Chow Down Atlanta

Trinidadian family owned and operated, this island fare restaurant opened late 2004 and has created a permanent imprint in the Atlanta dining scene. Borne out of frustration for lack of (decent) Caribbean restaurants in Atlanta, the Lawrence family decided to take matters into their own hands and opened a charming restaurant on Medlock Bridge Rd inside the Regal Cinema plaza. The result is a labor of love. Mom (as I have fondly called her) prepares authentic homemade dishes from scratch using fresh ingredients both found locally and from Trinidad and beyond; while son Dale (with brother Deion whom I’ve both known forever being a few years ahead of me at GSU) manages the operations.

While every single item on the menu is absolutely delicious, the most popular ones tend to be the pelau and roti. Pelau is probably the one dish that epitomizes Trinidadian cuisine and described as flavorful rice blended with meats and vegetables. Soca’s pelau is just that — fork-lickin’ good, hearty, and full of flavor. The rice is cooked perfectly, moist and savory; while the accompanying caramel chicken was, oh so fork tender, with the most amazing blend of spices. Mom told me to get the plantains for my side as she knows exactly what goes well with any dish. The sweet plantains had just the right amount of bite, not mush and soggy, though ripe enough.

The Caribbean roti (pronounced row-tea) which resembles a burrito is a huge flour pancake enveloping different fillings such as curry chicken with potatoes. The curry chicken is the best curry you’ll ever taste — melt-in-your-mouth chunks of chicken simmered for hours in perfectly-seasoned curry sauce — a real comfort food. Teamed with the not-your-usual baked mac ‘n cheese, it makes for a filling lunch.

A perfect period to any meal, the homemade (by a close friend) mango pie is to die for. In fact, I’m no longer allowed to attend any parties without bringing a whole pie (or two). It is not overly sweet, with the right amount of tartness and a consistency between cheesecake and mousse. Add to that the special crust and you have the most delectable dessert.

For the more authentic tastes, I highly recommend the ox tail stew available on Fridays only (they ran out within a few hours of opening), the Callalloo soup (spinach-okra puree), and the curried goat.

Insider tip:
Kids menu available. Menu items include dishes for the hard-core and for the less adventurous as well. Whole Mango pies available for purchase.

The scoop:
Soca Caribbean Cafe
website: http://www.socacafe.com/index.html
9700 Medlock Bridge Road
Duluth GA 30097
Telephone: 770.476.0042

Technorati Tags: Soca Caribbean Cafe, Caribbean cuisine, pelau, roti, mango pie, oxtail stew, goat curry, callalloo, Medlock Bridge Rd., Regal Cinema plaza, chicken curry, Duluth

Plans for converting the southern end of the GM plant in Doraville further boosts Asian presence in town. Dubbed the Peachtree Pavillion, there will be 165,000 square feet of retail space with Super H Mart as the anchor store (announced December 2006). The new development is jointly marketed and developed by ACT Investments and JWB Realty.

I am excited as I know there’ll be a bunch of restaurants that are going to call this their new home. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: Peachtree Pavillion, Doraville, Super H Mart, Asian facility

Opened just two months ago, Aroy-D is already attracting a lunch crowd. And with the humongous space they have, any lunch crowd can be accommodated. For a strip mall restaurant, I was really surprised to see how big the place is — with a good-sized beverage bar and a separate large sushi bar. Speaking of big, the portions are ginormous!

The menu consists of Thai staples and sushi items/combos. I settled for my favorite Gai Pad Gra Pow (minced chicken sauteed with basil leaves) which is the first thing I look for in any Thai restaurant. Here at Aroy-D, they have a funny name for it: Chicken Ka Proud. I give them major points for serving it with a fried egg automatically. None ever do. Saved me time from ordering. The dish was superb, tasty, with just the right amount of seasoning. I would’ve loved it more to be on the spicy side, but hey, you can always adjust that by asking for the condiment set (dry peppers, chili sauce, jalapeno slices in vinegar). I also give them points for using minced meat as most Thai places have gone to using slices of chicken instead.

Another favorite is the Thai barbeque chicken. Aroy-D gives you half a chicken that tastes more Americanized than I wanted it to be. The sauce tastes like, well, ordinary barbeque sauce with no hint of Asian flavoring whatsoever. A little addition of tamarind to the sauce would have elevated this dish to great heights. It came with shrimp fried rice which was flavorful. Read the rest of this entry »

A craving for grits brought about by a trip to Charleston (South Carolina) where shrimp and grits is a staple, landed me for the first time in Geraldine’s Fish & Grits on Hairston Rd. in Stone Mountain over a year ago. Opened in 2005, Geraldine has been serving 7 types of fish with grits for lunch and dinner as well as chicken & waffles among other items.

