Chow Down Atlanta

A friend and I visited Straits a couple of days ago. It’s the new venture from rapper Ludacris who aims to bring a fresh, new vibe to the Atlanta food-slash-bar scene. I have been a fan of Luda for a while but I have been more impressed with his intention to help the youth and give back to the community — a very admirable side to his bad boy persona.

The scene

Contemporary Asian feel is what comes to mind. Lots of dark wood coupled with red walls and curtains. It’s a kind of place you dress up to go to yet it has a comfy feel. The noise level is high with people shoulder-to-shoulder in the bar area. The place was packed, to say the least. This is not the place to have a quiet dinner. Instead, it’s one where you kick off your shoes, enjoy a cocktail, hobnob with beautiful people, and have food as a bonus.

The meal

We tried a few things from the menu starting with the Roti Prata. Identical to the Malaysian roti canai, this one came with slices of grilled flour, yeastless flatbread and a bowl of yellow curry with chicken pieces and potatoes. I like my curry bold and hearty and this one, although flavorful and hearty, lacks the punch I require of curries: the simmered for hours taste. Still, I consider it a decent choice for a starter.

Next, we tried the Singapore Satay Sticks that came with skewers of chicken and steak on a bed of peanut sauce. These were pretty good. In fact, I consider this the winner of the night. The marinaded meat were succulent — tender, juicy, tasty. I absolutely loved the peanut sauce. This version is chunky. Sauteed in onions and tomatoes with chunks of peanuts, it was delicious. A different take on a rather boring sauce.

I found the Vegetable Egg Rolls and Samosas a bit underwhelming. The egg rolls were filled with the usual stir-fried veggies while the samosas were filled with bland potato puree. The only saving grace for these appetizers were the sweet and sour chili sauce.

Supposedly the dish that lured Chris to open Straits in Atlanta, the Kung Pao Lollilops were next on our plates. These were teriyaki-glazed chicken drummettes fried crispy on bed of the sweet-sour chili sauce. A fun and perfect bar food, I found the teriyaki-glaze a bit on the salty side. Still, I would order this dish again in hopes that it wouldn’t be as salty the next time.

For our mains, we had the Lobster Pad Thai, the Tamarind Beef, and the Seafood Green Curry. The Lobster Pad Thai was a sight to behold — a whole steamed lobster atop a bed of shrimp and chicken pad thai. Impressive looking, really. Although, I found it to be on the dry side, it has lots of potential. With loads of big fresh shrimp, tender chicken pieces, crunchy bean sprouts, and noodles, this may just be Strait’s signature dish in Atlanta.

The Tamarind Beef came with huge chunks of filet mignon on a bed of baby brussel sprouts with black pepper oyster sauce. individually skewered, the pieces of steak were very tender and juicy, albeit on the salty side. The brussel sprouts were refreshing and actually balanced the saltiness of the steak. This is another dish with a great potential and I’d like to see an improvement in future visits.

I give extra points for the Seafood Green Curry. It was inventive: with fresh, not-overcooked veggies that are not your run-of-the-mill curry vegetables. This one had napa cabbage, Thai eggplant, long beans, cabbage, carrots, and broccoli. It also had shrimp, chunks of filleted fish, clams, and mussels. The jalapeño curry was light and refreshing, though I would have liked it to be bolder. No matter, it’s a great choice for those who want a light but filling meal.

I’m not much of a dessert fan but we did try the French Kiss. The name alone warrants a try, don’t you think? This one came with a moist, velvety chocolate cake topped with strawberry ice cream with strawberry sauce. A good ending to a filling meal.

The service

Service is still spotty which I’m hoping will (and should) improve. I had a feeling our server was nervous more than anything else.

The verdict

I seriously hoped Luda would be in the house that night. Imagine the surprise when he walked by — no posse, no security, no scantily clad women hanging by his arms. Just him. Checking out the scene. I made a bee line, said hi, and had my date take a picture of us. Sorry, I’m still giddy up to now. He was very friendly and unbelievably nice. An added treat to a fun evening.

Overall, this is a hip place for Atlantans to chill out while sipping creative cocktails or munching on classy lounge food. The place is beautiful and inviting. Good vibe, good music. A great food concept this side of town and I imagine the kitchen making improvements and tweaking its dishes to suit the tame palates of the average American.

Insider tip:
The upstairs area is quieter and more cozy. Valet parking available. Adjacent parking lot with plenty of spaces ($3).

The scoop:
Straits
793 Juniper St. NE
(Corner of 5th and Juniper)
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-877-1283
Hours: M-W 5pm-12midnight, Th-Sat 5pm-1am, Sunday 5pm-11pm. Sunday Brunch 11am-3pm

Technorati Tags: Straits Restaurant Atlanta, Singaporean cuisine, Chris Bridges, Ludacris, Chris Yeo, Juniper St.

