Chow Down Atlanta

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

I come from a family of big appetites (thank heavens for good genes or we’d have ballooned popped by now).  After eating a plate of fried chicken, collard greens, biscuits, and muffins last Saturday, we had the audacity to keep our reservations at Shaun’s an hour later. But we never made it. The Inman Park Festival was in full force and no valet, available lot, nor parking spot is in sight. Since mom didn’t want to walk in the area late at night (she’s paranoid like that), we ended up at KRS instead. Where there’s valet.

We were surprised to get a last minute reservation for 7:45pm on a Saturday night and even more surprised to get seated right at once, nabbing a great booth in a restaurant where not a single table was empty when we came in. The vibe was cool and upbeat, the crowd, a gamut from the hip to the oldies.

Since we just had dinner, we decided to go light. We started with the Roast Mixed Beet Salad with Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese and candied pecans. This is one of my favorite salads and I almost always order it whenever it’s on the menu. The version here is simple and pretty straight-forward — big cubes of red and yellow beets, dollops of creamy cheese, candied pecans. I love the contrasting tastes and textures. It was a good sized salad and possibly good enough for two if you’re having a heavy entree.

My mom got the Bone-in Smoked Beef Rib (her favorite). The smoked rib was literally fall-of-the-bone tender and served in an au jus which is delicious: slight, slight hint of sweet, salty, peppery. This is oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-good at every bite. She never tires of it and neither do I.

My sister and I each had the Prime Japanese Waygu Beef Burger: twelve ounces of heavenly meat, ground as you order, and served medium rare. You can’t get any better than this. Well, not really. The meat itself is top-notch, no doubt, but the reason we’re ranking this No. 2 is because of the bread. It was on the dry side and not enough sweetness to cut through the meaty taste. Which is why H&F is still king. H&F bread on Chef Kevin’s burger meat? Well, that would be a dream.

Side notes:

Mom and sister got the Chocolate Mousse and Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake for dessert. Both were good but it’s evident that desserts are not the major strength here.

Service was impeccable. We had a great kick out of a Hillary Duff dead-ringer for a server who gave us nothing but the best service. My medium burger was delivered medium-rare. No biggie there, I ate it all. Sister’s burger had to be taken back twice (her medium rare was delivered well-done, and very rare on the second try) but the manager handled it so well we didn’t mind the 45-minute wait. Kudos to him for the excellent treatment we were given (just so you know and I must say this, I always dine out anonymously). To top it off, valet had our car ready for us as soon as we stepped out the door. Fantastic.

Insider tip:
A few feet away from Rathbun’s.
They have Anne Amie wine!

The scoop:
Kevin Rathbun Steak
154 Krog St NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 524-5600

Technorati Tags: steaks, Inman Park, American food, Atlanta, Kevin Rathbun

Serpas is Chef Scott Serpas’ new endeavor (he did stints with Kevin Rathbun and at Nava, Sia, and Mitra). Chef Scott describes his food as “approachable dishes true to their Louisiana, Asian, and Southwestern influences”. It is located in the Old Fourth Ward in Inman Park.

The first thing that caught my eye here is the decor which is hip and trendy with exposed brick walls and shiny, smooth concrete floors. But we came here for the food so here it goes.

The Duck Spring Rolls were crispy fried and full of flavor. I immediately smelled the 5-spice powder (I abhor it) and was about to shun them but tried them anyway. Delicious. You can hardly taste the 5-spice although you can definitely smell it.

The Wild Mushroom Tostadas were very tasty. I particularly liked the heaping amount of lightly sauteed mushrooms topping a crisp tostado.

The Pigs ‘n Blanket were a bit ho-hum but still a fun, grown-up take on the favorite kiddie food They’re made with spicyish andouille sausage.

The Double beef patty is definitely one of the top burgers in Atlanta. The meat is freshly ground, cooked medium, topped with smoked cheddar, then served on a grilled and buttered upside-down bun. I don’t see the point of the upside down bun other than the fun factor. However, this sweetish bun added to why this burger top notch.

For dessert, we had the apple pie and the bread pudding. The Fried apple pie is a great surprise. The apples were not cloyingly sweet and the empanada was fried perfectly. The White Chocolate Cranberry Bread Pudding has all the gooey goodness of a fantastic bread pudding. I really liked it although it is very rich and a few bites is all I need.

