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A new sandwich shop by the name of the Crazy Cuban is getting all nice and did before opening its door to customers.  Though Google maps may be off a smidge, it’s going in at 290 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta.  Steadfast and ardent fans of Cuban food may remember a place on Terrell Mill road that went by the same moniker.  I have no idea if these are the same owners.

This all comes towards the tail end of a very tumultuous time for Cuban restaurants in our city.  In reality, the Cuban restaurant scene has been a wasteland of turmoil for the past year +.  It really started back in the middle of ‘08 when the Kool Korners closed up shop and went to Birmingham.  Coincidentally, the old KK location is just a few blocks from where Carzy Cuban is going in.  Soon after that happened, Havana on BuHi was burned to the ground.  Though places like Papi’s and Las Palmeras kept on trucking, we were without our beloved flagships.  Recently, Havana returned, but in a different location and with a whole big drama in tail.  We’ll see what happens when this latest Cuban spot finally goes loco.

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)

Café Alice is one of those non-descript restaurants that exists in every strip center in every city around the country.  In this case, you’ll find this glorified sandwich shop in the Windy Hill Shopping Center off Cobb Pkwy.  It’s probably family owned (seemingly Asian in persuasion) and the idea of being “chef driven” is as foreign to the staff as nuclear physics is to me.  They aren’t trying to win any awards or garner the attention of foodies near and far.  No, it seems instead that this is one of those business run by people who want to do the best they can without any misconceptions or false hopes.  Mind you, that statement is entirely assumptive.

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My readers are full of great info! Dianne Reinhardt and the folks behind the Magnolia Bread Company (website) have decided to launch their own food truck!  Aptly named “The Green Van,” the just launched website is chock full of good tidbits.

The truck will feature a short and sweet selection of sandwiches, seasonal salads, and desserts.  Joyfully enough, all of them will be constructed from organic goodness.  No word yet on exactly where they’ll try and set up  – but I suspect their twitter account will have the deets.

All Hail Stephanie – whomever you are!!!

The path to restaurant ownership for Katie Birmingham has been anything but traditional.  The chef, turned lawyer, turned restaurateur first made a name for herself working under Günter Seeger.  She followed that up by serving as the sous-chef de cuisine at Anne Quatrano’s Bacchanalia.

In need of a change, she dropped the food gig and decided to wax intellectual at Kilpatrick Stockton.  Now, the LaVarenne trainee is back and doing her own thing.  She has brought a delightful sensibility to her Midtown sandwich shop, appropriately named Noon Midtown.  I should say, don’t get too excited guys, she’s been off the market for a while.

On any given day, you’ll see Birmingham bounding about her restaurant with an ear-to-ear smile, tending to one of the many customers that descend during the lunching hour.  Her approachable personality and high-energy attitude is infectious to say the least.  Hopefully, her time here will give you a little insight into what drives her to do what she does.  Alright ya’ll, time to get down to brass tacks.  And with that, welcome to ITCK!

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A few days ago, I found myself running around the town of Highlands, North Carolina.  Sitting comfortably atop the southern portion of North Carolina, Highlands is roughly two-hours via auto from Atlanta.  As such, it’s a popular sport for weekend getaways and summer excursions for those of us who call the ATL home.  My day up there actually provided me with a good bit of content for the blog, so I’ll be dropping a few more notes over the next few days.

While the recorded population of this quiet mountain town sits just under 1,000 people, the massive amount of tourist traffic has given rise to a handful of shops, markets, antique stores, and restaurants.  One such restaurant is Wild Thyme Gourmet.  The café sized eatery doubles as a wine shop and gourmet market.  Meanwhile, they offer up a handful of sandwiches and salads during lunch while focusing on traditional American entrées during dinner.  During this visit, I had the opportunity to sample some of their lunchtime cuisine.

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Slowly, but surely, we eek along.  Some four months after my first sub tour pit stop, I find we are just now passing the 3/4 flag.  You know what they say … time flies when you are having fun.  Yesterday’s meal found me all alone at the Bread Garden. Tucked away on Amsterdam Walk near Morningside/Lenox Park, the Bread Garden has long had a reputation for some of the best breads in the city. 

Even if you show up without any knowledge of their reputation, you’d soon learn of the importance that grains play here: a basket of baguettes usually adorns the door.  So while the exterior appearance of the Bread Garden is as Plain Jane as it comes; the interior is home to a variety of freshly baked bread and freshly made goodies.

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So yesterday was LottaFrutta; that quirky and offbeat food stop down in the Old 4th Ward/Inman Park.  A self-proclaimed fruit house and market, it translates into a fruit bar with sandwiches and salads.  Their style is unique (at least to this town); and, as such, it was time that I took the Atlanta Sub & Sandwich Tour down yonder.

Whether you think their name should be one word or two, one thing is for sure: you’ll remember this place.  It starts from the outside.  The fruit wrapped car is almost always sitting Southside on Randolph; meanwhile, the interior is awash in a palate of fruit colors and patterns.  Keep your eyes open, LottaFrutta has their own chi [A lemon that sits in one corner … noted as an energy lemon].  This style continues all the way through to their sandwich selection.  They’re fairly simple, but they do have personality.  Meanwhile, the ultimate question still needs to be answered.

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Café at Pharr in Buckhead has been around for a long time.  Soon after the Braves were cheated out of a World Series victory by Kent Hrbek [yeah – I’m talking to you!!!], this place opened (circa 1992).  I actually remember eating here inside their first month of operation.  What a cute little foodie I was! (or at least, that’s what I tell myself).  Any who … Many years later, C at P is still going strong.

Pharr has been the subject of several foodie posts (here, here, and here) and gets high scores from fans (urbanspoon & yelp).  With all that blog love, it seemed only fitting that this place worked its way onto the Atlanta Sub & Sandwich Tour.  As logic follows, I decided to make this stop #13 (my lucky number). 

In the neighborhood for a hair cut (Colette Design rules!), I figured it was as good a time as any to grab some grub there.  Well, it turns out my luck has run out.  Okay, admittedly luck did not play much of a factor in this.  I’ve eaten at CaP a number of times over the years and I knew what I was getting myself into.  Still, I showed up, disregarded my past experiences, and got busy.

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In the past year, Atlanta has taken a few stiff upper cuts to its Cuban jaw.  Fire gutted Havana (reportedly due to arson) in October after owner Silvesonso Ramirez closed Midtown’s Kool Korner Grocery in August.  The opportunity gave Papi’s (pronounced like Poppy seed) the chance to snag market share.  Backed by an already strong following, the restaurant upgraded its digs, expanded its interior, and even added a new location.

Nowadays, Papi’s in Midtown is a hopping lunch spot with long lines and a devoted following.  Given its proximity to my home and its new found fame, it was only a matter of time before I worked it in on the Atlanta Sub & Sandwich Tour.

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