You all know I’m not a big fan of sandwiches (or salads) because they make me hungry an hour or two later. In order to get satisfied, I’d have to eat a couple or have them as side items. If I were counting calories, that would be really bad. Anyways. I stopped by Victory one night after school. My class ends at 9:30 and finding a late night spot to eat a good meal has been a life long mission. Miso Izakaya, H+F, Steak&Shake (don’t hate), bars, have been favorite spots, as well as Chinese joints that are open past midnight on Cheshire Bridge and BuHi. I’m now adding Victory to that list.
These aren’t your normal, ho-hum deli sandwiches. They’re fancier. The bread is from Bakeshop. The fillings are from top-notch ingredients. They’re smallish so I usually have to eat 3. You’ll probably get full with two but one is definitely not enough. The $4 price tag might be steep on paper but definitely worth every penny once you see it live and in person. Like I said, the fillings and the bread are what make these sandwiches stand out.
Three of my favorites. The Castro with roast pork, ham, fontina cheese, & yellow mustard is a fun take on the Cuban sandwich. The pork is tender and very flavorful. Of course, love the pressed bread. Excellent.
Beast On Yeast. The pot roast with horseradish crème will remind you of roast beef. Very good.
Can’t remember what this is called. Ham and pimiento cheese. The pimiento cheese is pretty good.
There’s a huge wall where they project movies and my best friend/eating buddy swears by their Jack Daniel’s slush. I’m not a drinker so I’ll leave that all up to you. I just like that it’s cozy enough to whip up my laptop and hang out by the big glass walls.
Victory Sandwich Bar
280 Elizabeth Street
Atlanta, GA 30307
(770) 676-7287
Mon-Sat: 11:00am-2:30am
Sun: 11:00am-12:00am
Accolades plus my death row meal, the best onigiri, buns, and ramen and you’ve got this amazing, no-longer-unknown izakaya sensation in Inman Park. Miso is definitely one of my most favorite restaurants.
Izakaya. This term has evolved and no longer just encompasses sake houses serving yakitori. These days, Japanese izakayas tend to refer to places that serve great food (small plates and snacks) and great drinks (sake and shochu). They do all that at Miso. Plus more. Incidentally, did you know Miso has the largest selection of shochu in Atlanta? The LARGEST.
Aside from being a chef-driven restaurant, what sets Miso apart from the rest is its use of local and seasonal ingredients. Chef Guy Wong hits a couple of farmer’s markets each morning to acquire the day’s ingredients. A two-man team in the kitchen, he and sous chef Melissa Allen go in early every single day to prep the ingredients and get a head start on braising meats. Every single dish that comes out of the kitchen passes through those two sets of hands. Labor of love. Oh and the staff. They treat you like family (shout out to Dyna, Will, and Hong). They’ve all been there since Miso opened.
I get great pleasure from reading menus the same way people do with books and magazines. Today, Miso unveils its new menu. It’s something I’ve read so many times, imagining the dishes in my head and the flavors in my mouth. With an obscene amount of visits under my belt (I have late classes in grad school next door and its proximity is so convenient for late dinners), it’s no accident that some of those visits happen when Chef Guy Wong is experimenting in his kitchen. My good friends and I — regulars at Miso — have been lucky enough to taste some of those experiments.
The Pork Kimchi Rice. To. Die. For. Before Chef Guy made this mind-blowing dish, I used to take his Pork Kimchi dish and mix it with a side order of steamed rice. I call it Kimchi White Rice and I do this everywhere fried rice isn’t served. Imagine my surprise when one day, a $9 bowl of Pork Kimchi Fried Rice appeared before me. It was the best thing I have ever eaten this year. Phenomenal is an understatement. My sister insisted getting an order to go. And my good friend Thom, lucky enough to taste clone number 3 (with another good friend GT), gushed all over Twitter and Facebook, even adding, “I would pay twice as much as Chef Guy is charging me for this right now.” Think kimchi laced with tasty morsels of pork married into fried rice then topped with a fried egg. It’s a match made in heaven. And crazy good.
Fried Green Tomatoes. You know how frustrating it is to eat this because the breading falls off the tomatoes every single time, in every single bite, at every single place on earth? Well, not here. Chef Guy and Chef Melissa were able to figure out how to glue the coating to the tomatoes. Not only is it ingenious, it is amazing. The tartness of the tomatoes is tempered by the the side of karashi cream (Japanese mustard).
