I was invited to visit the new Avalon development in Alpharetta, which opens to the public tomorrow and which is the absolute best mixed-use development in the metro area to be named after a Roxy Music album (yes, even better than “Stranded in Forest Park”), to check out the new Whole Foods Market on a little media tour. Touring grocery stores isn’t something that we normally do here, but Whole Foods is just so fun and over the top that we enjoy visiting from time to time. We also like that you can get lots of local and regional treats here, from produce from area farms to craft beers from Georgia breweries to the terrific Nello’s Sauce from Raleigh. Continue reading “Whole Foods Market, Alpharetta GA”
Roxx Tavern, Atlanta GA (take two)
From time to time, we have commented how it’s not entirely fair to form a first impression of a restaurant, or “judge” it in any public fashion, based on the experience that you get during a festival, when the staff can be completely overwhelmed. Call it grading on a curve, I suppose. With that in mind, Roxx Tavern had been on my mind for a revisit for quite a few weeks (here’s the original story). I made it over to their store on Cheshire Bridge – they’ve since opened a second location in Tucker – one Friday afternoon recently. It should have been the after-lunch lull, about 2:15, but they were still pretty busy, hosting several large parties and their patio was more than half-filled. Then I remembered: this was Pride Weekend, and Roxx has been a Pride destination, for locals and for tourists, for many years. Continue reading “Roxx Tavern, Atlanta GA (take two)”
Taqueria Los Hermanos, Lilburn GA
I keep telling myself that Marie and I need to do a better job covering the northeastern suburbs (and the southeastern ones, and the southwestern ones, too…), but we just don’t get out that way very often. Well, a couple of Saturdays ago, my real-world job called on me to work a festival near Tucker, and I looked around for some lunch suggestions. I wasn’t specifically looking for Mexican, but the road ended up taking me a few miles north of Tucker to try something that came with a good recommendation. Continue reading “Taqueria Los Hermanos, Lilburn GA”
Bartaco, Atlanta GA
A couple of Fridays ago, Marie and the three year-old came down to see me at work and we drove a short distance away for some lunch. Bartaco opened in August in a former industrial space on Marietta Street right at Howell Mill Road, continuing the ongoing prettification of this little stretch, which had been old city blight for such a long time. Going in next door are an Arden’s Garden and a boutique called A Ma Maniére. It must have been an expensive buildout for the small chain, which is based in Connecticut and has three stores there and one just across the state line in Port Chester NY. Continue reading “Bartaco, Atlanta GA”
Poole’s Bar-B-Q, East Ellijay GA (take two)
For a few years now, I’ve been telling people that Poole’s serves up the best barbecue on the I-575 / GA-515 corridor through north Georgia. In today’s chapter, unfortunately, honesty demands that I mention that they had a little stumble with me. Continue reading “Poole’s Bar-B-Q, East Ellijay GA (take two)”
Joe’s BBQ, Blue Ridge GA
Aha! I knew that TripAdvisor list would demonstrate a hiccup eventually!
You remember all the hoopla, right? TripAdvisor said, correctly, that Georgia was the best state in the nation for barbecue, and that we were home to three of the ten best barbecue joints in the country. Texas and North Carolina, after collecting their jaws from sawdust-covered floors, bitched and bellyached and those of us who know better smiled and said, “Darn right.” Then Marie and I went to Wylie’s Championship BBQ in Savannah, one of those three prize-winners, and just got knocked off our chairs by how good it was. Continue reading “Joe’s BBQ, Blue Ridge GA”
Mojo Burrito, Dunwoody GA (CLOSED)
A few chapters back, I playfully insisted that we don’t think of ourselves as experts in much of anything, and yet Marie and I are frequently asked for dining suggestions, especially from acquaintances and co-workers who are going out of town. Chattanooga is a fairly regular destination for people whom we know, and I always include Mojo Burrito in my suggestions. I don’t believe that it gets a whole lot of visits, though. People seem very willing to try different barbecue or pizza places in other towns, which is good, but how many different ways are there to make burritos? Continue reading “Mojo Burrito, Dunwoody GA (CLOSED)”
Marie, Let's Eat! 