Operated by a two-person staff, Geraldine cooks while another guy waits and buses tables. Because everything is made-to-order, expect to wait a few minutes for your food to arrive especially during peak times.

I highly recommend her famous fish & grits. My favorite is the deep-fried, cornmeal-battered catfish fillet and grits with an egg and a biscuit. You can’t go wrong with this specialty. The fish is fresh, fried perfectly, and has the lightest of dusting of cornmeal. At $6.95, it’s a good value served all day long. I’ve also tried the chicken & waffle but I wasn’t as impressed as the fish & grits. The chicken was a tad undercooked and the waffle was so hard I felt like I was eating a hard piece of toast. Stick with the fish & grits and you won’t be disappointed.

Insider tip:
Bring a newspaper and linger for as long as you want.

The scoop:
Geraldine’s Fish & Grits
website: http://geraldinesfishandgrits.net/
971-1B North Hairston Rd.
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
770-298-3660
Open daily except Mondays from 7am-3pm

Technorati Tags: Geraldine’s Fish & Grits, Stone Mountain, breakfast, lunch, chicken, waffles, fish, grits, Southern cuisine

I’ve been going to Joel for a while. I remember bumping into highly-acclaimed Chef Joel Antunes in 2003 when he was having a cooking demo at the grand opening of (gasp) Bloomies at Lenox. I was drawn not by his ability to produce such flavorful morsels of food given the two-burner stove he was laboring over with, but by his soft, accommodating demeanor. A true French artiste at heart, his attention to detail is remarkable.

The former head and star of the Ritz Carlton Buckhead’s The Dining Room built his 5-million dollar brasserie with a dream kitchen that’s quite out of this world (just imagine a 62-foot stove). From the moment you step in, you’ll be wowed by the contemporary decor. That includes the ultra-spacious hip bar and the uber-stylish ladies bathroom.

I’ve been to Joel many, many times and I have yet to be disappointed. Both with the food and the service. I love the way Chef Joel incorporates Asian ingredients with his French cuisine — an influence from his life in Asia some time ago. Every item on the menu is well-thought of: from the balance of flavors to the textures and taste.

For a truly good deal, go for the three-course $49 Chef’s Weekly Menu (used to be $39) available during the week or the Spa Menu for $25 guaranteed served in 35 minutes or less. It’s a five-star food from a five-star chef in a five-star place with a five-star service but not a five-star price.

Insider Tip:
The entrees, on their own, are quite satisfying (especially after the bread and starters) so I’d forego ordering any additional sides unless you’re really feeling ravenous.
Check-out the ladies bathroom — it rocks!
The extensive wine selection can be daunting so ask for the Sommelier’s recommendation. And stop-by The Market where you can purchase wine served at the restaurant (unfortunately, it’s only open until 5:30pm but you can definitely pop in after your lunch).

The scoop:
Joel
www.joelrestaurant.com
3290 Northside Parkway at the Piazza at Paces in the Forum Building
404-233-3500
Valet Parking
Reservations recommended
Dinner: Monday-Thursday 5:30PM - 10:00PM
Friday-Saturday 5:30PM - 10:30PM
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday 11:30AM - 2:00PM

Technorati Tags: Joel restaurant, Chef Joel Antunes, Atlanta, Northside area, prix fixe, weekly menu, French cuisine

I ate Korean two days in a row. First at Book Chang Dong (BCD) where I actually came in during opening day in January 2005 and have been a regular ever since. Then today at Toh-dam (another favorite), which I consider to be the best place in metro Atlanta for tofu soup and ribs. And that’s coming from someone who has tried every Korean restaurant in town. Really.

Toh-dam is located inside Assi Plaza on Old Peachtree Rd in Suwanee (close to Discover Mills mall). Funny, Assi Plaza is an exact replica of Super H Mart but slightly smaller in scale (Super H was built first and Assi followed a little close to a year later). Anyway, the menu is similar to BCD, not that extensive but have enough of the staples — galbi, sundubu, pancake, bibimbap, cold noodles. Like I said, they have the best tofu soup and ribs. Hands down. The tofu soup is so flavorful and the ribs are so tasty.

