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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)

Recently I had the opportunity to try out Two Urban Licks, a restaurant owned by the same folks that run One Midtown Kitchen and Trois.  Self described as ‘fiery American food,’ Two Urban Licks offers a diverse menu that changes daily, and offers hearty seasonal dishes with options that even fill up gluten-free bellies.

I went with a group of friends on a Friday night to Two Urban Licks and it was quite a happening place.  With high ceilings, live music, full tables, and the kitchen located in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by glass, there’s action everywhere.  Being that it was a weekend night, it was particularly loud and I was glad that our table was far away from the band.  (Does that make me old and lame?)

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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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Though this news is actually a few weeks old, I thought it was worth a mention.  Since September 4, there has been a gluten-free concession stand at Turner Field.  The stand, which sits behind section 106, offers up an impressively long list of items.  The run down of available options is as follows: all-beef franks, sirloin beef burgers, chicken sandwiches, chips, popcorn, brownies, cookies, soda, and water.  For those of you looking to down a few brews, there is gluten-free Redbridge beer.  ARAMARK, despite having one of the worst company names possible, is the sole provider of eat and drink goods at the home of the Braves.  So they deserve some credit for making this happen.

Word around the campfire is that there is an an attempt to have an unofficial gluten-free fan night.  On October 19th, the local gluten-free dinner club plans to head down to Turner Field as a celebration of their new found dining option.  Full details for the planned excursion can be found at the group’s Meetup.com page.  Though there is only one commit as of now, it seems that most everyone of the group’s meet-ups draw two-dozen or more folks.  I’m sure you can dig up more information by checking out Tiffany Janes on twitter and on her blog. [Janes is the group organizer.]