Category Archives: Atlanta

Restaurants in Atlanta

Spice to Table

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Spice to Table, Old Fourth Ward

I never made it to Cardamom Hill and was pretty bummed when it closed because I heard it was excellent Indian. And even though it took me over a year I was happy that Chef Gomez opened Spice to Table in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. It’s hours are pretty select; being open Tuesday- Saturday from 10am- 4pm could potentially limit when you can go but nevertheless you should make a stop. It’s an Indian Patisserie shop if I had to try and describe it. From what I understand the menu varies daily and depends on what Gomez feels like making.

On the day that I went I ordered the  Beef Potato Patty, which came with a side of cabbage salad and bread. I want to call this bread naan since I was eating at an indian inspired restaurant but I thought it closer related to roti. I also got a Chai and a Chicken Curry Puff Pastry to-go. Surprisingly the dish that I am remembering most is the cabbage salad, it included cilantro and the flavor of it really caught me off guard as I normally associate cabbage salad as bland. I will definitely think of Spice to Table not only when I want a flavorful place for lunch but also a quick place for lunch.

 

 

Old Vinings Inn- Attic Bar

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Old Vinings Inn- Attic Bar, Vinings

I have often driven past the Old Vinings Inn and wondered if it’s an inn, restaurant, or bar but as soon as I’d turn the corner the thought turned into a fleeting one. That is until Tom & I needed a place for dinner in Vinings. We were meeting a friend and thought it best to make the effort and go up to their neck of the woods. So after almost four years of wondering I finally found out that the Old Vinings Inn is a restaurant with an attic bar, which has live music Wednesday- Saturday nights.

The attic bar has three menu’s: it’s own smaller menu, the full menu from downstairs, and if you want food after 10pm a every select menu. I opted for the sliders which were of the fried chicken persuasion , truffle fries, and candied bacon. All of which were on the attic menu. The candied bacon was unreal and truly suggest getting a glass for the table. The beer list is pretty limited but it had some good choices. The wine and cocktail menu looked to be more extensive. The full menu looked awesome with very traditional southern fare and when I return I plan to try their short ribs. Seating can be limited and music does start at 8:30 Friday and Saturday nights so best if eating to get there around 7/7:30. I’m not sure who all plays there but Kurt Thomas was playing the night we went and we heard everything from Zac Brown Band to Bruce Springsteen and just had the best time.

Atlas

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Atlas, Buckhead

I always love when my mom visits. One of the MANY reasons is that we often go to one special dinner; one that can never be repeated nor would I ever go to on a whim. This time I made reservations at Atlas, the new restaurant at the St. Regis in Buckhead. It opened this Spring and the Chef de Cuisine is Christopher Grossman who most recently worked at The French Laundry in Napa. From the moment you walk in you don’t think you’re in Buckhead let alone Atlanta. The use of rich mahogany and deep hunter green elevate the space. The dining room is quiet and while the kitchen is open it is not the main attraction but rather adds to the ambiance. I had heard they do a chef’s tasting, however, it was not listed. I decided to ask our server, Hugo, anyway. He explained that they do have a chef’s tasting you get to select how many courses (it starts at 6 and can go up to as many as you want) plus specify any preferences or dietary concerns you may have then the meal curation begins! I’m not sure about you but this was very exciting. We also choose to get the wine pairing.

I will admit I was one of those people who took pictures of the dishes but I pinky promise the flash was off and I was discrete.

FullSizeRender 4 First course: cured yellow tail hiramasa // Delamotte Brut, Blanc de Blanc, NV

IMG_1008 Second course: young sprouts salad // Thermen Moser, Gruner Veltliner, Per Due, Krenske 2012

FullSizeRender 2 Third course: tomato soup with roasted tomatoes & a seared cubed of cheese // Schloss Schönborn, Riesling, Rheingau 1997

FullSizeRender 5 Fourth course: pan seared halibut // Garaudet, Meursault le Limozin, Burgundy France 2012

FullSizeRender 3 Fifth course: grilled beef tenderloin with a truffle potato pierogi dumpling // D’Arenberg Dead Arm, Shiraz Australia 2010

FullSizeRender 6 Sixth course: milk chocolate mousse with peanut butter cremux, feuillentine crisp, & blueberry // Smith Woodhouse 20 year Tawny Port

I treasured every minute of this dinner due to the care of presentation, finesse of pairing, and dedication to service. It will always be a meal to remember.