Unfortunately, Toh-dam is on the pricey side when you consider the portions you’re getting. The tofu soup, although the same price as every where else, includes very little ingredients. You can actually count the number of beef strips or seafood in them. But you will so overlook that once you taste the full-bodied broth. And their broth is consistent in taste unlike other places where it changes not only from day-to-day but bowl-to-bowl on the same day and on the same table. The tasty ribs cooked to perfection are thin and they only give you three whole pieces cut into two for a total of 6 small pieces. If you get a separate order of galbi (beef ribs), you’ll only get about a pound compared to the two pounds you get at BCD.

The galbi-tang, my absolute Korean favorite (which is clear beef broth with beef ribs, mushrooms and ginseng) is totally divine although a whole $2 more than other places. Incidentally, BCD just added galbi-tang to their menu recently and they call it “Well-being soup”. What I’m saying is that Toh-dam skimps on their portions but they’re big on taste and for me, I’d rather pay for great taste than waste my money on a lot of food with mediocre taste. Toh-dam is an absolute favorite of mine followed closely by BCD.

Insider tip:
Tucked underneath the stairs on the left side of Assi plaza (similar to BCD’s location inside Super H Mart plaza)

The scoop:
1291 Old Peachtree Rd #101
Suwanee, GA 30024
678-417-1718

Technorati Tags: Toh Dam Tofu, Korean food, galbi, sundubu, tofu soup, Assi plaza, Suwanee, Old Peachtree Rd, Korean restaurant, galbi-tang, Book Chang Dong

The best, unforgettable peri-peri chicken I’ve ever had was during a vacation in the Middle East two years ago — I tasted it in different places in two different countries and they tasted very similar to each other. Piri piri (or peri peri) is a small spicy pepper grown in South Africa and its neighboring countries which is also known as the African bird’s eye chile. Peri-peri chicken (or shrimp) is grilled chicken (or shrimp) marinated in peri-peri sauce made with peri peri, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, olive oil, and salt. The taste is distinct and totally different from Jamaican jerk chicken.

Boneheads, a quasi fast-food place which is part of Raving Brands (think Mama Fu’s, Moes, doc green’s, Shaun’s) specializes in piri piri chicken. Their piri piri chicken comes in three sizes: whole, half, or breast, and in different flavors: lemon & herb, medium, hot, or very hot. I love spicy food and am known to squeeze raw bird’s eye chili peppers (both African and Asian varieties) into my food. So I tried the hot flavored half chicken which came with seasoned rice, a choice of side (Asian cole slaw), and a topping (I chose cucumber lime and yogurt).

Boneheads version vs. the Middle Eastern version I had
I was totally disappointed with Boneheads’ piri piri chicken. Although well cooked and juicy on the inside, the taste was

Read the rest of this entry »

From the outside, you’d think this place is just another strip mall food joint: the sign is ordinary and the outside looks like a fast food deli complete with menus posted on the glass walls. But since it was their opening week at the time, I was determined to give it a try. And boy, was I surprised. Inside was a lovely restaurant with shiny maroon concrete floors, muted golden walls, dark wooden tables and chairs, columns, and Grecian style decoration.

The menu is typical Greek — salads, pitas, roasted chicken… nothing fancy and not extensive either. But if you want a quick bite to eat and you’re already in the neighborhood, then this is the place to try. For starters, they give you a free plate of four different kinds of dips: cucumber-yogurt, chili, honey-mustard, and garlic-mayo; with pieces of grilled pocket pita on the side. I’m saying pocket pita here as opposed to the flat doughy pita

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What: Dinner and a Movie hosted by the Atlanta Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier and the Emory Goizueta Business School

Info: Featured Film — Whole Hog - a documentary of the Barbeque culture in the southwest, Winner: Best Mississippi Film, 4th Annual Oxford Film Festival (2007)

Featured Food: BBQ!!! From some of the best chefs in the city! Watch a mouthwateringly good film and then sample all the film has to offer.

What to bring: Your own libations - locally crafted brews, artisan drafts and Que-friendly wines

Cost: $30.00 to Les Dames members and students, $40.00 to non members

When: Monday, March 19, 2007, 7:00 - 9:30 P.M.

Where: Emory Goizueta Business School at 1300 Clifton Road - on the corner of Fishburn and Clifton Room 210

Reservations: Call Cathy Conway, 404-374-4420

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Food Events, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Emory University, dinner and movie

Excuse the brief hiatus… am in food heaven and will be eating my way throughout San Francisco.