Chow Down Atlanta

Southern Sweets has been providing desserts to many restaurants in Atlanta since 1992. I stopped by on a recent trip to YDFM for a quick bite to eat. I’ve loved their moist, delicious cakes for a while now and my favorites include Red Velvet, Golden Chocolate, and their Chocolate Sour Cream pound cake.

Their deli offers an extensive list of made-to-order sandwiches using only fresh ingredients and house-made bread. On this recent visit, I wanted to go Southern so I chose the Ham and Pimiento Cheese sandwich. This big sandwich really hit the spot. The bread was freshly baked, the cheese pimiento was creamy and cheesy, and the lettuce and tomato were crisp and fresh. I’ve had a good number of sandwiches here and they’re all pretty good.

A solid place for a quick bite to eat and satisfy a sweet tooth.

Insider tip:
Sandwiches start at $5.65 for a half order and $7.50 for a whole one. Fresh made soups available daily. Cake slices are $5.20.
Located across the street from YDFM on Rio Cir.

The scoop:
Southern Sweets Bakery
186 Rio Cir
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 373-8752
Open daily from 9am-6pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Technorati Tags: bakery, cakes, sandwiches, deli, Decature

If you want good shawarmas, then this is your place. The meat is juicy, not dried out like some places, the tahini sauce is spot on, and the veggie filling is fresh and tasty. The bread is also made in-house. In fact, they are a major distributor of Middle Eastern breads and baked goods here in the South. Shawarmas come in your choice of beef, chicken, and falafel. All are equally good.

If you’d rather prefer to eat you shawarma with a fork, then the plates are for you. Instead of having the filling assembled inside a pita bread, they are laid out on platters, served with a side of pita slices. They’re exactly the same as the shawarmas, just in a different presentation.

The Lamb Kabob platter, which I didn’t see on the menu, but highly recommended by the owner, was quite delicious. The lamb was well seasoned and perfectly grilled. It came with yellow rice, baba ghanoush, hummus, and couscous.

The Baba Ghanoush is mild tasting but good, nonetheless. There is no overpowering garlic taste which allows you to taste the eggplant even more. The consistency is quite good, too, creamy but with enough texture. The Grape Leaves are a little too tart for my taste but they’re plump and fresh. Six pieces will set you back a mere $2.99.

Assorted pastries are made in the bakery in the back and include the usual baklava, harsah, and wabat, as well as muffins, danishes, and croissants. If Middle Eastern fare isn’t what you have a taste for, fear not as they have pizzas, strombolis, and calzones.

Insider tip:
Open daily from 7am to 9pm.
Only the Alpharetta location has a deli.

The scoop:
Jerusalem Bakery (Alpharetta)
4150 Old Milton PKWY
Alpharetta, GA 30005
(770) 777-0193

585 Franklin Road
Suite 160
Marietta, GA 30067
770-419-1666

Technorati Tags: Middle Eastern, shawarma, Turkish food, ethnic grocery, Alpharetta

I’m off to Europe this Saturday for two weeks.  All I can think of right now is pizza in Rome and dumplings in Prague.  I need to pack.  And I need to update this site.  I changed phones and phone carriers which is what’s been consuming my time –  not to mention the 2 hours I stood in line to get my new phone ;)  I’m having Blackberry (and true-blue Push email) withdrawal.  But I’m getting over it.  I will update this site before I leave and will have a couple of posts while I’m gone.  In the meantime, check me out on Facebook and Twitter.

There were only a handful of good Thai restaurants in Atlanta when we were young. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, our family rotation included King and I, Thai of Norcross, and Taste of Thai (aka ToT). The former two have changed hands twice since then, while the latter is still with the original management. Two years ago, the family sold ToT to someone who used to work at the restaurant and branched out to the north and opened Lime Juice. This wasn’t known to me until I ordered a dish that I knew could only be found nowhere else but at ToT. Then, one of the young servers recognized us and asked us why she hasn’t seen us in a while. We gave her a quizzical look — well, what do you know, she was the same young ‘un as us back when we used to go to ToT every week and she was there helping serve in between doing homework. Small world.

The first thing that impressed me was that this place is packed every lunch time. By noon, there’s a wait out the door. But what’s most exciting to me is the food. The northern Thai chef cooks unbelievably great Southern/Central Thai food in addition to some Northern dishes which he does exceptionally well (as expected, of course). Papaya salad (som tam), a signature Northern dish, which uses crisp, shredded green papaya in a spicy sweet/sour sauce, is as genuine as you can ever get. You can really taste the nam pla (fish sauce), a heavy influence from the north. It is spicy and light.

