Branchwater

TL: DR
— Um get the brussel sprous.
— GUYS. PIMENTO CHEES BURGER.
— Bourbon cake thing, I can’t remember. But it is SO GOOD.
I’ve not tried the Chef’s new spot yet, but I plan to soon. If it’s anything like this place it’s gotta be superb.

I really want to love Branchwater but I never seem to have a really great experience.
Food is always just ok, nothing crazy or mind blowing considering the prices are on the high side.
We have even come for both family holidays and Easter brunch and everyone left just kind of shrugging their shoulders.
There are much better restaurants in Alpharetta that we choose to go to instead. Branchwater just doesn’t compare.

We absolutely love this place! We enjoy eating in the dining room or on the patio, lovely ambiance either way. We have not been disappointed with the food here ever but the Brussel Sprouts are a MUST!

One of the few nice restaurants in Cumming… Kind of a shame there are so many drunk, middle-​aged persons in the bar. The food is more important though — & it’s delicious.
Brussels Sprouts: charred and tasty! A little on the heavier side — but if you’re sharing with at least two other people, it’s not so bad.
Tuna Poke: So delicious! Mixing the tuna with watermelon is such a great idea — hope they never change it.
Cauliflower Curry Soup: good & spicy
Short Ribs (might be added to menu full time): very good! Tender and well prepared.
The honeydew martinis are delicious! Alpha was an excellent server and the chef was very kind when he stopped by our table. Great choice for a night out — just try to avoid the bar area maybe.

This place is a fun family restaurant which serves traditional grub. The service was excellent as was the food. The place can be a bit loud as the floors are hardwood and the ceilings high. Chef Todd came out of the kitchen and stopped at many of the tables (including ours) to insure everything was satisfactory. I found it refreshing to see a business owner who actually cares about his product. Probabaly the best news is that the Chef is opening a «special occasion» restaurant in the near future to compete with the like of Morton’s and Chops.
Don’t believe the hype about the dearth of available parking. To read some of the reviews, you’d think you’re trying to find a spot to park in Tribeca on a Saturday night. There’s tons of parking within the Vickery Village complex.

Branchwater is located in Vickery Village, a small live-​work-​play combo community south of Cumming. There are a few different restaurants on site, but parking is not extensive. On a crowded Saturday night, you may have to circle around behind a row of office-​condos and walk a couple of blocks back to the restaurant. If the weather is nice, it’s not a big deal.
The restaurant itself is somewhat dark, with dark wood and animal-​trophies above the fireplaces. There are plenty of wait staff. As the evening went on, the noise level and crowd definitely went up.
We split a salad and each got filet tips, I think (with varying side dishes). The food was good and the portion sizes were fairly generous. They had a decent variety of seafood dishes as well (almost to the point of favoring those over the beef options).
The only ~ negative was the service. Our waiter was friendly, but the service was somewhere between ‘relaxed’ and ‘slow’. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t want to be rushed either. And for some others, maybe the pacing would be great. For me personally, a 2-​hour dinner is a bit longer than I’d usually budget, time-​wise. If you come with a larger party, the pacing might be more appropriate.
I’d consider returning based on the overall experience.

Food is great and I believe everything is made from scratch. Very warm and welcoming place … Of course everything helps when you have great company as well.

We love this place! We live around the corner and find ourselves down at Branchwater for just a easy family dinner or a nice night out with the wife! It’s truly or neighborhood place and we couldn’t ask for anything more from Chef Todd and his team.
Brussels Sprouts App is the best thing to start with and can’t go wrong great steak, their scallops and risotto. Food is top notch and feel thankful for such an awesome place only minutes from the house!

I’d really been looking forward to dining here — close friends recommended it as a great place with wonderful food and reviews on Unilocal were pretty glowing… AND it’s a Chef Todd Hogan concept restaurant. A friend’s birthday called for a wonderful meal, so the four of us decided on Branchwater.
Here are my observations about the experience:
1) make reservations — we did and were able to be seated right away
2) parking can be a challenge — it’s located in a highly trafficked development with multiple other restaurants and close to large subdivisions
3) the wine list is solid but the prices are stunning: $ 13 for a glass of Peju Savignon Blanc… and $ 90 for a bottle of Frogs Leap Chardonnay. Although not a sommelier, I do know good wine and I also know the cost — a bottle of Peju will be around $ 20 and granted while Frogs Leap makes only limited quantities (being a boutique winery) a bottle of their Chardonnay runs about $ 35. Skip the wine — order a beer.
4) two of us got steak — both were cooked exactly as ordered and were excellent
5) I got Carmelized scallops over sweet corn risotto — and was disappointed. The scallops were overlooked and gritty. The risotto was utterly over salted and lacked the creamy texture the dish is known for… I managed to eat only a quarter of it.
6) we ordered dessert: butterscotch flan for us and cheesecake for our friends. We’d mentioned to our server that it was a birthday celebration and our friends’ cheesecake was beautifully plated with a Happy Birthday message written on the plate.
7) service was prompt — on par with what you’d expect for a restaurant like this
8) this is not an inexpensive place to eat… be prepared for $ 75 tab for two people
Branchwater is located across the street from the Polo Fields in Vickery Village. Given the large number of homes in the surrounding area, the restaurant will be commercially successful. Our first experience was a mixed bag (steak = good, scallops = not), but we generally don’t judge a place by just one visit so we’ll try it again… sometime.

