Chow Down Atlanta

Okay, I’m getting tired of walking into hip-looking places with mediocre food. Such classic example is Salsa Havana over at Howell Mill Rd. You walk into this nice looking place with brightly-painted walls showcasing local art for sale, cozy pleathered-booths, painted concrete floors, and you’re thinking, wow, the food must be as good as the look-and-feel of the place. Not. My first disappointment came in the form of a cheese dip that resembled what my 10-year old nephew would make at home — bland, store-bought cheese with way too much milk added to it. Add to that the teeth-shattering, almost-stale tortilla chips and you have one of the worst cheese dip-and-chips combo I’ve ever had.

But let’s not stop there. The chicken taco on a hard flour tortilla was quite dry that adding two kinds of grated cheeses on top did not help at all. The mushy, canned peas and carrots side made matters worse — over-cooked gray peas and carrots which was devoid of any flavor (trust me, my pro camera was that good to render the picture so appetizing, but in real life, it didn’t look edible at all). They should have used the frozen kind; at least, it would’ve been bright in color.

Saving graces: the roasted chicken was flavorful, moist, and tender, I give them that; but it was so ordinary tasting. It came with rice and black beans and I admit the black beans were quite good. Probably the only thing worth ordering is the fake boliche. I call it fake because boliche is sausage (chorizo) stuffed beef roast. Salsa’s version is a prime rib stew that was really flavorful with two chunks of prime rib: one was fork-tender and the other one was gnawingly-tough (what is it with this place?) It came with rice, black beans and yucca pieces.

The verdict: totally disappointing. Would I ever go back again — probably not — but if I did, I’d probably get the boliche again. Oh, and to top off one of my not-so-good lunches, the service was soooo slooooow. There were two servers (Howell Mill location) with 3 tables occupied (each with two people each) yet they took their time clearing dishes, refilling drinks, and bringing the check.

Insider tip:
Avoid peak times, else, you’d be in there forever.

The scoop:
Salsa Havana
Two locations (open daily from 11AM):
749 Moreland Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30316
(404) 624-3105

2020 Howell Mill Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
404.352.3101

Technorati Tags: Salsa Havana, Cuban cuisine, boliche, cheese dip, tortillas, Moreland Ave., Howell Mill Rd., Atlanta

Serving the Alpharetta area since 1920, Alpha Soda serves Southern fare with a Greek twist in a setting of black and white tiles, lots of dark wood and leather. It’s not your typical diner. More like an old country club.

I love Alpha Soda’s daily specials and their breakfast fare. I love it even more because they serve it all day long. Notable dishes include the Alpharetta Egg Sandwich (a kicked-up egg/blt sandwich), the Eggs Benedict (available only on weekends), and the Chicken & Brie Scramble (chicken and brie omelet).

Chef’s daily specials are worth a try especially the pot roast which makes an appearance every so often; as well as freshy made vegetables. Make sure you leave room for dessert (especially the Red Velvet Cake) and check-out the mouth-watering pies, cakes, cookies that are showcased in a huge deli case.Insider tip:
Open daily beginning at 7am.
Service is unsually slow even in off-peak times so don’t expect to breeze in and out.

The scoop:
Alpha Soda
11760 Haynes Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA 30004
Phone: (770) 442-3102

Technorati Tags: Alpha Soda, diner, Alpharetta, breakfast

Trinidadian family owned and operated, this island fare restaurant opened late 2004 and has created a permanent imprint in the Atlanta dining scene. Borne out of frustration for lack of (decent) Caribbean restaurants in Atlanta, the Lawrence family decided to take matters into their own hands and opened a charming restaurant on Medlock Bridge Rd inside the Regal Cinema plaza. The result is a labor of love. Mom (as I have fondly called her) prepares authentic homemade dishes from scratch using fresh ingredients both found locally and from Trinidad and beyond; while son Dale (with brother Deion whom I’ve both known forever being a few years ahead of me at GSU) manages the operations.

While every single item on the menu is absolutely delicious, the most popular ones tend to be the pelau and roti. Pelau is probably the one dish that epitomizes Trinidadian cuisine and described as flavorful rice blended with meats and vegetables. Soca‘s pelau is just that — fork-lickin’ good, hearty, and full of flavor. The rice is cooked perfectly, moist and savory; while the accompanying caramel chicken was, oh so fork tender, with the most amazing blend of spices. Mom told me to get the plantains for my side as she knows exactly what goes well with any dish. The sweet plantains had just the right amount of bite, not mush and soggy, though ripe enough.

The Caribbean roti (pronounced row-tea) which resembles a burrito is a huge flour pancake enveloping different fillings such as curry chicken with potatoes. The curry chicken is the best curry you’ll ever taste — melt-in-your-mouth chunks of chicken simmered for hours in perfectly-seasoned curry sauce — a real comfort food. Teamed with the not-your-usual baked mac ‘n cheese, it makes for a filling lunch.

A perfect period to any meal, the homemade (by a close friend) mango pie is to die for. In fact, I’m no longer allowed to attend any parties without bringing a whole pie (or two). It is not overly sweet, with the right amount of tartness and a consistency between cheesecake and mousse. Add to that the special crust and you have the most delectable dessert.

For the more authentic tastes, I highly recommend the ox tail stew available on Fridays only (they ran out within a few hours of opening), the Callalloo soup (spinach-okra puree), and the curried goat.

Insider tip:
Kids menu available. Menu items include dishes for the hard-core and for the less adventurous as well. Whole Mango pies available for purchase.

