Posted by foodiebuddha
on December 09, 2009
Here To Severe restaurants is continuing on the trend that started with Trois, continued with Cuerno, and even hit Stella. Kess is reporting that instead of an outright closing of Lola Bellini Bar, Tom Catherall is shuttering the space after New Years with intentions of “re-concepting” the restaurant.
There’s no doubt that traffic for this cougar-iffic hotspot has dwindled significantly in the last few months. Time will tell if the redeux will fare any better.
[via food and more]
Posted by foodiebuddha
on October 22, 2009
Ah Riccardo and my dear sweet Lupe Taqueria. Situated right on Juniper Street in Midtown, I wanted so badly to enjoy your company, to appreciate your culinary statement, and your bubbling atmosphere. Alas, it was not to be. What you gave me was a failure of Titanic proportions. In the blink of an eye you went from a place with so much promise to a dark sea struggling to provide me with the life jacket I so desperately needed. The waters were murky, and that’s being more than generous.
Before I head on down this path of destruction, let us take a quick detour to clarify something for those of you who are not familiar with this blog. First impressions should be considered for what they are. It is absolutely impossible to consider a single meal, and particularly one that takes place inside of a restaurant’s IPO week, and proclaim the establishment a failure with any degree of certainty. However, certain elements of the meal can hint at what is to come.
I am often called to task for my propensity to hold an establishment’s feet to the fire no matter how long they are open. I’m particularly less forgiving in instances where the owner is an established restaurateur.
In that spirit, if people are willing to proclaim Antico as God’s gift to Atlanta’s pizza scene inside of one slice, then we have to be willing to consider all establishments against some reasonably similar criteria. Put it this way, for every Matt Ryan, there are many more Ryan Leafs. Unless some serious soul searching takes place, Lupe Taqueria will be headed to the dead pool faster than you can say “guacamole.”
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on October 19, 2009
A lot of people have postulated as to why Hankook Taqueria, the one part Korean cafeteria and one part taqueria, has opened on the Westside. Whatever the reason, the addition of a Korean inspired restaurant over yonder helps to expand the culinary landscape. While there are a handful of establishments that serve Korean cuisine, not a single one of them is in ears shot of Hankook. Further to the point, I’m pretty sure this is the first foray into Korean tacos in the ATL. These facts alone make HT a valuable addition to the neighborhood, even if the food isn’t anything wonderful.
The man behind Hankook is Tomas Lee. Lee, an accomplished chef, has already tried his hand as a restaurateur. Unfortunately, his eponymous Tomas in Norcross and Wok-In Wok-Out in Lawrenceville are both a thing of the past. Now this former Buckhead Diner executive chef finds himself much closer to the heart of the city in a very unassuming location.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on October 16, 2009
A little busy/tired today – so here’s a sneak peek of some notations I’ll be making in the next few days.
Early this week, I made it over to La Pietra Cucina for the first time in a month or so. After hitting it up nearly 2x a week for a few months, it was a much needed fix. Chef Bruce Logue is still putting out some of the best food in the city, while the service and decor are still not up to snuff.
Hankook Taqueria has gotten some good attention and several people have already chatted this place up. After learning about it yesterday, Sparkplug and I decided to forgo our lunch date at Abattoir and hit up this new Korean taqueria.
Speaking of Abattoir, I hit that up again last night. After another mediocre experience at Bocado, we elected to go grab some drinks and snacks at the slaughterhouse. The chicharones where massive and delicious … the confit of mushrooms was a straightforward and simple delivery. The red wine reduction was top notch and the Star Provisions sourced bread was freakin’ sweet!
Yeah, after several meals at Bocado, I’m just not impressed. There’s potential, no doubt, but as it stands … this is a ho-hum, nice addition to the area. I’ll drop in over the weekend for a few quick hits/updates on the places.