Fantastic dinner ! Cocktail: Mojito was perfect;
meal: Brussel Sprouts were a hit; Special of lamb, lobster, filet was delicious and cooked to order. Standard issue veggies & potato were a nice accompaniment. Dessert: pound cake with berries was just right;
We had a party of 9 and Alexander took excellent care of us ! We live in Vickery and are glad to have such a great restaurant come into its own and consistently provide a pleasing dining experience!

We have been twice, and loved it both times. The appetizers and desserts are the stars for me, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the entrees. I wish there was a featured vegetarian plate (the waitress did say she could put one together for me, which was nice, but it’s always way better when the chef specifically creates one for the menu). The cocktails are yummy too, and don’t pass up splitting the cheesecake with the pretzel crust!

My wife and I ate at Branchwater mainly because we wanted to be close to home in case the babysitter had any issues with our 9 month old baby. I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious the food was.
Firstly the BLT wedge salad I had was absolutely perfect. The blue cheese dressing was creamy and the bacon had just the right amount of crisp and was a touch warm. My wife didn’t care for the dressing on her Caesar salad but she lived the artichoke appetizer that she had.
We both had steaks that night I had the 14oz Prime New York strip and my wife had the 8oz bacon marinated filet. My wife’s filet was exceptional while my strip was good but a little on the fatty side for prime in my opinion. The steaks were both cooked to the correct temperatures.
The service was spot on. Alexander, who handled what seemed to be the 5 or 6 tables in the section where we were seated did a great job of making sure everyone was well taken care of. My one complaint is that overall the area where we were seated seemed rather loud.
We will definitely be going back to Branchwater.

SO happy to have this wonderful restaurant so close to home. The food, atmosphere, and service are amazing. My husband is obsessed with the brussel sprouts and before coming to this restaurant did not even like brussel sprouts. I love the branding/​signage of the restaurant as well!

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food I was served. I had the porkchop and my wife had the salmon. Amazing! I am not easily impressed having been in the hotel business with my dad.
The flavor was full, and had depth instead of the usual over the counter offerings. The chop tenderness and moisture was the best I have ever experienced. Let us not forget the side items, another blend of heaven. The green beans were brilliant green, tender with no snap, and the butter beans were moist and cooked with country sweet bacon. Everything is better in bacon, especially their own homemade version.
We ate at the bar with Melia and Katie, and they did a phenomenal job of serving, suggesting, and answering our questions about the drinks they were pouring.
Great food, great atmosphere, great service gets my five stars.

Fantastic NY strip and the Brussel sprouts were divine. The Brussel Sprouts with bacon maple was phenomenal. Highly recommend this place. The Head Chef/​Owner Todd was personable and came up and said hello while we waited. He even got us sat faster as anticipated as we did not have a reservation. This was great considering they had holiday parties happening.

Really disappointed that the overall experience here wasn’t better. The food was fine, but for $ 30/​plate (without alcohol) you really want to have a superior overall experience. We walked away thinking «it was good, but really not great».
A couple of things that went into my rating:
1. When we arrived we were asked if we wanted to sit in the bar even though we had an OpenTable reservation. We asked to be seated in the dining room though, and that’s where we were seated.
2. The entry to this restaurant needs to be revamped. It’s the same as it has been since the place was opened years ago as a neighborhood pub. You walk practically into the bar area and the black/​white tile floor and dark wood paneling look dated and not very nice. The entry could use a refresh to make it feel more like a mid/​upper-​scale restaurant. More like the dining room which is very nice.
3. I told the server that I was on a low fat/​low sodium diet and asked for the grouper, grilled simple and a double portion of asparagus. The grouper had been grilled in a pan obviously in butter. The asparagus had a lot of butter/​oil and salt on it. My plate was pretty well swimming in oil. It tasted good, but probably wasn’t great for my diet.
4. My wife ordered the grilled chicken with wild rice and mushrooms. It tasted fine, but really tasted like something that she makes at home. I realized it’s just grilled chicken, but it was a pretty underwhelming dish.
I so wanted this restaurant to be better. Cumming has a plague of chain restaurants and I like supporting the independent chef.

