The Chinatown Mall Food Court, Chamblee GA

Our friends Vincent and Helen were on a diet. They were cutting carbs for a few weeks, and suggested that if we were to get together for a meal, then lunch might be a better idea for them. That way, if I were to tempt them into falling off the wagon, they could spend the afternoon exercising and eat a very sensible, small supper. The very idea. Me, an innocent lamb, persuading people to indulge. Tsk. Continue reading “The Chinatown Mall Food Court, Chamblee GA”

Ssam Burger, Atlanta GA

I occasionally keep a lurking eye on the 285 Foodies Forum for news and opinions about Atlanta’s restaurants. One of their regulars is a friend who goes by the handle Barnum, and he reported on a new little place that had originally been in the works to serve house-made sausages. The family changed directions and went with burgers instead. Driving around in November shortly before they opened, Marie and I saw their little storefront on Defoors Ferry at Collier one Sunday. Continue reading “Ssam Burger, Atlanta GA”

The Real Chow Baby, Atlanta GA (take two) (CLOSED)

This is Marie, contributing an article about another location of a place we’d been to and enjoyed, and we wanted to see what (and how) the original was doing. Booming business, it appeared; the place was completely packed and there were ridiculous lines for the food bar. But I get ahead of myself. Continue reading “The Real Chow Baby, Atlanta GA (take two) (CLOSED)”

Greenwood’s, Roswell GA

Greenwood’s is one of those restaurants that opened in the wrong time and place for today’s hobbyists. Between fifteen and twenty years ahead of the trend for new Southern cooking, Bill Greenwood moved down from Maryland and came up with an oddball recipe for fried chicken that he was certain would turn people toward the less time-intensive comfort foods on his menu. It didn’t work, because people love it. The chicken takes between twenty and thirty minutes to prep, and is fried in a peppery bath of honey and lemon. The crust is unlike any I’ve ever tasted, and is certainly one of the most interesting and tasty in the Atlanta area. Continue reading “Greenwood’s, Roswell GA”

Tin Drum Asiacafe, Marietta GA

Since the last time that I wrote about Tin Drum, back in August of 2012, the small chain has expanded a little more. There are now thirteen stores in Georgia, although their Birmingham store shuttered last year. The most recent addition to their chain is near Town Center Mall, in the same strip mall that is home to Twisted Kitchen and a Cheeseburger Bobby’s. Continue reading “Tin Drum Asiacafe, Marietta GA”

Turkey Tacos at Del Taco

Devotees of fast food retail in Georgia may recall that, prior to Del Taco’s cautious re-emergence in Georgia two years ago, the chain was last seen (from c. 1996-2003) in a half-dozen shared-space locations, joint-menu joints with Mrs. Winner’s. None of these were located anywhere near convenient to where I lived during that period, but there was one in Woodstock on GA-92. In the spring of 2003, I moved – at the time, it was just me, the girlchild, and the rarely-seen older teenage boy – to our current digs in Kenne-rietta, a few exits south of this store. That very first weekend, I drove the children up here for supper, only to find that the franchisee had ended the long experiment a couple of weeks previously, and left these RTM-owned stores selling Mrs. Winner’s chicken only. (There’s a good overview of Del Taco’s history in Georgia at Sky City, if you haven’t already seen it.) Continue reading “Turkey Tacos at Del Taco”

Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta GA

I have a perfectly valid excuse for us never trying the celebrated burger at Holeman & Finch before now. We’re in bed by ten and I used to work Sundays. So there.

Many of our readers seem to hail from Atlanta and are, therefore, possibly familiar with the last six years of silliness surrounding this sandwich. For the benefit of the rest of you, it’s like this. There’s this gastropub that grills exactly two dozen burgers a night, at 10 pm. If you want one, you show up before 9 and hope you made it. They also offer it on Sundays, where the wait can stretch from half an hour to three. I tend to agree with Jimmy from Eat it, Atlanta: this has gone on a bit long now. Continue reading “Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta GA”