We grew up eating here and it’s been our regular back-up plan when nothing else appeals. The steaks are always cooked perfectly. The roasted chicken is delicious. The salads (I’ve heard) are fantastic. But there’s one best kept secret here: the burgers. They’re phenomenal. Go now.
Houston’s
3321 Lenox Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 237-7534
…because the gluten-free dough gives you a chewy yet airy crust; and the toppings are fresh and tasty.
Two more reasons to visit: pasta and sandwiches.
The Cool Hand Luke — because Luke is a Jedi and I’m the biggest (original) Star Wars fan on the planet Earth the combination of red and white sauce, gravy, and meatballs gives this pasta the ability to perform Jedi mind tricks loads of character and flavor.
The Foodie Buddha — because this sandwich doesn’t have a name yet. And FB is its biggest fan. And the tender oxtail filling is out of this world.
Bonuses: Panghani Cookies (kinda like a hazelnut-flavored soft biscotti) and Gougéres.
Go visit the pick-up window now!
More love here, here, here, and here.
The Kind Pie
252 E Paces Ferry Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-3446
Technorati Tags: pizza, sandwiches, pasta, Buckhead
I have been to Prime twice before a long time ago and all I can remember was that it was pricey and the service was painfully slow. So it was never put on our rotation of mall dining choices. A few days ago, we saw a sign indicating early dinner specials so we decided to try it. From 5 to 6:15PM, three types of steaks are half price. It is really a great deal considering a rib-eye steak here can set you back $36 without any sides included.
We tried the chicken and andouille gumbo and Octopus Tiradito for starters. The gumbo was a little on the salty side but negligible. It had lots of chicken and sausage and the broth was good overall. The tiradito, a form of ceviche, had thin slices of fresh octopus, cilantro, long slivers of carrots and beets, and cucumber slices. It was in a sriracha-yuzu soy-based sauce that leaned more on the salty than citrusy instead of a balance of both . Good, but get the sauce on the side instead.
We settled on the boneless rib-eye steak for our main dish. An impressive piece of meat came before us: 14 ounces of thick, juicy, tender, well-seasoned rib-eye, perfectly grilled to our desired temperature, all for $14.50. A steal if you ask me.
We were told that the $5 sides are served family style and big enough for sharing. Wrong. Really. I finished the tiny order by myself. My chosen side was the Truffled Creamed Corn that was just fabulous. It is made from freshly-cut kernels, with most of them still sticking to each other. It is creamy, buttery, cheesy, mushroomy. Really, it is very, very good. The fries were forgettable. They were so soggy.
The $17 Wagyu Kobe Burger is a waste of money. Although it was served at medium (as requested), it was very, very dry. It was so dry I had to have a gulp of water after each bite to get it to go down my throat. Disappointed and left untouched after the second bite. Total waste of money.
Overall, the steaks are a great deal. Take advantage of the specials while they have it. Service is impeccable and the servers really knew the menu well.
Insider tip:
Located on the second floor at the entrance of Lenox Square mall.
The scoop:
Prime
3393 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 812-0555
I just want to let you know about this awesome, fantastic, amazing hotdog at H&F. The hotdog is made in-house. It is juicy, tasty, fresh-tasting and does not have that salty, cured meat taste. I would have loved a more snappy casing but the taste pretty much compensates for that. The bun is buttery and soft. The pickled peppers and onion topping are like relish on steroids: fresh, crunchy slices and has the perfect sweet-sour taste. Really nice! Grab one tonight!
The scoop:
Holeman and Finch
2277 Peachtree Road
Suite B
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone 404.948.1175
Fax 404.969.3034
Hours of operation
Mon - Sat 5:00pm to 1:30am
Sun - 12:30pm to 3:00pm
Lenox Square Grill is like a breath of fresh air. It gave mallers another dining option. Tired of eating the same food at the same places while at Lenox, our hyper mother decided we needed to give it a try . We ate there three times in one week. Then we came back for more the following week. LSG is part of the group that brought us Tavern at Phipps, Joey D, and New York Prime, to name a few. Occupying the space that was once The Clubhouse, the ambiance is just a tad more casual but with the same clubhouse look and feel. Yes, the same. Nothing in the decor has been changed. But gone is the stuffy feel. It is still classy but in a more down-to-earth kind of way.
