Coast Seafood & Raw Bar Restaurant Review – Buckhead, Atlanta, GA [First Impressions] 2

Posted by Foodie Buddha on April 21, 2010

The corner of E. Andrews and W. Paces Ferry in Buckhead is choke full of Atlanta’s forgotten culinary greatness.  Yes, the converted home that housed one of Atlanta’s most notable restaurants (Seeger’s) has gradually morphed from a place of legend and shi shi into an establishment for the more casual dinner.  Coast Seafood & Raw Bar is the current resident, and they’ve set out to fill the void left when Steamhouse Lounge moved to Midtown.

The restaurant is operated by Tom Catherall’s Here To Serve, a restaurant group whose fooderies dot our cityscape with thoughts of greatness that always fall short.  In fact, 111 W. Paces’ previous tenant,  aptly named Home, was one such example.  The restaurant’s brief flirtation with success came when Catherall brought in Atlanta’s darling chef, one Richard Blais.  That Blais up and ran just a few months after showing up was not a surprise (it’s kinda been his m.o.).  It was also no surprise that when Blais left, so too did Home’s business.  Now, just a few months after H2S shuttered the cougarville that was Lola Bellini Bar in favor of the disgusting Cantina Taqueria, they have followed suit with Home and Coast Seafood.

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Chef Shaun Doty Of Shaun’s: Inside The Chef’s Kitchen #7 2

Posted by Foodie Buddha on December 18, 2009

shaun-doty-itckChef Shaun Doty has long been at the forefront of the Atlanta dining scene.  For the past three-years, he has been the man behind Shaun’s Social Club.  Before that, he headed up things at establishments like Table 1280 and MidCity Cuisine.  Now, he’s primed to open the city’s next burger joint, aptly named Good Burger.

Doty maintains his cool while putting out straightforward, ingredient driven dishes.  Friendly and approachable, the chef has taken the time to step out from behind the burner to drop in here on Inside The Chef’s Kitchen.  In it, he professes his continued love for a particular rendition of fried chicken, manages to sneak in the word “wankers,” and declares … why settle for one when you can have both?  Alright y’all, let the good times roll!  And with that, welcome to ITCK!

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Community Q BBQ Restaurant Review – Decatur, GA [First Impressions] 10

Posted by Foodie Buddha on December 08, 2009

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.

triforce-linkNot 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.

community q - plate up by foodiebuddha.

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La Pietra Cucina Restaurant Review – Midtown, Atlanta, GA 6

Posted by Foodie Buddha on January 13, 2009

Overall: ★★★☆

Over the past year and change, Atlanta has lost a number of its’ most well respected chefs.  Joël Antunes left for the bright lights of New York, Guenter Seeger ran off into oblivion, and Michael Tuohy went to Sacramento (that’s not a misprint ladies and germs…SACRAMENTO!). [Quick aside – Tuohy is doing very well: LINKY]

At the same time, we have welcomed Jean-Georges, Tom Colicchio, Laurent Tourondel, and others.  While their restaurants thrive, despite mixed reviews in some instances, these culinary giants have grabbed a great deal of attention.  Deservedly so, I might add.  Toss in the emergence of our beloved and adopted Richard Blais [he’s actually a New Yorker … and dare I say..a Gators fan!!!], and there isn’t much room on the front page for anyone else.  While somewhat lost amongst them, chef Bruce Logue has garnered some well deserved attention from the local foodies (myself included).

Logue’s return, as he is a native Atlantan, is inspiring to say the least.  Though his skills as a restauranteur are not as polished as those mentioned previously, he has proven to be a very capable chef.  Read the rest of this after the jump.

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