Chow Down Atlanta

“The combo plate comes with a nap.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll make room for you.”
“On one of those benches.”

Apparently, they do not know who they are dealing with.

My meal: Rib Combo. Plate. Beef rib and sliced brisket. Mac-n-cheese and collards. And a Diet Coke.

I was anticipating a platter with humongous portions with the way they were talking to me. So although the plate that came had substantial serving sizes, it was a piece of cake for me. Of course, I can out eat everyone I know. But that is just (little ‘ol) me.

The brisket was glorious. The fibers detached from each other without any effort. Its smokiness was addicting. The beef rib (sans bone) had a nice crust. Both are fork tender. And very, very flavorful.

The mac-n-cheese is simply to-die for. The cheesy, sweet cream oozing out of every rigatoni is just so good. I could eat a whole platter of it. The toast was buttery and soft. The collards are silky and not at all mushy, although, it was a bit on the salty side for me. Seeing it untouched, I was offered to replace it with something else (they use a very bold chicken stock but the kitchen will be appropriately notified, I was told). With the meal almost over, I settled for a banana pudding instead. I am not a dessert person but all I can say is that it was good and creamy, not too sweet, and not too rich.

I had the pleasure of having lunch with the lovely, lovely, lovely Amy (yes, that is three lovelies for you) after weeks of trying to get our schedules in sync. She had a pulled pork sandwich and a side of mac-n-cheese. The pulled pork was as good as the other meats. It was tender and juicy and just as tasty.

Overall, a great lunch. Great barbecue and great mac-n-cheese. The sauces are both good — there is a vinegar-based one and a sweet one. Combine them both for a good kick. I cannot wait to come back and try all the other meats and sides. Incidentally, I demolished everything on my plate. As usual.

Insider tip:
Located at the old spot that used to be The Epicurean restaurant.
Menu here.

The scoop:
Community Q BBQ
1361 Clairmont Rd
Decatur, GA 30033
(404) 633-2080

Technorati Tags: Decatur, barbecue

Hawaii is a conglomeration of many ethnic cultures. As such, Hawaiian food has many influences from all the different races found on her islands. Plate lunch is an integral part of Hawaiian cuisine. It is similar to a combo plate, bento box, or meat-and-two.

Waikikie has an extensive menu of plate lunches to suit any island barbecue craving; plus some. I have been a regular here since 2006 and my standard orders are usually the Waikikie Combo and the Super Combo. The Waikikie combo comes with barbecue beef, chicken, and short ribs. The meats are all tender and marinated well. Each plate comes with two scoops of steamed rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.

The Super Combo has barbecue chicken and short ribs then topped with two over-easy eggs with gravy — though I always skip the gravy. Both are great choices and quite filling. In fact, you can not go wrong with any of the plate lunches. Even the fried rice and curry dishes are all good.

Insider tip:
Closed Mondays.
Tuesday through Thursday: 11:00 am to 9:30 pm
Friday and Saturday: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

The scoop:
Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ
2160 Briarcliff Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 638-1115

Technorati Tags: Hawaiian, barbecue, grill, Druid Hills

There’s an advantage to being the only girl and younger than everyone else in the premises: you get all the lovin’. Two seconds from entering and I’m already on first name basis with the guys behind the counter. It’s a nice way to make someone feel at home in the midst of all the testosterone under one roof. And all them guys are nice!

It’s my first time at this location although I’ve been to the other two many times. Order at the counter, get your utensils, then sit down and wait for your food to get delivered to you. I ordered the pork ribs, the counter guy looks at me and writes down a quarter slab plus my two sides. Hmmm, quarter slab. He clearly doesn’t know me — my size is inversely proportional to my appetite. But I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I didn’t disagree with him and ended up with what looks to be a kid’s plate. Fine, I’ll just eat again one hour later.

I have always liked their sliced beef brisket, pulled pork, and pork ribs. Barbecue Man also agrees. They are moist and fall-of-the-bone tender with a good layer of fat. I also like the smoky flavor that is evident in every bite. Sides are forgettable (read: frozen kind) so skip the fried ones and opt for either the coleslaw, baked beans, or Brunswick stew (all homemade).

Definitely a good place for cheap but good eats. My total bill was close to $12 with 2 cans of Diet Coke.

Insider tip:
They have Fat Tire beer!

