Girasoles - Watkinsville, GA - July 10, 2007

Dining from 5:30p - 6:45p
Health Rating: 100/97
Average Cost per person: $31.00 (including appetizers and alcoholic drinks)

Overall EATS Tour Rating

Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
Service: A

Meals ordered

Taylor Little
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Dish: Crab Cakes
Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
Service: A+
Review:I had heard a lot about this place but had never eaten there. It's a little confusing to pin down what they focus is and I think that hurts the overall experience. If I remember correctly it's a fusion of hispanic and european cuisine but I don't think it excelled at either.

I had the Calamari as an appetizer and it wasn't bad but after eating a few it became apparent there was a lot of grease in the batter and I lost my taste them pretty quickly. I had a the crab cakes as an entreé as I often do at our reviewed restaurants. It was served as a single large cake with an orange sauce. I couldn't determine the sauce's ingredients but it finally dawned on me. It was the same somewhat tangy orange sauce you find on many generic Mexican dishes - I guess that is the fusion part but crabs and the sauce didn't fuse too well as the taste overpowered the crab. Not bad overall but just not that good.

The atmosphere suffers from an older location (formerly Maison Bleu) and a lot of generic posters of depression-era construction projects and Paris - not sure of the tie in with a restaurant predominantly Spanish flavor.

Service was good, nothing exemplary but the waitress was nice.

Stephanie Sharp
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Dish: Shrimp & Grits
Food: A-
Atmosphere: B
Service: A
Review: My rule is you can't go wrong with Shrimp & Grits...and Girasoles didn't break it. I would rank their Shrimp & Grits up with the best of them. The grits were very creamy and cheesy and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. Everyone sampled my meal and all were in agreement that it was excellent.

The atmosphere however, did not rate so high. The restaurant is in the old Gautreau's building. It's been so many years since I last ate in that building but I remember it feeling like you had wondered into a hidden gem of a place that not many are able to find. Now the building seems to sanitized and neutral. I think the new restauranteurs were afraid to take risks...but the place needs some identity. In addition the restaurant is labeled an Italian/Mexican but besides a few pasta dishes and a couple of burritos hidden on the back cover of the meny I didn't discover any Italian or Mexican Dishes. I have never heard of an Italian or Mexican restaurant where a table of guests can collectively have Stuffed Filet, Crab Cakes, Shrimp and Grits, and Stuffed King Salmon. If you were to look at this ticket you would think you have stumbled into some sort of Seafood restaurant. Anyways, despite the name or the description of the restaurant, the food was excellent, the atmosphere was "ok" and the service was spectacular.

Virna Mendoza
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Dish: Stuffed Filet Special
Food: B
Atmosphere: B
Service: A
Review: Girasoles is located in Watkinsville in the same spot previously occupied by Le Maison Bleu and Gautreau's years before that just down from the Town Center. For our appetizers the guys ordered Calamari and Bruchetta. The calamari was excellent, very crispy and was accompanied with a mild marinara sauce. The Bruchetta was unusual...it was more of a salad...romaine lettuce, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette. I really enjoyed it but did expect it to come with bread at first.

There were a few specials offered this evening and I choose the fillet. The fillet was butterflied and stuffed with blue cheese and mushrooms and topped with a mushroom sauce. It also came with roasted potatoes, sautéed green beans and carrots. I had ordered my steak medium but found mine to be a bit overcooked to medium well. I would rather that my meat be a bit pink in the middle. Another thing I was not pleased with was that everything was over salted, the meat and the vegetables. If they had scaled back on the salt I would have been very pleased with the flavor. In the future I would definitely recommend that you ask for less or rather no salt on the dish. I did like the presentation of the food though. I was able to try a bite of Stephanie's Shrimp and Grits and really love the taste of that dish.

Atmosphere was certainly lacking on the inside. Everything was in neutral colors...beige and brown with black and white photos. It would be nice to add some color to the decor to dress the place up just a touch. Our server did a good job with our table. She kept a good eye on us and made sure to follow up. Overall I would be willing to give this place another try to taste a couple more items on the menu.

Trent Allen
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Dish: Stuffed King Salmon
Food: B-
Atmosphere: C
Service: B+
Review: