In several previous chapters, I have sung the praises of various children’s museums in Tennessee, but I have not taken the time to really talk up the very good one that we have in Atlanta. Since we are members here, we’ve been watching our baby grow in the toddler area since he was about six months old. It had been a few months since we were last here, and at that time, he completely drenched himself in the fishing area. Resolving that this time, we’d not let him get soaked from head to toe, we felt he was big enough, at nineteen months, to explore the rest of the exhibits. Continue reading “Barbecue, for Better or for Worse”
Month: December 2012
Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ, Atlanta GA
Here’s an example of some pretty nontraditional barbecue. Waikikie would probably not have shown up on my radar if they didn’t have “barbecue” in their name, as what they serve isn’t much like pulled or chopped southern-style pork or chicken. It’s a very curious little place on Briarcliff just north of Lavista Road that serves a pretty fun lunch. Continue reading “Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ, Atlanta GA”
Windy City Grill, Marietta GA
For the first time since starting the blog, Marie and I were waylaid one weekend by a plague. It was not the fault of any restaurant; rather, the toddler brought it home from daycare. So it was that, after a pretty good Friday lunch at Pho Dai Loi, and, after Marie’s brother Karl arrived for a weekend stay, a downright excellent supper at Moxie Burger, we spent Saturday in bed being awful hosts, asking the girlchild to step up and watch the baby, and left Karl to the TV and books. I was too miserable to even try to watch the Dawgs get five yards from beating Bama. Continue reading “Windy City Grill, Marietta GA”
Pho Dai Loi #2, Atlanta GA
As I fumble and bumble my way through learning a little bit more here and there about different cuisines and the regions what concocted ’em, the road took me back over to Buford Highway to sample a little more Vietnamese cooking. Marie and I had intended for some time to dig back into this part of town and try some more pho parlors, but our weekends became backlogged, especially with out-of-town guests and preparations for her big, long bizness trip to Ohio. So even though we’ve established that Marie enjoys Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese foods more than I do, I decided to make a solo outing to Buford Highway and see what I could find, and maybe see whether my preconceived notions could be foiled. Continue reading “Pho Dai Loi #2, Atlanta GA”
Empire State South, Atlanta GA
So, if we were to put together a chart of Atlanta restaurants that I was long overdue for sampling, Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South must surely be near the top of the list. It has been open for about two years, and just about everybody else that I read has paid them a visit already, and, despite liking Acheson’s food on the considerable strength of Five & Ten in Athens, I just hadn’t found the right opportunity to swing by. So a few Thursdays back, when the New Orleans Saints were in town for a game, I decided that I was overdue and then made my way by for lunch. Continue reading “Empire State South, Atlanta GA”
Mercier Orchards, Blue Ridge GA
Over the last few years, Marie and I have really enjoyed visiting some of the big farms and orchards around the north Georgia mountains, but until last month, we had never stopped by what is probably the biggest of all of them. Mercier Orchards was founded in 1943, and if anybody in the region isn’t familiar with them, they’re, flatly, not paying attention. They have a presence at farmers’ markets from Atlanta to Chattanooga, a big interstate billboard campaign to promote their fall season, and a line of hard ciders that gets a lot of people talking. Continue reading “Mercier Orchards, Blue Ridge GA”
Pink Pig, Cherry Log GA
In a few previous chapters, I’ve expressed our desire to do a much more thorough investigation of barbecue joints in northwest Georgia, around the Dalton area. But the hills around Ellijay are likewise hiding a number of restaurants that our blog needs to uncover. Heading north up I-575 from Marietta, we’ve mentioned several already, including Bub-Ba-Q, Mo-Ribs, Two Brothers, Davis, Walker’s and of course Poole’s, but I know of four more just off the top of my head that we have not visited. Happily, a couple of Saturdays ago, we crossed one off the list. Marie’s mother was in town for Thanksgiving, and we decided to go up to the mountains to get some fresh apples. More about that in the next chapter. I had picked out a barbecue place in Blue Ridge to try, knowing that we’d probably have to make an additional stop or two, as Marie’s mother, madly, does not like barbecue. We were on the way to the place I’d picked when we passed a sign for the Pink Pig in Cherry Log, which read something like “full service restaurant.” We decided to go there instead. Continue reading “Pink Pig, Cherry Log GA”
Marie, Let's Eat! 