So first let me tell you that the review from Andrea R below is almost totally a fabrication. I was there that night (and 3 nights earlier when she came in, wearing the same clothes, and accused them of having her credit card from the rooftop bar– they don’t have a rooftop bar and didn’t have her credit card).
Anyway, the risotto she’s referring to with scallops are delicious. The risotto is cooked perfectly. Risotto should not be a sticky mushy mess Furthermore, rather than complain immediately (which any complaints at Branchwater are handled VERY PROFESSIONALLY AND IN FAVOR OF THE CUSTOMER, always!) she went ahead and ate the large beautiful diver scallops and then was upset when they wouldn’t take the whole thing off of the bill. They even offered to just charge for the scallops. She was also not interested in a new risotto at this point.
So she appeared to be highly intoxicated and after making a scene, her first date she was with proclaimed while leaving that this was definitely their last date. He was a nice guy and clearly embarrassed.
As soon as she got home she started calling, yelling at the poor host and anyone who would get on the phone. She even threatened the classic «do you know who I am, I will ruin you». At that point yes, her constant and harassing phone calls were hung up
Branchwater and chef Todd are the pinnacle of professionalism and the food is amazing. I eat there 3+ nights per week. Treat yourself to a night at Branchwater and see for yourself!

«Chef» needs to NOT argue with the customers.
Stopped in for a glass of wine and a bit to eat.
Ordered the buffalo wing appetizer. Nothing special. It was served with blue cheese slaw that was underwhelming and not cold.
Then ordered the scallops w/​risotto. The risotto was under cooked (still crunchy) and almost tasted like the $ 1 rice mix you can get in a bag at Publix. Then, I found a plastic bristle on a scallop. I pointed both of these out to the bartender. She took the plate and brought back a new entrée. Risotto was still under cooked. I asked to speak to a manager.
«Chef» came out and said he would take the risotto off the bill, but still charge for the scallops because I ate them. He continued to tell me that nobody has EVER complained about the risotto. WHAT? He said it wasn’t his fault a bristle from the basting brush was in the food.
I was still upset about this when I got home. I called the restaurant and asked to speak to «chef» again. He hung up on me.
Needless to say… HORRIBLE customer service. Will never return. «Chef» is an arrogant piece of work and nobody should have to deal with someone like that.

I find myself wishing that there was a 2.5 star option for the rating of Branchwater. The food was very good with fair pricing and reasonable portions. Alone, it rates 4-​stars. The service, however, rates 1.5 stars to which only the food allowed me to provide 2 in total.
The restaurant is in southern Cumming with comparable Roswell/​Alpharetta alternatives nearby. As such, a decision to eat here should be based solely on the food and convenience.
So, what’s wrong with the service?
Well, my wife and I ventured in for a 7pm Friday evening celebration of my birthday. We were greeted by an under-​dressed hostess, while another hostess and a male server who appeared to be unoccupied stood nearby.
Lead to our table, the server from the front arrived to fill my wife’s glass with water before later returning to apologize and also fill mine.
Proceeding to take our drink order he noted that they had ten local craft beers on tap which are rotated. Apparently this is done too frequently as to warrant a printed list. Of those offered, while the selection was fine, they recognizably lacked any offering from the craft brewery with which they neighbor.
Returning with our drinks, the server proceeded to flame lemon rind into my wife’s drink and recount how he was proud to have learned the trick from a Michael Jackson book (not the singer). Interesting.
As my wife then proceeded to order her medium cooked steak, the server went on to agree that this was the perfect temperature. My ensuing order of a medium rare steak, of course, warranted no such compliment.
Ok, so nothing too bad, so far. Right? Assessing things up to this point, we understood our server as being interesting, liking my wife, and a bit full of himself. No harm done.
Given the weather, I found a need to walk back to the front for sufficient cell phone signal as to pre-​purchase our after dinner movie tickets. There, I found both hostesses and our server again standing around. He went on to regale the hostesses that he had heard that the perfect form of government was a benevolent dictatorship and likened the restaurant’s management structure to such.
Our dinner was then served by another staff member. When my lobster tail arrived without any butter, I was able to make the request only as our server hurriedly rushed past our table. We were not asked how we liked our meal or if we needed anything at any time during the dinner.
After we finished, our server asked if we wanted dessert. When we responded that we did not, he proceeded to drop off our check, take my credit card, and return the check/​card without a single word spoken.
For a restaurant that is in a competitive situation, even in its immediate vicinity, one would expect more attentive service which expressed concern for and interest in its patrons. Instead, at Branchwater, it appears that one can only expect a pretentious, lackluster dining experience. At least the food’s good…

First time visiting and chose to try it out after reading the menu and what a great neighborhood find! The décor is very classic with dark colors. Seating very comfortable. We ordered the chartruderie plate and Brussel sprouts which was delicious! We continued with filet and lobster tail combo and ribeye. Both cooked to perfection with great seasoning. Finished off the night with the homemade banana cream pie. Great food, high quality products, chef that really loves to cook and worth the money spent. The waitress was prompt and knowledgeable. Informed us that they have live music on Friday and Saturday, so we will def be back to try the burger :)