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On an early afternoon scamper from Buckhead back to the Westside, I found myself looking for sustenance.  As I was heading right past the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center, I decided to swing by Zoës Kitchen, a fast casual franchise with a focus on health conscious and sustainable grub.  I wasn’t looking for something quick, cost effective, and relatively tasty.  At the end of the day, that’s basically what I got.

The decor reads straight out of a manual.  The tables are clean, the chairs are “futuristic,” and there’s a lot of orange going around.  The menu looks like it’s a sandwichized version of Moe’s (both in form and factor).  Though I haven’t double checked this, they are supposedly gluten friendly, so that should make at least one blogger very happy.  Thankfully, nobody yelled “Welcome to Zoës when I entered!

As I wasn’t terribly hungry, and I was hopping to spend under $5, I went with a small container of chicken salad.  Alas, the bill was closer to $6 … so that was a bit frustrating.  Anywho, upon opening the container, I found a straightforward sampling of shredded/minced chicken salad.  It’s the type they use on the chicken salad sandwiches at The V.

I kinda enjoy this alternative to the chunky salads that seem to permeate our restaurants.  However, at more than $4 for a simple container of it, I wasn’t in love with the price.  Meanwhile, the spice mix was your basic mayo, salt, and pepper.  They said they use “spices” on the bottom label, but i didn’t get anything special.  I would have liked a little more salt and pepper … and something to help with the texture.  In the absence of bread, some more celery would have helped make it a bit more substantial.  Still, it was pretty fresh and not too sweet, so it would definitely work for me if push came to shove.

In the scope of fast casual, Zoës seems likely to fit right in.  Further exploration is a must before any semblance of a true commentary can come out.

FOR THE FULL ALBUM, VISIT

Atlanta Foodies On Zoës Kitchen

• The Quick and Dirty Dirty on Zoës (08.27.09)
• Georgia Green Dining Guide on Zoës (08.19.09)

Zoës Kitchen Restaurant Address & Information

2333 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 // 404.233.9637 // Zoes Kitchen website // Zoes Kitchen menu (pdf)

Later today, Atlanta’s best bar meets restaurant (a.k.a. Holeman + Finch) is set to be a location for an upcoming episode of the Food Network’s Chefs Vs City.

The premise of the show centers around a challenge from the show’s hosts (one part Aarón Sánchez and one part Chris Cosentino).  They find two local foodies chefs and dare the challengers to eat some of the more adventurous dishes from the city they call home.  While I’m not one of the challengers (good thing – cuz I’ll put most any dish in my tummy), it’s no surprise the H+F showed up on the schedule.

The gastro pub is best known for their burger, their hot dog [it is freakin awesome], and their cocktails.  However, true fans know that the establishment serves up what most people would call “exotic” parts of the animal.  Chances that the veal brains and/or the rabbit livers show up? I’d say strong to very strong.  More later as the details leak out.

It’s been several years since Taka Moriuchi packed his knives, left his position as understudy to sushi God Sotohiro Kosugi (aka the dude who ran the much discussed Soto), and settled in as the leader of Taka Sushi Café.

Much like my father, it took me some time before I warmed to the idea of visiting Taka-san in Buckhead.  Even after Soto departed our fare city, something in me caused this undue shackling of obligations.  Mind you, nothing about that decision had anything to do with the kind and approachable Taka.

Time passed and wounds healed, and so began my long inevitable decent into complacency.  Yes, I finally started to drift in and out of this notable Buckhead establishment.  As it happened, 24-months had flown by since my last soirée, well before the young Buddha was born within.  Rather than try and recall experiences buried in the cobwebs someone might call “my brain,” a recent night cap inspired this infant impression.

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It’s getting darn cold out there, so what better way to ease the pain of the dropping thermometer than with a visit from Jenny Levison, Atlanta’s soup queen.  [Errr… well, the conversation is nice … but actually, her soup is what will actually do the trick].

Levison’s Souper Jenny has long garnered the attention of the Buckhead dining scene.  However, that notoriety extends beyond the scope of the 30305.  In fact, in the recent Best of The Big A series, AJC readers named Souper J’s the best soup in the Dirty.

On most any given day, you’ll see SJ cavorting around her shop with a carefree and friendly manner.  Meanwhile, she manages to put together some very cool underground dinners, get on national TV (video below), and put out a cookbook.  Oh yeah, she tweets as well!

She took the time to answer our little questionnaire, and in doing so, Levison’s approach to good tasting, straightforward food really shines.  Jenny has been swinging a ladle since ‘98, so like they say: “The woman knows!”  Alright, take a few minutes out of your day and check her out.  And with that, welcome to ITCK!

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Something tells me that Cyrille Holota had no idea what was in store for him some years ago.  In the mid-90s, Holota was racking up quit the resume.  After cooking at several different Michelin winning restaurants (including 3-star powerhouse L’Arpege), Holota came to our beloved city to join Joël Antunes over at The Dining Room.  In 2001, JA left to open his namesake restaurant with Holota in tow.