The scoop:
Pig-N-Chik BBQ
5071 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770) 451-1112

Technorati Tags: barbeque, Chamblee

Sometimes, it’s good to go to a place where everyone’s been but you. That way, most inconsistencies have been worked out. My second trip to FBB was this Saturday for a family lunch. My first trip was a blur but this second one was more memorable. I was really lusting for The Lopez, but I came late and my folks have already finished with their appetizers so I didn’t think it was fair to make them wait any longer. It’ll have to be another time.

Adoration came in the form of the special of the day: Beef Ribs. This scary, intimidating, monstrous dish looked depressing — it was covered in black crust. But it was the softest crust, more of a coloring than crust, really. First bite and it was barbecue heaven for me. It was oh so tender, moist, and very, very flavorful. It was so good by itself but a few douses of the sweetish barbecue sauce made it ever more wonderful. A winner!

My sides of collards and fried okra were good, not impressive, but better than most. The greens didn’t have the offensive bitter taste and the fried okra were battered lightly and fried golden. Both good choices. The jalapeño corn bread was just so-so. It was dryish and not enough heat.

My sister’s sliced brisket was also quite delicious. The meat was so tender and moist. Overall great barbecue meats. Her Brisket Chili was amazing. It was flavorful with lots of meaty goodness. I didn’t care much for the onion rings as they were just pedestrian. The Brunswick Stew was good in flavor but just didn’t do it for me. The Mac-n-Cheese was meh. It was gooey and starchy. Quite a turn-off.

The best barbecue I’ve ever had was at my uncle’s. A Georgia transplant who’s lived here most of his life, he prides himself in slaughtering a whole cow and making the best bbq ever. No place has come close. When I was younger, we used to go to Austin at least once a month for barbecue. But that got old. I’m so glad FBB came into our chain-laden scene. We now have another choice and no longer have to put up with chains who come and go.

Insider tip:
The parking lot is tiny but street parking isn’t difficult to find.

The scoop:
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
1238 Dekalb Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 577-4030

Here’s another chain for you. This time, barbecue. The first time I got introduced to Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q was about three years ago during Taste of Atlanta. They had a line literally a mile long.

They have this thing on the menu called Mr. Jim’s Deluxe Combo that serves two people. I’m all for combos like these because they allow you to get a taste of a bunch of things in one sitting. The deluxe combo here comes with a half-rack of ribs plus an additional 3 barbecue meats and 4 sides. A great deal for two people sharing. We decided to go for it and had spicy sausage, brisket, and chicken with mac-and-cheese, coleslaw, fries, and collard greens with the half-rack of spare ribs which have more fat than the regular baby back ribs.

The ribs had a lot of meat around the bones and were tender and moist. The spicy sausages were really, really good with a good amount of heat in them. The brisket, likewise, was moist and tender; as well as the chicken. Their barbecue sauce is a bit on the thin side. Taste wise, they’re just, well, okay. Not fantastic but not bad either. I much prefer Fox Bros or One Star Ranch. The sides were all okay, too. I did like the collard greens which weren’t bitter at all.

They also have these heavenly cheese biscuits that taste like sweet, cheesy muffins. They are to die for. I’d go back for these biscuits alone.

Anyway, there’s really nothing special about this place, in my opinion. Just a popular chain where you can get okay barbecue.

Insider tip:
Located at The Avenue Forsyth. Check website for other locations.

The scoop:
Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q
3130 Ronald Reagan Blvd
Cumming, GA 30041
(678) 845-1565

Technorati Tags: Jim n Nick’s, barbecue, Cumming

I went to the bakery next door so I decided to try Maldives. Another place for cheap eats, Maldives targets mostly students in the area. They serve grilled dishes that start at $6.99 and come with rice, and whatever sides they have available that day (it was an eggroll, boiled corn, and soup when I visited).

Like the name implies, their grilled dishes are either marinated in teriyaki sauce or doused with it. As such, they taste like teriyaki instead of Korean. I got thrown for a loop because my grilled Korean shortribs, although cooked perfectly, do not really have that Korean taste to it; and, well, the extremely nice and friendly husband-and-wife owners are Koreans so I naturally just assumed they would have Korean barbeque. My dish was $8.99 and for that price, I would rather go to Super H. Of course, they have a better ambiance and a 100 score on the health report card, but taste-wise, I’d go for Super H anytime.

The Clear Vermicelli Noodles with Shrimp (Chap Jae) was actually quite good — flavorful and fresh, with huge pieces of shrimp. The Chicken BBQ plate is actually a winner. The chicken was good-sized, tender, and tasty and tastes better than the ribs.

