Chow Down Atlanta

This place opened in December 2008 and serves lunch buffet daily. There are about 20 meat entrees including the best pork ribs in green sauce dish (fork-tender meat braised in spicy chile sauce). The entrees have substantial pieces of meat and all dishes are freshly cooked and are pretty good tasting.

There’s also a salad bar and a dessert bar. The salad bar is pretty straight forward but the dessert bar has some (expensive) items you don’t usually find in buffets — fresh cherries (currently, these are $3.99 a pound), fresh mangoes, frozen strawberries in cream sauce, fresh tangerines, Mexican flan, and fried cinnamon tortilla chips.

$6.99 buys you all you can eat lunch daily (M-F). A great value in today’s economy. The place is spotless and the staff is very friendly. Located next to Jason’s Deli. Don’t let the dark-filmed windows fool you into thinking the place is closed. It’s open and has the big sign Buffet Mexican on top of the door.

Insider tip:
Closed on weekends.
They have cheese dip!

The scoop:
Buffet Tex-Mex
4073 La Vista Rd.,
Tucker, GA 30084
Phone number unavailable as of this writing.

Technorati Tags: Buffet Tex-Mex, buffett, tex-mex, Mexican cuisine, Tucker, La Vista rd.

I’ve never really been on a diet. But I’ve been eating sensibly lately (thanks to two weeks of holiday bingeing). Tired of sensible eating, my sister and I ended up at Portofino Bistro in Buckhead the other night. It’s in a small house — casual yet chic. I love the unpolished wood floors.

The menu is extensive. Ravenous, we wanted to eat everything. We finally narrowed down our choices to the Butternut Squash soup, the Fritto Misto, and the Shortrib Bruschetta for starters. The squash soup was light and smooth. I liked that it wasn’t as sweet as most versions. The Fritto Misto was a big serving of lightly battered and fried seafood including calamari, shrimp, scallops, and octopus. All tasted fresh and tender and the accompanying puttanesca sauce was really good. The Shortrib Bruschetta was a surprising hit. Two big slices of ciabatta were covered with heaping amounts of fork-tender pulled shortribs that were simmered in a stew-like sauce. It was filling and very, very good.

For our mains, we had the Veal Scalopini and the Seafood Risotto. The veal scalopini was delicious. The angel hair pasta had sopped up the mushroom marsala sauce so each bite was really fantastic. The Seafood Risotto was so good I’d order it again next time. The Cajun-seasoned scallops and shrimp were grilled to perfection and were unbelievably fresh and sweet; while the mussels and clams (both in shells) were steamed in a white-wine sauce that were simply delicious. The bed of risotto they came with was creamy and gave the perfect richness to the seafood.

My sister must have dessert and ordered both the Tiramisu and the Molten Chocolate Cake. The tiramisu was quite good — not too sweet, not too soggy — and was creatively served in a glass. Really neat. The chocolate cake came topped with Caramel gelato which we both wanted to try and it didn’t disappoint.

Overall a wonderful dinner. Service was impeccable, atmosphere was great, food was good, and prices are very reasonable (our tab came to $120 before tip which included 2 glasses of red wine, a big bottle of sparkling water, 3 apps, 2 mains, and 2 desserts). A must-try if you haven’t been.

Insider tip:
The tight parking lot can be tricky to get out of. Try to back into your spot, if you can, so you can easily get out.

The scoop:
Portofino Bistro
3199 Paces Ferry Pl NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 231-1136

Technorati Tags: Portofino’s, Italian cuisine, American cuisine, Buckhead, Atlanta

It’s sad that not much have been written about Ethiopian cuisine and, thus, such has not caught on in Atlanta as it should. To me, Ethiopian cuisine is fun; not only is it wonderful, it’s an experience. Meals typically consist of stews called Wat and stir-fried meats called Tibs. Both are served on and eaten with Injera which is a flat, spongy, crepe-like, sourdough flatbread made with fine-grain flour.

Here comes the fun part: dishes are served on a huge round plate similar to an extra-large pizza pan which is lined with injera. The entrees are then arranged side-by-side with each other and a side salad serves as the centerpiece. A plate of rolled injera is also provided. Ethiopian meals are eaten with bare hands. What you do is you tear a piece of injera (a 2-inch square is sufficient) and use this to pick up morsels of food by placing it directly on top of what you want to eat. It’s really quite easy — much like using a tissue to pick up something dirty off a floor. If you do it this way, you’re assured that no one will get any food on their hands nor will any of the food get touched by any hands since meals are eaten family-style.