From there, Holota began his methodical climb to the top.  He started as sous chef de cuisine, then moved to chef de cuisine, and finally, in 2008, landed on top as the executive chef.  Soon after, things got hairy, mostly for reasons well beyond his control.

In the past year and change, perhaps no Atlanta restaurant has been more maligned than JOËL Brasserie.  First, the restaurant’s namesake split for the bright lights of New York City.  Antunes’ tenure at the helm of the famed Oak Room was short to say the least.  Within a few months, he found himself out of a job.  Initial questions as to whether the Frenchman would shutdown his Atlanta restaurant were soon replaced with rumors of his return.  Then, the restaurant closed up for a bit (to remodel), leading to even more questions.  Just when things were getting back on track for the rebranded JOËL, they ran into that whole debacle with their liquor license.  Why do I bring this up?  Because so little of the bad press actually had anything to do with the restaurant and the experience within.

All this while, back in the kitchen, standing tall and proud, was none other than chef Holota.  The French national from Montlucon stood his ground and did so with a smile on his face.  Things around him blew up, and yet there he was, bringing his personality to the forefront of JOËL Brasserie’s food experience.

Now, the enduring character behind JB’s is here for a little relaxing, some quick wit, and a little bit of mystery (anyone know French?).  And with that, welcome to ITCK!

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It appears that Bistro Niko, the newest venture from the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, is a place to see and be seen.  Even inside of a few days, the restaurant is dotted with 40-something Buckhead Bettys, dapperly dressed 60-something business men, Francophiles, and a few other odd and end type clientele.  Somewhere in this mix, three yutes made their way over for an introductory meal.

The steady crowd is no doubt the result of a lauded reputation, some TV and press clippings (included in the notes), and a good bit of word of mouth traffic.  Powered by father son duo Niko and Pano Karatassos as well as executive chef Gary Donlick, the restaurant has set forth some lofty, yet approachable expectations.

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I love people who are kind enough to help me out with my blog.  It usually results in the ideal combination of less work for me + great content.  What’s not to love?  When fellow foodie and blogger Michael Fenster (Doc) offered to chime in with a review of the lauded Bone’s Steakhouse, I was all over that like white on rice.  What follows is Doc’s recap of a recent trip.  Doc didn’t have a camera, so that juicy steak appears courtesy of the Bone’s website

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According to an article in today’s online edition of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the ESPN Zone in Buckhead is a thing of the past.  A notice popped up today informing potential patrons that the sports bar was now closed. With the vast number of sports bars between me and the Zone, I can’t say I made it there frequently.  That said, I’m a little surprised to hear about this.  According to the article, all of the 140 employees received a 60-day administrative leave package, so that’s nice to hear.

[via Biz Chronicle]

UPDATE: Since this went up, 11-Alive posted a video that talks about the troubled times for Buckhead and its restaurants.

Last week, I was heading down West Paces Ferry towards Peachtree.  As I pulled up to the traffic light, a “Now Open” sign caught my eye.  Apparently, Bento Sushi, a little sushi bar, has opened near this intersection in the heart of Buckhead.  If you aren’t a fan of online maps, you should note that Bento sits right next to Chops/The Lobster Bar and Nava.

Early reports seem to be that the place is half-decent.  Though I have no way to throw my hat into the mix on this one, I did check out their menu.  It’s a pretty straightforward take on Americanized sushi and includes some apps and small items.  Meanwhile, with a vast majority of the items priced between $7 and $9, and the obvious focus on the portable, it seems that they are targeting the grocery store sushi market.  However, you shouldn’t let the name completely fool you – they do have on premise seating.

We’ll see how things turn up for Bento. In the meantime, I’ve asked one of my Buckhead buddies to go check it out … we’ll see if she shows up with a guest post anytime soon!

Bento Sushi-To-Go Restaurant Address & Information

3060 Peachtree Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30305 // 404.261.7878 // Bento website // Bento menu

Ah… last night was a good night.  Amongst the many jewels of information that were passed around, I found out that a complete lineup of goods from Holeman & Finch Bakery are served up at nearby Savor Specialty Foods.  Here’s the breakdown:

Approximately a month ago, H&F Bakery closed its doors to the public.  However, the bakery still has a full array of goods available for wholesale.  Savor, which sits in the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center just up the street from H&F, decided to get in on the action.  Though I haven’t actually been to Savor since HnFB’s pseudo shutdown, I will say that I have always enjoyed their selection of gourmet goods and a good bit of the grub.  Included in the selection at Savor are  cookbooks, cookware, spices, mustards, and so forth.  Meanwhile, they also have a food counter where they serve up things like cured meats, cheeses, fruit salads, chicken salads, and freshly made sandwiches.  Last but not least, they also provide a catering service, though I’ve never tried it.

According to the gang at Holeman, most everything that could be had at the bakery is now up the street.

Savor Specialty Foods Address & Information

2355 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30305 // 404.869.0070 // Savory website // Savor menus