Another must try here is the northern dish, Yum Woon Sen, with the requisite ingredients: bean thread noodles, ground chicken, shrimp, red onions, mushrooms, and peanuts in a spicy-sweet-sour dressing. It is delicious but very, very spicy. Beware, requesting for a 3-pepper heat level is only meant for asbestos-tongued like me.

The Yellow Curry Fried Rice, a childhood favorite at ToT, is the best I’ve had in town. This isn’t your usual sticky, risotto-textured, rice casserole version. Theirs is true fried rice in form: loose rice held together by delicious yellow curry with chunks of tasty chicken. The smoky flavor is addicting.

ToT makes Spicy Basil Chicken (another childhood favorite) like no other in town. I was surprised to see this signature dish in Lime Juice, not knowing in the beginning that Lime Juice is, in fact, ToT. They use ground chicken which creates great texture and stir fry it with jalapeno and green bell peppers, and sweet basil leaves. The result is the most flavorful Thai dish you’ve ever had. Couple that with a fried egg and you have a Thai meal eaten like a native.

I grew up to this family’s cooking so I love this place. Dining here is like eating at your grandma’s house.

Insider tip:
Lunch entrees either come with soup or spring rolls.
Soda refills are $1.
Lunch prices range from $8-10 and includes soup or spring roll.
Dinner entrees average $15 (but portions are big).

The scoop:
Lime Juice Thai Bistro
684 N Main St
Alpharetta, GA 30004
(678) 242-2991
Mon–Fri: 11:00 A.M. — 2:30 P.M. / 5:00 P.M. — 9:00 P.M.
Saturday: 12:00 NOON — 9:00 P.M.
Sunday: 11:A.M. — 4: P.M.

Technorati Tags: Thai cuisine, Alpharetta, Atlanta

Three words: Korean Black Goat. Possibly the only place serving Korean native goat dishes, Bang Ga Nae sits on PIB between Pleasant Hill and GA-120. This place used to be a Malaysian restaurant years ago. I’m glad they’ve kept the pond with waterfall inside. Rather than tables, they have booths with high backs for privacy. They also have two tatami-style seating arrangement for bigger parties which I would not recommend unless you want to sit cross-legged which is so bad for your knees.

Now if you’ve never had Korean goat before, then you’re in for a treat. I’ve only had black goat in Asia and this is the first place I’ve seen it on the menu. Black goat meat is very tender and not gamey at all. Here at Bang Ga Nae, they serve black goat meat in many different ways: stewed (the most common way of preparation), broiled, and deep fried. I wanted to taste the meat in its purest form so I opted for their Deep Fried variety. Lost in translation, my sweet-and-sour sauce on the side ended up served with the meat. Oh well. In this dish, the goat meat is sliced in thin strips then dipped in cornstarch batter before deep frying. The coating is very light and thin but with a slight chew. The meat? Buttery. Melt-in-your-mouth good and better than lamb, mutton, or veal. I can’t wait to go back for their stew and broiled meat.

Although pricier than most Korean places, they do have combo specials that pair galbi with noodles or soup. They also have bibimbap and soups that start at $5.99. Bang Ga Nae is an absolute delight. And go for the black goat meat if anything else.

Notes: The sweet and sour sauce that they use is totally different from the Chinese kind. It is very light (in taste and color) and they use pineapple juice as a souring agent. It is very good but get it on the side so your meat won’t get soggy. A much better alternative is to dip your deep fried goat meat in Korean chili paste.

The galbi here is quite expensive at $14.99 and the serving is small (about the same as the lunch portion as Book Chang Dong) but the meat is sliced thicker (though fattier). Taste-wise, I’m not a big fan — for some reason, it just didn’t do it for me. Good but not stellar like other places.

Insider tip:
Friendly but excruciatingly slow service.

The scoop:
Bang Ga Nae
3312 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Suite B
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 417-7769

Technorati Tags: Korean cuisine, Duluth, GA, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Korean goat, black goat

Shoya Izakaya is such a fun, fun place. It isn’t your usual Japanese dining establishment. Instead, it’s a place for a group to hang out, drink lots of shochu or sake and eat delicious Japanese bar food. Food here is meant to be shared (in true Asian fashion) and ordering from all sections of the menu is great way to sample izakaya.

I have ADD when it comes to food. I can’t just order one thing or focus on just one taste. My mind is always jumping to the next… next order, next flavor, next topic of conversation. This place is so perfect for me because I get to taste so many different flavors in one sitting. On this visit, 20 was the magic number. For three people. And a bowl of rice for me.

