FoodieBuddha.com

[Surgeon General’s Warning: If you do not have a sense of humor, are prone to short outbursts, or find naughty tids and bits offensive … this post might not be for you!]

You know, there is nothing redeemable about what’s about to happen.  It’s going to cost too much, it’s going to be too hard to remember in the morning, and there is absolutely ZERO chance of me “meeting someone.”  What’s worse, my mom reads this damn thing! [HI MOM!]  I am but a humble man, one who is way too susceptible to that rhetorical question: “Hey, we going to the ____ tonight?”  The blank in this case was none other than the Pink Pony, one of Atlanta’s many adult restaurants.

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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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The love affair with Frank Ma South has come and gone in this city.  Late in 2008 when Frank Ma moved in with the gang at Chopsticks in the Emory area, all hell broke loose.  Most everyone got all giddy at the idea of a seemingly authentic Chinese restaurant located somewhere other than BuHi.  I was never all up in that … shocking I know.  At the time, I recapped my thoughts on “THAT SITE” during my pre-blog days.

Suddenly, like a fart in the wind, Frank up and vanished.  In his wake, chef’s have come and gone and the crowds have thinned.  However, the menu remains basically the same.  I’ve been diving in and out of there intermittently since Frank’s departure with the latest visit being yesterday for the Chinese New Year.  While the restaurant still satisfies my urging for non-nationalized Chinese grub, it’s still unable to compete with our cities top dogs.

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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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It’s amazing to me just how many of my favorite meals are the consequence of haphazard circumstance.  Such is the case with my recent trip to Desta, a popular Ethiopian restaurant located near the intersection of Briarcliff and Clairmont.  While Desta has a much more vibrant following than a place like Celia’s [you’ve all been … right?], that fact alone did not make this trip any less of a surprise.  Tasked with the role of choosing a restaurant for a follow up to the night’s earlier Linner, I managed to pull Desta out of thin air.  Luckily, Ms. Vennerable [sic] is a fairly adventurous eater and an avid fan of all things Ethiopian.

There’s a reason why I haven’t talked a lot about the dozen or so Ethiopian eateries in and around the metro-Atlanta area.  In my three or four experiences with the indigenous African fare, I have found the food to be passable at best (the word barftastic comes to mind).  Mind you, not a single one of these meals has taken place in the last three-years and none of them at a location anywhere close to the state we all know as Georgia.

As with most every regional cuisine, there is a deep and rich history behind Ethiopian food.  It’s one I am in no position to comment on.  So not only have I had bad run-ins with it, but the situation is exacerbated by my ignorance.  Still, I think this position actually works in our favor.  While there is something to be said for my rantings that are backed by a more substantial knowledge base, there is something charming in my ignorance.  If you’re still with me, it is a safe bet that when most people are asked to rattle off their favorite cuisines, Ethiopian is probably mentioned more in jest than as a serious response.

Off-color humor aside, I relished in the ability to walk into a place with little more than a cursory knowledge of the food and simply just taste.  As luck would have it, the reputation behind Desta seems to be earned.  Perhaps your experience will mimic mine.

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Tucked away in the sprawling Toco Hills Shopping Center, the Bagel Palace Deli & Bakery has been around for at least a couple of decades.  Somewhere in between Emory University and Druid Hills, the Toco Hills neighborhood is home to Atlanta’s most concentrated Jewish population.  It seems appropriate that one of the more widely known delicatessens is here.

At any given time, especially on the weekends, there is bound to be a bit of a crowd meandering around this two-tiered eatery.  Lined with a handful baking cases and a number of free-standing tables, the Bagel Palace has everything in place for a successful meal.  Despite that fact, and despite the benevolent adoration from those around these parts, Bagel Palace is a bit of a mixed bag.  Against the Atlanta backdrop, this is about as good as you’ll find in the deli-bakery hybrid so popular in The Big Apple.  Still, it doesn’t mean that it gets a total pass.

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Look out Atlanta, there’s a new Greek restaurant in town.  After a number of delays, Mykonos Taverna has finally opened its doors.  Originally scheduled to open at the end of April, the restaurant finally said hello to us late last week.  I had no idea when I penned the aforementioned post that droves of people would be looking for info on the restaurant.  As of this writing, that post is the third most visited page on the site.

That web fever seems to have translated to hungry masses; the place was absolutely packed when we arrived for dinner at 7:50.  If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that Mykonos was the newest Blais project to hit the ATL.  The reality is that the restaurant’s purveyors also operate Mykonos Grill up on Cobb Pkwy; perhaps that accounts for some of the fervor.

Having never stepped foot in Mykonos Grill, I have no idea if Taverna is a departure for the operators.  Regardless, the fact that they have done this before leaves me a bit perplexed; dinner was perhaps one of the most unusual dinning experiences I’ve ever been witness to.

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This is just a quick little get up for ya’ll.  I’m heading out the door for a business trip and haven’t had time to finish writing either of my two latest reviews.  I hope to have at least one of them ready to post by the time I land.  In the meantime, here’s a quick little heads up.

First up is Engine 11, the pub that now occupies the old fire station on North Ave.  While the building itself is pretty damn cool, the location seems to be a death knell for all who open there.  Stylistically, not much has changed since The Spotted Dog, the previous tenants, closed up.  Menu wise – it’s a bit of a mix and match with over priced appetizers and par for the course grub.  Details to follow.

Meanwhile, Mykonos Taverna has finally opened.  Roughly three-months behind schedule, this Greek eatery is hoping to capitalize on the huge buzz with a mind boggling array of menu options and a distinct decor.  To my surprise, that opening announcement has been on of the more popular posts on the blog (currently 3rd as of this writing).  Meanwhile, the initial meal left me absolutely perplexed, but not so much that I’m ready to burn down the place (yet…).

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.

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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.

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