Maldives offers lunch discounts to Emory students. They also do a lot of catering at Emory. This is a nice, clean place where you can get more-than-mediocre-tasting food at cheaper prices.

Insider tip:
Free softdrinks and free Wi-Fi.

The scoop:
Maldives BBQ & Teriyaki
2899 North Druid Hills Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 321-1605
Mon-Sat: 10:30AM-10PM
Sunday: 12:30PM-9PM

Technorati Tags: Maldives BBQ & Teriyaki, Korean barbeque, Korean cuisine, Emory, cheap eats

I started these Postcards series last summer (2007) when I went on a two-month long trip around Asia. These were a way for me to share my photos to all of you. In keeping with that tradition, I give you: Austin. I came back very late last night from a two-day stay in Texas: one day in Dallas to visit friends from 1st Grade, and one day in Austin to visit highschool friends. I had so many places in mind to visit (and re-visit) but you can only eat as much in one day. First stop: Artz Rib House.

Artz was my very first stop in Austin. It was recommended by friends who live and breathe Austin. I already knew what I was going to order even before I left Atlanta — the Combo platter. It allows you to taste most of everything on the menu. My selection: baby back ribs, beef ribs, and sausages. Okay, so I order and this extremely nice server tells me that there’s no way I can finish it and told me that if there’s a place I can store it in then I can just take my leftovers with me. Do I really look like a tourist? I thought I just look hungry. So I told him that I really wanted to taste everything and the combo meal is the only way I can do that. So okay. He warned me, though, that it’s going to be huge.

To say it was huge was a gross understatement. And my picture doesn’t do justice at all. What came before me was probably all of 10 pounds of meat: half a rack of meaty baby back ribs, two humongous beef ribs, and two plump sausages. Not to mention a side of coleslaw, potato salad, beans, and bread. It was intimidating! And I’m never intimidated of food. So all I can think of was that I can do this. So chomp away.

First bite and I heard angels singing. It was so delicious that I needed a moment of silence to pay respects to whoever created this masterpiece. The baby backs were so tender and had the perfect balance of salty, sour, and sweet. It was heaven. The beef ribs were equally magnificent. Tender, juicy, and very tasty. So were the sausages. They were good enough to eat plain. But add a bit of barbecue sauce to the meats and all bets were off. Perfect combination! Years ago, we would fly to Austin just to eat at County Line. It became a favorite fast. Moreso because they have the most amazing loaf bread and we used to bring tons of them back to Atlanta. I don’t know why we never went to Artz which, in my opinion, is much better taste, quality, and quantity-wise. By the way, and in case you’re wondering, I almost finished the entire plate. Except for half a sausage and half a beef rib. Extremely nice server was impressed. And flabbergasted.
So there you have it. I had the best barbecue in Austin. Next up: Austin Tex-Mex.

Click here for more information on Artz Rib House.

P.S. Though I just got back from Texas a few hours ago, I am leaving again in a couple of hours for a 10-day trip to Germany and Czechoslovakia. I’ve been to Germany many times but this will be my first time in Prague. More Postcards to come…

I was finally able to try Shane’s and I must say I really like it. I like their barbecue because the sauce they use is sweet with just a tad of tanginess, not vinegary as others are (like Dreamland’s). The ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and are really, finger-lickin’ good, with flavor all the way to the bones. The pulled pork are also tender and has that slow-cooked taste to it. The chicken tenders are surprisingly big and plump; not your average flat, skinny tenders you see everywhere. They’re very flavorful and moist inside. The sides are equally good. The mac-n-cheese is creamy, the fries are crispy on the outside, the Texas toast is soft and slightly toasted, the baked beans are not mushy.

You get a lot of value for the money as servings are humongous. The picture above is the $9.99 Sampler platter with a quarter rack of ribs, pulled pork, 2 plump chicken tenders, a Texas toast, and two sides. It’s a true hungry-man’s lunch. Most items on the menu start at a little over $5 such as the Chicken Tenders plate with 4 big tenders and a side. While the most expensive is the Full Rack of Ribs plate with 2 sides for $12.99.

Insider tip:
Come hungry as portions are huge.
The soft and chewy chocolate-chip cookies are delicious.
Try the Peach ice tea.

The scoop:
Shane’s Rib Shack
Check website for locations
Open daily at 11am

Technorati Tags: Shane’s Rib Shack, ribs, barbecue, chicken tenders, pulled pork, barbecue ribs