Cooks & Soilders

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Cook & Soldiers, The Westside

I’ve had Spanish food and enjoy tapas style dining immensely but never had the opportunity to try Basque cuisine until recently. Cooks & Soldiers is a new restaurant on the Westside and apart of the Castellucci Hospitality Group (Iberian Pig & Double Zero). I try to wait at least 2 months before I go to a new restaurant since I think it best for the restaurant to work out their growing pains. Went on a busy Friday night and was glad I made reservations. Another thing to note is that this restaurant does get a little loud. Our server was great and made sure to hit all the highlights and review the best way to order– be sure to share! By the time she was done I knew what eight plates I wanted all I had to do was convince the other two members of the table, but don’t worry they were on board 🙂

IMG_0993 Hongos y Setas: coal roasted mushrooms with goat cheese & black truffle

  Beats & Peaches: grated red beets, Pearson’s peaches, raspberry, & pistachio, house ricotta

  Atún y Frutas: seared tuna, heirloom tomato, melon, buttermilk crème fraîche, watercress, port gelée

  Bikini: white American grilled cheese, Jamón Ibérico, black truffle, white bread

    Special for the night: house-made pasta, mushrooms, ricotta, pea purée

IMG_1001  Veal Cheek: Rioja braised veal cheek, potato purée, peas, carrots

IMG_0999   Lomo de Cerdo: Berkshire pork tenderloin, hazelnut romesco, swiss chard, quince-sherry jus

IMG_1002  Chocolate & Corn: Valrhona chocolate tarte, sea salt caramel, house creamed corn, Horchata meringue cookies, corn gelato

All dishes were fabulous but the two dishes you CANNOT miss are the veal cheek and the bikini. It was the second time I saw chocolate and corn together for a dessert recently so I’m not sure if this is a new thing but both times I was surprised it worked out, the sea salt caramel didn’t hurt either!

Mamak

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Mamak, Buford Highway

I’m not often close to Buford highway but took advantage after playing soccer at the Silverback’s Park. Mamak has been on my “short” list for a while and was excited to finally check out Malaysian street food. As soon as we got the menu I knew I wanted to order the Roti Canai and Chicken Satay skewers for the table. The roti with curry sauce really hit the spot. When I looked further down the menu I wasn’t exactly sure what anything was so our table asked A LOT of questions before settling on Chow Kway Teow (wok fried flat rice noodles with shrimp, squid, egg, bean sprouts, soy sauce & chili paste), Hokkien Mee (wok fried noodles in special soy sauce with pork, shrimp & squid), Assam Pomfret (pomfret fish in a tamarind chili sauce), & Chicken Curry Loh (egg noodles toss in curry sauce, with chicken).  A good thing to note is that food is served when ready and not all at once. I also recommend going with a group so you can try more than just one or two dishes. The place is small but food comes out quick and the service is very friendly and trust don’t mind all the questions.

Kiri Ricebar

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Kiri Ricebar, Midtown

Always looking for a dinner place after work that is close, on the quicker side, and affordable. While I love cooking there are sometimes during the work week that it’s just not going to happen. I’ve seen Kiri across the plaza from Trader Joe’s for three years now and often ignored it until one recent Tuesday where I just decided to go. The restaurant is pretty small but there is outside seating. I might have taken advantage of this but August in Atlanta can be hot so I opted for inside. The menu is split up roughly half Japanese and half Korean. Went with Tom and we ordered the Gyoza to share. I then ordered the Bulgogi with steak and Tom created his own Bibimbap. The portions were HUGE so we were both able to take leftovers for work the next day, which is always a plus. The service was great we had a rotation of three servers. I’m not too familiar with Korean food so definitely want to go back to try something else although a plate with seared steak & fried rice may be hard to beat.