Katsu Curry Japaghetti. I have this ongoing battle for mayorship with my very good friend Troy, who stole the mayorship from me, and whom I’ve had many dinners with at Miso (we have 22 24 combined visits, by the way). During one of those dinners, we were lucky enough to try the Japaghetti. How was it? In Troy’s own words, “This is the BEST *bleep* curry I’ve ever had in my life!!!” But don’t take his word for it. Take mine I’ve noticed that tonkatsu in all places in Atlanta are usually bland; with the dipping sauce acting as the flavoring agent. The MI katsu isn’t like that. The tender, juicy Riverview pork tenderloin cutlet is flavorful on its own and coated in flavorful, crunchy batter. Double flavorful. But wait. It’s the curry that will blow you away. Peppered with fork-tender bites of beef and simmered for over 8 hours, it is thick yet smooth and velvety. The flavor is bold but not offensive. Savory and delicious. The chuka soba noodles provide more textural backdrop to the meat and curry. YUM.
Fried Camembert Cheese. Clothed in thin tempura batter then fried golden. Nothing beats the crunchy exterior and gooey, soft cheese inside. Forget ho-hum mozzarella sticks. This is the wave of the future.
Crab Noodle. If you love crabs like I do then you would love this dish. Fresh blue crabs from that morning’s farmer’s market find are steamed, flaked, then stir-fried with eggs. Think fried rice except with soba. The crabs and egg stick to the noodles. Served on a bed of crisp lettuce and topped with a few sprigs of cilantro. Squeeze a few drops of lime, stir, eat. The taste of crab is evident but not overpowering. Unbelievable. So delicious.
I’ve had practically everything on the old menu. Everything here is fantastic. Most of my favorites are making a repeat appearance on the new menu so be sure to try them all: buns, onigiri, gyoza, shoyu tomago… And you can thank me later
Miso Izakaya
619 Edgewood Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(678) 701-0128
Closed on Sundays
Dinner every night from 5:30pm
Late night dining: Every night except Mondays from 10PM-Midnight
I’ve been going to Miso a lot. No, really, a lot. You see, I have a class on Thursdays that ends late: 9:30PM. I’m super hungry at that time and Miso has ramen and small plates that are perfect for late dinners. And it’s so close to school! So, yeah, I’m there every week. Last night, they opened on a normally closed day and had a special menu that was collaborated with Dynamic Dish’s David Sweeney. Remember his veggie dishes? If you weren’t there then you missed out on these…
Best part: nothing was over $9. Every single thing was delicious. My sister and I ate the entire menu. Our absolute favorite: the lemon quinoa with English peas topped with mint buttercream. It was an OMG moment. I ate veggies — proud of me? Complete menu here.
Miso Izakaya
619 Edgewood Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(678) 701-0128
Late night dining: Every night except Mondays from 10PM-Midnight (Closed Sundays)
When I was in San Francisco earlier in March, I went on a quest for good ramen. I went to 7 different places: in San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, Sacramento. I found that the broth has one theme — clean taste and better toppings. I call it hippie ramen. It wasn’t the same as the ones we have here in Atlanta. Regional differences, I suppose. Last night, Chef Guy Wong unveiled his 5-star ramen. I’ve had it twice before because I happened to be at Miso Izakaya when he was experimenting.
Miso Izakaya’s tonkotsu ramen is reminiscent of the ramen in the bay area. The broth is clean tasting — no heavy condiments or flavorings are added. You get the true taste of the broth from the tons of pork (and chicken) bones that were boiled for 27+hours. It is delicious. The hippie toppings are top-notch. You have these amazing morsels of corn that are garlicky (let it soak to flavor the broth), a big nori sheet, mushrooms, tender, braised pork belly, a soft-boiled egg. But what’s different about this ramen is that the broth has so much depth — it tastes bolder (and better) as the toppings soak: the stir-fried corn adds that garlicky tinge and the braised pork adds additional meat notes. It’s definitely different than the other awesome ramen in Atlanta. Available every night (except Monday) after 10pm. Intowners, you no longer have to complain about the drive to Smyrna or Duluth. You now have your own ramen place. It’s fantastic. Go!
Oh, before I forget… get these yumminess with your ramen:
Miso Izakaya
619 Edgewood Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(678) 701-0128
Late night dining: Every night except Mondays from 10PM-Midnight
I’ve noticed that tonkatsu in all places in Atlanta are usually bland; with the dipping sauce acting as the flavoring agent. The MI katsu isn’t like that. The tender, juicy Riverview pork tenderloin cutlet is flavorful on its own and coated in flavorful, crunchy batter. Double flavorful. But wait. It’s the curry that will blow you away. Peppered with fork-tender bites of beef and simmered for over 8 hours, it is thick yet smooth and velvety. The flavor is bold but not offensive. Savory and delicious. The chuka soba noodles provide more textural backdrop to the meat and curry. YUM.