Service is fantastic and prices are reasonable. Definitely a good place to add to my rotation.

Insider tip:
Do try the Backyard Lemonade. I had 3. Enough said. And I’m not even a big drinker. (It’s made with vodka, house-made lemonade, and ginger ale.)

Brunch served on Sundays.

The scoop:
Serpas True Food
659 Auburn Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 688-0040

Technorati Tags: Serpas True Food, Scott Serpas, Inman Park, true food

I do a good amount of driving from OTP to go to Star Provisions and H&F weekly for my bread addiction. Specifically, I go for my weekly ration of baguettes. I went to Parish Foods & Goods last week to have lunch and saw their baked goods very tempting. But first, lunch.

I looked around to see what everybody was eating before settling on the Fried Green Tomato BLT. First of all, it was huge. Really huge. A good value at $7.50. There were crisp fried green tomatoes with just a light dusting of batter, 4 substantial slices of thick bacon, fresh red tomato slices and lettuce, in a spicy remoulade. Lots of different textures. It was delicious and very filling. My only complaint is that they could have used slightly thicker slices of bread. The bread, which were grilled to perfection, simply couldn’t hold up to all the filling and disintegrated in my hands. Shame. It was good bread, too.

Of course, I couldn’t leave without grabbing some baked goodies. Got a couple of baguettes that were very hard and tasteless. Despite rejuvenating them in the oven. To the trash they all went. The chocolate tea bread was a bit dry but very chocolatey in taste which I like. I just can’t get past the dryness. The banana-nut and blueberry muffins were bursting with flavor and fabulously moist and dense just the way I like them. Will remember to get more next time.

There are a lot of interesting items on the menu that I’d like to try in future visits. Yes, I’ll be back. But not for the baked goods.

Insider tip:
They have to-go meals for 4 people that can be picked up daily.
Sandwiches range from $6-10. Dinner entrees range from $12-24.

The scoop:
Parish Foods & Goods
240 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 681-4434

Technorati Tags: Parish Foods & Goods, Inman Park, Atlanta, bakery, New Orleans cuisine

Lottafrutta is this cool sandwich place a few blocks from Georgia State in Auburn Avenue. It’s been one of our favorite places for a quick bite to eat whenever I’m on this side of town (which is about twice a week). A couple of years ago, you wouldn’t want to walk around Auburn Avenue. But they’ve really cleaned the place up. It’s beautiful here now with lots of quaint houses and quirky townhomes.

Lottafrutta serves grilled sandwiches on Latin bread. They’re wonderful. The sweet bread is soft, grilled panini-style, and filled with ham, turkey, or veggies. Or get it the way I do: Just Veggin’ with Turkey — creamy havarti with avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sprouts with a slices of oven-roasted turkey. It is just so delicious. Each sandwich comes with a tiny tub of chulpe (grilled corn, Ecuadorian style). It’s crunchy and very appetizing.

Then they have these fruit cups that are just equally amazing. My two favorites are the Limonatta and the Cremolatta. If you have a taste for tart stuff, then Limonatta is for you. It has slices of cantaloupe, coconut, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, mango, and papaya with fresh lime juice then sprinkled with spicy chile guajillo. You get this sweet-tangy tastes with a hint of spice. No worries, it is not spicy at all, with the heat more akin to paprika. On the other hand, if you want all sweetness, then go for the Cremolatta with slices of grapes, watermelon, strawberry, papaya, and cantaloupe then topped with a generous amount of homemade cream. Both delicious and both great accompaniments to the sandwiches. The fruit juices and the ice pops are also irresistible.

Lottafrutta is one sandwich place you must, must try. Grilled sandwiches are only $6.25 (they are good-sized), fruit cups start at $4.75.

Insider tip:
Open during the week at 7am for breakfast. Try the Cuban coffee — awesome!

The scoop:
Lottafrutta
590 Auburn Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 588-0857
M-F: 7am-5pm
Sat/Sun: 9am-5pm

Technorati Tags: Lottafrutta, Inman Park, fruits, grilled sandwiches, Latin bread, limonatta, cremolatta, frutta cups, salads, breakfast, brunch, Cuban coffee