the general muir

you can find the general muir at 1540 avenue pli'm, ste b-230, emory point, atlanta, ga 30329 in the heart of emory village. parking is along the streets (a bit limited) or there are a few lots if you don't mind walking (i'd advise this as the area is quite busy). i had heard about the general muir from a few friends and have been wanting to visit - unfortunately it's in a part of town where i don't frequent. i had an opportunity (wife out of town) and a craving for an exquisite burger in mind so made the muir my destination one late afternoon. i had heard and read about the general muir taking general menu queues from a traditional new york style jewish deli so i had a specific image in mind at the outset. i was literally blown away by the interior of thisplaceon arrival - much more upscale than any deli i've visited - thisplacewould make an awesome date-night destination (but note that they do close by 9:00 pm during the week).

we visited the general muir and had a horrible experience. food was just ok,placeis pretty, the service was the worst i have ever experienced. server damaged my handbag after dropping a plate of food on it. server did not apologize, our server wouldn't bring replacement napkins and manager did nothing to make the experience better. over-hyped food and poor service.

everything was tasty. great flavors and beautiful place. excellent service. menu had several unique dishes. not my typicalplacethough. a touch fancier than my usual.

friday august 14 2015 was the first time i have eaten at the
general muir.

i had heard they had some of the best pastrami and corned
beef in atlanta.

a friend recommended we have lunch there.

as i am a big corned beef and pastrami nut, i agreed and met
him there.

i was excited about the pastrami sandwich and couldn’t
decide between the 7oz with chopped chicken liver and russian dressing but went
with the 14 oz for $18.

for that price i was expecting  the leanest, tastiest pastrami cooked and
handled with care.

unfortunately that was not the case.

i asked for the 14oz and ask to have my bread toasted
lightly.

what came was a greasy, fatty, overcooked pile of what
looked like dark grey meat on an over grilled piece of bread.

i even asked them to check with the chef to make sure it was
the 14 oz as it looked very short to me.

when i opened it to add some mustard, i found 2 of the
slices, to be only slabs of fat and the rest falling apart over cooked meat
with no real flavor profile, just hot mess.

as i was on kind of a job interview with my friend, i did
not want to make a scene at this luncheon.

however, this meal was absolutely the worst i have had, in
this city in a very long time.

and i could not understand the reason for the high price. as
this was very poor quality product, they had produced.

also i stated they forget the pickle with this sandwich to
which i was told it was extra $1.

so a subpar pastrami sandwich for $18 which didn’t even
included the pickle to complete the required flavor profile to accompany, what
should have been a great sandwich.

joey d’s oak room has the finest 7 & 13 oz corned beef
sandwich in the city.

they gently roll 7 & 13 oz of the leanest, most juicy
corned beef into a large meat roll andplaceit lovingly between great jewish
rye bread and include the whole dill pickle for $17.95 for the 13 oz.

i would run to have that sandwich again and i will.

i would not return for this pastrami ever again.

when i pressed my friend about his lunch he shurged his
shoulders and it was eahhhhh.

i don’t understand all the good review, as i have no reason
to return to this establishment, ever.the service was attentive.

fabulousplacefor breakfast! scrambled eggs with nova and onions was delicious. my husband's pastrami bacon was just amazing! well worth going out of your way for!

not the real deal!. this is not a real ny style deli just a southern version of one. pastrami sandwich had large pieces of fat disguised as meat. it is fine that the meat be fatty when cooked as this gives flavor but the meat should be trimmed well before serving it in a sandwich. i don't like biting into fat! my husband ordered a turkey sandwich which was mostly bread along with a thin slice of turkey + paper thin slices of portobello mushrooms, creme fraiche and arugula. now i ask you, what ny deli have you ever seen such a sandwich served at?? disappointed to say the least! the only fhing ny about thisplaceare the high prices- we paid almost $40 incl. tip for 2 sandwiches, cole slaw, potato salad ( had no taste) and one soda. won't be back, sorry!

pastrami w/ chicken liver pate. the sandwich was very good also had tomato soup which was very good. homemade dill pickel. thisplaceis very nice, good portions, prices are a tad high over $20 w/o tip for what i ate.