First, shochu. I’m a real lightweight when it comes to drinking but you can’t go to an izakaya and not get shochu or sake. Our server suggested three kinds of shochu and we settled on Taiso which was okay but just not to our liking. Next, we moved on to some sashimi and salads.

The salmon sashimi was like butter. Enough said. The tuna was fresh but it wasn’t out of the ordinary. The uni (my absolute favorite sashimi since I was young) was the best I’ve had in a long time — sweet, buttery. Two orders of this did us good. A great start to more good things to come.

Salads are a waste of precious stomach space for me. But my sister wanted something to clean her palate — whatever — between flavors so she picked two: wakame and the house salad. The seaweed salad was pedestrian, but not bad. The house salad with the fried burdock root was surprisingly good, with the crispy burdock strips adding crunch.

At this point, I must have infected my dining companions with my ADD as the ordering (and conversation) turned into craziness. I applaud our server for keeping up with us and not once did she make a mistake with our numerous, confusing orders. Grilled Ika came next. It wasn’t as great as we hoped it would be (a bit on the gummy side), but we finished it, nonetheless.

Aside from uni, my most absolute favorite is Gindara. In Asia, gindara (silver cod or sablefish) is the equivalent of steak in America, with the best being served at only the first-rate places. My sister and I have loved this since we were kids, having first introduced to it as a breakfast staple in Japan. Here at Shoya, this miso-marinated fish was grilled to perfection. It melted in the mouth, as fresh as it can be, perfectly seasoned, and buttery. One word: orgasmic. We ended up getting additional orders of it.

The kushiyakis we ended up having were the chicken livers, gizzards, and pork belly. Our dear friend, the FryGuy, was giving us a lecture about liver preparation and something about buttermilk and how here differs from other places, but our food ADD was in full force at this point so we lost him after buttermilk. In any case, I particularly liked the livers because they were simply grilled lightly, seasoned only by a few shakes of salt, letting the true flavor to shine. The gizzards were a bit chewy but good in taste, otherwise. The pork belly speaks for itself. Eat it and weep.

Hamachi kama is something we saw our mom eat with gusto while growing up. She would regularly get a whole bunch from YDFM at 40-cents a piece (sometimes even for free) and grill it at home. I think they sell them by the pound now. That was way back before Harry had a falling out with his brother. He eventually opened his own place (Harry’s Farmer’s Market) which was later bought out by Whole Foods. Aha, bet you didn’t know that! Anyway, back to the food. The grilled hamachi kama was a bit pricey for its size but it was really delicious so it didn’t really matter. It was so yummy that I had to pick it up and eat it with my hands. A few bites of rice, a few dips in ponzu sauce and it makes for a fantastic meal.

Our server pushed the eggrolls and some fresh oyster on us so we agreed. These were wrapped in wonton wrappers, filled with shrimp and pork, then fried lightly. These were better than any Chinese versions you may have had. Crispy, flaky outside, savory filling, and eaten best with Japanese mustard and soy sauce. Good to try at least once.

The fresh oysters were huge. It was difficult to eat in one bite but we managed. I loved the chili oil and spicy oroshi with it.

One of the specials of the night was Okura With Sticky Seaweed. It’s a very light, refreshing salad made with paper thin slices of okra and sticky seaweed in an oil-vinegar-based dressing. I loved it. But then again, I love durian, too. You’ll just have to get past the sliminess and get to the refreshing part.

The Grilled Salmon and Ten-Musubi at this point of our meal were not really a good idea. It was an after-thought, ordered at the peak of our food ADD. The salmon, served on a sizzling hot plate, though fresh, was just ordinary. The shrimp onigiri was just too filling at this stage. The copious amount of rice enveloped a small sweet shrimp. Good but too filling. The drizzling of teriyaki sauce was also uncalled for as the shrimp was sweet enough and onigiris are usually plain anyway.

Last, and the perfect ending to our feast, was an order of Beef Ponzu Ae. Thin strips of marinated rib eye grilled lightly (rare) were served on a bed of field greens and drizzled every so light with ponzu sauce. It was superb.

There are so many more things on the menu that need exploring. While some dishes are better than others, there are quite a few stellar items that I would definitely get again. I am already plotting my next visit.

Note:
Our bill for 20 dishes (with shochu) came to close to $200 for three people before tip. We went overboard with the ordering but that’s just the way I am when it comes to food. By the way, we finished every last morsel.

Insider tip:
Located in the same plaza where Super H Mart Doraville will be. Next to Brand Smart USA.

