Patrons of all sorts debate the value of a meal at MF Buckhead, Atlanta’s most shi-shi sushi spot. Together with MF Sushi Bar and MF Omakase Room, Chris Kinjo’s restaurants are the easiest way to have sushi burn a hole in your pocket. Though indulgent excess is on the decline, and Atlanta’s high-end dining scene is so thin that even Quinones is a once a week affair, elegant expense still has its place in our city.
For the past year and change, Kinjo has been utilizing his hidden room at the Buckhead outpost to serve some of the best sushi this city has seen in many a year. Up a single flight of stairs, tucked away in a serenely styled room is a Japanese speakeasy that should be on everyone’s list for special occasions. Believe you me, the MF Omakase Room is as good as it gets.
Now that that is out of the way, y’all should check out Eat It Atlanta’s recent trip with the Legend to Tasty China in Smyrna/Marietta. It was one impressive looking meal that was worthy of The Legend’s birthday (as denoted by the video above). Of Particular note, PC himself was back in the kitchen. Alright y’all, gotta go grab some lunch. Back soon to write you up some stuff to look at.
Bobby and June’s Kountry Kitchen is a place of romanticism and idealized memories. Every city has a place (or two) like this, a breakfast joint that serves as a tribute to times gone by from era’s long past. It’s here we find this simple little shack, nestled in the bosom of high-rises and traffic jams. Sitting proudly on 14th street in the cleavage between Midtown and Westside, Bobby and June’s bright yellow sign and weather tested wood planks immediately call attention to this Atlanta institution.
It’s a popular eatery amongst those that attend Georgia Tech, as it serves as a comfortable mixture of Waffle House meets Fox Bros. With its very own barbecue pit, Bobby and June’s moves seamlessly between the world’s of Meat & 3’s and diners. It was this history that coaxed me out of bed one recent morning, inviting me in for a meal where calories aren’t to be trifled with and organic is a term that applies to the Streak-O-Lean on your plate and not a food movement. Though I’m much more likely to see a sunrise on my way to bed than on my way out of it, the opportunity to rejuvenate the Ambiguously Foodie Duo was just too much to pass up.
“Am Foodie, Will Travel For Meals.” Many of us live by that motto … not all of us have the budget to fulfill that dream. Thankfully, we can live vicariously through others. Hot of the plane, Eat It Atlanta has blessed we plebeians with some excellent photo documentation of his recent excursion to New York City. Included are pictures from his lunch at Eric Ripert’sLe Bernardin and his meal at Thomas Keller’sPer Se. Sorry ladies, this half of the Ambiguously Foodie Duo is actually off the market … and his lady was the tag along of all tag alongs! As you can see … it was awesome! Go give the trip a twirl!
As bloggers, we all try and do something to stand out. Creative juices flow and the result are things like Tami’sEat On 30, Jimmy’s pizza thang, and Kessler’s new found 30 in 30 (note: that’s a link to twitter and it should fill in as the days pass). Those all require a lot of work, heavy organizational skills, and a lot of time. I wanted to go for something a little more lighthearted and a little less time intensive.
As a result, starting this week, I’ll be running the first post in a series I’m tagging as “Inside The Chef’s Kitchen.” Though the name isn’t super original, many of you may make the immediate connection to the über cool Bravo TV show – Inside the Actors Studio. At the end of each episode, host James Lipton prods his guest into answering the following questions:
1. What is your favorite word? 2. What is your least favorite word? 3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? 4. What turns you off? 5. What is your favorite curse word? 6. What sound or noise do you love? 7. What sound or noise do you hate? 8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? 9. What profession would you not like to do? 10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Borrowed from French talk show host Bernard Pivot, the list is essentially a twice removed take on the Proust Questionnaire (wiki). Using that as the inspiration, I’m going to track down a few chefs from the Atlanta area (and nearby), and put them to the task (with a modified list of course!) Hopefully, I’ll be able to do this every Friday … so we’ll see how long I can stick to that. You’ll be able to follow the action on the blog or via my twitter account using the hash tag #itck. Meanwhile, if you’re a chef or if you know a chef, feel free to contact me! I can always use the people.
