friday night and had a lovely experience. My wife and I sat at the bar and enjoyed a $29 prixe fix that featured several ""signature"" dishes of the restaurant. I guess that they are doing the prixe fix meal in response to the economy...lucky us! The Chopped liver was to DIE for and the schnitzel was interestingly garnished with peanuts. Rounding out the meal was a a Parsnip cake with miso ice cream and chocolate potau creme. Definitely a good value, Inman Park is lucky to have Shaun! more

Took my mom their for her birthday. They lost our reservation and they didn't even say sorry. Sat us at the worst seat on the patio. To add insult, the food was tasteless. \r \r Only eat here if you're a sadist!\r \r more

We went in for a little date night this past weekend (Saturday), with very high expectations since chef doty has built quite a reputation for himself - we left wishing that he would have found the right staff and management to compliment the great space, because it was SEVERELY lacking.\r \r Once sat It took our server over 12 mins. to make a first appearance (tall white male), and when he showed up he jumped right into asking to take our order... no wine suggestions, no friendly banter. We placed our order, and sat for another ten mins without any water or bread. While we sat we had the pleasure of listening to disgusting profanity venting out of the kitchen (which is open) and what I later realized when using the restroom was the office space. The woman who is SUPPOSEDLY the manager, walked by MANY times, without a smile, ""hello"", or an ounce of warmth or welcoming compassion. That to me is a total turnoff... if you dont have a personality, or a reechoed one at that, dont be in the service industry, get a desk job.\r \r The Entrees were wonderful, exactly as described in the menu, and true to chef Dotys legacy - heartwarming and simple, combinations from the unexpected and beautifully presented. Desserts were a letdown, not standing up to the other dishes by ANY means, which mad me sad and longing for pastry programs at previous locations such as midcity and 1280.\r \r So, Ill just let out a big *sigh* and realize the fact that Ill have to be letting go of my foodie affair with Shaun Doty. Its sad really, because his influence on our experience at shauns (Entrees) was truly superb... I just wish he would hire some real restaurant management, people who dont wear their detest for their jobs on their face and in their quality of work.\r \r Good luck Shaun, Maybe youll throw it out of the park on the next project like the good old days. Pros: Wonderful entrees, Great cocktail list and Bar service Cons: Manager (based on emails, name is Elizabeth), desserts, service more

I tried Shaun's for brunch. While they deserve credit for creative and different dishes than a typical brunch spot, as others here have said, I was underwhelmed. With this caliber chef and establisment, I expect quality and attention to detail among the entire staff. Two people accompanying me ordered the burger, which the menu described as including bacon. Both burgers came out minus the bacon. I ordered the Berkshire Pork Schnitzel, which included fried onions and a sunny side egg. My plate came with an egg that the yolk had broken, so it was not sunny side up, which was the whole point of the dish to have a runny yolk. Once the egg broke it should not have been cooked and definitely not served. I had to ask for ketchup, mayo and mustard for my companions, and for salt and pepper. If you don't want to offer condiments, then don't put burgers on your menu. I understand why chefs don't want to put salt and pepper on the table, because they think they have seasoned their food proplery. My egg did not come seasoned and I always put salt and pepper on them. These are all quality and attention to detail problems that I would not expect at a restauarant like this. There are plenty more restauarants in Atlanta, that cost more, but I will always go to because their food is prepared consistently every time with quality ingrediants and attention to detail. more

I would like to think of myself as a brunch expert, but Shaun Doty is THE brunch expert. My dining companion and I went for to Shaun's for Sunday brunch a few weeks ago, and we were very impressed. The decor was farmhouse-chic, the servers were friendly and helpful and the food was incredible. The ricotta beignets were incredible. The cheddar waffle was a perfect, unexpected brunch choice, and my friend's fish and chips were the best I'd ever had. The dish was served with homemade tarter sauce, but none was needed for this fluffy fried hunk of fish-- and I'm a sauce girl, so sauces usually make the dish for me. These entres were really spectacular, but nothing compared to the crabcake that my friend and I shared. It was made up of about 90% crabmeat, and needed no fillers. I cannot say anymore on the crabcake, because my words will not do it justice. If you love good food, and if you love brunch, you'll love brunch at Shaun's. Pros: Crabcakes!! Cons: None. more

Went to Shaun's last night upon a friend's request. We were seated in the back corner where all the servers gather so we requested another table. The bread is served cold and it is not what you would expect form a neighborhood bistro. My friend had the crab cakes, they were overcooked and did not have much flavor. I rather go to Joel for crab cakes for lunch but not at Shaun's for $30. I had the hamburger made w/ wagu beef and the fries fried in duck fat. I had a better burger at Muss and Turners made w/ wagu beef and raised locally. The fries are tastier also there. This was not the first time we had dined at Shaun's but there is better value elsewhere and just wanted to pass it on. We will not be returning. Cons: Quality does not exceed the value more

We were told recently that Shaun's had the world's best crab cakes, so we decided to check out the restaurant on a Friday night with a couple of friends. We had a reservation for 4 and were seated immediately. The service was great and so were the desserts (the sticky toffee pudding was the best), but the entrees weren't as spectacular as we were expecting. The crab cakes were pretty good--just crab, very little filler--but they needed something more, be it more grainy mustard on the side or some sort of spice to give them a little more taste. The best tasting entree (and the biggest) at our table was the duck, which is what I would order next time. The biggest drawback was the noise level inside the restaurant, which was so loud that most of the time you couldn't hear the person sitting next to you much less the person across the table. Like the concept of the neighborhood restaurant, but nothing really stood out here... Pros: great service and desserts Cons: value, gets really loud more