best local deli. having dined at some of the finest deli's in new york, miami, boca, chicago, and toronto, i can honestly say thisplaceis head and shoulders above every other deli in atlanta. once you've dined here you'll never be satisfied by goldberg's again.

the menu is limited, but what they have is well executed.

best way to describe the place: fresh, local, and chef driven meets classic new york style jewish deli.

food - 8/10 - zingerman's and carnegie deli are still better
service - 10/10
ambiance - 10/10 - probably the cleanest deli i've ever been to

shame on us for not trying general muir sooner! it’s only a short walk away and has been talked about like crazy since it opened recently. it’s an awesome modern homage to the old fashioned jewish delicatessen, and it’s hard to find anything to complain about. we had high expectations knowing that theplaceis owned by the same couple who runs west egg cafe, and the same chef who created the famous (if you live in atlanta) bocado burger. we were not disappointed!

highly over rated. ok, yuppie heaven. i've been in ny delis -- in new york! this ain't one of 'em. service was great,placeis clean, staff are very nice -- food is ok -- and vastly over-priced. $12 for a reuben -- w/not even a pickle? pickles are $1 extra. totally "a la carte,"don't get a soda unless one can is enough -- i stuck w/iced tea so i could, hopefully, get refills w/o paying another $2.50 -- for a high-ball sized glass.

and the parking deck is definitely a problem. all the tenants at emory point should raise hell about that one.

poached eggs n grits were very yummy!


-----22 mar, 2013-----

i had the lamb sausage sandwich and it was great! never disappointed with thisplace:)

had brunch here today. my irish coffee was spot on as was every dish we ordered. the house pickles were great. service was excellent and theplaceis bright and airy on the inside. looking forward to my next visit here.

pastrami not a winner. some things i love about thisplace-- eclectic emory ambiance, innovative sandwich menu, availability of mexican coke.

my quandary was between the turkey sandwich (raved about on earlier reviews) or the pastrami sandwich, which i eventually chose. the meat was a bit dry with a not so tasty tourchon style liver paste on top. going with the turkey next time...

delectable turkey sandwich. after seeing the high praise from barney, i knew i had to check out the general muir. theplaceis very nice and is absolutely spotless. the décor is kind of industrial chic and they have very large windows that let in a lot of natural light. the service was exceptional.
i decided on the roasted turkey sandwich which comes with portabella, lemon crème fraiche, arugula, and gruyere on ciabatta. it was a phenomenal sandwich with a ton of different flavors that commingled into something that was a taste-bud satisfying revelation. the lemon crème fraiche is just brilliant; i never would have thought to put something like that on to a sandwich! it added the right amount of zing that really took this thing to the next level. the turkey was perfect and the portabella was nice and meaty. every ingredient was extremely fresh, including the bread. oh, i almost forgot, i also had a side of the pasta salad. though it is atypical of what you expect for pasta salad, it was very nice and refreshing.
overall, the general muir is a real winner based off this sandwich alone. theplaceis nice and in a great location, and the service is great. i look forward to trying the other menu items, including the pastrami sandwich and their breakfast and dinner options.

i think i love thisplacealready. update 12/2014: after many many trips through the year, i continue to really like this place. after hearing some comments here and there, it probably bears repeating that this is aplacefor quality over quantity and should best be described as "deli inspired" and not simply a deli. they seem to put a lot of effort into coming up with a gastronomic twist on a traditional favorite, not giving you a pile of average/cheap food. i think they do a great job of it, but it's important to have the right expectations.

----

what a menu, so many traditionally inspired items with a real inventive twist. looked at the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu's and really couldn't find anything that didn't look worth a try.
for a quick breakfast on their 2nd day open, went with the "avenue a" open faced bagel w/ cream cheese, nova, onion, avocado, grapefruit, cucumber, and dill. what a great combination of flavors on a great chewy bagel.
worth noting, again being the 2nd day open, that the service seems really up to speed and can discuss the menu in detail. seems like they won't need to be apologizing about service in the first weeks.
i suspect i'll be here often.