The scoop:
Soca Caribbean Cafe
website: http://www.socacafe.com/index.html
9700 Medlock Bridge Road
Duluth GA 30097
Telephone: 770.476.0042

Technorati Tags: Soca Caribbean Cafe, Caribbean cuisine, pelau, roti, mango pie, oxtail stew, goat curry, callalloo, Medlock Bridge Rd., Regal Cinema plaza, chicken curry, Duluth

Roaster’s has been consistently delivering good, inexpensive southern comfort food to metro Atlanta since 1990. Before that, we always wished a rotisserie place would open in Atlanta. There were only two places that had rotisserie chicken on the menu back then. I remember one of Roaster’s first locations near Gwinnett Place Mall that, unfortunately, closed down about 7 years ago. Four locations remain, each offering the same casual atmosphere, great service and tasty dishes.

The chicken fingers are really, really good — lightly battered and very tender. As well as the rotisserie chicken, the fall-off-the-bone ribs, the fresh veggies, and the salads. There are specials of the day offered daily that include a soup, a veggie, and an entree. The creamed corn is particularly good, unfortunately, it’s not a staple on the menu. Each table gets freshly-baked sweet corn muffins and yeasty rolls on the house.

Inside tip:
You can get a veggie plate with a choice of 3 or 4 veggies.
The chicken finger appetizer with one side is as filling as the regular order with two sides.

The scoop:
Roasters Rotisserie

http://www.roastersfresh.com/index.html

Locations: Lenox, Cumberland, and Roswell Road
Alpharetta Location not on website:
11585 Jones Bridge Rd, Alpharetta, 30022 – (770) 753-0055

Technorati Tags: Roasters Rotisserie, chicken fingers, rotisserie chicken, ribs, kids menu, Alpharetta, Lenox, Cumberland, Roswell Rd, Atlanta

This is Atlanta’s best kept secret — it’s the best Vietnamese restaurant in town. Hands down. Aside from consistently scoring a Health Code rating between 99 to 100 since opening day almost three years ago, they have the best service, the best food, and the best bubble tea. The best. I know, I’m a Phoenix Noodle groupie — eating there at least twice a week since opening day and on first-name basis with the entire staff.

A little background story… the famous Canton House (best overpriced dimsum) on Buford Highway was owned mainly by two Vietnamese brothers. Early 2004, one of the brothers who was also the main chef, got out of the partnership and opened Phoenix Noodle on Peachtree Industrial Blvd across from The Forum Shops. A family-run business, the ex-partner/dad is the head chef, the mom is the hostess/cashier, the dad’s sister is manager/server, and all four Georgia Tech/Georgia State-graduate sons are part-time servers.

Pho is what Vietnamese cuisine is known for over here. It’s a soup that is actually a breakfast food in Vietnam, commonly sold on the streets. It is made with beef broth with rice noodles and topped with thin slices of steak, beef tripe, and beef tendon to which you add fresh basil leaves, fresh bean sprouts, lime juice, and jalapeno slices. When we were young, my mom had a very close Vietnamese friend who we’d visit on weekends. Most times, we’d get invited to stay for dinner. She made the best home-made pho. The best. And so her pho was my standard. It has been a life-long mission to find pho as good as hers.

In the 90s there was a Vietnamese restaurant inside the Burlington Coat Factory plaza on Buford Highway called Pho Ca Dao. The chef was a little old Vietnamese lady who spoke no English. She made great the best pho. As good as my mom’s friend’s pho. Never mind the dingy atmosphere — it was frequented by a lot of Vietnamese and came highly-recommended by my Vietnamese friends. Sadly, the place closed down a few years ago. I’ve been to almost all Vietnamese restaurants in Atlanta and none has ever come close to my mom’s friend’s pho or even Pho Ca Dao’s. Until now.

Phoenix Noodle’s pho is not only comfort food. It is delicious: tasty and full-bodied with that simmered-for-hours taste. Everything on the menu is good. Every item. From the fried and fresh spring/basil rolls to all the grilled meat/shrimp plates (best value for the money), to the vermicelli noodle bowls, to the entrees. There is nothing you could order wrong. The tender spicy salt and pepper squid which is very lightly battered then fried served with a sweet-salty sauce is enough to lure you to come. Best of all, the bubble tea — tea-based cold drinks (or smoothie) which come in assorted flavors that you can mix and match with tapioca pearls (balls) or cubes of fruit jelly. Highly recommended flavors are honeydew, fresh avocado, coffee, taro (potato-like), lychee, watermelon, mango, and rainy day (assorted berries).

Insider tip:

• Some bubble tea flavors are made with real fruit depending on availability. This week they have cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberry, and avocado.
• Lunch menu entrees come with soup.
• There’s a separate kid’s menu that includes noodle dishes and grilled chicken.
• The pho rice noodles can be substituted with low-carb Japanese clear noodles for $2 more. (They had to search and go to great lengths to find a low-carb noodle-substitute but personally, I found it altered the taste of the pho.)
• They chef is very willing and so versatile that he can accommodate special orders — this week we requested him to cook a Malaysian noodle dish.
• You can request a bowl of plain pho broth for $2 and a side of fried egg is $1.
• By default, you will be served with a sweet-salty sauce (for eggrolls and fried entrees) but you can ask for the equally-delicious Thai-style sweet-and-sour sauce.

The scoop:
Phoenix Noodle Cafe

http://www.phoenixnoodlecafe.com/

5450 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 2E
Norcross, Georgia 30092
Sun – Thur: 10:30 AM – 10:00 PM
Fri – Sat: 10:30 AM – 11:00 PM

Technorati Tags: Phoenix Noodle Cafe, Vietnamese cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, pho, fresh basil roll, spring roll, lunch, dinner, bubble tea, tapioca pearls, fruit jelly, pho, spicy squid, vermicelli bowl, grilled plates, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, The Forum Shops, kids menu, Atlanta