Locally Grown: Fountain of Juice- At Night!
The very first food review I wrote was about Fountain of Juice for the 11th Hour. I’ve watched them grow from this small smoothie & sandwich counter, to an expanded lunch spot, and now a full-fledged full service eatery.
I waited a little while to go and check them out at their new spot at The Prado shopping center, because I knew they would be packed.
Evening dinners are somewhat of a new thing for them- I say somewhat because they’ve been doing Thursday night take home casseroles for a while- and really you can order a casserole at any time as well. But sit down true blue evening service is brand new for them.
You really can’t expect anything but the best from the daughter of Macon’s matriarch of fine dining, and of course, owner Natasha delivers that and more. I immediately went for the Petit Filet, served with Brussels Sprouts and squash casserole. I have to go ahead and say right here: I think Brussels sprouts will be this years kale in that it’ll be the vegetable du jour every time we turn around. I first fell in love with them a few years ago when I had them at South City Kitchen in Atlanta. So when I find them cooked differently than the usual roasting in olive oil and some other seasoning- I flip out.
I had to ask Jenny, my server and also friend (and many times my hair and makeup artist for photo shoots), what they were prepared in. The flavor was so light, and yet with just a hint of sweetness, but their natural goodness still came through. ” Honey mustard and salt and pepper,” is what I was told.
As much as I have raved about the Brussels sprouts, the squash casserole was just a lovely compliment: creamy and yummy and filling without being overly so.
And…. the filet. Good. Lord. Good. It’s served with candied bacon, fried green tomato, and Jalapeño Bearnaise. I have to admit, I didn’t even see the mention of the fried green tomato until later- it was “candied bacon and Jalapeño Béarnaise” which caught my attention. It wasn’t until Natasha came by to say hello and said “oh- you got the BLT” that I realize ahhhhhh yeah! That’s what this was! HA. And by that point I was half way in. Of course, upon it’s arrival I realized it was a fried green tomato on top but I was just too excited to complete the translation that this was essentially a BLT steak.
Anyways. It was amazing. The jalapeño wasn’t overpowering, always a fear of mine, and I would have never even thought to do it in a béarnaise. Béarnaise is one of my favorite sauces to pair with a steak, always has been. I order it whenever I can and say to myself- to hell with the calories!
One of my favorite things about FOJ has always been their commitment to using all natural and organic ingredients in their food. Which makes saying to hell with the calories that much easier, cause at least it’s not processed junk- right?! (Right.)
Which brings me to dessert. There are no words. There just aren’t. I used to get the espresso brownies by the damn truck load when I was working at Enterprise Rent-a-Car and would bring them to my employees. We even called them the “better than sex brownies”. So, there’s that. Imagine those brownies topped off with ice cream and a chocolate covered strawberry. Yummmmmmmm.
Suffice it to say, FOJ is killing it at dinner time. My only complaint? That they don’t have a bar where you could just hang out after dinner. Or before. Did I mention that I loved my wine as well? Well, I did. The whole experience was outstanding.
FOJ: An Eatery
4123 Forsyth Road
Macon, GA 31204
478-755-5000
Affordability: 5 out of 5 stars
Tastiness: 5 out of 5 stars
Love to all y’all,
Molly