FoodieBuddha.com

Alright … done with the awws and “how cute is she” declarative questions? Good! Now let’s get it on!

You see, this isn’t so much a review as it is a not so subtle smack over the breakfast burrito reminding you that Gato Bizco Café in Candler Park is where it’s at.  Having survived my nubile attempts at restaurant chatter, Gato Bizco remains one of my go-to breakfast spots in Atlanta.  Folks – have I told you before that getting me to rise before 10am is an exercise in futility?  Only the most seductive temptresses can coax me from my slumber.  Well, that and the promise of a breakfast like the one at hand.  Back in the stream of conscious: Gato Bizco lays a serious beat down to that disaster across the street (which has spread like a fungus).

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While executive chef Eddie Hernandez may not be a household name, his restaurant chain sure is.  Ask someone to get tacos in this town, and there is a good chance that they’ll suggest one of the three Taqueria Del Sol locations as their destination du jour.  Started a few years back with a single location over on the Westside, the restaurant now stretches across Atlanta’s waistline like Orion’s Belt.  With locations on Cheshire Bridge and in Decatur, this taco bar empire has even showed up in Athens.

At the epicenter of this tortilla fest is founding chef Eddie Hernandez.  Along with Mike Klank, the duo opened the Westside location way back in 2000 [Holy Crap! That’s 10 years ago].  You may have caught wind of that; this past month TDS celebrated their anniversary with a handful of events.  They also made an appearance at the Souper Jenny Food Truck Extravaganza.  If anyone is capable of handling all the running around, it’s Hernandez.  The politically inclined gent once served as the mayor of Rosebud, TX.  How’s that for a career change?

In any event, Hernandez has turned in his pen and paper and taken up a knife and tortilla maker.  Thankfully, he found some time to join us for a little Q&A on this week’s edition of Inside The Chef’s Kitchen.  Taqueria Del Sol is as popular as ever, and Hernandez is the reason.  So get your Mint Julep (it’s Derby Day after all), kick back … and welcome to ITCK!

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As mentioned yesterday, in a frenzy of magnanimous delight, burger fiends have descended on Farm Burger in Decatur with fervor and excitement.  Like cows set out to pasture at Augusta National, people just can’t seem to get over this organically inclined burger joint.  Case in point: by noon on day one, tables were filled and the ordering line was 15 deep for the better part of the lunching hour.  Despite this welcomed intrusion, Farm Burger dusted off a few opening day jitters and managed to set the stage for potential success as one of Atlanta’s better options when your waste line isn’t given a second thought.

Though hitting restaurants early and often is just part of my MO, I too must admit an adrenaline rush during the drive over.  Thankfully stationed just a few miles away, had I been forced to commute any farther, there’s a good chance I’d have gone telephone pole all up on Ponce.  Yeah, I was kind of giddy.

Upon arrival, this excitement quickly turned to a case of “The burger loves me, the burger loves me not.”  For lack of a better term, parking at Farm Burger was a bitch, and it will probably stay that way.  You see, Farm Burger shares the same lot with Watershed and some dry cleaner whose name I’ve never taken the time to notice.  Excited that the place was a buzz, but pissed that people didn’t have the decency to save me a spot, I shoved my car in illegally and strolled on in (don’t worry – I didn’t block anyone).  I was dead on shocked by the size of the crowd; fortunately, the thought of running past my 45-minute time limit for lunch quickly dissipated … you just can’t help but feel good when a newborn baby grows up in a matter of moments.

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Yes, today is a foodie day.  You see, it’s the first full day of service for Farm Burger, Decatur’s next trending restaurant.  As you may infer from the wisely chosen name, Farm Burger is a burger joint that features grassfed beef from locally sourced providers.  The restaurant has been in the works for some time and is the brainchild of partners Jason Mann and George Frangos.  It’s located at 410 W. Ponce De Leon, the former home of Viola.

Frangos’ name might be familiar to those of you who follow the Jaw-ga food scene.  He is one of the partners at Farm 255 in Athens and serves as the director for both Full Moon Farms (website) and Moonshine Meats.  As logic follows, many of the menu items come from those two establishments.

There’s a whole slew of things to talk about, and seeing as I just skedaddled over for lunch (witness the messy hands), I’ll be sure to put something up just as soon as I can find the time.  By the way, did anyone spot me and win the prize?

Farm Burger Restaurant Address & Information

410b W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, GA 30030 // 404.378.5077 // Farm Burger website // Farm Burger menu // FB twitter // FB facebook

A few days ago, in the midst of a predictably busy Atlanta rush hour, I decided to drag a friend into Nectar, a fruit juice bar and smoothie shop over in Decatur.  Though their original location is in Oakhurst, this satellite spot is over on Clairmont Rd. sandwiched between Bohjanic, Nectar’s parent restaurant, and the much buzzed about Community Q.

Though Nectar offers a handful of Panini and a number of breakfast selections, the main focus of this small eatery is their juices, teas, and smoothies.  Since we had already consumed an ample lunch over at Café Agora, this was simply a pit stop to tryout a refreshing beverage.

As with many places of this ilk, there are a handful of pre-designed beverages and the option to mix and match your own.  Smoothies run $3.99 (16 oz.) and $5.29 (24 oz) for the custom constructions or simply $5.99 for their 16 oz pre-designed options (designated as Mega smoothies).  In addition, you can always add additional boosters (“superfoods”) for a nominal charge.

