Canton House, Chamblee GA

Marie and I would love to learn more about all the interesting and curious – I’m not sold enough to say wonderful or even “good” – food choices available along Buford Highway, and so we’re going to make a more concerted effort to get out of the ‘burbs and over here for more authentic Mexican, Chinese or Korean meals more frequently. As it happens, Marie seems to appreciate most Asian-style cooking a little more than I do, so perhaps we’ll try to give these restaurants a shot when we can go together, and maybe I’ll focus on the taquerias and Latin American cuisine when I get out on my own. Continue reading “Canton House, Chamblee GA”

Curly’s Fried Chicken, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)

So, let’s get the obligatory mention of LeRoy’s out of the way. I liked LeRoy’s. It was pretty good, but pretty expensive, and it didn’t last long, and it closed and a family rented out the property and put their own recipes in the fry vats. Curly’s Chicken is even better than LeRoy’s and less expensive. Continue reading “Curly’s Fried Chicken, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”

Brown’s BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)

Many years back, there was this terrific hole-in-the-wall barbecue place called Benny’s. It was located in that ramshackle strip mall right where Ashford-Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry have that obnoxious intersection, where so many restaurants have thrived for a year or three before vanishing. Once upon a time, French Quarter Too was here. So was this Golden-This-Happy-That Chinese delivery place that had a really curious and impossibly spicy dish called Zyu Cheng Chicken on the menu. And then there was Benny’s, one of the loudest and most wonderfully chaotic businesses that I’ve ever seen. The notion of ordering meat dry never occurred to these good people. You joined a line and a woman bellowed questions at you, ending in “HOT, MILD OR MIX?” I think that everybody who sat down with a plate of food had to wipe their brow, relieved that the interrogation had finally finished. Continue reading “Brown’s BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”

The Sweet Auburn Curb Market, Atlanta GA

Over the years, I’ve taken my share of potshots at a certain type of Atlantan – and these are a very, very small minority of us, I trust – who cannot countenance the idea of traveling anywhere outside I-285. Now, I understand a reluctance to make long, unnecessary journeys, but having been raised as a suburbanite who would, in high school, ride or drive all over the city and the northern ‘burbs looking for certain scarce comics or records, my mindset might be a little different from some. When I was trying to assemble a complete run of Mark Evanier and Will Mueginot’s DNAgents, arbitrary boundaries like an interstate didn’t mean anything to me. Plus, we walked either under or across the darn road all the time. It was just a road, and certainly not a barrier keeping people from tracking down a really good hamburger. Continue reading “The Sweet Auburn Curb Market, Atlanta GA”

Season 52’s Summer Menu

This is Marie, contributing an article about a media event at Seasons 52 for the summer menu launch.

Seasons 52, as you may know, showed up in a prior chapter. They deserve another mention, however, as they work really hard to have a varying menu based on the freshest food available. Their original concept of having whatever was freshest and best on any particular week ran aground on the shoals of frustrated recommendations (“But my friend said you had the absolute best [whatever] and I should have it too!” “So sorry, that was last week. This week we have [new special] would you like to try that?”). Continue reading “Season 52’s Summer Menu”

Sweet House BBQ at Jaemor Farm, Alto GA (CLOSED)

It’s fair to say that I was not in the best mood that I’ve ever been on this trip to the Upstate and back. We were just getting ready to flex some legal muscle over some unpleasantness – since resolved, to about our 95% satisfaction – and Marie was about to go interview for a position in Ohio – stay tuned – and so I had some cobwebs and stress in my attic that needed a long drive and lots of barbecue to clear. And sometimes, you need the company of strangers more than friends. So when Matt phoned while I was in Clemson and invited me to swing back through Gainesville on my way home and get some barbecue with him, I was a little reluctant, because I knew that I wasn’t going to be good company, but I had been cheered up enough by Saturday morning’s drive to make my way his direction. Continue reading “Sweet House BBQ at Jaemor Farm, Alto GA (CLOSED)”

Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah GA

This is Marie, contributing an article about ice cream. Because of an unfortunate scheduling snafu, the baby and I went to visit my folks without Grant or the girlchild, so they got no time at the beach. Well, I didn’t either, but the more important part of the visit was grandparent fun time with baby. One of the activities for that was a trip to the opening day of the first phase of the Savannah Children’s Museum. They are associated with the Savannah Railroad Musum and the children’s area is among some of the historic buildings so the place has a lot of character and considerable charm. They’re going to have problems with the grass being trampled by babies pretty soon, and the toys are so portable my son tried to escape with a Lincoln Log and I had to go back to return it. Continue reading “Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah GA”