Chow Down Atlanta

When I started blogging in early 2007, Chef Bruce Logue’s La Pietra Cucina was the “it” restaurant. The food blogging scene was just emerging and bloggers met there (on different occasions) to meet each other for the first time. It’s also where you’ll see the who’s who in Atlanta. It became a favorite restaurant of mine, although, the price point prevented me from going there as much as I would like. It was good, however, that they have lunch service where prices were more affordable. Chef Logue has since left LPC and is now at the helm at BoccaLupo. The new digs is less formal, more casual. The prices are more affordable that it’s no longer a special occasion place like LPC.

I have a dinner group of 6-7 food-loving people who get together regularly to catch up with each other and, well, try new (and most times old) restaurants. Having a big group means having the ability to try almost the entire menu. It’s also a cheaper way to eat out and be able to try a lot of dishes. And since I don’t drink at all, I don’t have to worry about adding $20+ to my bill. Win-win!

So let me just tell you what I think about this place rather than the usual hashing out the ingredients from each item and using the monotonous 6 or so superlatives used to describe food. I love this place. Overall, I like it better than LPC. I love the cool vibe. It’s fun and not stuffy (or snobby) at all. I love the food. Everything is handmade from scratch by Chef Bruce including the desserts (except for the Gelato). Everything I ate was delicious and even better than LPC. I love the prices. It’s a true neighborhood joint where you can hang out and go several times a month without having to go bankrupt. You just really have to go!

Now for the spread…

One of the chef’s signature items is this plank with assorted cured meats and a pineapple mostarda that is so amazing. It was my favorite at LPC then and it’s still my favorite now!

Risotto Balls

Grilled Asparagus with poached egg

Tuna Tartare

Bruschetta Banh Mi with slow roasted pork and chicken livers (so delicious)

Fried Cauliflower with ming and capers (another winning appetizer)

And now for the mains…

One of the Chef Bruce’s signature dish and a longtime favorite of mine is his Black Spaghetti. The pasta is made from squid ink and is actually a common Italian dish in many Asian countries. There are pieces of Calabrese sausages and succulent red shrimp in there that really makes this dish outstanding.

Roasted Branzino (quite possibly the best version I’ve had)

Mushroom Risotto (oh so good)

Top left: 20-yolk Tagliatelle and top right: Pappardelle Bolognese (both super amazing)

I’m not a big dessert fan but my group really liked these…

Zeppole with Chocolate Sauce

Pistachio Semi-Freddo (get this!)

Gelato and Cookies

So there. Awesome food. Great place. Go, go, go!

BoccaLupo
753 Edgewood Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 577-2332

Technorati Tags: Inman Park, Edgewood, Atlanta, Italian

I’ve been trying to get to this place for a while now and I finally got my firefighter buddy to go with me. It’s right on the corner of the 285 exit and it’s easy to miss. I’m not even going to attempt to tell you how to get there — I wasn’t lucky enough to be born with the direction gene, sadly. Now, let me tell you a few rules about this place:

1. If the server tells you to get the special, by golly get it! Repeat: GET IT.
2. When you ask the server about a dish and she reluctantly tells you she hasn’t tried it, do not feel adventurous. Trust me. And trust her, she knows.
3. Drink water. My Diet Coke tasted like Pepsi. The refill tasted like Cherry Coke.
4. The Cuban Sandwich is really, really, really fantastic.
5. If you’re hungry at 4AM on a weekend, you know where to go.

Like I said, get the Cuban sandwich. The roast pork is heavenly– tender, moist, flavorful. There’s some non-overpowering mustard which I liked and a bread that would knock your socks off. You can order a half portion to go with your meal. But really, get the whole. You can thank me later.

The Picada. It has everything the kitchen has. Ropa Vieja, chicken, arepa, yucca, empanada (which was so good, by the way), gold potatoes, fries, sausages (delish), and chicharrones. This is a humongous plate and the menu says it’s for 2 people for $23.95. It’s an awesome deal if you can’t decide what to get. Just remember, two people get a plate each. The menu doesn’t say it but you can order half (or one plate) if you like.

There. Now go there and get whatever is special that day AND the Cuban sandwich.