Posted by foodiebuddha
on October 15, 2009
In my evening web perusal, I stumbled on a new blog by the name of Live To Feast (website). It looks like the person behind L2F, whomever they are, is setting up shop as a restaurant notation maker, a twitterati, and a pretty solid writer (unlike my own rantings, I haven’t found an grammatical error in the two posts I’ve read). Thanks to a little help from Eat It Atlanta over on twitter, L2F took note of Hankook Taqueria in one of his/her earliest posts. Apparently, owner Tomas Lee has made Hankook an odd mixture of Korean food and Taqueria style tacos. Even with just a few posts to date, I’ve already deemed L2Fs barren feed worthy of a follow. Check it out!
Posted by foodiebuddha
on September 18, 2009
I think it would be presumptuous of me to assume that the majority of the people who happen upon this little love of mine have no idea about Taquería Del Sol. In that spirit, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this little chain of taco bars (aka taquerías) is the darling of Atlanta’s Mexican restaurant scene. For better or worse, TdS seems to roll off a number of tongues when the conversation turns to “What Mexican restaurant do we want to eat at?”
With four locations locations, a strong following, and more visits under my belt than I could possibly remember, it was only a matter of time before I felt the need to drop some lyrics on my fellow foodie groupies. However, given the circumstances, most notably my lack of free time right now, I thought it might be nice to just hit ya’ll with some pretty little pictures and a few notes.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on September 11, 2009
People often say that bloggers, critics, and the like get the most pleasure from writing a scathing note. While I can’t speak for the rest of them, I’ll tell you that this guy gets the most joy out of recapping an impromptu meal that was anything but expected. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does … you’ll find me smiling wider than the Cheshire Cat.
That smile hit me during a little excursion to Norcross. Thanks to the predictably unpredictable Atlanta traffic, I found myself twiddling my thumbs while my dinner buddy battled the bumper to bumper. Idle hands, being what they are, led me to go for a stroll in the Merchants Square Shopping Center that housed our destination.
Seeing as the strip was peppered with a mix of eateries, and I was armed with a Titanic sized appetite, it was time to be productive. I decided a snack was in order. The stroll actually took me the length of the walkway; it seemed nearly every place that peaked piqued [THANKS DG!] my interest was either closed for dinner or closed for good. Still, I kept walking, and whether it was a consequence of fate or the dumb luck of free will, I ended up circling around the back of the center only to find a Mexican supermarket. Celia’s, with a demonstrative sign and quirky sombrero incorporated into the logo, was it.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on September 10, 2009
Ever opened your fridge late at night? If you’re like me, it usually makes you squint and promptly throw your forearm up in a measly attempt to ease your eyes. Well, that’s the kind of reaction I had to a recent meal at the Prickly Pear, a loud and proud taqueria located in the base of the Plaza in Midtown.
Given the price point, the predictably kitsch décor, and the mediocre experience, I can’t say I was really disappointed. Ultimately, we got what we asked for. Put simply, this is the usual Texicana meets Mexicana, and if you judge it against any other standard, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on June 30, 2009
Last week, a few of us got together for some lunch at Taqueria El Rey Del Taco. It seems almost like clockwork: once every handful of months, an Atlanta food blogger heads over to Buford Highway to grab some of ERDT’s lauded tacos. Last week was my turn.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on May 15, 2009
So last Tuesday (yes – el Cinco De Mayo), a friend whose culinary prowess dwarfs my own, decided to join me for lunch. She was in the mood for some margaritas; and, Verde Taqueria, the newly opened Brookhaven taqueria, got the call.
While the delay in getting this up could be attributed to a busy week, that’s not really the case. From what I have been told, this is the first foray into the restaurant biz for the owners. Given the fact that these guys are getting their feet wet in every respect, I wanted to make sure I put things in the appropriate perspective.
While all new restaurants deserve some leeway, one such as this (rookie owners, low price point, casual atmosphere) gets a bit more of a pass. Meanwhile, franchises, chef driven restaurants, and pocket pinching establishments(think BLT Steak or Dogwood) need to be relatively well run right off the bat.
Though I fear this may sound particularly harsh, the meal was pretty unimpressive and left me apprehensive.
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Here To Severe restaurants is continuing on the trend that started with Trois, continued with Cuerno, and even hit Stella. Kess is reporting that instead of an outright closing of Lola Bellini Bar, Tom Catherall is shuttering the space after New Years with intentions of “re-concepting” the restaurant.
