FoodieBuddha.com

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.

Continue reading…

Nestled amongst Atlanta’s stretch of tasseled "thingies” and institutional eateries is one of the best examples of contemporary American cuisine this side of the Mason-Dixon.  Chef Kevin Gillespie, still shy of 30-years-old, has taken Woodfire Grill from the brink of EXtinction to the point of DIStinction.  If Atlanta’s hopes of international culinary fame are to ever come to fruition, Woodfire Grill will be one of the handful of establishments dragging our restaurant scene into that arena.

Some two-years ago, the highly regarded Michael Tuohy departed the helm of Woodfire.  When that happened, Gillespie took over the Cheshire Bridge hideaway and continued Woodfire’s thematic direction.  In the 20 plus months since, the restaurant has exploded and our favorite Yukon Cornelius impersonator has made the place distinctly his own.  With that in mind, and motivated by a truly inspirational family event, four of us set out this past Friday looking for a little peace in the midst of our chaos.

Continue reading…

Fresh out of the groomer, The Thirsty Dog Tavern is now open in Peachtree Hills.  A hot mess of Olive Garden meets The Titled Kilt plus Park Tavern with a touch of Taco Mac, it’s a reworking of Vita, the previous tenant at 2100 Peachtree.  While it’s location is ideal for the nomad in you and me, I was able to coax Deez from his real world responsibilities so that we could enjoy a little lunch at Atlanta’s newest pet friendly establishment.

The restaurant itself is conceptually all over the map, but the food is most similar to those nationwide chains that try their best to serve basic Italian fare.  If memory serves me right, the vast portion of the menu at TDT is a holdover from the previous restaurant.  That is no surprise when you consider that Vita’s Tony LaRocco, as noted by John Kessler, is one of the proprietors.  Along with Dave Heany, formerly of Star Bar, LaRocco has driven out one failed concept and replaced it with a straw-grasping alternative in the hopes of righting the ship.  While little there was horribly wrong, save for the fried food, there wasn’t a single aspect of the meal poking at me for further inspection.

Continue reading…

Recently I had the opportunity to try out Two Urban Licks, a restaurant owned by the same folks that run One Midtown Kitchen and Trois.  Self described as ‘fiery American food,’ Two Urban Licks offers a diverse menu that changes daily, and offers hearty seasonal dishes with options that even fill up gluten-free bellies.

I went with a group of friends on a Friday night to Two Urban Licks and it was quite a happening place.  With high ceilings, live music, full tables, and the kitchen located in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by glass, there’s action everywhere.  Being that it was a weekend night, it was particularly loud and I was glad that our table was far away from the band.  (Does that make me old and lame?)

Continue reading…

Café Alice is one of those non-descript restaurants that exists in every strip center in every city around the country.  In this case, you’ll find this glorified sandwich shop in the Windy Hill Shopping Center off Cobb Pkwy.  It’s probably family owned (seemingly Asian in persuasion) and the idea of being “chef driven” is as foreign to the staff as nuclear physics is to me.  They aren’t trying to win any awards or garner the attention of foodies near and far.  No, it seems instead that this is one of those business run by people who want to do the best they can without any misconceptions or false hopes.  Mind you, that statement is entirely assumptive.

Continue reading…

                                                                                                  Photo by David Naugle via MU

A recent dining excursion took me to the ever bustling Miller Union, a Westside eatery that has become one of the “it places.”  MU is a restaurant that showed up on the scene roughly two-months ago and is currently in the middle of a love fest not uncommon around these parts.  Some heavy hitters love it and judging by the packed house we witnessed, so too do the lay folk.

Continue reading…

While we were sleeping, aka – over the weekend, chef Eli Kirshtein finally confirmed months of rumors.  Known outside the ATL for his recent appearance on Top Chef, he is best known around these parts as the chef at ENO (now “By Zaza”). 

Now, Kirshtein has moved on from his post with intentions to take on the Big Apple.  While in NYC, Kirshtein plans to work as a “guest chef” at Solo (website) under Hok Chin.  I’ve always been intrigued by Solo; it’s an Asian fusion restaurant that does things Kashrut style.  As shocking as that combo may sound, it’s probably not as strange as you’d think.  Like the joke goes …

According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5770.
According to the Chinese calendar, the year is 4707.
This means that Jews went without Chinese food for 1,063 years.
This period was known as the Dark Ages.

Back on task, Kirshtein has stated that he’s not sure how long he’ll be gone.  However, he has every intention of returning to Atlanta so that he can open his own restaurant here.  Say what you will about his cooking, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when and if he does return.

