Chow Down Atlanta

Tuesday is my favorite pasta day. It’s because Tuesday is lasagna day at VZ. It’s the only day they ever make lasagna. But more on that later. VZ is this amazing pizzeria place on 141/Peachtree Parkway in the Johns Creek area. Believe me when I say this place rocks! Everything is made to order so although you’ll have to wait a few minutes for your pizza, pizza knots, and garlic bread, it is so worth the wait. The side salads are big and so fresh you’d think the greens came straight from the garden. The strombollis are huge enough for two people to eat and can be ordered with any combination of ingredients. The 10-inch heros are baked crispy on the outside. I mean it, everything on the menu is good.

First, the pizza dough is made in-house, fresh and really just amazing — it has the right amount of chewiness, crispiness, and doughiness. The homemade pizza sauce is bold and tasty. And the toppings, fresh and plenty! One bite and you’ll be hooked.

Then, of course, there’s the lasagna. Huge portions of home-made-from-scratch lasagna. It is THE best lasagna this side of Italy. Seriously, I’ve been to Italy countless times and although the version of pasta there cannot be duplicated, VZ sure makes a worthy contender. The layers of al dente pasta sheets, meat, and sauce then generously topped with their chuncky tomato sauce make this lasagna so addicting. Unfortunately, it is only available on Tuesdays. But now you know where to find me on Tuesdays!

If you’ve never been at Verra Zanno, you owe to yourself to go and be wowed. Start with some garlic bread which comes with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. Follow with a side of salad. The pizza is a must try for your first visit. After that, which I guarantee you’ll be back, try the pastas, then the rolls/strombollis, and the heros. Of course, you have got to be there on Tuesdays!

Insider tip:
Lunch specials daily. New specials available (click here). Whole pizzas cost a little more than what you’re used to but the taste and quality will definitely make up for the price.

The scoop:
Verra Zanno
(678) 473-0209

11600 Medlock Bridge Road (AKA 141) Suite 190
Duluth, GA 30097

Technorati Tags: Verra Zanno, pizzeria, pizza, pasta, Johns Creek, 141 Peachtree Parkway

I have guy friends who go to Little Azio’s weekly. It’s kinda like their ‘weird’ ritual — bike the Silver Comet then eat pizza/pasta afterwards. So I went one day and was slightly impressed. The pizza dough reminds me of flatbread but chewier. The topping held on nicely and didn’t make the dough soggy. All in all, good Margarita pizza.

I love Italian Wedding soup so I ordered a bowl. It was so hearty with lots of meatballs, orzo pasta, and veggies. The broth was so tasty. I would say it’s one of the better ones I’ve tasted.

I am a sucker for bread. I love bread. So much so that I am known to skip dessert in favor of bread. I love yeasty, doughy bread fresh out of the oven. Having said that, I ordered a basket of their fried bread and ate all of it. All. of. it. They were sooooo good. Yikes, I’m looking at the picture now and didn’t realize I finished 6 of them!

Then, the pasta came. The penne was perfectly al dente and the Telefono sauce made of spicy tomato sauce, mozarella, and basil was really good, although didn’t have enough zing for me. I had it topped with grilled chicken and ate everything off.

Everything I ate was pretty good. I wouldn’t say it’s stellar Italian but good enough. Twice, I had take-out from their new Suwanee location and was sorely disappointed. The first time, they forgot to put shrimp on my Shrimp Telefono pasta. Second time, the Sausage Pasta was bad (as in food poisoning kind of way) — the minute I opened the container, I could smell it was already past its expiration date. Called the restaurant back and told them and was told they were going to check it out. I just learned this newly-opened location is now closed. I feel sad when restaurants close.

Insider tip:

All pasta orders come with garlic bread.

The scoop:

Little Azio’s

Several metro-Atlanta locations. Check website for details.

Technorati Tags: Little Azio’s, pasta, pizza, Italian cuisine

I had a quick lunch with a bunch of friends over at Cameli’s Pizza on Ponce. Cameli’s is a family-owned pizza joint next door to Atlanta’s City Hall East inside the non-descript Kroger plaza. While there’s not much to say about the decor (excuse the mess as they’re in the process of expanding), the pizza surely makes up for it. Well, at least my friends’… not mine.

I ordered the Pax Americana pizza with chicken, spinach, and mushrooms. I was sorely disappointed with the crust — it was thick, hard and crunchy which is what you got from your grocer’s frozen section way before they invented good frozen pizza. It was like eating days-old toast. The pizza overall was so dry and tasteless I had to have a heavy hand on the pepper flakes just to give it some flavor. Anyway, it was so bad, it doesn’t even deserve a picture. But like I said, I ordered wrong.