Oh, before I forget… Another tip: the speed limit on this part of BuHi is a slow 35mph. Doraville PD is ruthless and will stop you for going 5 miles over that limit. Just like what happened to @takethoufood a couple of years ago. Right, SB? :p

Tostones Latin Cafe
5499 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30340
(770) 936-3000

Technorati Tags: Latin, Cuban, Buford Highway

I’ve been trying to retire from blogging for many years. Of all the bloggers I started out with back in 2007, only two people remain active in blogging about food: Jimmy and Broderick. Technically. Since FoodieBuddha is semi-retired also. Anyways. You see, back in 2010, I had this awesome idea. About a new project. So I started with such excitement until, well, I just became plain lazy. Plus there were so many excuses that got in the way. So it went into the back burner. I’m gonna try to resurrect that project again. While I’m not going to be gone from blogging altogether, (besides, a good friend said, “You have a responsibility to tell people about more Korean restaurants.”) I will just be taking a different approach to blogging. I think blogging has run its course for me. I mean, really, how many more Korean restaurants can I talk about? They’re practically all just the same. Besides, you can only use so many adjectives to describe food. These days, it’s really more convenient (and fast) to post a picture on Instagram and have mini reviews. In case you hadn’t noticed, that’s what I’ve been doing for the last, oh, two years now?

So. Until my project is launched (it’s a slooow process), follow me: @chowdownatlanta on Instagram. Oh and I’m not abandoning this blog. Yet. In fact, there should be a new post in… ten, nine, eight…

One of the things that is very common among Korean restaurants is how they reincarnate. When they go out of business, the space doesn’t get abandoned. Instead, they get bought out by new owners and they stay the same way — the same concept, the same restaurant name, the same decor, the same menu (most times). There may be different management/owners and a different chef but sometimes even the chef stays behind. That’s what happened with Cafe Toh Dam in Suwannee, Myung Ga Won, Nam San Gol, Well Bean, and Kal Guk Si in Duluth, just to name a few. It’s also exactly what’s happened here. This place used to be called Seoul Restaurant. It’s now Seoul Shinjung. New name, new owners, new management, new chef, new menu, same location, same decor.

One thing that’s noticeable here is the improvement in service. Asian restaurants aren’t really well known for service. You just have to accept it and get used to it. Flagging down a server for anything you need is a way of life. The menu has also been whittled down considerably. I wasn’t shown an English menu so I’m not sure if there even exists one. The good thing is that the servers speak more than a bit of English and will tell you what’s on the menu. The bad thing is that they’ll tell you the names of the dishes in Korean. Asking them to describe what those are, well, that’s almost impossible.

Did you know? The number one reason I love Duluth is because there exists a myriad of Korean restaurants that offer good and cheap eats. Combo lunches at Seoul Shinjung from 11AM until 3PM will only set you back $7.49. That includes 7-8 types of banchan, a huge bowl of soup, and a meat dish. On this visit, I got yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) and pork bulgogi. The soup broth is so much better than before. There are huge chunks of beef and even a piece or two of beef tripe! It may not be the best version in the city but it’s decent enough to eat on multiple visits. The pork bulgogi has lots of tender and flavorful meat. What’s not to like?

So, if you ever find yourself in this parts of north Peachtree Industrial Blvd, a trek for everyone, you have to stop by. You won’t be sorry.

Seoul Shinjung
3585 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 584-1103

Technorati Tags: Korean, Duluth, Atlanta

I have been a huge fan of Chef Josh Hopkins ever since he showcased his talent at the Leap Year Dinner at One Eared Stag last year. Soon after that, he took the helm at STG Trattoria where he continued to amaze people with dishes such as pork chops with sweet potato puree, fried quail, homemade pastas, and braised octopus, to name a few. In January, he announced his departure at STG which saddened me but was relieved to find out he was just moving downtown and in to WOKC.