My favorite Ethiopian restaurant in town is Queen of Sheba. On this visit, our party of 4 adults ordered an assortment of tibs. Tibs resembles Mexican fajitas: seasoned meats or veggies stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and spices. We got the Goden Tibs (beef riblets), Doro Tibs (chicken), Derek Tibs (sliced lean beef), and Mushroom Tibs. The chicken was served with a chickpea-based thick sauce on top which made it sort of like a stew. It was superb. The chicken pieces were tender and seasoned with mild spices. The sauce was almost Indian in flavor and consistency and complemented the chicken well. Together, it made for a flavorful stew. The riblets were also tasty but a little on the tough side. The sliced beef (I highly recommend getting this instead of the riblets) were delicious and tasted very much like beef fajitas except more lemony and herby. The mushrooms were equally as good and still had enough crunch in them. The side salad centerpiece was nothing fancy: crisp lettuce, tomato wedges, and onion slices drizzled with a spicy lemony-vinaigrette dressing. Every so often, we’d rotate the plate a quarter turn to allow each diner a chance to savor each entree (although good friends that we were, we just reached in front of each other).

The best part of the meal is eating the gluten-free injera after it has soaked the drippings from the food. Injera borders on the sour side and this is because of the fermentation of the flour for a few days before using. It is cooked the same way as crepes or pancakes. It is also a good source of calcium, protein, and fiber. Queen of Sheba promises great tasting food, attentive servers, and great atmosphere.

Insider tip:
Be warned that the Doro Wat (chicken stew) consists of just one chicken leg. Both the riblets and sliced beef tibs taste the same so opt for the sliced beef instead. The injera tends to sit heavily in the stomach.

The scoop:
Queen of Sheba
1594 Woodcliff Dr. N.E
Atlanta, GA 30329
404.321.1493

Technorati Tags: Ethiopian cuisine, Ethiopian dining, Ethiopian meals, tibs, wat, injera, Atlanta, Ethiopian restaurant

Radial is well known for its creative breakfast menu which includes their famous buckwheat pancakes and vegetarian sausage. On this particular visit, I opted for the boring played it safe with the American Breakfast that consisted of two eggs (poached), toast, and vegetarian sausages. I can’t rave enough about the vegetarian sausages — they’re juicy and tasty and the perfect perk-me-up to your boring eggs-and-toast fare. I also ordered a side of grits that came in a huge bowl and although the first bite was promising, the second was a complete let-down. Not only was it cold (as in refrigerated cold), the whole thing resembled what looked like a huge clump of goop.

Since it was past lunch time and I was feeling rather ravenous (as always), I decided on also getting the weekend special of Walnut Waffles with Cinnamon. I’m glad I did as it was a true winner. It had enough crunch as well as chewiness and just a slight hint of cinnamon. It was mighty delicious especially doused with pure maple syrup.

My sister who also ordered the American Breakfast got a short stack of pancakes. The pancakes were huge and okay tasting but didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me.

Service was below average on this visit. It was funny how our server, when asked for her recommendation, replied that she wasn’t a breakfast person and offered no help whatsoever. We had to ask for drink refills a few times which we didn’t mind since we weren’t in a hurry to leave anyway. At one time, my sister had to ask our server to replace her coffee as there were lots of coffee grounds floating all over her mug. She got a new cup but with the same floating stuff. Funnier is when she’d refill my sister’s drink and leave my empty glass completely empty.

In any case, Radial is a favorite breakfast place of mine. The food is good, the atmosphere is relaxed, the place is chic, but the service can be awful at times.

Insider tip:
Turn-over of tables is pretty fast. Avoid tables closest to the kitchen unless you want to smell like bacon all day long.

Radial celebrates it’s 8th birthday on April 18 with free Joshua John cupcakes.

The scoop:
Radial
1530 Dekalb Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 659-6594
Open daily 8am-4pm

Technorati Tags: Radial, breakfast, brunch, buckwheat pancakes, vegetarian sausage, Candler Park, Edgewood, Dekalb Avenue, American cuisine

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