Chow Down Atlanta

You might think this American staple is just a hotdog, but over time, the sausage on a bun has evolved. First, the usual ingredients have been given an overhaul. It is now more common to see labels such as home-made, all-beef, turkey, and kosher. Second, the ho-hum garnishing of mustard or ketchup have been accompanied by an infinite number of toppings, limited only to the imagination.

So a hotdog is a hotdog is a hotdog? Not at America’s Top Dog. The natural casing of the grilled, all-beef hotdogs here make a big difference. You can hear and feel the snap and crunch with every bite. I like that the hotdogs aren’t too salty either. Best of all? The 40 toppings you can play with. Just imagine the possibilities! Spicy chili, coleslaw, even salsa!

If you’d rather not build your own hotdog, there are choices to make your life easy. The Georgia Dog. My fave. The spicy jumbo hotdog may not have that snappy casing but you won’t even notice it with the exciting toppings that are included: chow chow, spicy chili, pimiento cheese, and coleslaw. You get crunchy from the slaw, heat from the chili, cheese from the pimiento, and that great Southern taste from the chow. Mmm, yummy.

The Cubs Dog is another contender. With cucumbers, relish, tomatoes, mustard, and a pickle, it’s one great Chicago hotdog.

But wait, don’t forget the sides. The hand-cut fries are fried just right. The massive order of thick-battered onion rings all complete a meal.

Not in the mood for hotdogs? Fret not. There are burgers!!! Fresh angus, as well as turkey, and veggie are grilled and ready for the party with your choice of toppings.

And there you have it. Stop by for lunch or a quick snack. The endless combination of how to dress your hotdogs should be enough to excite you.

America’s Top Dog
2 Locations:

3352 Chamblee Tucker Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770) 771-3823

2400 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 771-3823

Technorati Tags: hotdogs, Duluth, Chamblee

My sister has the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I know. Last month, her childhood best friend Brigid gave her a box of French macarons from this place and in the process, tipped us off to Maison Robert’s new location near Chamblee. Needless to say, we’ve been back every week — me for the bread, the sister for the sweets.

The short and sweet: absolutely delicious macarons, fantastic baguettes, delectable flourless cakes, rich cheesecakes, flaky and buttery croissants. And one of the best sandwiches I’ve had.

Surprisingly, I don’t have any pictures of the macarons because we eat them faster than I can take pictures. But Sean has a beautiful one here.

Check out more pictures from Broderick here.

Insider tip:
Closed on Sundays.
Croissants on Saturdays. Call ahead to reserve.

The scoop:
Maison Robert Fine Chocolates
5256 Peachtree Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770) 454-6442

Technorati Tags: French, sandwiches, bakery, chocolatier, Chamblee

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

I have been frustrated with Atlanta’s lack of real, good, authentic Indian restaurants for some time now. Most times, the cuisine has been customized to the American palate. Such is the case here at Himalayas. I came in on a Friday night and the place was packed. With non-Indians. Bad sign. While service is good, the kitchen got slammed and the wait was a good 25-30 minutes for the food to arrive. They seriously need to add another tandoor oven.

The mixed appetizer plate came with a vegetable samosa, a pakora, 2 pieces of chicken tikka, a beef sheekh kabob, and an onion bhajee. While the samosa had a flavorful filling, the pastry shell was so soaked in oil that it fell apart as soon as you bit into it. The chicken tikka, however, was perfection. The pieces were fork tender and evidently marinaded for hours. The sheekh kabob, resembling more of a sausage due to its minced meat, was delicious with its perfect blend of spices. The fried onion patty was also a disaster with half of its weight and all of its flavor coming from the frying oil.

Perhaps the only saving grace here is the tandoor chicken, which, if anything else, is a winner (as was the beef kabob). The meat pieces are fork tender and very flavorful. You can actually taste a hint of yogurt in every bite. Best of all, there is a lot of flavor as you bite deeper into the meat.

The curries, unfortunately, all taste the same: sweet. All the ingredients are so mixed together that there are no discerning flavors. The naan, although yeasty and with lots of buttered goodness, is so stretched thin that there isn’t enough chewiness that makes naan bread the awesome bread that it is.

If you’re not a very adventurous eater, then this spot is for you. Tandoor, Royal Palace (Norcross), Udipi Cafe, and Zyka still retain my current Indian rotation with Tandoor blowing everyone away.

Insider tip:
Special dinners (combo meals) available.
Homemade desserts.

The scoop:
Himalayas Indian Tandoori Restaurant
5520 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770) 458-6557

Technorati Tags: Indian food, Chamblee

Ok so I took the Chinese new year further by lunching at Mini Hot Pot. My mom is a huge fan of Chinese hot pot. I like it from time to time but I’d rather not cook when I eat out. Since no one else in my family likes hot pot, my mom usually has to drag me along with her whenever she gets a craving. We usually go to the one off Pleasant Hill but that place has gone so filthy it’s gross just thinking about it. So we’ve been visiting Mini Hot Pot since it opened.

MHP is sparkling clean and sits in the same plaza where Penang and Hoa Binh are at. I love that you get your own mini hot pot so you can do your own flavors and use the ingredients you prefer. At other places, they give you a gigantic pot and you either have to share with the entire table; or they put a divider in the pot so you can have two things going at a time. The part I don’t like about these divider things is that they don’t work. Your soups will get mixed-in after a while. Not good. With MHP you get your own.

I went for the Clam-Beef combination. I usually get the seafood-meat combination but everything here is a good choice. For $12.95 (and up), you get a heaping platter or greens which included napa cabbage, tofu, fried tofu, a taro wedge, a daikon wedge, a raw egg, tofu skins, a green-leafy veggie that I can’t remember the name of right now, a tomato quarter, a slice of fish cake, half a corn, and vermicelli noodles. You also get a platter of your meat/seafood selection. In my case, two huge clams and some thinly-sliced steak. I kicked it up a notch by getting the spicy broth (an upcharge of 75-cents) which is so worth the additional charge. Beware, as it is very spicy. Add more of the included spicy flavoring and you’re good to go.

The key to a successful hot pot is to not add everything into the pot all at the same time. Put enough ingredients that can fit in your bowl and replenish as you eat. The back wall has a myriad of seasonings that you can dish yourself and use as you please.

Verdict: a good place for hearty soups on a chilly day. But I call this diet food. Because I can never get satisfied. I have to run to the Vietnamese grocery next door to eat more food (they have good cooked food to-go such as the steamed black rice with sugar and peanuts, steamed rice cakes, and more). Else, I am hungry again 30 minutes later. My mom loves it. I just don’t go here when I’m very hungry.

Here’s a tiny clip of the dragon dance show they had for Chinese New Year:

Insider tip:
A bowl of steamed rice to accompany your meal is available upon request.

The scoop:
Mini Hot Pot
4897 Buford Hwy
Chamblee, GA 30341
(770) 458-8882

Technorati Tags: Mini Hot Pot, Chamblee, Buford Highway, hot pot, Chinese cuisine