The menu is extensive which is not surprising since they are open from 7 in the morning until 2AM. I already have a (current) favorite in the Giant Barbecue Beef Rib. My mom and I have eaten it twice. It is a huge slab with fork-tender meat and melt-in-your mouth fat. It is slow-roasted for 8 hours. What is not to love? By the way, I do not like my meat swimming in barbecue sauce so I always get this with barbecue sauce on the side.
The blackened True Southern Catfish comes with two beautifully pan-seared fillets that are seasoned well, fresh tasting, and tender. For $10.50 with two sides, you can not beat its value.
The Barbecue Beef Rib sandwich is meat cut from the Giant Barbecue Beef Rib so if you do not want to mess with bones, this is a good choice. It comes bathed in just enough barbecue sauce. The meat is cut into long cubes which adds more texture than the usual pulled meat. The egg bun is soft and buttery.
The Lenox Country Dinner comes with two country-fried, boneless pork chops that were just delicious. They are very lightly battered and fried golden. The chops are so juicy and tasty. It came with two sides and a giant biscuit that was fresh from the oven. The biscuit is not your usual southern variety. This one has a sweetish soft crust and an airy, yeasty inside. The sausage gravy, which I am not a fan of, is surprisingly good, with lots of sausage chunks.
We have tasted many sides. The creamed corn is outstanding, made from fresh whole kernels. Creamy and sweet. I get an extra order of this every time. The coleslaw has just the right amount of mayo and is not overly sweet. Both the collard and turnip greens were soft, yet not mushy, and not offensively bitter. The sweet potato fries are consistently crispy and not oily. The fried okra is battered lightly and fried golden.
I was feeling famished one visit so I also got a side of Challah French Toast with my meal. I would not order this again — it was a bit over grilled so the bread became hard. It also lacked more of the custard batter that make French toast what they are, and I could hardly taste the cinnamon even though the menu specifically said they use cinnamon batter.
It is great that there are more dining choices at Lenox Square now and you never have to go far or drive away from the mall. Food is good, prices are very reasonable, portions are big, and service (and management) are both exceptional.
Insider tip:
Live music at night.
Covered patio is also heated.
The scoop:
Lenox Square Grill
3393 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 841-2377
Technorati Tags: diner, Buckhead, Lenox Square, American, Southern
My sister and I grew up eating at Brasserie Le Coze. Tagging along with our mom meant shopping always included (or concluded with) mussels in white wine, whole sole, and steak frites. We’ve been looking for a French bistro with the same caliber ever since they closed a couple of years ago (to give way to the department store next door’s expansion). News of Bistro Niko’s opening naturally excited us. While I never go to opening nights (unless they involve Asian food), we trekked over to the new Sovereign building to check out their food (partly in hopes of continuing our girls’ day out tradition).
Bottom line: impressive for an opening night — without any first night jitters whatsoever. We got seated within 2 minutes of arrival. The kitchen had perfect timing in sending out dishes. There were several managers milling about, making sure everything was okay and ready to address any issues (there didn’t seem to be any). There were water boys who made sure my glass was always refilled, without even asking. And then there was John who gave excellent, excellent service. A wine store employee for many years prior to moving to Atlanta, his recommendation on wine was fantastic.
We started off with three different appetizers. The “Faux” Gras Terrine was quite okay. I wanted a bit more bitterness but the berry jelly topping tempered it. It was still good, nevertheless, and I’d order this again. The grilled bread that accompanied it was jaw-breaking — very hard and chewy. Pair it with regular bread instead which is what we did.
