Chow Down Atlanta

I love Korean food. In fact, my obvious passion for this cuisine hadn’t gone unnoticed and, thus, I’ve been declared an honorary Korean by none other than Mr. E-D-Man himself. Thank you. I am honored.

This is the third reincarnation of this building. It was first a Japanese restaurant complete with a sushi train and color-coded plates. Cool concept but it didn’t fly. Next, it became a Korean restaurant. High on prices but low on taste. And now, Jang Su Jang. I’ve been to this place for lunch two times. The last time was with the lovely Blissful which was also her second time.

I liked the boiled pork belly. The taste of the meat itself is simple but the kimchi and radish slices it came with made it very interesting. There were also a lot of meat in one serving that it’s really good for two people.

The Dahk galbi (chicken barbecue) was just okay. Although it was flavorful, it was nothing but a Korean version of chicken teriyaki. A good choice for the unadventurous.

The beef noodle soup was awful. It was bland, thin, and watery. It did have a little bit of spiciness, but that’s about all there was to it. I wouldn’t order this again.

The bulgogi was so-so. Flavorful, but lacking in oomph. Tasted boiled, too.

So far, the only good thing on the menu are the dumplings. Oh, are they heavenly. The wrapper is soft, perfectly cooked. The meat inside is tasty. Great as is, but fantastic with the dipping sauce. There are two kinds on the menu, regular and King dumplings. The word King has nothing to do with the size. There is a difference between the two but I just can’t remember what it is for the life of me.

Verdict: I’m disappointed with their food. But I would come back for the dumplings alone. That, and the banchan.

The scoop:
Jang Su Jang
3645 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 475-9170

Technorati Tags: Jang Su Jang, Korean cuisine, dumplings, Duluth, Gwinnett

Gasp — I spent close to $100 at Souper Jenny today. That’s for 2 lunches at $14 each (my sister loves this place), 2 tubs of soups to-go, a peach bread, and a personally-signed Jenny cookbook that set me back another $22. It’s to add to my ever-growing collection of never-opened, mostly autographed cookbooks.

My sister’s lunch

My plate

There were free cupcakes today (we ate 2 each) and a book signing for Jenny’s new cookbook. Lots of people. As always. And if you don’t already know, they have amazing soups, sandwiches, and salads. All freshly made each morning. With the best and freshest ingredients. You get two items with soda/water/ice tea for $12. Good deal.

The scoop:
Souper Jenny
56 E Andrews Dr NW
Atlanta, GA
30305-1316
Phone: (404) 239-9023

Technorati Tags: Souper Jenny, lunch, lunch deals, brunch, fresh daily, Buckhead, sandwiches, soup

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

I love bakeries and specialty food markets. I place Star Provisions on top of my list followed by H&F Bread Company, and Alon’s Bakery. While I do believe that Star Provisions has the best baguettes in the city bar none, the ones at Alon’s are pretty good contenders. On a recent visit, I got these amazing Chocolate Chunk Pecan bites for $7.99 a pound. These are like chocolate chip cookies but on steroids. They are simply heavenly. I also got some chocolate croissants (again, Star Provisions’ croissants are better), a loaf of sourdough bread, and a slice of some chocolate cake that I forgot what it’s called (delicious, nonetheless). I also got some house-made chocolates but I couldn’t resist and finished all half a pound on my drive home.

I grabbed a quick lunch of Chicken Pesto sandwich that was really delicious. I’m not a fan of pesto but theirs is so mild and tasty. It was the first time I’ve had this sandwich and I was really impressed with it.

Alon’s is a good place to get artisan breads baked on the premises, assorted hand-made chocolates by the pound, cookies, pastries, cakes, salads, sandwiches, cheeses, and other specialty food items.

Insider tip:
There’s a coffee bar inside.

The scoop:
Alon’s Bakery and Market
North Highland: 1394 N. Highland Ave, Atlanta, GA 30306 – 404.872.6000
Park Place: 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, GA 30346 – 678.397.1781

Technorati Tags: Alon’s Bakery And Market, Dunwoody, Highland Avenue, Perimeter, specialty market, gourmet market, bakery, lunch, sandwiches

I am very sad. This place has closed as of May 22, 2011.

I’ve been to V1 BBQ more than six times since it opened in August including a Saturday night when there was a 20-minute wait for a table. Although no one beats Hongkong BBQ when it comes to roast meats, V1 is a great contender and a much cleaner place. I actually went to Hongkong BBQ for a late lunch today and further realized no one can trump their roast pork. But I love V1 and have become friends with the staff who give warm and friendly service.

Hainanese Chicken is my favorite Cantonese chicken dish. It’s the national dish of Singapore which they have adopted from the Chinese. I’ve had Hainanese chicken in hundreds of places; all over Singapore, Hongkong, and China. I’ve had it in Chinatowns in NYC, Toronto, San Francisco, and here. V1 has the best Hainanese Chicken outside of Asia. Simply put, their Hainanese chicken is superb — it’s clean: the chicken doesn’t smell fishy, it is steamed perfectly (cooked all the way through), it is not fatty, and there are no traces of dried blood inside. It is seasoned all the way to the bone so each bite is as fantastic as the last. It is so flavorful, succulent, tender, and juicy. I love it.

The roast pork, roast pig, and roast duck are all also good but, like I said, Hongkong BBQ still has the best. Not even Ming’s BBQ can come close to Hongkong BBQ. The roast pork here at V1 just doesn’t have the requisite texture and crunch. Theirs is a little on the soft side.

Possibly the best Malaysian dish on the menu, the Homemade Noodle soup is fantastic and definitely a must-try. It’s a soup made with tasty chicken broth added with fat, chewy house-made noodles, pieces of Chinese broccoli, ground beef, then topped with crispy fried small fish. It is comforting and plain delicious. This is one of my favorites here.

I recommend sticking with V1′s Cantonese dishes. Their Malaysian dishes seem novice. These dishes are usually bland and the sauces are thin. Despite that, I do think they make great roti canai pancake. The pancake is flaky yet so chewy inside. But curry dipping sauce just doesn’t have that simmered-for-hours taste and is on the thin side. The bubble teas aren’t as good as other places either and they don’t put as much tapioca.

V1 is a must-try for their Cantonese dishes and competitive roast meats. The place is spotless and doesn’t give off a cheap Asian fast-food joint.

Insider tip:
Rice plates with two or three roast meats are a great sampler.

The scoop:
3940 Buford Hwy NW
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 623-1896

Technorati Tags: V1 BBQ, roast pork, roast duck, roast pig, roti canai, Cantonese cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, bubble tea, Duluth