The scoop:
Shoya Izakaya
6035 Peachtree Road
Doraville, GA 30341
(770) 457-5555
Tuesday-Saturday: 5:00pm-11:30pm
Sunday: 5:00pm-10:30pm
Closed on Monday

Technorati Tags: izakaya, Japanese cuisine, bar, Doraville

I get delighted when a Thai restaurant serves food that is almost as authentic as it can be. My favorite type of Thai cuisine is the one from the south and central parts, with its creamy curries, tongue-numbing spices, and palm sugar-sweetened dishes. Here at KoKai Thai Bistro, the food is more North and Northeastern, with heavy influences from the Chinese and the Lao. Northeastern and North Thai food are more savory and employ the modest use of coconut milk (read: watery curry dishes). Second to Korean, Thai food is my favorite Asian cuisine. I’ve spent many summers in Bangkok and I can dare say I have eaten every single street food there. Yes, including the bugs of the north and the snakes of the south.

KoKai touts itself as serving authentic street food. Well, the thing is, every food in Thailand is also sold on the streets so I guess they serve Thai food in general. The Tea Rose dumplings is a sweetish-salty appetizer adopted from the Chinese. Soft, steamed wonton wrappers are filled with savory minced pork and crab then topped with fried garlic and served doused with sweetish soy sauce. The serving is big, with 6 pieces, and better for sharing.

Larb Kai is a measuring stick when it comes to Notheastern Thai food and this one’s spot on. The ground chicken is perfectly flavored with green chillies, red onions, and lime juice. Scoop it out onto a piece of fresh cabbage and you get a crunchy, flavorful sensation. You will fall in love with this.

The Thai Boat Noodle Soup is a very common street food particularly in Bangkok, more so in the Floating Market (literally a market on the river and canals where goods and food are sold in small wooden boats). It is called Boat Noodle Soup because, well, you guessed it, it is sold on the boats on the river. For $4.95, you get a medium sized-bowl of rice noodles in a spicy beef broth. If you want authenticity, then choose the pork as it is more common in Thailand. This is a hearty dish, good for sharing, and eaten with other dishes (although this and an appetizer is an ample enough meal). The broth here is bold, simmered for hours, and has the perfect balance of salty-spicy flavors. Comfort food at its best.

Curries here represent all the regional cuisines in Thailand. The KoKai Beef Curry from the North is simply fantastic. The chunks of meat are fork-tender, the curry is thick and spicy, and there’s hardly any coconut milk in it as it should be. It is a thick stew and not the same as what you’re probably most familiar with here in the US which is the Southern Thai variety (sweet and creamy). If you like the more common Southern type, then go for the Panang or the Red Chicken curries, both are on the menu.

Stir-fry dishes, an influence from the Chinese, are a mainstay in any Thai restaurant. Here, the KoKai Grilled Chicken is a must eat. Chicken pieces have a totally different texture which they get from being grilled first and then sauteed. The light brown, savory sauce is infused with curry and the resulting spicy dish is quite delicious.

Desserts are not popular in Asia but must be included in any menu here in our Western world. If you must have it, go for the Sticky Rice with Mango. The sweet, sticky rice here is made with coconut milk and paired perfectly with a sweet cheek of a mango. Their creamy Coconut Ice Cream is a vanilla ice cream with coconut bits. A good choice if you like ice cream.

Overall, I am pleased that we finally have a Thai restaurant that offers dishes from all the regional cuisines in Thailand. Food here is good and fresh, the menu is well thought-out, the serving sizes are big, and the prices are extremely reasonable. It’s become a favorite of mine.

Insider tip:
The Thai Iced tea is a spice extinguisher. Get it.

The scoop:

KoKai Thai Bistro
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd.,
Suite B-21
Norcross, GA 30093
(770) 409-9219

Technorati Tags: Thai food, Norcross, Jimmy Carter Blvd

I come from a family who love hot pots. While Shabu-shabu and sukiyaki have always been the favorites, my mom particularly likes Chinese hot pots. However, I’m beginning to really love Korean hot pots. The newest addition to the Korean dining scene is Shabu King inside Park Village in Duluth where Super H Mart calls home. This is the third (or fourth) incarnation of this spot — as a Korean fried chicken joint, as Man Doo, and now as a Korean shabu place.

