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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)

Later today, Atlanta’s best bar meets restaurant (a.k.a. Holeman + Finch) is set to be a location for an upcoming episode of the Food Network’s Chefs Vs City.

The premise of the show centers around a challenge from the show’s hosts (one part Aarón Sánchez and one part Chris Cosentino).  They find two local foodies chefs and dare the challengers to eat some of the more adventurous dishes from the city they call home.  While I’m not one of the challengers (good thing – cuz I’ll put most any dish in my tummy), it’s no surprise the H+F showed up on the schedule.

The gastro pub is best known for their burger, their hot dog [it is freakin awesome], and their cocktails.  However, true fans know that the establishment serves up what most people would call “exotic” parts of the animal.  Chances that the veal brains and/or the rabbit livers show up? I’d say strong to very strong.  More later as the details leak out.

Hot on the heels of the much more fashionable, Fünke and I took a little ride to the just opened Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft, a Thai restaurant in the former Taurus location.  Backed by the familial lineage of Nan and Tamarind Seed, daughter DD Niyomkul has taken the helm of the kitchen (and the restaurant) in an attempt to offer a “casual” experience powered by authentic Thai food via small plates.

You may have noticed the quotation marks encompassing the word casual.  Most every press piece and notation that I’ve seen on Tuk Tuk mentions the casual nature of the restaurant.  While the vibe here is far from the tie-wearing atmosphere of Il Mulino, it’s not any closer to that of the flip-flop and jeans places that dot our cityscape.  What you have is an elegant room that banters back and forth between the intimate date night and the more friendly “scene” spot.  To put it another way, Tuk Tuk is Buckhead casual, not BuHi casual.

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Holeman & Finch is my favorite watering hole here in Atlanta, hands down and bar none.  Though I think the food has slipped just a smidge since Adam Biderman bolted for the Big Easy, the drinks are as killer as always and the food is still quite good.  After Biderman departed back in May, Jason Paolini was brought in to run the kitchen.  For all practical purposes, he has made the transition seamless for the patrons.  Yes, I did say the food has slipped a smidge, but I do mean that emphatically.

As expected, the menu has morphed ever so slightly since Paolini’s arrival, and the new additions have gone over quite well.  As Tony continues to put his footprint on the restaurant, the food is gradually returning to normal.

Of the additions, the house made hot dog is far and away the gold medalist.  Ladies and gents, I’ve had hot dogs upon hot dogs upon hot dogs in my lifetime – and this hot dog is breathtakingly awesome.  Mind you, it’s a bit gourmet, as is everything at H&F.  Of hot dogs of this ilk – it might be the best I EVER had.  Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this ground round of beef town has hit my lips only once to date.  It’s possible that this was an aberration, but I seriously doubt it.  After all, I’m not the only one to dig this pup!

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Now this is a dagger to my culinary heart.  As reported by the venerable Cliff Bostock via his twitter and on Omnivore,  Elisa Gambino is shutting down Via Elisa, her Westside pasta shop, in a couple of weeks.  She penned a long and detailed response, so you should head over and read that post.

Via Elisa has long been my, and my families, go-to stop for pasta.  It is without a doubt the premier pasta producer in and around the city of Atlanta.  This totally sucks balls!  Not all is lost as Gambino will continue to produce her sauces, many of which are available at your local Whole Foods.

I’m pissed … very very pissed.  I actually have a draft in progress on this place … i don’t know what I’ll do with it now!  That is the least of my concerns.  Best of luck to Gambino – she’s friendly, talented, super awesome, and just AWESOME.  For those of you who have never been over to Via Elisa, GET THERE POST HASTE!!!

Via Elisa Pasta Shop Address & Information

1750 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 // 404.605.0668 // Via Elisa website

The hits just keep coming.  Though this actually happened a few weeks ago, I somehow managed to miss it.  Wolfgang Puck Express pulled an Emeril’s and said buh-bye to Atlanta.  This leaves the city with one less celebrity chef restaurant and the ground floor of the Brookwood Place complex dangerously close to empty (at least in the south building).  While the signage is gone and a closing note hangs in the window, the interior has remained pretty much intact.  Maybe another restaurant will go in … maybe not … only time will tell.  I have a few snapshots, but they are held hostage on my camera until a little later tonight.  I’ll throw them up when I have the chance.

Hope ya’ll had a pleasant weekend. I know I did.  As you might expect, the past few days have left me worn down and fried.  So, rather than pen a full review, first impression, or the like, I have decided to hit ya’ll up with some quick notes about some recent goings-on in the ATL.

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This has the potential to break my heart.  I, along with every other foodie in ATL, love Holeman & Finch, that über cool English pub in Peachtree Hills.  Well, according to his own facebook status, Adam Biderman is packing his bags and moving to New Orleans.  No word yet on when he’s departing H&F.  It’s possible he’s already done; but, I saw him there on Thursday night. Update: Adam Is There Through The End of May!!!!!

In the meantime, I can assure you that this will be something I’ll keep my eyes on.  Regan, Greg, Linton, and the rest of the gang run a hell of an operation.  I am curious to see what the end result of this is.  While I think Adam does a  top notch job and this makes me sad … I wish him the best of luck on his journey home.

That all said, I expect H&F to remain my favorite hangout joint in town.

Every Thursday, from 8-11pm, you can show up at Varasano’s, pay a flat fee, and eat until you are stuffed.  The price is thought provokingly low.  For $12.95, us big’ns can eat as much pie as our tummies will hold.  Meanwhile, kids under the age of 12 eat for just $7.95.  These “Heaven Nights,” sound like a good deal.

Servers will walk the floor with a handful of pizzas.  The onus will be on the customer to request the desired slice. Interestingly, Varasano’s will offer up some daily specials.  I have no idea if that means there will be a special pie, some other concoction, or both.

So now that they have opened their patio, I think this sounds like a heck of a way to spend a Thursday evening.

Varasano’s Pizzeria Restaurant Address & Information:
2171 Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30309 // P: 404.352.8215 // Varasano’s Pizzeria Website // Varasano’s Pizzeria Menu

A good burger isn’t hard to find … a great burger is! Somewhat out of character for us, Atlanta actually has it’s fair share of top notch burger joints.  While the best burger in town is a hotly debated topic, the usual suspects always seem to end up in the discussion.  Holeman & Finch’s “Down Low Cheeseburger” is one such suspect.  Well, these brisket/chuck patties just got some more national attention.  The Food Network just published a 50 States, 50 Burgers report.  Georgia’s representative?  You guessed it!  More after the jump!

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