WOKC is in downtown. That means you have to park at the many street parking lots or pay a hefty price at nearby hotel parking decks. Or, you can use their complimentary valet parking. I love valet. It’s convenient and quick, not to mention safe — I don’t have to walk in dim alleys and fear for my life to get to where my car is. Let me also mention that the place is really nice. It’s so modern and with amazing views of downtown. I don’t really care much about ambiance and decor, and if you notice from this blog, I eat mostly cheap (but good) food from hole-in-a-wall places. Fancy eating from this country girl doesn’t happen too often.

homemade sweet muffins with soft butter and apple syrup (aka wow)

I’m not gonna lie — I came in with high expectations. After all, this is Josh Hopkins we’re talking about. STG is one of my favorite places to eat because of him. So, armed with my one month’s paycheck, my sister and a very good old friend took a page from my eating playbook and ordered (almost) the entire menu. Let me just tell you it’s one of the best meals ever. Food was super fantastic.

We started with five appetizers. Naturally, we had to have the pork belly. It had crispy skin, tender, juicy, and tasty meat, and came with these small squares of sage stuffing. There’s a lot of good pork belly in our city but this one tops them all. Maybe because the pork was made to stand out. It didn’t have any distractions like some apple or fruit stuff or sweet accompaniment to it.

The fried oysters were another winner. I don’t like huge oysters that take two bites to eat. These were bite-sized Apalachicola ones that were lightly dusted with corn meal then fried golden. But what’s interesting is the savory bread pudding and corn milk the oysters were sitting on. It’s like getting a bite of soft bread dipped in sweetish sauce. It’s so good it would make a great main dish if they super-sized it.

The deviled eggs were not the boring ones you see everywhere else. The yolks were whipped creamy with bacon and then there’s this crispy tomato skin on top and minced pork rind. You get this flavor and texture explosion in your mouth.

Ever had savory grits? Flavorful grits plus mushrooms, lentils, and porcinis. So good.

One thing you shouldn’t miss is the charcuterie plate. It’s a huge serving and if you consider everything on this plate, it’s really a steal at $15. Everything was fantastic on this plate: there’s homemade sausages, paté, different kinds of mustard, cured meats, grilled housemade brioche bread, a rillette of chicken innards, and the best part: bacon marmalade. Bacon marmalade! Don’t miss this one.

I love pimento cheese. Growing up, my mom made hers from scratch, dicing fresh red pimentos and grating sharp cheddar and American cheeses. She’d make pimento cheese sandwiches and feed them to us as an after-school snack. It’s comfort food and I have to get it whenever it’s on any menu. Here, the pimento cheese is sandwiched between a stack of fried green tomatoes making it a real southern fare. The cheese is creamy and smooth just like I want it. There’s also this homemade strawberry jam that balanced the saltiness of the cheese. It’s a real good appetizer.

We ordered four main entrees and stayed away from other ubiquitous items such as the steak and the fried chicken. Like I said, everything I ate here was fantastic. But the one that stood out the most was the duck. This, by far, is the best roasted duck in the city. There are so many elements that make a good dish: taste, texture, ingredients, execution, and smell. Sometimes, it’s just impossible to make ingredients and textures combine well with each other, even if it was executed correctly. Most times, chefs fail to realize that some ingredients don’t play well with each other. I usually consider a dish as very good if 4 out of 5 of those elements are present. It becomes awesome when a dish hits all 5. Well, this one hit it out of the park. The duck was juicy and tender and the skin had a light crisp and a tinge of sweetness. It came with this mashed sweet potato wrapped in bacon! Seriously, get this!

The other entrees were equally amazing. I’m running out of adjectives and superlatives. I mean, how many more times can I use amazing, awesome, delicious, fantastic. So, you get the idea. I liked the braised short rib because it was peppery and savory. There’s also horseradish that gave the dish a slight spicy kick. The lamb t-bone was not gamey at all. And the grouper? Light and refreshing. You can taste the sweetness (as in freshness) of the fish. I love that the dishes here don’t have heavy sauces. The proteins are already considerable in serving sizes so I’m glad that accompanying ingredients and sauces were chosen to be light and not overpowering.

You all know by now that I’m not a dessert fan. But my sister is. She got this Bread Pudding and Three Jars. I don’t remember what was in the three jars but she said everything was good.

Anyway, we had a fantastic meal — the food was unbelievable and the service was impeccable. This is my new favorite restaurant. Go now! That is all.

White Oak Kitchen + Cocktails
270 Peachtree St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 524-7200