Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 12, 2010
It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and beads of sweat drip down my forehead. I find myself standing in the parking lot of the Druid Hills Whole Foods and my eyes are locked in across the street. Anyone with good sense would know that the personal shower was due to the hellish-like temperatures of an Atlanta summer. In most any other case, they’d be right. However, there is an exception to every rule and this was just one of those situations.
In this instance, I was feeling the pressure. Smack dab across the street from that WF is the long standing Pita Palace. Though anything but palatial, the Palace has withstood nearly 7-years of economic turmoil and remained one of the more popular places for ATLiens to grab them some shwarma (aka gyros).
Being the good foodie that I am, I knew I was obligated to cross the street for another one of my “not so” first impressions. Questionable personal safety combined with Whole Foods sushi in the belly made me apprehensive. Not only did I need to make it across Lavista alive, I need to find someway to cram more food into my stomach. With Fünke at my side, the two of us darted across the Lavista on our way to take on Israel’s take on street food!
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 06, 2010
The unassuming building pictured above is one of Atlanta’s longest operating hot dog hubs. Situated at 1377 Church St, Brandi’s World Famous Hot Dogs holds down fort in Marietta seemingly oblivious to this modern invention we all know as time. It’s a throwback and a place where calorie counts and farm freshness are concepts as mysterious as Pandora’s box.
Open 31-years, I wouldn’t be surprised if the only thing that has changed is the owner (It used to be called Betty’s World Famous Hot Dogs). Actually, Betty sold it to Brandi, so a hanging menu and other odds and ends are different. The restaurant has also relocated a few times since ‘79 and there is an outpost in Cartersville. The point is that this place operates with it’s head in the sand. I don’t think anyone, myself included, would have it any other way.
When you see a popular restaurant located in a building like this, you might normally say: “you wouldn’t know it to look at it … but”. However, in this case, I actually think the run down shotgun shaped station is exactly why you know.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 04, 2010
If my foodie gauge is correct, Super Pan, a Latin sandwich shop from Hector Santiago, is about to be the latest restaurant to permeate Atlanta’s food chatter. How long this Pura Vida spin-off manages to last in that conversation will depend entirely on their ability to deliver good, consistent food. Of course, Santiago’s notability due to his time on Top Chef will help with the buzz.
As you might remember from Monday’s post, I first visited the subterranean sandwich purveyor last week during their first few days of business. However, I grubbed sans camera, so a return trip was necessary before I dropped this post on y’all. Three sandwiches in, I’d say there is some real potential.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 03, 2010
By now, most every food fanatic in Atlanta knows that in order to sample authentic Chinese fare, one must grab their gas card and head north. Hong Kong House, the newest entrant into this combative cluster fuck, is no exception. You see, while the restaurant’s location might be typical, the food there is anything but.
Save for a few notable exceptions, the trail of ATL non-westernized Chinese restaurants starts in Doraville and drifts up into Gwinnett and beyond. The intersection of Buford Highway and I-285 might serve as this community’s centrifuge, but the lineup extends well beyond. Case in point: Johns Creek is home to Hong Kong House (5710 State Bridge Rd, Johns Creek, GA 30097). Located in a converted Rio Bravo at the intersection of Medlock and State Bridge, you’ll find HKH in the same lot as the big Regal Cinema up yonder.
Walking into the cavernous cave [side note: aren’t all caves cavernous??], you can’t help but a get a little shell shocked. While many a folk are used to more homely establishments like Wan Lai and Ming’s, Hong Kong House is different in that it is both large (spacious) and in charge (kinda nice). Such was the setup for one of the better Chinese meals I’ve had since this journey of ours began.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 30, 2010
You know you’re a food addict when you find yourself verbally sparring with some pseudo parking attendant in the hopes of navigating droves of drunk club bunnies in an attempt to grab a late night fix. Truth be told, my recent exchange with some dude at the intersection of Crescent Ave & 14th street was far from contentious … but it just sounded better to imply otherwise.
Nearly every late night drive over the past year and change near that aforementioned intersection has served as a reminder that a food cart (specifically a gyro/pizza stand) awaits. If you show up at Opera Nightclub, or any of the nearby drunk tanks, towards the end of any given week you’re bound to find a sea of people milling about. This of course assumes that the sun has gone down. It’s been some time since I’ve been in that part of Midtown past midnight. This mostly due to the fact that I know my presence would send mass amounts of drunk ladies in their Sunday best to levels of ecstasy (the pill … not the emotional state) not seen in sometime.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 21, 2010
Grant Park’s Young Augustine’s rose from the ashes of The Standard early this year. This neighborhood take on the gastro pub is the brainchild of Chris Johnson, owner of The Standard, Andy Gonzales, a well traveled chef, and Kyle Faucher, the manager who I know little about. While the fate of the Standard seemed set by a series of tragic circumstances, these three gents set out to infuse the space with a bit of life.
