Denise G.
Yelp
Smith's Gourmet Creations! Finally! I found you. I've been trying to find this entry on Yelp for a while.
I found about them via Skint Chestnut Brewing Yelp reviews. The first TWO times we tried to visit, they were closed even though the hours online indicated that they were open. Disappointed, but didn't hold it against 'em like one of the Google reviewers. I know sometimes small business owners have a lot going on & they really don't seem to have the time to update their hours on vmail, websites & social media pages.
I called last week & confirmed that their hours, so imagine my surprise when J & I dropped by Wednesday only to discover they were closed because the of the Powder Springs Seafood Festival. Doh! There was a sign taped to the door letting customers know they'd be back Thu & Fri.
The next day, 4th attempt - J couldn't make it until that night & I didn't want to deal with crowds later - so I ventured in by myself. I can't have shellfish (allergies) but I LOOOVE fish. I grew up within 1/2 mile of the Darien & Altamaha rivers and less than 7 miles from the ocean. I had been 'stalking' Chef Antoine Smith's IG photos for weeks & salivating over his foodgasm-inducing photos. I was NOT going to be deterred.
Interior / Exterior
Broad Street is a 1-way street with limited parking. There were cars parked along Hotel Ave as well. I'm not sure if you're allowed to park in the Bookworm parking lot or at that lot on Murray Avenue. They went with that industrial warehouse aesthetic and the floors were so clean and highly polished that it looked like you could eat off of them! There were a few tables with metal chairs and their dining room opens directly into Skint Chestnut Brewing's brewery space.
There's a nice outdoor deck at Skint Chestnut, not much of a view, but the fresh air is nice & you can bring your doggy. They're doing construction overhead, on Hotel Ave, so there was a bit of noisy hammering going on that particular day. I'm sure after 5pm - it's a non-issue.
Customer Service
Upon entering, there were 3 people waiting on orders. The cashier glanced up, then looked down at her phone. As I stood there, she continued texting. I continued to stand there. She eventually glanced up, then back down & said, "I'll take your order whenever you're ready."
I said, "I'm ready now ... or actually, I have some questions." She looks up again & for some reason, she seems annoyed. She told me to go ahead with my questions with quite a 'tone.' I asked her what the difference in price was on the whiting sandwich - $7 versus $10. She explained that it was the basket versus just the sandwich. Then I asked her if the cajun fries were battered or if they were just some sort of cajun seasoning? She cut me off & said, 'It's SEASONED SALT.' I said, 'Ok - so can I just get them plain?' She said yes. When I was typing in my email address for my receipt, she got impatient & printed it so I got both.
The cook was very friendly & animated. Cashier did seem to get over her initial irritation because she was fairly pleasant when handing off my food. I asked about menu's omission of the jerk salmon roll & she told me to check the WEBSITE - not social media for the most current menu. To ignore IG & FB because a lot of those are old photos and that it 'confuses everybody.'
Food
Ultimately, I decided to get a whiting basket, plain fries, no seasoned salt - with the blackened salmon cake eggroll. The cashier did also warn me that the $7 price was one single eggroll and the item in the photo was 2 eggrolls. I told her that was fine. I've had GBS, so I still can't eat big portions of food in 1 sitting but I also didn't want to purchase 2, in case I didn't like them.
The eggrolls were delicious. The filling wasn't blackened so the description seems slightly odd.
The whiting basket was a swing & a miss.
The fries were not 'plain.' They were battered. I specifically asked about this because I don't really like battered fries & I'd noticed in some photos, the fries looked like regular fries sprinkled w/ seasoning & other photos, they looked slightly battered. Plus they were soggy. *They did NOT get soggy during my drive home. I tried 2 fries before I left.
The fish looked beautiful, but when I broke off a piece, it was grey & had a super fishy odor - like it was old - which was probably a supplier issue. It happens occasionally. See photos. I wound up having to trash the entire meal.
Price / Value
I saw the other review about the small portions. Seafood is pretty expensive so I don't think they're overpriced. I did think it was odd that I was charged a 4% convenience fee without being warned about it - but I've noticed a lot of black-owned businesses are doing this now.
Overall
This visit didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but as a new business AND a small business, I can't conscionably give them less than 3 stars.
I think they still have some bugs to work out, but I wish them success and I think they'll do well.