Pop Dog

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Pop Dog, food cart

I went to Sweetwater IPA day (Aug. 6) and wouldn’t you know it I went hungry which isn’t always the best idea when you’re about to try beer let alone IPA’s BUT lo and behold on my way in there was POP DOG, a community food cart, and it had hot dogs. I guess it was meant to be. They had about 4 or 5 hot dog specials but I went with mustard and relish a true classic in my book. The dogs were grilled, the buns fresh, and relish homemade. I hadn’t had a dog all summer because I knew I needed to wait until the real thing and I’m so glad I did.

I’ve checked out there Facebook page and they seem to be at all sort of events and really support the community. If you seem them around be sure to check them out!

American Food & Beverage

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American Food & Beverage, Buckhead

Creative Loafing has yet to steer me wrong. It reviewed American Food & Beverage back in the Spring and it has since been on my short list. Tom & I went one Saturday night with another couple that also loves food (what are the odds?). The décor is clean and bar the main attraction. The cocktails were delicious I had the gin gimlet and the old-fashioned coke-tale. The menu was not extensive but nothing sounded or looked bad. Our table ordered the burger, the turkey sandwich, braised pork shoulder with grits, and fried chicken with collards and a biscuit with apple butter. The burger was the clear winner. Holman & Finch can move over as there is a new burger in Buckhead. I can’t really put my finger on it but the burger was saltier all the while not killing you with sodium overload. The desserts were also surprising. They make their own ice cream and no I’m not just talking about strawberry or chocolate. The flavors that night were corn with chocolate ganache, Sauvignon blanc with citrus  marmalade, and watermelon with tomato compote and a basil base. We also ordered the peach profiteroles which were like the month on July in cloud form. The whole night was great until it took forty-five minutes to get the check and then walking up to my car to find not one but two boots on my car. Who did they think I was MacGyver? Two boots were really unnecessary. Before the night I was super excited about the prospects for a fun new restaurant in Buckhead but it may take a while for the sting of waiting for the check and two boots to wane.

Terra Terroir

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Terra Terroir, Brookhaven

Have you ever been in the situation where you need to make a last-minute reservation for a 10 person group dinner on a Saturday night? No? Well props to you for having friends that plan! I wasn’t optimistic since it was already 4pm when I was looking for places but I stumbled upon Terra Terroir with an 8pm availability. It was almost serendipitous. When I drove up I was a tad concerned since it was in a strip mall but on the bright side there was ample parking. I walked in early and instantly forgot where I was. There was a covered patio and a long bar. The cocktail menu was great and the mussels were just what I was hankering. Now I ordered something that I’ve never seen on a menu except for my mother’s Christmas dinner menu. I’m not sure where Beef Wellington comes from but for the last 10 years it has graced our Christmas dinner table and I have zero complaints. I ordered it and was happy to say I tried a version slightly different from my mom’s but think it is best left up to Patty on December 25th. I didn’t get to try dessert but have no doubts that it wouldn’t be good.

Superica

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Superica, Inman Park (Krog Street Market)

Ford Fry has many restaurants in Atlanta now and all are good and worth your time. I’m not sure how he does it but perhaps it’s a mystery that shouldn’t be solved. Superica opened in the spring at Krog Street Market and I was chopping at the bit to go. Right when you walk in you instantly get the Tex-Mex vibe. Now I’ve never been to Texas but it felt pretty authentic to me. Right when we sat down we were graciously greeted with the freshest chips and two types of salsa. Now I’m not sure about you but for me it’s no Tex-Mex feast without Chili con Queso so we ordered the small bowl and decided this is the best in Atlanta. The list of drinks was pretty interesting but I elected for The O.G. Margarita. I really wanted to try the short rib plate but after consulting the waiter and finding out it’s big enough to share I went with the Tacos de Barbacoa and Tom ordered the Puffy Taco Dinner. I often pass on the rice and beans but even those were good! Seriously, how does Mr. Fry do it?