UPDATE: It turns out that Chin is no longer the executive chef at Solo.  While restaurant will still serves kosher food, the cuisine is “American” based.  Also, Kirshtein will start his gig on the 16th of January.

[via Omnivore]

I’ve had a few watershed traffic days in my soon to be 12-months of blogging.  One of those days came from a little blurb about the devastating flood damage to Canoe, that effervescent contemporary American restaurant which sits on the banks of the not-so-mighty ‘Hooch.  While the restaurant may or may not be in your daily dialect, it is almost always mentioned as one of the elite Atlanta restaurants.  Further to the point, after roughly 14-years, Canoe has the longest legs in the notoriety department of any restaurant in the Vinings/Smyrna area.

Sure enough, there was a big outcry when word spread that the restaurant was forced to close because of ridiculously high waters (yes … that’s the absurdly high waterline).  If there was ever any doubt as to its status in the “pantheon” of the ATL dining-scape, the public support that followed, which was swift AND substantial, would quell most any doubts. 

Some two-months later, riding the hardworking backs of executive chef Carvel Grant Gould, special events manager Laurie Vance, and the rest of the team, Canoe is back.  The excitement was pronounced enough to draw John Kessler’s attention, he returned to wax-foodetic in his last post of the awesomeness that was 30 restaurants, 30 days series.  It’s a great read.  Though I didn’t check it out until post meal, I noticed some subtle differences in the mutual dishes.

Anywho, when Papa Buddha and I headed over there for lunch a few days ago, something happened to me.  I got all giddy like a school girl.  You should consider just how disturbing that statement is … remember, I’m a straight dude.  But back on point, regardless of the culinary experience that was immanent, I just got all warm and fuzzy inside.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the same would happen for most any “culinarian” with Canoe on their schedule.  That alone may make a trip there worthwhile.

Continue reading…

On a recent working weekend, after Adam and I were rejected by Busy Bee Cafe (they are closed on Saturdays), we were forced to look elsewhere for grub.  We volleyed back and forth until Adam suggested Paschal’s, a long-standing highbrow soul food joint.  It’s amazing to me how many times I’ve visited Castleberry Hills for a meal, only to drive right past Paschal’s.  Furthermore, it’s not a particularly good sign that when pressed to come up with a place to get my Suth’un fix in, Paschal’s almost never comes to mind.  This despite the fact that it is in close proximity to where I work/live.

Started as a motor hotel by a couple of brothers way back yonder, this Atlanta mainstay has gone the way of corporate America.  As my only previous visits to Paschal’s occurred around the time I just started to learn my two plus two’s, I cannot really speak to what once was.  What we have now, for better or worse, is the fine dining version of Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

Continue reading…

While I have no problem hopping in the car for a 45-minute drive to check out a restaurant, I can assure you that nothing about my recent trip to the Coo Coo’s Nest in Cumming was redeemable.  The massive, two-story complex reads like many in this category.  The interior is marked by high ceilings, open rooms, and a polished finish.  It’s extremely clean, and doesn’t seem like a bad place to catch a game.

That’s where the joy in this bubbly establishment seems to run out.  I only had a chance to sample a few things, so it’s possible something on the menu is palatable; but I doubt I’ll ever be back to find out.  The menu reads like that of any basic chain restaurant, and the food tastes even worse.

The baked potato soup showed up and you could immediately tell it was simply squeezed out of a bag.  Still, it was passable.  The chicken salad sandwich was not.  It seems as if they took some shredded chicken, added in an ounce of mayonnaise, and then dropped in about 3 quarts of sugar.  Overbearingly sweet, I was done in two bites.  I had a similar action to the deeply fried steak fries as I did the the tater soup.

As for service … well … it didn’t help that they were short staffed, leading to one of the most drawn out meals I have ever bared witness to.  Though I was in no rush due to the topic at hand with my lunch buddies, it’s pretty sad that it took them 90-minutes to deliver two soups, three entrées, and a check.  I’m sure things are better when the staff is all there, simply because it has to be.  I didn’t care to point out to our waiter that there were at least four hostesses on duty who should have been able to help stop the bleeding.

I know that food isn’t the most important thing, but come on … there is a limit.  Though I’m distinctly unfamiliar with the surrounding area inside of a two-mile radius, I would hope there is a better alternative in the close proximity.  If there isn’t, I’d keep driving until I found something else.  I’d rather eat out of a dumpster than put anything from Coo Coo’s back in my mouth.  Hey, at least they got a facebook page

Coo Coo’s Nest Restaurant Address & Information

1290 Freedom Parkway, Cumming, GA, 30041 // 678.456.8932 // Coo Coo’s Nest website // Coo Coo’s Nest menu // Coo Coo’s Nest facebook