Thank you Pizza Hut for making all of our lives a little better. Now if you could only make better pizza! Make sure you watch until the end so that you can learn how to do the dance! No word on whether or not this technique will spread to America and our beloved delivery drivers.
[Thanks to El Guapo for the email]
Hello to The Kind Pie in Buckhead. You see, crave worthy deliciousness is something we all obsess about. While achieving that meditative state is difficult and rare, when we do stumble upon such wonderful morsels of yum, those of us lucky enough to have the time will do what we can to feed that obsession [case in point: 3x visits in nine days]. Amongst foodies in the Dirty, nothing seems to draw us out more than the opportunity to expand our waistlines and spike our cholesterol at the mercy of the pizza gods.
Being the creatures of habit that we happen to be, many of us have started to make our way over to The Kind Pie. Within 24-hour of my initial notation on the place, @EggRollStan started abusing TKP’s gratis delivery service, The Bliss followed shortly thereafter, and Live to Feast oozed all over it just a few days later. At the tail end, even the mainstream media is on the trail (ATL Mag’s Bill Addison has been over for a meal). While we wait for further dissemination by foodies, cavorters, and grublets alike, early impressions from this guy are that TKP should easily be considered amongst the best pizza pushing drug dealers in the city.
I should be writing about this …
but instead I’m watching this …
So I’ll be back on …
In the meantime people – if you have a chance to get to The Kind Pie in Buckhead… DO IT!!! AND DO IT NOW … the pizza is amongst the best in the city … and inspired by Brian Spangler of Portland and his take on the cuisine! This place deserves to blow up … it’s just that good!
It’s a holiday weekend, so this will be a real quick post: no pictures, no elaborate descriptions, no pomp or circumstance. Family Buddha decided to go grab some lunch on Friday. On a recommendation, we hit up the Buckhead Pizza Company in, you guessed it, Buckhead.
Oddly situated in the Realm building, you have to pull off Peachtree to get a view of the restaurant. There is a parking deck just past the restaurant that offers 1-hour complimentary parking. There is complimentary valet there as well; though, I imagine that an hour is ample time for most diners.
We were greeted by Baton Bob’s daughter. Decked out in a full pink tutu-esc dress, I have no idea how the owners let her in. Still, the hilarity of the scene was priceless. I’m not gonna fuddle with the decor much. It’s an attempt at fine dining pizza. Some will like it, some will hate it, and most, I suspect, will care less. Count me amongst the latter crowd.
The menu here is immense and pretty straightforward. For some reason, nobody can just use the word appetizer anymore. Instead, you have “small plates.” Beyond those choices (and an appetizer section), you have standard “chain” Italian cuisine. Pastas, salads, sandwiches, and flatbreads dot the menu. They actually differentiate between their lunch menu and their dinner menu. Not sure why.
But of course, this is a pizza joint, so that was what we focused on. Each of us ordered a half-salad, and the experience set the precedence for the meal. Early comments were: “This is good” and “I like it.” Then everyone’s head turned toward me … can’t a guy just eat a meal and not have to think about it? Ughghgh … alas, you cannot take me anywhere. I think my initial descriptor was “bleh.” The lettuce was bagged and the dressing was bottled. Similar comments followed from my step-mother and then my pops. I would forgo the salad option.
Between the four of us, we split two medium pizzas. With a dozen or so pre-itemized pizzas and the inevitable make your own option, the combinations here are extensive in number. Most of the pre-selected pizzas have cutesy names that give you little to no indication of what’s included. They come in just above the standard options. For example, you’ll find things like cilantro, caramelized onions, and gulf shrimp. We settled on the Margharita and a custom built mushrooms, onions, and ground beef. The pizzas arrived at the same time and were placed on a two-tiered pie tray.
While my three compadres first went for the custom pie, I hit the Margharita, the true test of any decent pizza place. Topped with full slices of tomato, I was apprehensive. I took one bite and instantaneously knew what we had: glorified Dominoes. The sauce had nearly burned off … too much water in it. Meanwhile, the tomatoes on top were dried out. The crust was uniformly crisp, so that was a plus.
I grabbed a slice of the mushrooms, onions, and ground beef. This was a much better pie; ultimately, I would call it decent at best. The beef itself was nice and crumbly, just like I want it on a pizza. Still, the sauce is nothing to write home about and the dough is run of the mill.
Meanwhile, everyone else held true to form. To nervous to let their inner critic out, they affirmed their delight and then turned to me for the inevitable. By the time we walked out, the group seemed to agree that the place was far from destination worthy. One person uttered: “I certainly won’t be back anytime soon” It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t notable, and it wasn’t moving. Better than Pizza Fusion, they did manage a decent crowd by the time we walked out. As BPC delivers within a 4-mile radius, I would consider hitting them up next time I’m watching the dawgs … in the meantime, eat at your own risk.
3324 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA, 30326 // 404.869.0678 // Buckhead Pizza Co. Website // Buckhead Pizza Co. Menu 
After eighteen stops, a lot of slices, even more calories, and god knows how much damage to his internal organs, Jimmy over at EatItAtlanta has finally wrapped his Atlanta Pizza Days series. I make no bones about it, APD inspired the Buddha Tours (my first being the Atlanta Sub & Sandwich Tour). Luckily, I was able to get in on two of his trips. While the food at those pit stops sucked something funktastic, it’s been nothing but good times hanging with Jimmy. Those two meals certainly helped me hone my skills in preparation for my ugly stepchild.
Though I have absolutely no factual basis for the following statement, I am gonna go out on a limb and say that Jimmy will revive the series for a one night only appearance. Anybody want to guess why I say that?
For the past few weeks, Jimmy over at EatItAtlanta.com has been giving up his health and his cash in the name of public service. Jimmy has been touring various Atlanta pizza joints like there is no tomorrow; that can’t be good for his health. As I write this, he has added six reviews to his Atlanta Pizza Days series. All of them are in depth, include some great pictures, and provide a breakdown of each pizza joint (sauce, cheese, crust, etc…).
He has yet to visit Rosa’s, my current favorite, so I will be curious to hear his take. Will he man up to try the Carnivore challenge up at Big Pie In The Sky (internal)? Most mortals need to forgo food for a few days to even have a remote chance of downing a 1/4 of that pizza. Adding in that 30-inch gigantor to the rotation would basically double the amount of pizza he has consumed for this tour. Yikes!!!
First Impressions: Pizza Fusion – Proof Of How Far Atlanta Has Come, And Of How Far Atlanta Has To Go
Recently, I was asked to guest post over at Atlanta Restaurant Blog; I acquiesced, and sent Malika my thoughts on the newly opened Pizza Fusion. You really should check out her site. She’s posted a lot of great content. In addition, she has lots of nice pictures (something I definitely need to work on).
I do not want to undercut the value of that review. However, I’ll give you the short of the long here. The ingredients are fresh and they are an extremely eco-friendly restaurant, perhaps the most eco-friendly restaurant in the city. That said, their execution leaves a lot to be desired. Though this is just a first impression, I do not have a great deal of hope for the future. I will be back, but I am not expecting much of an improvement.
Address: 2233 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30309 // P: 404.351.9334 // Website // Menu
To be honest, if you haven’t heard about this by now…chances are you don’t have a chance to win. That said, it’s still worth a mention. Gizmodo is giving away free pizza over the internet. All you have to do is follow their MacWorld coverage. It seems like a good bit of work for a free za from some dumpy delivery joint. That said, have at it!
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