Last month, Marie and I were invited to come join the staff of the Alpharetta Figo, along with ninety-nine hundred other hungry people, for their grand reopening celebration. We’ve written about Figo previously, and so we knew that we could expect some very good eating. What surprised us, pleasantly, was how incredibly well the staff at this location handled one of the biggest, wildest mobs on one of the warmest evenings of the summer looking for a free dinner. The place was jammed with hot, sweaty, hungry people and, doors wide open, precious air conditioning escaped into the sticky Alpharetta sky, and that staff rose to the challenge like champions. Continue reading “Figo Pasta, Alpharetta GA (CLOSED)”
Category: local chains
Mexican Chains on Buford Highway
A few chapters ago, I mentioned my desire to visit more restaurants along the Buford Highway corridor, and sample more traditional and authentic tastes. I figured that Marie and I would enjoy some Asian restaurants together, but I would give some Mexican places a try by myself, as I enjoy traditional tacos and sauces more than she does. So, a couple of Fridays back, I made my way to visit two well-known stores. They’re both outposts of small Atlanta-based chains. El Taco Veloz currently has six stores, and Las Tortas Locas currently has seven. Continue reading “Mexican Chains on Buford Highway”
A Short Stop at AthFest 2012
In the previous chapter, I wrote that we took a quick trip to Athens. It wasn’t on the agenda, but Marie heard a feature on NPR about how Elf Power, one of my favorite bands (it is a very long list), would be playing at the annual AthFest downtown. We hadn’t been to AthFest in many years. I’m reasonably certain that the last time we were in attendance, those “goin’ to Hell” Westboro-wannabes that try to ruin Bele Chere in Asheville every year hadn’t heard about it yet, but they’re out in force now, being jerks. Continue reading “A Short Stop at AthFest 2012”
Clock Drive-In, Greenville SC
Hello, my name is Grant, and I’m addicted to Urbanspoon.
See, I had this bright idea when I set out on this road trip. After the first three stops, I would just end up where the road took me. I would not plan ahead, and I would not look at Google Maps or my Urbanspoon wish list. I would just end up in Clemson, ask how to get to Greenville, drive around, stop at whatever looked interesting, maybe mosey up to Spartanburg, possibly detour through Anderson, and come home. I’d take pictures of neat signs or bridges, I would pull into any bookstores that caught my eye, and I wouldn’t be enslaved to a schedule or a timetable. And pigs would fly. Continue reading “Clock Drive-In, Greenville SC”
Yeah! Burger, Atlanta GA
One of Atlanta’s celebrity chefs is a fellow named Shaun Doty, and two years ago, he opened the first of what’s now two locations of Yeah! Burger. It’s a fun, upbeat little place with a nice covered patio to better enjoy the lovely spring weather that we’ve been having. A couple of Saturdays ago, the overnight rain having washed away the pollen, the four of us made our way over to the Howell Mill location, having spent the morning playing with the baby at the Children’s Museum. Continue reading “Yeah! Burger, Atlanta GA”
Circumnavigating Alabama – Part 3
I’d only been to Tuscaloosa once before, in June of last year, when we went through on our way to Starkville, stopping for a couple of meals on our way back. I’d like to linger a little longer sometime, and actually visit the University of Alabama campus and see its legendary Strip, maybe getting a meal at the renowned Rama Jama’s. This visit didn’t leave me time. Continue reading “Circumnavigating Alabama – Part 3”
Blue Moon Pizza, Marietta GA
A couple of Saturdays ago, we made some plans and, helplessly, watched them get derailed by everything that could go wrong over the course of an afternoon this side of a car fire. Part of those plans included getting some supper, but as the sun went down, neither Marie nor my teenage girlchild nor I really felt like driving inside the perimeter to our original destination. The baby didn’t have any objection to what we did. He squealed and laughed and bellowed regardless of what went on, at least when he wasn’t snoring, anyway. Two days before, I had visited our friend Rebecca, who writes the wonderful Atlanta Foodies blog. She had recently written about her visit to the latest location of Blue Moon Pizza and made it sound incredibly tasty. So this was on my mind as my family considered and debated what we might do instead of our original plan. Continue reading “Blue Moon Pizza, Marietta GA”
Marie, Let's Eat! 