Since the chef hasn’t changed, no visit to this place is complete without their old specialty: man doo. These huge Korean dumplings are filled with lots of ground pork, minced tofu and green Asian cabbage. The wonton wrappers are soft and moist and the fillings are perfectly seasoned. The sweetish-salty dipping sauce adds depth of flavor. Yummy. (Side note: did you know that BHFM was among the first in Atlanta to mass produce man doo? About 10 years ago, they had a Korean food section where cooked food, pre-marinated meets, assorted banchan, and man doo were made. Two Korean ladies and one man made man doo all day long, every single day. They had two kinds, steamed to order, and the best man doo in town. My mom used to bring home three dozen or so pieces every week she went there. I miss those!)

The hot pot takes center stage here now. For $29.99, two people can share a shabu meal that is simply quite the best in town. A pot of fresh vegetables and mushrooms in kimchi broth is simmered on the table top stove. With it comes a plate of beautiful ribbons of paper-thin meat and a bowl of thick noodles. The kimchi broth is spot on.  It is spicy good.  The veggies are so fresh, and the noodles are chewy.  Truly delicious.

There is a proper way to eat Korean hot pot:

•  let the pot boil
• add small amounts of meat
• serve meat, veggies, and broth onto your own bowl
• dip meat into dipping sauce with wasabi mixed in to it before eating
• repeat until all meat is gone
• lastly, add the noodles, let boil
• when most of your hot pot is gone, leftovers will be transferred to a serving bowl

Now comes the best part — a bowl of rice, minced beef, and chopped greens, topped with a raw egg will be cooked in the same pot. Let me tell you that this is the best bibimbap (minus the chili paste) I have ever tasted. The egg and the kimchi-laced pot adds so much flavor. It is the best “fried rice” ever!

Aside from two kinds of hot pots (regular and ribeye), they also still have their famous Korean fried chicken which sets you back $16 and although they are small pieces, they give you quite a lot. It is the best Korean fried chicken in town, by the way. The spicy garlic fried chicken is a little less expensive and as good but I prefer the plain fried chicken.

Insider tip:
Sodas are $1 with one free refill — beware, they come from 2-liter bottles which tasted like they were opened one too may days ago.

The scoop:
Shabu King
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd.
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 476-8599

Technorati Tags: man doo, Korean, shabu, hot pot, Duluth, GA, Gwinnett, Korean fried chicken

After undergoing a multi-million renovation, The Georgian Terrace, an Atlanta institution, now sports a more grand, more modern appeal while still retaining its Southern feel.

Included in the face lift is the beautiful Livingston restaurant and bar headed by Chef Gary Mennie. The stylish space includes snakeskin-covered furniture, chrome and leather seats, and floor-to-ceiling windows, among other things. A revolving door was retained from the original design and now stands as a stationary place to showcase wine bottles. It seems out of place, really.

On a recent visit with a regular lunch buddy, we decided to get items from three sections of the menu. We started off with the Wellfleet Oysters Gratin. Served on a bed of rock salt, whole peppercorns and star anise, the oysters are plump, fresh, and briny. The spinach, cheese, and bacon added just a tiny hint of flavor and texture. Great execution on this simple dish.

Next, we went with the Pick-3-for-$15 martini lunch: peeky toe crab salad, white truffle chicken salad, and grilled hangar steak. While the presentation was superb (using stemless martini glasses), the flavor of each item was lacking. As my friend, I also noticed a considerable amount of lettuce in each serving. The peeky toe crab was under-salted which focused on the taste of the mayo instead of the crab. Sad. And such a waste. The white truffle chicken salad tasted about the same. I did like the texture of the chicken which was grilled before being tossed in dressing. The hangar steak was cooked perfectly but sadly, I couldn’t discern any stand out flavor. Meh.

For our mains, we went with the Georgia White Shrimp and a good ol’ burger. First off, five medium pieces of steamed shrimp doesn’t justify $14 in my book. Especially if it’s devoid of any flavor. Although fresh, the shrimp’s simplicity couldn’t be saved by the bland fava bean puree. The bits of ham hock did add a tiny hint of flavor but not enough to elevate the dish. I was totally disappointed with it.

The burger was mediocre at best. I wasn’t too keen on the crumbly, flavorless, dryish bun. Honestly, I’ve had better fast food burgers. Worse, I bit several pieces of hard rock salt in the patty. This just didn’t do it for me.

Overall, a disappointing meal — both in taste and in value. I was hoping Chef Mennie would be more inventive with the food. I’m pretty sure his menu is a work-in-progress.

Insider tip:
Complimentary valet parking — however, you must have your ticket validated.

The scoop:
Livingston Restaurant + Bar
659 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 898-8316

Technorati Tags: Georgian Terrace, hotel restaurants, bar, Midtown, Atlanta