Chow Down Atlanta

I must have been Korean (or Japanese) in my previous life because I love everything Korean (and Japanese).  Especially the food.  I scout the city regularly for Korean restaurants and chances are, I’m there on opening day.  But what most people don’t know is that Korean chicken wings rock.  I’m not talking about the real Korean chicken.  I’m talking about the Korean version of the American chicken wings.

The Koreanized chicken wings are tiny.  But tiny is good because you don’t get all the unnecessary chicken fat which is not really good for you.  The wings are seasoned well then crispy fried.  The best part — they’re served with fried rice.  Although they’ll gladly give you fries if your an American, or if you ask.  By the way, I invented the word Koreanized.  Like my other word:  hormonized.

Three of my favorite Korean chicken wings places in the metro area are:  Chicken World (one of the oldest), B Q Wings, and Cafe Hot Wing II. All are Korean-owned.

Chicken World

This place has been open since the early 80s. My friends and I used to go here a lot when I was a teenager. The wings here are good sized, nice and crispy. And it’s the only place where you can get Koreanized wings and Mexican food. So aside from the wings and rice, you also get chips and salsa. You gotta love the combination.

This used to be a wholesome family place. But times have changed and they now cater to the mostly blue-collar Mexican men clientele who come after work to eat, drink beer and hang out. The walls are plastered with posters of scantily-dressed ladies and the menu is peppered with pictures of lewd ladies in compromising poses. But the saddest part is that the place also now looks like a dump. Sadly, I won’t be coming back. Too bad, the wings were really good. (More pictures here.)

Chicken World
5150 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340
(770) 458-5164

B Q Wings

The newest kid on the block, this place opened maybe a year or two ago. While the place is small, the menu is extensive. They have chicken wings, burger, fish, subs, gyros, salads, and seafood combo meals that come with fried rice and a drink. Most meals start at $5.29. The wings are also very good and can be prepared in your choice of flavors. Although you get a jumble of different-sized wings, they are perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I normally get my chicken wings plain (to get the real flavor of the chicken) but their garlic wings are so delicious. The rice is tasty and the fries, though frozen, come out crispy and dusted lightly with Cajun seasoning. B Q Wings is a great place for cheap but good eats. (More pictures here.)

B Q Wings
3631 Peachtree Industrial
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 497-0088‎

Cafe Hot Wing II

I so love this place. The wings may be the tiniest but they are crispy and flavorful. The fried rice is good — complete with its requisite liquid smoke flavor. It’s also a place where you can get Korean ribs, subs, and spaghetti. The best part is how you’ll be treated like a family member the minute you step in. We’ve been invited countless times to their family birthday parties just by being there at the time. This family-owned restaurant makes you feel like, well, family. (More pictures here.)

Cafe Hot Wing II
3551 Chamblee Tucker Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770) 454-8608

Technorati Tags: Chicken World, Buford Highway, Korean wings, B Q Wings, Duluth, Cafe Hot Wing II, Chamblee-Tucker

This is probably one of the worst places to eat in Atlanta.  I’m sorry but I gave it a try and I vow never to return. A non-foodie friend I’ve known forever actually recommended this place to me five years ago for “some Southern home cooking.” Well, he’s a rheumatology physician so what does he know.

Korean owned and operated, Oga’s is a diner-type restaurant specializing in “meat and two” — meals consisting of one meat and two sides. The place is clean, although, they seriously need to get rid of their Christmas decorations when it’s in the middle of summer.

Food is (not so) cheap with meals costing $7.50 and jumbo burgers for $4.75 (the smaller version starts at $2.85). However, here at Oga’s, you really get what you pay for. Veggies come from cans, beef patties are frozen, and I don’t even want to know where the meat comes from. The worse thing: everything is bland. In fact, I can’t even remember a single item I ate that had even the slightest hint of taste whatsoever.

The verdict: there are much better places in Atlanta for cheap eats that are far more superior in quality and taste. Skip this one. You’re better off having a real fast food nearby.

Insider tip:
Limited parking. Located inside the perimeter.

The scoop:
Oga’s
5719 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Chamblee, GA 30341
(770) 458-2747

Technorati Tags: Oga’s, Chamblee, PIB, southern cuisine

Hungry for a hearty meal? Then you’ll have to try Mi Pilon on Buford Highway for some Latin-Caribbean food. This cafeteria-style joint offers home-cooked meals in a very casual, family-oriented atmosphere. Freshly-cooked entrees are showcased in a glass enclosed-bar and you basically just pick a dish or two (or even three as in my case). All selection comes with rice, beans, and plantains.

Staples such as roast pork (lechon) and roast chicken are solid choices. There’s also the stewed oxtail for those wanting to be more adventurous. The roast pork and chicken were tender and full of flavor. The oxtail was absolutely delicious and had that simmered-for-hours taste. The empanadas (baked flour pastry filled with ground pork) were also wonderful and were already a meal in itself.With daily special combos starting at $7.99, Mi Pilon offers great food at affordable prices.

Insider tip:
Combos come with either one or two dishes but you can request to have a 3rd one added (which is what I usually do).

The scoop:
Mi Pilon
5705 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Norcross, GA 30071
770-797-2924

Technorati Tags: Mi Pilon, Buford Highway, Latin cuisine, Caribbean cuisine, Atlanta, restaurants

Well, what can I say, it’s cheap eats so don’t expect much. That being said, Korean-owned Bob’s offers all you can eat southern food for less than 7 bucks and that already includes a bottomless drink! Think greasy, overcooked, bland food and canned veggies. But if your budget is tight and you’re in a hurry then this is the place for you.

Main entrees include fried chicken, roasted chicken, country steak with gravy, fried gizzards and chicken livers. Veggies include steamed cabbage, green beans, corn, fried okra, yams, carrots, and collard greens. There’s a small salad and dessert bar as well as chicken noodle soup, fried rolls and corn bread. All that for a little over $6 with drinks included. Now that’s cheap eats!

Insider tip:
Specials added daily. Located inside the Kroger plaza on the corner of Pleasant Hill and Peachtree Industrial Blvd

The scoop:
Bob’s Home Cooking
3455 Peachtree Industrial, Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 497-9677

Technorati Tags: Bob’s Home Cooking, buffet, Southern cuisine, country cooking, fried chicken, Duluth, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Pleasant Hill, restaurants, 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