The Escargot “En Croute” was good in that you can really taste the Pernod in the garlic-butter sauce. I like that they are already de-shelled and the balls of puff pastry were a nice touch. However, the snails themselves were bland and could use a bit more salt. An order comes in either 6 or 12.
Our friend Malcolm is crazy about oysters so we had to get them. The Oysters on the half shell were very fresh. We got three kinds, one of them was Malpeque. I particularly liked the red wine vinegar with onion bits dipping sauce that accompanied them. Unfortunately, the oysters were shucked very poorly. Lots of small bits of shell in them. What a turn-off.
The Boeuf Bourguignon was made with Kobe beef cheeks. Very tender meat. The burgundy wine braising sauce is very bold and strong. This is a very rich dish.
The Sole Barigoule was highly recommended by our server. Weak, weak, weak. The fillets were steamed (menu said roasted) then placed on top of some puree (carrot-artichoke-onion stew) instead of cooking them with it. The result is bland fish. I would not get this dish again.
The Agneau Cassoulet de Jambe aka lamb shank was the winner that evening, although, I think Murphy’s version is better. The meat was fork-and-fall-of-the-bone-tender with the sweetish-savory jus and lemony couscous making it quite tasty. This is a great dish that I would order again.
We also got an order of Pomme Frites which were just fabulous, though, a few more seconds in the fryer would have prevented some sogginess. These are fried twice — first at 325-degrees in duck fat, then at 375-degrees in peanut oil. The taste is just superb.
For dessert, my sister, a dessertaholic, got the Molten Chocolate cake. Although executed well, I didn’t particularly like the coconut creme inside. I personally prefer just plain chocolate sauce but the coconut (not indicated on the menu) just threw me off. I’m sure coconut lovers would love this, however.
This is more of an “older people” destination. Service was impeccable. Food was good but didn’t really make us go “wow”. Still, our parents would like this place and we can’t wait to take our mom here. Prices are quite reasonable for a restaurant of this class ($18-22 per entree).
Insider tip:
Menu here.
Valet parking.
Note: It’s important to note that even the valet guys were fantastic. The non-drinker that I am, after finishing less than a glass of wine, I couldn’t drive after the meal. They graciously parked my car in front of the entrance, within their sight, so that I was able to come back for it later.
The scoop:
Bistro Niko
3344 Peachtree Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 261-6456
Technorati Tags: French, Buckhead, Atlanta, Buckhead Life Group
I find it so laughable when people refer to themselves as a “sushi guru” — seriously, if you have not been to Japan at least 5 times to eat real sushi (including for breakfast) with at least one visit to Osaka or Kyoto then you cannot and should never call yourselves that, okay? Oh, and even if you have, eating sushi from the supermarket, train station, or ball park doesn’t count. Ever.
I had absolutely no expectations when a group of us 13 girls came in for dinner one busy Saturday night. The reason being, I prefer authentic sushi from traditional sushi joints. RA Sushi clearly doesn’t qualify but we wanted to have a fun girls’ night out at a trendier place with at least good cocktails and decent food. With those pretty low standards and expectations of good food out of the way, I knew it was going to be nothing but a fun night.
While all the other girls got different kinds of rolls, dinner selections for me and my sister included the sashimi plates, eel hosamaki, and uni gunkanmaki (our absolute favorite). We really don’t care much for bastardized rolls geared for the American palate which are often doused, drizzled, laced, and topped with fruit, mayo, sauces, cream cheese, and such. Anyway, here’s the kicker: the sashimi was absolutely exceptional!!! (Notice the triple exclamation points?) I love it when a place proves me wrong and I was totally blown away by the sashimi here. The fish were of the perfect temperature and the slices were done right. The most surprising thing was the quality. I could not believe how superb the quality of the fish were — first, the tuna wasn’t just regular tuna but the pricier and higher caliber chutoro. Each slice was so fresh, buttery, and literally melted in your mouth. The yellowtail, salmon, and whitefish were of equal grade and without the sinewy, stringy flesh common in cheaper cuts. The octopus were also a delight, tender, and not chewy at all. Sashimi is all about texture because, face it, raw fish should not taste like anything. You can control how much flavor you want to add with the shiso, soy sauce, wasabi, and daikon. I just wished they used fresh wasabi for the price point that they have. Surprisingly, however, the sashimi was outstanding for a place like this with so much bad rep and preconceived bias, mine included.
