Posted by foodiebuddha
on September 02, 2010
Sorry folks, I’ve been absolutely swamped with work and such. Alas, my blogging has been essentially non-existent. However, I promise to get back on the hobby horse momentarily. While you were sleeping, I’ve been out and about and taken a couple of trips to Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South. While y’all wait on that … check out Cliff’s notes! Now on to the sad but true.
Wan Lai (4897 Buford Hwy) is apparently the latest BuHi Chinese hot spot to go tits up. Infused by EatDrinkMan [If you don’t follow him – you are dead to me] and confirmed by DrZachary thru their own website, this place is gone to the Dead Pool. Take it upon Spark Plug to have the goods as well … her photo is the one above.
Let’s all mourn for a restaurant that most every foodie in the city hit up more than once. I’m sure there’s more to the story, but I’m not privy to any of it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, might I suggest that ignorance is bliss. If you have a hankering to find out more about that chicken, check out my first impression.
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.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on April 05, 2010
Mrs. Vennerable and I make it our personal quest to check out as many bulgolgi offerings as we can. That being the case, it should be no surprise that the two of us made our way up to Doraville and stumbled into Today Restaurant (or Woori Jip for the Korean in you) to add another notch in that bedpost. You see, most Atlanta foodie fanatics have made a food quest or two up Buford Highway in search of great grub. The area is knee deep in what we American’s identify as “ethnic food;” and, if you didn’t know better … you could probably spend a few years eating a meal a day there and never enter the same stronghold more than once.
Despite the endless array of options, a handful of restaurants in each cultural compartment always seem to garner a good bit of attention. In the case of Korean cuisine, Hae Woon Dae is one such establishment. Why do I mention HWD in a review of Today Restaurant? Simple, because they are smack dab on top of each other. Unfortunately for Today, Hae Woon Dae is a bit of a behemoth in reputation and I can’t imagine it helps to be their neighbor. However, as Vennerable and I turned into the somewhat off the beaten path parking lot at 5805 Buford Highway, the mystery of the unknown is exactly why we stepped out of the shadows for a meal (well, that and the fact that Don Quixote is closed on Sunday’s).
Snuggled between those two eateries you’ll find a demonstrative sign and a busy as a bee doorway. Behind that door sits the predictably styled establishment known around these English speaking parts as Today Restaurant. At first sight, the ground work was certainly there for a foodie discovery worthy of the “Foodie Finds” tag (currently reserved for The Kind Pie and Celia’s Carniceria). While the meal didn’t quite knock it out of the park like those two, we left feeling like we got our monies’ worth.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on November 30, 2009
Buford Highway restaurants carry with them a certain pedigree that is often unsubstantiated. The straight shot road that stretches from the inners of the city to well beyond the loop is home to a number of ethnic delights. However, self-proclaimed foodies seem to treat any establishment located on or near BuHi with unabashed reverence. Call it guilt by association.
Public enemy number one, none other than the ever popular Café 101. The large, free-standing rotunda that sits about a half-mile inside the loop, has been there for years. It seems like a good two or three since I myself last sat down to sample C101’s goods. So though this isn’t quite a first impression, this isn’t a full review nor a quick hits post.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 21, 2009
There is a certain dance that occurs every few months in Atlanta’s Chinese restaurant community. The formula is simple: Well regarded chef shows up; foodies flock to said location; chef up and leaves soon thereafter; foodies follow. Rinse and repeat. It’s happened with Frank Ma, it’s happened with Chef Chang (of Tasty China), and it’s happened with countless others. The latest rendition finds us at Bo Bo Garden up in the Doraville/Chamblee area.
The chef, whose name is still a mystery to me, showed up a few months ago at Wan Lai, a Cantonese job up BuHi. Word spread like hot sauce at a cook out and foodies flocked (myself included). Most loved it, some enjoyed it (that’s me), and a only a few turned their nose up. Then, like a fart in the wind, the head chef, his wife, and a handful of others vanished. Turns out, that group shot up the street and settled in Pinetree Plaza.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on June 30, 2009
Last week, a few of us got together for some lunch at Taqueria El Rey Del Taco. It seems almost like clockwork: once every handful of months, an Atlanta food blogger heads over to Buford Highway to grab some of ERDT’s lauded tacos. Last week was my turn.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on June 26, 2009
Open roughly four years (at least by my count), Co’m Vietnamese Grill has become one of the de facto responses to the question: “Where do I go in Atlanta for good Vietnamese?” It is therefore no surprise that this BuHi hotspot now has a devout following and a satellite location.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on June 01, 2009
Shoya Izakaya opened late last month to a good bit of fan fare. I’ve been once (but haven’t chatted it up yet), Kessler dropped in, and Eat, Drink, Man quickly shared his thoughts. Shoya has already given Miso Izakaya more than it can handle. While MI seems to be failing (only just now obtaining a liquor license), SI is off and running. I’m gonna get back this week and then do a more in depth post; however, I wanted to drop a little 411 real quick.
Per the title, this place doesn’t offer lunch. In addition, they aren’t open Mondays (which is a good thing … but more on that … probably late today). Any who … 5pm daily.
Shoya Izakaya Restaurant Address & Information
6035 Peachtree Road, Doraville, GA, 30341 // 770.457.5555 // Shoya Izakaya Website
Posted by foodiebuddha
on May 28, 2009
I swear I don’t eat out every meal! Really, I don’t.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the topic at hand: Crawfish Shack Seafood on Buford Highway. When most ATLiens think of casual seafood eateries, Six Feet Under, Fontaine’s and Steamhouse Lounge usually reign supreme [Speaking of which … I think I’ll pull my Steamhouse review off the book shelf and post it here]. Needless to say, none of those places blow my britches up.
Enter the Crawfish Shack. Despite a most unusual location and one of the more a-typical owners for a restaurant of this type, this Cajun-centric Creole restaurant has already developed a strong following. Open approximately nine months, it was high time I gave it a shot. Yesterday, Papa Buddha decided to have a little male bonding. The results were mixed, but ultimately positive.
Continue reading…
Posted by foodiebuddha
on May 21, 2009
Wan Lai on Buford Highway has hit the ground running. In just a few short months, this Cantonese restaurant has landed on most everyone’s “must visit” list. After missing out on Monday’s opportunity, I made the “obligatory” drive up BuHi earlier this afternoon to check out the buzz. Joined by a good friend from the CDC, we came away with a similar impression. While the meal was good (at times very good), I’m not ready to hand this place the keys to my Cantonese castle just yet.
Continue reading…
