So the gang from Muss & Turners has gotten together and opened themselves a little cocktail bar. Aptly named Eleanor’s (after one of their longtime employees), Eleanor’s is a cocktail bar with some food offerings from the newly M&T’s next door. It’s located right next to M&Ts (and there’s a little connector between the two). Have at it ATL. Details can be found on the M&T facebook page.
Look at it … drool over it … want it. Stare at that tempura batter soaking up the ponzu … crave it. That, my friends in food, is one hell of a dish. Courtesy of Tomohiro Naito at his eponymous restaurant Tomo, lusciously cut pieces of black cod have been tempura fried and left to swim in a garlic ponzu sauce. Grated daikon and sliced scallions round out this tongue puckering example of umami. In a Japanese restaurant where dollars need to be watched with meticulous solicitude, you’ll probably assume the $8.00 price tag exists in err. Hurry now before Tomo-san realizes this gaff; this may be the most under valued dish in the entire city.
Tomo Japanese Restaurant Address & Information
3256 Cobb Pkwy Atlanta, GA 30339 // 770.690.0555 // website
The Setting: My Home
The Meal: DaVinci’s, a Midtown pizzeria that delivers.
Important Note: These pictures are of well-done pizza as we requested that time.
Unless you’re a person in your late teens or early 20s, delivery probably isn’t a staple of your life. For those of us not knee deep in Maruchan ramen or “couch coin” funded burritos, delivery can still offer a utility. But whether you’re just trying to shut your kids up, take a night off from the world, or fool your dinner date into thinking you can actually cook, finding palatable deliverables is often difficult.
There are exceptions to every rule and front in center in that department is DaVinci’s Pizzeria, a two outfit chain with locations in Smyrna and Midtown Atlanta. The location in Midtown has been open some four months, and in that time, I have taken down at least a couple of their pizzas, their sides, and their sandwiches. So while I won’t hold them to the standards of some of the more high brow pizza spots in Atlanta, I will say that to date, I’ve been relatively pleased.
Another day, another mini-food tour that is my burden. At least I had good company!
Along with GI Joe, I took a Susie Washing Machine to lunch for her birthday. She’s works near Cloverleaf so we hit up YJ for some of their awesome tonkotsu ramen. My guests were thoroughly satiated, but my more discerning sensibilities got the better of me. For the first time in a while (I’ve been there more than most), I was pretty bummed. The broth still provided a silky, pork infused introduction, and the noodles were spot on, but the rest seemed like a regression concept. Once laden with delicious roast pork, foodies have been groveling at the reduction down to two pieces per order. You used to be able to order extra (for a surcharge) … not any more. The only other visitor was some shredded cabbage (think inside of a spring roll), which was layered beneath the pork. Still a fine slurping, this example seemed more like a dumbing down than anything else. Maybe it’s time to look elsewhere for my ramen cravings.
Yakitori Jinbei Restaurant Address & Information
2421 Cobb Parkway, Smyrna, GA 30080 // 770.818.9215 // website // menu 
So while I curse the gods at the disappearing act my post pulled at 2am last night, you can read my feeble attempt at recapturing my literary glory. Go head, I’ll just be hitting golf balls off my roof at passing cars.
At best the word authentic is a loose interpretation of the reality. More often than not, it’s simply a bullshit term applied by far too many people to far too many things. Most food cultures developed over centuries in a time when word traveled slow and information channels were at a premium. And for that matter, food culture most everywhere is in constant evolution. Ever played a game of telephone? [that’s an awesome link btw] Things can get awfully mixed up awfully fast. Thus, cooking techniques in one area of a region were very different than said cooking techniques in another.
Why all the attention paid to the word authentic? Well, because it’s a supercharged, debate inducing, ecstasy causing piece of foodie contraband. ‘Nother words, mention or claim something is “authentic” and them’s fightin words. So leaving behind the bull crud of “what’s the most authentic Mexican food in town?,” I give you Carniceria Ramirez, a straight up grocery store and “authentic” taqueria stationed on the outskirts of south Smyrna.
Q: According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5771. According to the Chinese calendar, the year is 4707. What do Jews call the 1,064 years without Chinese food?
A: The Dark Ages
As that joke is an undeniable fact, it does beg the question: Do Chinese people love latkas??? While we all ponder who in this world does not love those little fried potato pancakes, I find myself riverside in Sandy Springs. Peter Chang, the mercurial wokman, is back with his crack. As a consequence, I’m eating my traditional Christmas Day meal of Chinese food while in the capable hands of Sir Chang.
But before we get to the end, let’s start at the beginning. Any commentary on Peter Chang MUST mention his time at Tasty China and a few other places. Now that that’s out of the way … let’s get to the good stuff!
Dear Peter Chang,
We are obsessed with you.
Sincerely,
Us
Now that that is out of the way, y’all should check out Eat It Atlanta’s recent trip with the Legend to Tasty China in Smyrna/Marietta. It was one impressive looking meal that was worthy of The Legend’s birthday (as denoted by the video above). Of Particular note, PC himself was back in the kitchen. Alright y’all, gotta go grab some lunch. Back soon to write you up some stuff to look at.
Since my introduction to Yakitori Jinbei in late 2009 (thanks Spark Plug), the restaurant has worked itself into my regular rotation. I’ve introduced several people to the joint, told countless others, and return whenever I get a hankering for some ramen. (occasional acts of indiscretion at Haru Ichiban notwithstanding).
Having successfully convinced many a foodie that I am not actually cuckoo for cocoa puffs, the newly minted Ramen Brigade set out late last week for a little Hi, Hello, and some much needed sustenance. Having grabbed Spark Plug and @NoKungFu in route, we met up with Dea (website) and Weigy (website) for some good ole fashion yakitori. Needless to say, I had no business at the table with people who might as well bleed Asiatic cuisine. Still, I managed to sneak a seat, and the Ramen Brigade was up and running.
Buckhead’s sushi scene is about to get a lot more crowded. A few months ago, word broke that Tomo was set to open in The Ritz-Carlton residences building, At the time, owner/chef Tomohiro Naito was not sure if his namesake restaurant would keep its current location in Vinings. Well, according to several of their servers, the Vinings location isn’t going anywhere. As for the soon to be Buckhead joint, the details are still coming together. As for now, Restaurants Consulting Group is handling the design, and they have said that the plans are to make the restaurant into a higher-end sushi bar. There’s no confirmed word yet on an exact opening date, but end of summer was tossed around.
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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