Uni (sea urchin) is our most favorite sushi. A perfect meal for us would be a pound of freshly harvested uni on top of warm sushi rice, aah, so yummy. The uni here was very fresh and creamy. It was of medium grade but had all the tastes of top quality variety. The sweetish-salty flavor is quite intoxicating.
We originally wanted eel hosamaki which was not on the menu so a bit of explaining to the server had to be made. My sister and I love hosamakis because they’re the perfect snack: not much rice and the nori gives extra flavor to the fish. What came before us was regular eel roll instead. Rather than sending it back, I decided to use it as a measuring stick. The main reason for sloppy rolls is the rice. Here, the rice is too soft, brought about by using too much water in the steaming process. Too soft rice will make rolls fall apart as there is not enough structure to hold the ingredients in. I did like the fact that they use teriyaki sauce sparingly.
Another notable item on the table was the ceviche which was excellent. The fish was so fresh and the citrus marinade was very good. We don’t like American rolls so we didn’t even try any but I noticed how big they were. Our seaweed salad was nothing out of the ordinary but it wasn’t bad either. The tempura were a bit over-fried and the batter was coated unevenly. Skip the overpriced edamame altogether.
Final thoughts:
The scoop:
RA Sushi
1080 Peachtree Street, Suite 8
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 267-0114
Technorati Tags: Japanese, sushi, sashimi, Buckhead, Atlanta
We were next door getting fitted for dresses for my sister’s wedding and decided to have a late lunch here; not because we like it but because it was a mere few steps away and I was beyond starving. I don’t think they changed the decor all that much from when this place used to be Rock Bottom Brewery. I do like the new patio with a working fireplace.
We were given several menus. The regular one was two-foot high and 5 pages long. It would take a good 10 minutes just to read everything on it. The Oktoberfest menu, available for a limited time, was more navigable. The Festbier Combo was actually pretty good and came with an assortment of appetizers. The fries were crisp and golden with lots of garlic bits. The garlic taste might be a little overpowering to some but I love garlic and these fries had lots of them in taste and in appearance. Two skewers with grilled bratwurst, knackwurst, and Hungarian sausage also came with the combo. The sausage was excellent in flavor with the charring from the grill giving it additional smokiness. The bratwurst and knackwurst pretty much tasted identical and although they weren’t all that bad, they weren’t all that good either. I did notice a snap in every bite, however. I loved their version of pretzels. They were fat, soft, and doughy inside. A few dips into the beer mustard and you’ve got an excellent snack.
The Fresh Mozzarella pizza caught my eye so we had to get it. What a disappointment when it came out with small globs of what they call fresh mozzarella. It didn’t even taste like fresh mozzarella at all. While the crust is chewy and thick, which was okay, the pizza sauce was almost non-existent. The only taste you get is crust, bland cheese, and basil.
The Beef Short Ribs entree was huge. The ribs were fork tender but tasted blandish on its own. The mushroom jus was added at plating instead of cooking them in it. It would have been so much better if it was the other way around. The mountain of sauerkraut mashed potatoes was a good touch and tasted quite good. The braised cabbage had a good sweetish hint. A hearty meal if there ever was one.
I have been to another GB location and was never blown away by the food. GB is kinda like a last resort when it comes to choosing a place to eat. It was there, it was convenient, so we went.
Insider tip:
Plenty of parking across the way or you can use the parking deck.
