Chow Down Atlanta

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

Boasting of a healthier alternative to the same old Korean food, Min Sok Chon delivers its aim through soups. If you’re in the mood for soup, this is the place to be. Now I’m a self-confessed Galbi-tang (beef rib soup) fanatic and would always order it if it’s on the menu.

There two versions of galbi-tang: seasoned beef broth and unseasoned milky broth (which is actually called sulung-tang). Min Sok Chon’s version is of the milky variety (sulung). Which means you have to add salt as it’s devoid of any taste. I’m not crazy about this version and much prefer the flavorful alternative. Still, it’s galbi-tang.

There are many other types of soups available with varying ingredients ranging from the tame (chicken), middle-of-the-road (fish), and not-for-the-meek (oxtail). The oxtail soup is actually very, very good. And it’s nice that each item on the menu has a corresponding picture on the wall so you know exactly what you’re getting. Other notables include the Bulgogi and Seafood Pancake.

Insider tip:
This restaurant used to be a Korean Chicken Wing place until the owners decided to change concepts in January ‘06. Located inside the Super H Mart plaza in Duluth.

The scoop:
Min Sok Chon
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd #204
Duluth, GA 30096
Phone: 770-232-0001

Technorati Tags: Min Sok Chon, Duluth, Korean, soup, Pleasant Hill Rd, Korean soup, Korean cuisine, Bulgogi, Galbi-tang, Sulung-tang, Korean Seafood Pancake

I’ve been going to BCD since its opening day in January 2005. I was literally one among the very first customers and have been a regular ever since. My mom, also a big fan, describes it as “like eating at someone’s home.” And I definitely agree. It’s home-cooked meals at best.

I eat at BCD almost twice a week (sometimes more). I like the fact that the food consistently stays the same: quality and taste wise. The menu has stayed the same until early this year with the addition of two new soups: Galbi-tang (beef soup made with short ribs), and Chicken soup. Galbi-tang is my absolute favorite Korean food and I was jumping with joy when they finally added this to their menu. In Atlanta, BCD has the best Galbi-tang — it is pure beef broth (no milk), seasoned perfectly (the ones with milk are not seasoned at all and you’ll know this by the bowls of salt that are served with it), and has fall-off-the-bone beef ribs and tender radish and mushrooms. (Side story: they used to call this soup Well-Being Soup and they even had small posters on the wall advertising this new soup. I asked one of the ladies there if it was Galbi-tang and when she said yes, I told her the correct translation was Beef Ribs Soup. They’ve since changed the posters.)

Everything on the menu is good. I guarantee it. The Galbi-gi (grilled short ribs) are tender and flavorful; and the tofu soup is tasty with chunks of silky tofu. The cold noodle dishes are refreshing and perfect for the hot summer-like days we’ve been having. The seafood pancake is full of seafood chunks; and the Bulgo-gi (grilled sliced beef) is a good choice as well.

White steamed rice comes in its own individual servers (hot stone pot in a wooden box) and you must spoon it into the provided metal bowl to eat it. After a while, a crusty bottom will form in the stone pot and the servers will pour hot bori-cha (barley tea) over it. Leave it to soak for a minute or two before you spoon the rice directly into your mouth. The result is soft, wet rice in a nutty soup. Delicious. Personally, my rice of choice at BCD (and only because BCD has the best) is the red bean rice. It’s only available by request.

Insider tip:
There is a special going on wherein you’ll get 5% of your total food bill back in a form of a ticket which is redeemable on your next visit.

The scoop:
Book Chang Dong
Located inside the Super H Mart Plaza on Pleasant Hill Rd.
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd., Duluth
(770) 814-2299
Open daily from 11am

Technorati Tags: Book Chang Dong, Korean food, Korean cuisine, Pleasant Hill Rd., Duluth, Super H Mart plaza

From the outside, you’d think this place is just another strip mall food joint: the sign is ordinary and the outside looks like a fast food deli complete with menus posted on the glass walls. But since it was their opening week at the time, I was determined to give it a try. And boy, was I surprised. Inside was a lovely restaurant with shiny maroon concrete floors, muted golden walls, dark wooden tables and chairs, columns, and Grecian style decoration.

The menu is typical Greek — salads, pitas, roasted chicken… nothing fancy and not extensive either. But if you want a quick bite to eat and you’re already in the neighborhood, then this is the place to try. For starters, they give you a free plate of four different kinds of dips: cucumber-yogurt, chili, honey-mustard, and garlic-mayo; with pieces of grilled pocket pita on the side. I’m saying pocket pita here as opposed to the flat doughy pita

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I went to Super H Mart on Pleasant Hill Rd in Gwinnett to get a huge bottle of Kimchi. I used to get my Kimchi at Han Gang Korean Grocery on Steve Reynolds Blvd in the early 90s. It was the first big stand-alone Korean grocery store in Atlanta where they sold meat and seafood aside from the usual fresh veggies, canned and dry goods, and also had a food court inside although very small. Since that has closed, I’ve been going to three other places.

At Super H today, they had three different kinds of fresh firm tofu: Plain, Carrot, and Spinach. The carrot tofu had only the slightest hint of carrot taste in it. Not overpowering. Just a tad carrotish if there’s even a word. The spinach tofu is equally awesome, with just a slight infusion of spinach so as not to kill the true taste of the tofu. These faintly flavored tofu aren’t really the type you’d use in cooking. Instead, you eat them as they are, cut up into cubes and drenched lightly with Korean sauce made with soy sauce, peppers, scallions, sugar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. They’re great in salads, as appetizers, or as an accompaniment to grilled meat and seafood. By the way, these gems are less than $2 per block.

Technorati Tags: Super H Mart, flavored tofu, tofu, spinach tofu, carrot tofu, plain tofu, Pleasant Hill Road, Gwinnett, Korean grocery, food finds Atlanta, Atlanta, kimchi