My friends’ pizzas were all oozing with bubbly cheese and their crusts were thick and doughy or thin and crispy. The pepperoni pizza was very good as well as the vegetarian pizza which had spinach and mushrooms. The calzone was huge with tasty filling.

I definitely have to go back and try other pizzas. I’m not crossing them out of my list completely yet.

Insider tip:

Personal piizzas are a good 10 inches. Daily specials available.

The scoop:

Cameli’s Gourmet Pizza
699 Ponce De Leon Ave NE,
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-249-9020
M-TH 11:30-10:00
FR 11:30-11:00
SA 12 noon-11:00
SU 5:00-10:00

Technorati Tags: pizza, Cameli’s Gourmet Pizza, Ponce De Leon Ave, Downtown Atlanta

I’ve been waiting for this to happen and finally we now have Korean fried chicken in Atlanta. Love Letter Pizza and Chicken is located next door to the Super H Mart in Johns Creek. Now don’t wonder about the restaurant’s name. Korean restaurants usually have humorous American names. Lost in translation, I surmise. The inside looks typical of a pizza joint with booths on both sides of the wall, two tables for parties of 8, and a couple of bar-height tables for 2. There’s a walk-up counter for to-go orders, but basically, eat-in patrons get ushered through to one of the booths or tables and are provided with table service.

True to its name, Love Letter Pizza and Chicken serves Cheogajip (Korean-style fried chicken) and pizza and nothing else. Cheogajip is marinated chicken pieces lightly-battered then deep-fried. It comes in three flavors: fried (plain), sweet and mild, and sweet and hot. You can order any two combination of flavors you like. The chicken also comes in three varieties: chicken pieces, wings, and popcorn style. What’s neat about this place is the plastic gloves they provide so that you don’t get your fingers all orangy and saucy from eating the chicken with your hands. Of course, nobody said you should use the gloves. I actually found them more cumbersome so I used what’s best for chicken: my bare hands.

The chicken were cooked to perfection: crispy on the outside but still tender on the inside. The chicken were marinated enough to have flavor but not too much to overpower the sauce. Although the plain ones came, well, plain, they had enough taste to render them tasty. The sweet and hot flavors were not too sweet yet packed enough punch to add a little heat. By the way, don’t expect huge American pieces here. The chicken are cut up similar to sizes you’d use in stew, making them more manageable to eat.

There are 7 kinds of pizza with Bulgoki Pizza as the must-try. You can request to have your pizza with a different kind on each half. On this visit, we tried half cheese and half Bulgoki. Now let me remind you that this is not your typical Italian pizza. Asian pizza borders on the sweetish side so don’t expect a tangy pizza sauce. That said, the Bulgoki pizza is delicious. Think of it as a Supreme pizza topped with pieces of Korean beef. There’s also Sweet Potato Pizza on the menu which is also sweet-tasting as expected of Korean (or any Asian) pizza.

All orders come with a fresh cabbage-kernel corn salad with mayo and ketchup for dressing. It looked weird at first glance but mix them up good and you have your salad with classic thousand island dressing. A bowl of crunchy, pickled, cubed, fresh daikon (radish) also accompanies all orders. The daikon is a good accompaniment to the chicken.

Insider tip:
Chicken prices range from $13.99 - $15.88 while 10-inch pizza prices are from $9.99 - $12.99.
Local beer priced at $2.99 / Imported at $3.99
Lunch specials start at $2.99 (the best deal at $7.99 — 7 pieces fried wings, 1 slice pizza, salad, and drink but only available during lunch M-F 11am-3pm)

The scoop:
Love Letter Pizza and Chicken
10820 Abbotts Bridge Rd, Ste 350
Johns Creek, GA 30097
770-813-8882

Technorati Tags: Korean fried chicken, Korean pizza, Love Letter Pizza and Chicken, Super H Mart, Johns Creek, Abbotts Bridge, restaurant

Another Atlanta institution, Mellow Mushroom has been around for over 30 years. While the pizza is not New York style, they do boast of using spring water for their dough. I’m not a big follower of this popular franchise although I’ve been known to sprout by (no pun intended) for their toasted subs every once in a while.I would say the pizzas are just okay. Nothing to really rave about taste wise, but they get points for using fresh ingredients and a wide array of toppings. The pizza dough is chewy if you’re into that kind of thing which I am. The pretzels are worth a try and comes in two sizes (small = 3; large = 6) with a choice of dipping sauces (marinara or honey mustard). I usually just go for the toasted subs.

Insider tip:
45 Locations to serve you

The scoop:
Mellow Mushroom
Open daily from 11am

Technorati Tags: Mellow Mushroom, pizza, subs, pretzels, Atlanta