I made a beeline for a 16 oz Pomegranate based smoothie of my design.  Though my wimpy camera phone shot doesn’t look great, the drink actually had a rich color.  It was prepared quickly and with a very friendly smile, something that I’ve become accustom to while dinning next door at Bhojanic. 

To be honest, their really isn’t much you can do to screw up a smoothie, but that aside … I was quite happy with my beverage.  Everything inside was clean and given the handful of exotic items on the menu (Amazonian Acai, Acerola and Cacao), Nectar certainly did enough to earn my money.

Further exploration is needed, but for now … if you’re in the area, it’s a great place to grab a smoothie.  It’s also worth a mention that their Oakhurst location does have a sampling of Indian cuisine.

Nectar Clairmont Fruit Juice Bar & Smoothie Shop
1365 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA 30033 // 404.633.4400 // Nectar website // Nectar menu // Nectar facebook

Nectar Oakhurst Fruit Juice Bar & Smoothie Shop
707-C East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030 // 404.378.4006

The James Beard Awards are the United States’ version of the food Oscars.  Today, the JB Foundation announced their semifinalists for this years awards.

The neat thing about the awards is that have nationwide categories as well as regional categories.  Much like last year, Atlanta area chefs has a handful of entrants. Pano Karatassos, Scott Peacock, and Kevin Gillespie got some national attention … as did Miller Union.  In the Southeast region, locals Linton Hopkins and Billy Allin are in contention … so too is the soon to be local Hugh Acheson.

The winners will be announced in May, so for now all we can do is wait.  You can find the full list on the JB website (warning: that’s a pdf).  However, we’ll highlight the Atlanta standouts right after the jump!

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As I hobble through life with a Droid as my sole camera, it’s time for another one of my first impressions that really isn’t a first impression.  Falafel King sits on the Emory campus just off the junction of Oxford and N. Decatur.  Though it’s purveyors are of Korean lineage, this shack sized, spit using restaurant actually sells the oddly married cuisines of Japan (in this case sushi) and the Mediterranean.  This odd mish mash of grub, combined with a distinct facade (displayed at right by babythekitten) and pocket book friendly prices, helps to draw customers from areas well beyond Emory.

In many circles, the King is treated as royalty.  The reality is closer to something more understated; however, for a place that freshly pats down their chickpea mixture, they do just fine.

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I feel like I should preemptively duck for this one.  Community Q, a Decatur meat emporium, is the result of a Triforcean partnership between David Roberts, Jim Laber, and Stuart Baesel.  Backed by Roberts’ foundation at Sam and Dave’s, the trio has set out to save Atlanta from the clutches of the evil Ganon and his barbecue minions.

Not surprisingly, the amount of love doled out on Community Q has been nothing short of intense and swift.  The Geek chimed in (several times in fact), Top Chef did it, and the carnivorously anxious gang at Creative Loafing also made a trip out.  Speckled in between these notations were riblets from the young, the restless, and the truly irascible.  In between all this hustle and bustle, I, joined by a duo of foodies, managed to sneak my way in to dine on some swine.

After seeing what S&D has put out for the past few years, I’d say CQ is playing in that pigpen.  Though people often dismiss me as a curmudgeon, I wasn’t the only one at the table to walk away less than blown away.  This was advertised as something transcendent … alas, it was not.  While one of the better barbecues in Atlanta, there is still a long way to go.  Though I will most certainly be back, this meal did little to make me feel like a drive beyond Daddy D’s or Fox Bros is necessary.

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If you don’t live in Decatur, there is a good chance that Mezcalito’s Cantina is one of those restaurants you can go a lifetime without trying.  In fact, I have driven by this Oakhurst restaurant more times than I can remember; yet, I have never entered its glass doors.  Though it doesn’t get a lot of attention outside 30030, the restaurant has had its share of media coups and remains a popular destination for nearby chicas y hombres craving some Mexican food.

In its previous life, Mezcalito’s operated under the name Billy Goat’s Cantina.  Having never visited before the other night, I don’t have any good information on the background of the restaurant or the name change. Whatever the case, Mezcalito’s finds itself near the restaurant-centric intersection of East Lake Dr. and Oakview road (aka Oakhurst Square).  Inside that two to three block area, Universal Joint and Saba seem to get the most attention.  However, all the restaurants there seem to draw a crowd and you’ll even find a Tex-Mex alternative to Mezcalito’s in the nearby Matador Cantina.

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The Cook’s Warehouse, that one stop shop for the home cook in you, is headed to Ansley Mall.  Taking over the space formerly occupied by Piccadilly Cafeteria, the store is in its final stages.  This is the new location for their Midtown location, which was located on Amsterdam Ave.  Don’t fret if you can’t get down there, the chain still maintains stores in Decatur and Brookhaven. To celebrate, TCW Ansley is having a little shindig on Friday, November 13th.  As the pictures below will show you, they still have a little left to do before they open up shop.  If you haven’t heard of or been to one of the CW stores, take a hop skip and a jump over to their website.

The Cook’s Warehouse Ansley Mall
1544 Piedmont Road, Suite 403-R, Atlanta, GA 30324 // 404.815.4993 // Cook’s Warehouse Website