Atlanta Eats...
***The hits over the past couple of months.
Just a quick roundup of some of the new to me places, as well as old favorites I've checked out recently. I haven't done much of any “fine dining” lately due to my job situation, but there are plenty of reasonably priced options around. Food and beverages are pretty much everything I have to look forward to in my life at the moment, so I try to make the most of it.
First up: Southern Soul on St Simons Island. I drove down to Jacksonville to go to a concert with an old friend, and my number one place in Brunswick turned out to be closed both going down and coming back, so I made the trek across the causeway. I hadn't been down there since they installed the new traffic circle near the airport, but I knew that it was somewhere on the roundabout. It's in an old gas station and the barbeque turned out to be 100% legit! Maybe in the top five in my life, and I've had a bit. I went with the brisket plate with collard greens and fried okra. Bonus points for the exceptional sweet tea, and they even had the lemon juice packets which is an “old school” Southern thing in case you didn't know. Hell, you can't even get sweet tea other than Georgia and North Florida anymore as far as I know… This is a place that I'd go wayyy out of my way for, it was THAT GOOD!
Next: Hopstix in Chamblee. I've walked by it a hundred times but I'd never stopped in. It quickly made it's way into my regular rotation. It was so good that I even bought a t shirt! Their burger is thick and juicy, and the curry fries are unique. I've been back around five times since. I also checked out their pork belly tacos and they were exceptional as well. I can't wait to try more of what they have to offer.
A brand new burger spot I discovered recently is right down the street from my apartment on Pharr Road: Mister Burger… I've walked by it several times before I even realized it was there. The double smash burger with jalapenos was greasy and full of flavor, and the fries were cooked fresh and crispy. A definite new spot that I'll be returning to frequently.
A brand new place that just opened up on Buford Highway: Irritable Clay Pot. I'd read about their highly addictive “crack” fried eggplant. It's just an appetizer, but worth the drive. Official name of the dish is “it's not THAT eggplant”…
Another place that's become an almost weekly standard for me is Sabaraba’s in Chamblee. Their falafel pita is the best in town, and for ten bucks it's a steal. Their babaganoush and tabouli salad is awesome as well! Healthy, quick, and clean. There are two locations in Atlanta now, but I predict there'll be more to come.
Another old time favorite: Heirloom Market BBQ on Akers Mill Rd. A tiny, unassuming building on the side of the access road, but has consistently been slinging some awesome food since the day they opened. The parking lot is small and fills quickly, so I normally try to go around opening time. My last couple of visits: first they had a Master's Tournament special featuring brisket, pimento cheese, and tempura fried onions, with their great collard greens on the side. A couple of weeks later I went back for the El Cowboy sandwich with a special pea and bacon salad for the side. If you ever make it to Atlanta and want World class barbeque, this is the place to go!…
Another semi new spot in town is an extremely upscale place called Elise at the High Museum in midtown. They serve a tasting menu from a beautiful open kitchen, but they also have a great burger on the menu for lunch. At only $18 including fries it's definitely moved it's way up my list of the greatest burgers in all of Atlanta. Top five, especially considering the surroundings of a modern dining room, as well as the most beautiful restroom in the city. The burger is simple but always built with the freshest ingredients, and the fries consistently come out hot and crispy!
Another new to me place that's only been open for a short time: Authentic Hand Pulled Noodle House on Clairmont Rd. 8 had the spicy diced chicken with knife cut hand pulled noodles. On the side their Chinese braised beef burger which was unique amongst other burgers in town. Both were exceptional and I'll be back to try more of their items soon. They even have a window to the kitchen where you can watch the old Chinese guy make the noodles by hand!…
Wow, this has been a serious trip down memory lane so far and there's more yet to come!… Another “new to me” spot is another one I've walked by a million times in Buckhead: Fresh to Order as featured recently on Burgers with Buck. The smokehouse burger has smoked cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, and fried onions, and honestly the burger was great, but I was sorta turned off by the fact that they asked “what side would you like with it” and then coming to find out that it wasn't included. I'm deducting two stars from this meal for that reason, and the portion of fries was smaller than a McDonald's small fries for $3.50 extra.
In light of this list so far I could only imagine the money I would've saved by eating at home due to my job situation. Anyhoo, too late now, let's continue.
Next on the list is Lan Zhou of which there are a few locations in town. I've checked out some of their hand pulled noodle soup dishes as well as some of the stir fried hand pulled noodles. First the spicy chicken stir fry with vegetables. Next, their lamb stew and beef stew at the Atlanta China Town Mall location. Every single thing I've ever had at either place was especially great, and I'll be checking out more of the menu soon…
Another All Star restaurant in town is recommended by Michelin and honestly sort of a dive, but excellent food. Nam Phuong on Buford Highway, a Vietnamese institution. Surely service, as expected at authentic Asian places in Atlanta, but great food. Their famous fish sauce wings are some of the greatest anywhere, and I always get the shrimp rolls with peanut sauce on the side as well. Nothing like this anywhere else in all Atlanta…
I'm having to dig through my photos to see what else I've got. How about a tried and true favorite, and one of the areas most upscale Mexican joints, but I normally go for their version of a cheeseburger they call the “hamburguesa”. A massive, sloppy affair covered in chile con carne! This thing will absolutely destroy a napkin…
I suppose that y'all can tell I love a great burger, so let's check out another new local fave. FNF Hot Burger off Moreland Ave in a new food hall. It was a drive across town to check this one out, but worth it. Greasy and with a great “char”, and they allow you to choose your heat level from 1 to 5. I went with a 4 since it was my first time there, but I'll be kicking it up to the 5 next time!
Another spot that I've visited a couple of times now is on Ponce de Leon across from Ponce City Market. Motorboat has a beachy type theme and it's sort of a hipster dive bar, but they have a variety of huge and tasty sandwiches. The two I've tried so far have been great and I can't wait to get back. First the muffuletta on rustic bread, and next their Chicago Italian beef. BOTH were huge and excellent, and the tots are great as well.
I'm seriously getting hungry just looking at all these pictures! Let's continue. No Idea Burger Joint on Indian Trail Rd in Norcross. I went there for their offering for Gwinnett Burger Week awhile back and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY with this one. Unfortunately it was a special just for the contest, but I suspect their others are great too.
Another great sandwich shop I went to recently was another “new to me” but I'll be back. Bona Fide Deluxe in Candler Park. Not the greatest neighborhood and I'm not sure about the parking situation since I was on the Marta train. I definitely want to return to taste some more of their specials. This one featured fried chicken thighs in a buffalo sauce. Awesome awesome sandwich, and huge!
Another new obsession to me foodwise is Bun Bo Hue, a Vietnamese soup with pork blood cake. Sounds gross, but you'll just have to trust me. Once you get past thinking about what it is, the flavor is absolutely one of a kind. The texture is a little weird at first, but the depth of flavor is there.
This version is from Pho Dai Loi II on Buford Highway, but there are different versions around Atlanta that I want to try.
There's plenty more where these came from, but I think I'm going to finish this article now… Thanks for checking out my first edition of Atlanta Eats, and stay tuned for the next installment!…
Till then…
You could gain some serious traction doing food reviews like this. Hope it takes off for you.
Loved this Sid. I wish you could figure out how to get paid as a professional restaurant reviewer. Here in Houston there is a guy who has a local TV show called Local Eats. I can see you doing something like that in ATL.