This is not your typical Buford Highway joint. First of all, it has ambiance. The place is ‘zen-fully’ decorated with contemporary design. Due to this ambiance, the client�le is also different as most everyone is garbed in their Sunday best. The restaurant is huge, comprising of two floors each with its own hostess stand, cash register, kitchen, and servers.

Myung Ga Won sits in a brand new plaza off Venture Dr. in Duluth and opened about two months ago. It serves cold noodles, soups (tang), and traditional Korean barbecue (gi). Although prices are a bit more and portions are generally small, the pay-off is in the quality and taste.

The bancha (appetizers) included items not common to most Korean restaurants in town. Most notable were the mashed potatoes topped with a sweetish yellow gravy, paper-thin slices of fresh radish, sliced onions in sauce, wasabi potato pancakes, and chunks of radish kimchi.

Thick pieces of meat are used for the bulgogi and each order comes with a basket of fresh romaine lettuce leaves, chili paste, slices of fresh garlic and jalapenos. For those not familiar with what to do with these sides, what you do is take a piece of lettuce leaf, spread some chili paste, add garlic and jalapenos, add the barbecued meat, roll like a burrito, and eat. Most traditional Korean barbecue places serve such sides with their barbecued meats. Anyway, MGW’s bulgogi was superb — there’s a perfect blend of sweet-salty taste to the flavorful marinated meat. It is also grilled perfectly: slightly browned on the outside and pinkish in the center. I loved that the grilled meats came with a few slices of grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and squash.

The beef soup (Sulung tang) was terrific and comforting — it was slightly milky and wonderfully seasoned. It had slices of lean meat as well as chunks of fork-tender beef. As authenticity dictates, it was served with a side of sliced green onions to add as much to the broth as one pleases. There were other items that were ordered during this visit including the tasty Seafood Pancake that was thicker than in other restaurants, and Bibimbap that came with chunks of meat. Both were equally delicious.

While prices are generally higher and portions are smaller, all in all, I was impressed with the taste, quality, and authenticity of the food. It’s definitely a new favorite place of mine. We came in at 5pm on a Sunday and the place was packed. Not a single table was empty. Half an hour later, there was already a wait. Good news travel fast. By the way, this place is open 24 hours.

Insider tip:
The upstairs dining area requires climbing two flights of stairs.
Located in a brand new plaza next door to the plaza where Venture Cinema and Santa Fe Mall is located.

The scoop:
Myung Ga Won
also goes by Korean House
1960 Day Dr, Duluth, GA 30096
770-622-1300

Technorati Tags: Venture Dr, Duluth, Korean cuisine, open 24 Hours, Korean barbecue

Sorry for the brief break — I’m trying to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth. One of the worst Asian food I’ve ever had was in Noodle. I’ve been to this place twice. The first time I had to meet a bunch of friends. After that, I swore never to come back. That was a couple of years ago. Then I had to meet some friends for lunch last week and I can’t remember how I agreed to go back to this place. Big mistake.

All I can say is that my food left such a bad taste in my mouth that I’m still trying to get rid of it a week later. I had the Thai Peanut Noodle bowl which arrived looking so presentable. It had big pieces of shrimp and crisp veggies on top of flat rice noodles. The dish really looked great. I already knew how it was going to taste so I came in with really low expectations. Still, I was hoping to be proven wrong. Not. The pasta, for some reason, was very starchy. Not only that, it was also over-cooked. The simple soy-sauce and coconut milk sauce was paste-like in consistency and simply put, it wasn’t good at all. It was a bad attempt at Thai cooking and this time, I really swear I will never eat there again.

Insider tip:
Kids menu available. Three locations.

The scoop:
Decatur
205 E Ponce de Leon Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
404.378.8622

Midtown
903 Peachtree St. Ste. A
Atlanta, GA 30309
404.685.3010

College Park
3693 Main St.
College Park, GA 30337
404.767.5154

Technorati Tags: Noodle, Decatur, Asian, noodle house

Chopstix for Charity is an annual fundraising event that connects the corporate sector to the Asian Atlanta community. Representing collective efforts from various Asian organizations, Chopstix for Charity strives to raise corporate and general community awareness about needs of Asian-American non-profit human services organizations in metro Atlanta.

Chopstix For Charity 2007

Dinner provided by famous Asian restaurants around Atlanta including Phoenix Noodle, Canton Cooks, and more. Don’t miss this fun event. Tickets available online at Chopstix For Charity website or click here.

Technorati Tags: Chopstix For Charity, events, Atlanta