The scoop:
Gordon Biersch Brewery - Buckhead
3242 Peachtree Road NE
Buckhead, Atlanta, GA 30305
404-264-0253
Remember Genki in Buckhead? Well, they gave up half of their space to this new Italian restaurant/wine bar. Decor is the usual Buckhead type bar/restaurant — yellow walls, dark woods, shiny floors, cozy booths, not to mention a humongous patio which is great for people watching or catching some rays. They have a pretty long wine list and the usual beers (including Fat Tire).
I was surprised by the pizzas which are actually pretty good — the crust is sweetish, thin, nicely charred. The pizza sauce is very good: fresh, not runny, not paste like. I had the Margherita (they use ricotta cheese but I prefer mozzarella), Pepperoni (I like that it wasn’t salty), and Cheese.
The Meatball Stomboli is also very good. I love its yeasty dough filled with lots of mozzarella cheese.
The Cheese Ravioli with its creamy sauce is also a good choice. The pasta is perfectly cooked, just the way I like it — right in the middle of al dente and mushy.
This is another good addition to the area.
Insider tip:
Valet parking and street parking.
The scoop:
Villa Vino
3188 Roswell Rd
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 228-3934
Had brunch here last Sunday with my mom and sister. My sister booked priority seating on Open Table but did not really have a need to use it when we arrived at 1PM. The place was full but the tables were turning over so quickly. Incidentally, this is not a chain. This is part of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (of Chops, Kyma, Nava, etc). It should not be confused with Corner Bakery Cafe which is a chain.
We started with mimosas and coffee. While the mimosas tasted of fresh orange juice, they came at room temperature. Not exactly how mimosas should be served, but, oh well.
I chose the Braised Short Rib Benedict which I have never had before. It came served on a toasted brioche with a poached egg drizzled with Bearnaise sauce and a side of thin green beans. I found this dish very rich and as much as I have a big appetite, I could not finish it despite all efforts. The pulled meat was just too heavy for the very thin piece of brioche and the Bearnaise sauce added more unnecessary richness to the dish. There was also too much meat for such a small piece of brioche — a half and a cup of shredded meat for a 4-inch square toast.
My sister had the Vegetarian Three-Egg Omelet made with egg whites. It was filled with broccoli, onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese. It was okay. Nothing really jumped at me in terms of flavors. Besides, it’s really hard to mess up a veggie omelet to begin with. I did like the Italian toast that came with the dish although it was so thinly sliced that it fell apart on the first bite.
The oatmeal that came with our meals were also just okay. The texture was right but the consistency isn’t. Mine turned watery as soon as I added brown sugar. I love Murphy’s oatmeal and theirs can’t compare.
My mom wasn’t very happy with her Roasted Chicken Breast sandwich and I can understand why. The chicken meat was so dry that no amount of dijon mayo could save it. She did appreciate the fact that there were a good amount of chicken breast chunks in the sandwich. But… meh. Her vegetable soup wasn’t as bold and hearty as she would have wanted it to and I agree.
We shared a stack of pancakes. They were so chewy that we didn’t like them at all. We’ve had pancakes everywhere and we order them whenever they’re on the menu. Sad to say but fast food joints have better versions.
We weren’t really satisfied with our meal. To top it off, our server was not very attentive. We had to ask for every single thing — water refills, spoons for our soup or oatmeal, sweetener for coffee (which never came so I had to steal from the next table), extra plates (yes, we told her we were sharing the pancakes — did she expect us to eat off of one plate), maple syrup, clean silverware. A good server can make or break a great dining experience and ours definitely made our visit a mediocre one.
Corner Cafe isn’t really a favorite of ours. I liken it to an upscale Panera except Panera actually has better sandwiches. I do like the bakery here and the Italian loaves and baguettes are a must-buy.
Insider tip:
A plate of warm blueberry mini muffins are served at each table.
The scoop:
Corner Cafe & Buckhead Bread Co.
3070 Piedmont Rd,
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 240-1978
