Aurelio’s Pizza, Marietta GA

I made a factual error in the summer when I wrote about Nancy’s Pizza, a large Illinois-based chain with two stores in Atlanta. I wrote then that these were “the only places for more than a hundred miles where anybody can get a stuffed Chicago pie,” and that’s not true. Another mid-sized Illinois chain, Aurelio’s, has a single outpost in Cobb County. Continue reading “Aurelio’s Pizza, Marietta 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” →

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)” →

Yo Bo Cantina Fresca, Athens GA (CLOSED)

This is Marie, contributing an article about Yo Bo Cantina Fresca, a brand new place in the Five Points area. It has another branch in Charleston SC which made it into the Huffpost list of places to visit there. Yo Bo uses Springer Mountain chicken and uses locally sourced ingredients where possible, according to their menu, and the food really tasted fresh and vivid. Continue reading “Yo Bo Cantina Fresca, Athens GA (CLOSED)” →

The Shrimp Boat, Rome GA

For those of you keeping track of such things (point of order: it’s only those of us who blog who keep track of such things!), Urbanspoon divides each state into “major metros” and then all the spaces in between become their own category. Georgia has ten “major metros” (Atlanta, Savannah, Athens, etc.) and then everyplace else, from Brunswick to Tallulah to Summerville to Thomasville, is all “Urbanspoon Georgia.” For our 100th Urbanspoon Georgia story, I wanted to select something a little bit special to me, so one Saturday last month while Marie had to work, I packed the kids up and we drove an hour northwest to Rome. It’s here that one of the oldest (possibly the very oldest) of the seven remaining Shrimp Boat restaurants is doing business in its second location. Continue reading “The Shrimp Boat, Rome GA” →

Momma Goldberg’s Deli, Auburn AL

Maybe every college town has a unique little sandwich shop, but few are as beloved as Momma Goldberg’s Deli in Auburn. It’s just a couple of years older than Price’s Barbecue House, which is on the east side of campus. Momma Goldberg’s is on Magnolia, on the northern border of the university. You can see the upper decks of Jordan-Hare Stadium from the parking lot. We overheard a manager showing a new hire the ropes when we visited, and he noted that it is a requirement to work every home game, and to try and get a ride from somebody else on game day, because this place can be a madhouse and parking is at a premium. Continue reading “Momma Goldberg’s Deli, Auburn AL” →

The Chicken Salad Chick, Auburn AL

This is Marie, contributing a story about a very special specialty store and restaurant. The Chicken Salad Chick is a chain that is slowly expanding through the southeast, and on a recent trip to Auburn, Alabama, we visited the original location. Each of the main menu items except the pimento cheese is some variety of chicken salad. There is a limited selection of sides. The combination I picked was “Fruity Fran” and “Olivia’s Old South” with a side of fruit intended for the boy, who came with us on the two-hour drive from our house to “the Plains” in eastern Alabama. Each of the salads that has a name is linked to a real person in the life of Stacy Brown, the owner and inventor of these delicious recipes. Continue reading “The Chicken Salad Chick, Auburn AL” →