Expect high quality everywhere at this downtown Macon restaurant

Oliver’s Corner Bistro, at the intersection of Poplar and Second streets, reminds of a club where I should pay membership. It’s cozy, with lots of light and wood, and I would feel equally comfortable dressed up as I would in jeans and a sweatshirt.

The service is attentive but non-intrusive; I can’t stand when a server interrupts a good story and they don’t do that here. They seem knowledgeable about their menu and won’t tell you something is homemade if it’s not.

The prices seem a little higher than nearby restaurants but it feels like you’re paying for high-quality ingredients — such as house-made pasta — and maybe a little exclusivity. At lunch, a salad trio of chicken salad, homemade pimento cheese and an orzo salad will run you $13. Our chicken pesto pasta was perfect, but the portion at lunch for $12 seemed a better deal than the dinner portion for $16.

For lunch, I had the smoked salmon BLT on a crusty but soft ciabatta and enjoyed all $13 of it. At dinner, I chose the bacon pomodoro and tiger shrimp fettuccine for $18, which I liked but still felt hungry after. The risotto with locally sourced vegetables was a whopping $24.

For dessert we had three choices: bananas foster cheesecake, almond gelato and limoncello cake. We had the latter two, which were good, but I’d like to see more creative choices.

But these are just nitpicky things compared to the overall experience. Expect good service, good food, and a glamorous yet low-key atmosphere. It seems to be the “it” place to go, so definitely make reservations.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Expect high quality everywhere at this downtown Macon restaurant."