Marie and I were invited to stop by the latest location of Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint, a chain based in Atlanta that is rapidly growing through the southeast. The East Cobb Uncle Maddio’s location is the second unit for franchisees John Dayton and David Tracht, who also own and operate another store in Woodstock, which was the first franchised location in the company. Continue reading “Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint # 18, Marietta GA”
Tag: regional chains
Willy’s Mexicana Grill, Atlanta GA
A very brief history of burrito joints in Georgia: for about ten years after the first of the region’s Tex-Mex restaurants, Monterrey, opened, burritos were those things served on hot plates at El-This-Los-That joints, covered in sauce. In the mid-1980s, The Mean Bean in Athens might have been the first in the area to serve up burritos that you could eat on the go, wraps filled with – in their case – deliciously seasoned refried beans and other fillings. Right around that time (1984), a couple of legendary shops opened in Atlanta that gave guests more traditional San Francisco “Mission”-style burritos that, instead of refried beans, used either pinto or black beans. Frijoleros and Tortillas are still mentioned in hushed tones by the faithful. Oddly, Frijoleros fumbled when it tried to open a second location in Athens, failing after a couple of years, and the Mean Bean was even less successful when it crashed and burned in Atlanta’s Little Five Points. I recall that Creative Loafing‘s Cliff Bostock, a loud proponent of Tortillas and their fresh veggies, was utterly baffled by the Mean Bean’s use of refried beans and canned peppers. Continue reading “Willy’s Mexicana Grill, Atlanta GA”
Gelato in Chattanooga and Froyo in Dalton
Earlier this year, one of our readers, Bobby C., left us a comment suggesting that the next time that we’re traveling through the Dalton area, we should bring the girlchild by a frozen yogurt place called Jandy’s. We love getting recommendations. Personalized recommendations that are aware of my daughter’s blogname and her favorite foods, well, shucks, we’re thrilled that anybody reads us that closely. Continue reading “Gelato in Chattanooga and Froyo in Dalton”
Shakey’s Pizza, Warner Robins GA (CLOSED)
Shakey’s Pizza was not part of my childhood, but it was a part of a whole mess of other people’s. Every so often, it sparks a happy memory or ten among some of the regulars at forums where I visit. If you’re in California, you’re never too far from a Shakey’s, as there are still about fifty stores in that state, but only ten others in the country. In the southeast, there is one in Auburn, and one in Warner Robins. Every week, a delivery truck comes east, bringing food for both of these stores. Perhaps they still have local-market TV ads for Shakey’s in California. Here’s one from the early 1970s, starring Kathy Coleman, who’d later play Holly in Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost. The ad shows what Shakey’s used to be: a bizarre mix of Tudor design and Dixieland jazz with styrofoam boaters. Continue reading “Shakey’s Pizza, Warner Robins GA (CLOSED)”
Pollo Tropical, Kennesaw GA
Hello again, readers! Did you miss us? We had a good vacation down in south Georgia. This was not really a big eating tour, but we have a handful of chapters to share, but that won’t be for a while yet. We are still working through the remarkable backlog of stories from June. We’ll try to tell you about the couple of old places in Savannah and Brunswick that we saw sometime before the stores start selling Halloween candy. Definitely before they discount it. Continue reading “Pollo Tropical, Kennesaw GA”
Circumnavigating the Tennessee River Valley – part five
Coming into Alabama on US-72, there are four large towns which are referred to as either the Quad Cities or The Shoals: Florence, Tuscumbia, Sheffield, and Muscle Shoals. As I entered Tuscumbia, I noticed that the Alabama Music Hall of Fame – it’s still open to the public, unlike Georgia’s – counts Buffalo Rock among its sponsors. I reminded myself to find a grocery store and bring home a twelve-pack, and promptly forgot. I remembered when I got home and recounted the trip to my family, slapped myself in the head, stood up and said “I’ll be back in three and a half hours…” Continue reading “Circumnavigating the Tennessee River Valley – part five”
Rib Country, Cleveland GA
Before I forget, should you ever find yourself leaving Dahlonega and traveling east to Cleveland, you’ll probably find yourself on GA-52, with the mountains beautiful and soaring on your left. There are twistier and curvier roads in Georgia, many of them, but this one is just twisty and curvy enough to make you feel alive. It’s wonderful. Doesn’t reading that just make you want to go to north Georgia right now? I love this part of the state. Continue reading “Rib Country, Cleveland GA”
Marie, Let's Eat! 