Frequenters of 327 Memorial’s previous tenant will remember the joint for its dive bar atmosphere and low-brow bar food. That’s all a distant memory. The one notable holdover is the bocce ball court out back. On the other hand, the interior has been blown open, leaving a community table in the middle and a long, polished wood bar against the back wall. Taking it all in one Saturday afternoon, and on the heels of some rather flattering reviews, I had high hopes for YA’s. Unfortunately, the interior was the first thing, and just about the last thing, that I actually enjoyed during my one meal there.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 20, 2010
Just last week, Zach Kell and Seth Hendricks brought their Goin’ Coastal concept from Canton, GA all the way down I-75 and into Virginia Highlands. As the name suggests, Goin’ Coastal is all about the seafood; what sets them apart from their competition is their overt focus on sustainable fishing.
Backed by support from the world renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium (in the form of product consultation), Goin’ Coastal promises a bevy of seafood options delivered from the sea to your plate inside of 36-hours. Kell, a Georgia native, and Hendricks opened GC in Canton just about two-years ago (they also own The Downtown Kitchen up yonder). Despite a strong following, I had never ventured into either of their flagship restaurants. However, I have long lamented the dearth of good seafood options in this city, so when Goin’ Coastal finally came ITP, I dropped in to see what was what.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 15, 2010
By now, many of you who read this blog have probably already heard about So Ba, a Vietnamese endeavor down in East Atlanta Village. The restaurant comes courtesy of Vietnamese national Nhan Le. Though Le grew up in California, it hasn’t stopped him from opening a bevy of Asian themed restaurants in various Atlanta neighborhoods.
In addition to the failed White Elephant Thai, Le’s also owns Wasabi Sushi Lounge, which has been rocking right along in Castleberry for some time. I’ve actually visited the latter several times and have always enjoyed myself (though the sushi can miss from time to time). Despite So Ba’s thematic departure from Wasabi, Le’s childhood gave me hope for decent grubbing. Open several months, I finally found the time to get on down to EAV when Mr. & Mrs. Mandy asked me to celebrate another lap completed. I swear to all things holy the dude looks the exact same as he did in college. Grovel! But we digress … let’s get on with things shall we?
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 02, 2010
Last night, I rolled out of the house ‘bout 8pm hell bent on a mission. You see, Buford Highway is canvassed with Korean restaurants. It’s a cuisine I love and covered in the past and a culinary adventure reviewed extensively by stalwarts like Eat, Drink, Man (linky), Take Thou Food (linky), and Chow Down Atlanta (linky). My mission: find a place untouched by our collective obsession. That’s no small task but as luck would have it … the food gods smiled on me.
Stationed in one of the dime a dozen strip centers in Chamblee is a brand new Korean restaurant. It’s so new that they don’t even have menus and even the name seems to be debatable. The sign outside might tell you the name, but I don’t know cuz I can’t read the damn thing. For now, I’ve assigned it the title of Korea Soup House. It’s located at 7130 Buford Highway, denoted by a 24-hour sign, and sits next to Mirak, a Korean joint discussed by the aforementioned Gene Lee, aka EDM. Let’s put it like this … despite casual digs and no menus, I felt like I had fleeced them when I saw the $25.00 pre-tip bill they handed me.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on June 29, 2010
Intown Atlanta has no shortage of burger joints and pizzerias. Consequently, it seems that this reality costs us the opportunity to enjoy true ethnic food, as framed by our natural ethnocentrism, without having to haul booty up Buford Highway. Enter Wasabi Grill, a new Japanese/Korean smörgåsbord in the Home Park section of The Westside. While it may not be the most authentic endeavor, Wasabi Grill, like Miso Izakaya and Hankook Taqueria, is an attempt to give urban Atlanta an alternative to the Americanized sushi bars and assimilated Chinese restaurants that most of us think about when the words “Eastern cuisine” are used.
Having replaced Mosaic Halal Café, you’ll find Wasabi Grill on 14th street just across from Jimmy John’s. Open just about a week and change, I strolled by a week ago yesterday for a little “Linner.” While there isn’t anything about the place that makes me think we’re about to witness a renaissance, it did okay given the circumstances.
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