Chow Down Atlanta

I attended the baptism of a good friend’s baby a couple of Saturdays ago and the reception was held at Quanto Basta Ristorante. First of all, this place is far. It’s on Exit 14 off Ga-400. I usually draw my limits to traveling for food to Exit 11 which is Windward Parkway (a bustling area with lots of places to eat) but I’ll have to add this one to my far-away jaunts.

Usually closed until dinner on Saturdays, my friend got them to open for lunch for us that day and provide catering for 40 people. Food was served family style. First off — bread. They were baked in-house and were very good. Asking for seconds meant waiting a good 10-15 minutes as they are baked to order. I liked that they also served small side dishes of parmesan cheese and roasted garlic with the bread. Next came the Fried Calamari. They were very fresh, lightly battered and fried to perfection. A great starter although I really want to try the prosciutto-wrapped figs next time. The ceasar salad was also good and fresh. The Caprese was the usual beefsteak tomatoes topped with basil leaves and mozzarella cheese then drizzled with good balsamic vinegar. Overall great appetizers.

For our main entrees, we had the Lemon Caper Chicken, Chicken Marsala, Penne Pasta in Marinara Sauce, and a side of roasted potatoes. The chicken was nicely pounded flat yet still meaty then topped with a lemony caper sauce. It had a good balance of sweet and tart and the sauce was just the right thickness.

The Chicken Marsala was absolutely delicious. Each flat chicken piece was layered with a thin piece of eggplant parmigiana then topped with cheese. The mushroom-marsala sauce was just divine and the clear winner of the meal. I would order this again next time. The marsala wine was very apparent but not overpowering. The mushrooms added a nice earthy flavor.

Another winner, the penne pasta was among the best pasta I’ve had Simply put, it’s just perfect. I could have eaten a huge bowl of this. The sauce was the right consistency and clinged just enough to the pasta just as it should. I don’t like it when pasta swims in sauce. I could still feel the texture of the fresh tomatoes in the sauce and the taste is just spot on.

I’ve come back a second time since my first visit and everything is still on point. Service is great, bread takes a while (a plus since you don’t really want stale bread), and the food is consistently good. A must-try.

Insider tip:
Located in a new shopping plaza on the intersection of Buford Hwy/Ga-20 and Windermere Pkwy. Windermere Pkwy intersects 141/Peachtree Parkway and then turns into Jones Bridge Rd.

The scoop:
Quanto Basta Ristorante
2980 Buford Hwy
Cumming, GA 30041
(678) 455-3444
Tusday – Thursday: 4:30pm- 9:30pm
Friday & Saturday: 4:30pm – 10:30pm
Sunday & Monday: Closed

Technorati Tags: Quanto Basta, Italian cuisine, Cumming, Forsyth County

I was just told by a longtime Chinese friend that Ming’s BBQ is set to open its second location in Duluth not far from Super H. Construction should be finished in a month or two. This is great news. I’ll update as I know more.

Technorati Tags: Ming’s BBQ, Chinese cuisine, barbeque

I have a standing weekly date with a longtime friend who lives in Cumming.  We have breakfast, lunch, brunch or coffee one morning at least every week.  Braving the 17-degree weather, we ended up at The Red Hen Cafe on Windward Parkway.  It’s on the Deerfield office plaza next to an Italian place that I can’t remember the name of right now.

The place is small but cozy.  The decor screams Virginia-Highlands-slash-Buckhead and seems out of place in its chosen area.  But it works.  It’s actually a breath of fresh air amid impersonal office spaces.  I love the bright and cheery walls.

My friend had the house-made corned beef hash plate.  It came with 2 eggs, a choice of toast, french toast or pancakes, and a choice of grits or fresh fruit.  Substantial amount for a breakfast plate.  Her scrambled eggs are a little overdone for my liking. But the corned beef hash was nicely seasoned and had a great chunky texture.  I’m all for chunky rather than mashed which is what most breakfast places serve.

My ham plate was so-so but nothing really jumped at me when I looked at the menu so I settled for the boring Red Hen Breakfast plate.  I did like the thick french toast that came with maple sugar and maple syrup.

Verdict:  it’s good that there’s another choice for breakfast in this part of town but I seriously don’t think they can beat The Original Pancake House (a personal favorite) and I know it’ll be nearly impossible to compete with the forever-full Cracker Barrel next door.  However, service is great.  It’s just not enough to get me out of bed on a cold 17-degree morning ever again.

The scoop:
The Red Hen
5310 Windward Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30004
(678) 297-0200

Technorati Tags: The Red Hen Cafe, Alpharetta, Windward Pkwy, breakfast, brunch, lunch

I have a friend who loves nothing but Mexican food. Every time we go out, it’s always Mexican.  One lazy Saturday, she chose for us to meet at La Paz in Vinings.  My, that area has changed a lot.  There are many mixed-use developments and lots of new places to eat.  La Paz is on the same plaza as Mellow Mushroom just past the railroad tracks.  So we go here all the time because it’s in the middle of all of us (she lives in Peachtree City, another good friend lives in Buckhead).  It’s been a tradition for the three of us to meet here and catch up.

The menu is typical of any Tex-Mex place. I went with the Enchilada Combo that came with rice and beans. As expected, food is mediocre. Food has never been a strong point here. Although the warm chips and salsa are pretty decent. Service, however, is impeccable. A 76 rating on their recent Health report card means something else, too, right? In any case, we come here to chat. Food is just an added bonus.

The scoop:
La Paz
2950 New Paces Ferry Rd SE
Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 801-0020

Technorati Tags: La Paz, Mexican cuisine, Vinings

I’m not a big plain-coffee drinker. My Starbucks drinks of choice are Café Mocha and Caramel Macchiato. Always. But last week, a friend and I were having coffee (doing our weekly catch-up) on a lazy Wednesday morning when the barista came out with some samples. Alas, I found a new favorite drink in their Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte. A black, flowery tea seeped in milk with a couple of shots of vanilla added for sweetness. It is divine. I’ve been having it everyday (even twice a day) for a week now. That and the moist and yummy Red Velvet Cupcake topped with a chocolate truffle. It’s a great combination!

This week, they are launching their new tea lattes. I was given a couple of gift cards and coupons to give away. The last time I did this, I got emails for weeks from people asking for them. That’s after I edited the post the same hour it came out to say that the gift cards were all gone. So this time, I’m changing the mechanics of the giveaway. Here goes: I will be at the Starbucks on Windward Parkway (near Costco) this Friday, January 16th from 10-11am. Why this location? Because this is where I sampled the tea lattes for the first time last week. So it’s just fitting. The 4th and 8th person that come in will get the $10 gift cards and every other person will get a free coupon to any tea latte. Easy enough. See you then!

Technorati Tags: Starbucks, tea latte