Okay gang, this is really just a teaser post to get your whistles wet. The details are this: a well-known NYC foodie hit town this week and that has been confirmed by at least four people in one form or another. He’s been cavorting around town with at least one of the more respected members of the ATL food community, so I’m pretty sure this will go public soon. Rest assured, when it does, I’ll be sure to point ya’ll in the right direction (though I doubt that will be necessary). The food in question includes, but may not be limited to, our now hot-button pizza joints. How cool is it that NYC is coming to Atlanta for pizza? Say what you will about this whole hub-bub, it’s pretty cool to hear about something like this.
A lot of people have postulated as to why Hankook Taqueria, the one part Korean cafeteria and one part taqueria, has opened on the Westside. Whatever the reason, the addition of a Korean inspired restaurant over yonder helps to expand the culinary landscape. While there are a handful of establishments that serve Korean cuisine, not a single one of them is in ears shot of Hankook. Further to the point, I’m pretty sure this is the first foray into Korean tacos in the ATL. These facts alone make HT a valuable addition to the neighborhood, even if the food isn’t anything wonderful.
The man behind Hankook is Tomas Lee. Lee, an accomplished chef, has already tried his hand as a restaurateur. Unfortunately, his eponymous Tomas in Norcross and Wok-In Wok-Out in Lawrenceville are both a thing of the past. Now this former Buckhead Diner executive chef finds himself much closer to the heart of the city in a very unassuming location.
In my evening web perusal, I stumbled on a new blog by the name of Live To Feast (website). It looks like the person behind L2F, whomever they are, is setting up shop as a restaurant notation maker, a twitterati, and a pretty solid writer (unlike my own rantings, I haven’t found an grammatical error in the two posts I’ve read). Thanks to a little help from Eat It Atlantaover on twitter, L2F took note of Hankook Taqueria in one of his/her earliest posts. Apparently, owner Tomas Lee has made Hankook an odd mixture of Korean food and Taqueria styletacos. Even with just a few posts to date, I’ve already deemed L2Fs barren feed worthy of a follow. Check it out!
In these tough economic times, there is nothing like a good, budget conscious foodie whosiewhatsit to keep you on your toes. Earlier this year, Running With Tweezers decided to try and eat for an entire week on a budget of just $30. Well, she’s back at it again, and this time, with quite a bit of help from people like The Broke Socialite (website), Trouble with Toast (website), and Eat It Atlanta (website).
Before we get ahead of yourself, please read the thoughtful post she put together. It will give you some much needed perspective on the event. You can follow the full details over at RWT or on twitter at #Eaton30. Unfortunately, I have to many business lunches next week to participate … sucks!!!!!
Tucked away in the depths of Decatur’s town square, a new food-stop has emerged to beckon the foodies, the adventurous eaters, and the hip. Backed by a wealth of internet buzz (here, here, & here – just to name a few), The Iberian Pig supposedly opened this past evening. Truth be told, the restaurant found themselves accepting business over the weekend; hence the inclusion of the word “supposedly” in the previous sentence.
While people have shuttered at the meat-centric name bestowed on that relatively new joint over on the Westside, the reference to Iberian pigs has seemingly drawn a great deal of praise. The truth behind the name is that Iberian pigs are the source of Iberico ham, aka pata negra, aka jamón ibérico. As the restaurant has made it a point to include the delicacy on the menu, the name seems apropos. Why the French word for slaughterhouse caused such a ruckus, whereas the reference to a slaughtered piece of pork brought praise, is an unsolved mystery.
But we digress. Back on point, good press will only get you so far. For a restaurant to succeed, they need to deliver. Like the clockwork that is my life, the Ambiguously Foodie Duo (one part me, one part this guy) set out last night to see how things were starting off.
As you can see … it was awesome! 
