On one of Anthony Bourdain’s excursions to India (Rajasthan), he samples a marijuana laced white chocolate and bhang lassi. The government licensed shop keeper refers to the strongest bhang lassi as “super duper sexy”. Speaking of government licensed marijuana, can you imagine how quickly we’d be out of debt if WE had government licensed marijuana shops?? Desperate times call for desperate measures, people… come on Mr. President! Do it for the good of the nation! Ok, back on topic.
The Setting: A small mobile home houses the take-out area, one table, a handful of chairs and the kitchen, while a seperate building holds the smoker. No-frills… just good food.
The Staff: Super Duper Friendly
The Food:
The Smoked Meat — Well, let’s see. It’s super tender, super juicy, super smoky, and every other thing good barbeque should be. One of those things is original. There is a flavor to Ms Betty’s chicken and ribs that sets it apart. Is it marinated or brined with a blend of spices and soy? I’m not sure. But, there is something seriously unique about the flavor that lies beneath the hickory smoked goodness in her meats.
The Ribs — Fall-off-the-bone tender, rich, meaty, and smoky. Dished up in very generous serving sizes.
The Chicken — Incredibly juicy and tender, there is no crispness to the skin. But, you don’t mind sacrificing the crispy bits when you end up with a final product this rich and tender.
Two Sauces — One — A slightly sweet and tangy North Carolina mustard sauce that is thick enough to scoop up with a chicken wing.
Two — A sweet mild soy sauce based sauce with molasses and barely a of spice. Very reminiscent of a soy based jerk sauce… without the fiery heat. The sweet molasses and soy flavor perfectly compliment the super smoky chicken.
Collard Greens — Tender, rich and filled with giant hunks of smoked turkey
Corn Bread Muffins — Traditional, of course.
Con: Did I mention the smoke? For those who prefer a more delicate smoke flavor, these ribs might not be for you. Let me be clear on the issue, this is seriously Super Duper Smoky BBQ.
Star of the Day: Ms Betty’s House of Ribs… and chicken!
Ms. Betty’s House of Ribs
1281 Bouldercrest Dr
Atlanta, GA 30316
404 243 8484
July 25-26, 2009
Admission:
Adults — $12 per day
Students — $8 per day
Children under 3 years of age — free
For Showtimes and More Information:
AsianCulturalExperience
Zoo Atlanta Needs Your Help! They need to raise 500,000 dollars before December 31, 2009 to keep the giant pandas that have called Zoo Atlanta home for 10 years.
Give So The Giant Pandas Can Stay!
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Zoo Atlanta
800 Cherokee Avenue, SE
Atlanta, GA 30315
404 624 WILD
The Setting: Just down the street from Ann’s Snack Bar, this super-small building with a brick walled oven offers little in the way of space (standing room only). But, who cares? We’re here for the food. And, we were very happy to dine on picnic tables at the park down the street.
The Staff: Friendly and helpful
The Food:
Ribs — Great smoke flavor and dished up in a generous serving… While they might not be as tender as some of the flashier (Is there such a thing? Every bbq joint in town is ultra-casual) BBQ spots, I really love the appeal of traditionally smoked ribs with a simple sauce. Eating in the park, it reminded me of being invited to the best backyard bbq with all the trimmings. The down side? It’s dished up in styrofoam containers.
Collard Greens — Tender greens with rich beefy flavor and heavily dotted with large chunks of smoked meat, they’re spiced up right letting all of the flavors shine independently.
Candied Yams — Sweet, rich, tender chunks of yam are covered in syrup. They’re rich enough to be a dessert or even carbo-loading meal with a hunk of traditional cornbread.
The Cornbread — Traditional Southern cornbread… this is real cornbread. Rich, tons of corn flavor, buttery, dense, and a perfectly golden brown shell of a crust make this the epitome of Deep South style cornbread.
Sweet Potato Cobbler — Oh my, Paula Deen would be impressed with the ultra rich dough and the buttah…oh my god the buttah. We loved it! Wow, ultra-rich-I-need-a-nap-now… seriously. This is an indulgence, not every day fare. Well, maybe if you’re Michael Phelps, it’d be ok. For the rest of us mortals, this might be an entire day’s caloric intake. No? Ok, half a day, at least… But, still… YUM! Eat salad for dinner if it’ll make you feel better.
Star of the Day: Wyatt’s BBQ for lunch on a perfect summer day! After, a meal like this, dinner is optional.
Wyatt’s Diner (BBQ)
1674 Memorial Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30317
404 371 0311
Bad Things Happen — Harry Dolan
How I Became A Famous Novelist — Steve Hely
A perfect batch! Yum
In my memory, lupini beans were tender, sweet, creamy, buttery and accented by a hint of salt. I remember eating them with my grandmother. They were the perfect snack as we waited for a big family dinner.
One of many, they were a weekend ritual. Steak on Fridays…always. But, on Sunday, anything was fair game. From grilled meats, to fritto misto, to homemade pasta, we were well-fed at my gram’s house. And, the crowd could top 30 when family from the north was in town. I was the pampered baby of the family. Ultra-fine blonde curls and a dark golden brown tan courtesy of my Italian roots and day after day spent on the beach with whichever relative was in town this week. Summers were one long beach party. And, the days would end with amazing meals made by my grandmother.
So, when I saw a bottle of lupini beans at a local specialty market, I happily snatched a bottle. Sadly, these beans do not resemble the beans of my childhood in any way. They were overly briny, unbearably salty, and unpleasantly mealy.
My grandmother made them from scratch. What was the secret preparation that I missed as a child? I wish I knew. My grandmother never shared the secret. Unaware that many years later, I would try to recreate the memory of those perfect summer days. I’ll just have to learn how to make them from scratch. The way she used to do. It’s worth the effort to try to recapture those magical days of summer in Florida. But, I know it won’t be the same without her… even if I can reproduce her recipe. Luckily, the magic will endure in my memories.
I miss you Gram.
The Contenders:
The current frontrunner — Star Provisions
Perfectly delicate flakes surrender to your bite. The rich full-flavored dough edges out the competition with its buttery goodness. The sweet butter flavor is clearly present, but, in no way overwhelming or overpowering. The butter has a sweet mellow flavor. This compliments and enhances the dough. And, the interior is moist with just a bit of chew for texture. But, no almond croissant! Seriously??
Alon’s
Making the race incredibly tight, Alon’s offers a near-equal offering with lovely delicate flakes, a hint of crunch to the flaky outer layers, rich flavor, and perfect interior. The one difference that puts Alon’s in second… the butter seems to be a bit more sharp in flavor. The butter flavor seems to compete more with the dough.
But, then again, they offer my favorite almond croissant in the city. Insanely rich and intense almond flavor baked into the croissant and sliced almonds toasted to perfection generously top the croissant. I love the way the deep toasty flavor imparted by the sliced almond on top add another layer of flavor to the marzipan filling.
Bonus Points for offering a ridiculously rich poppyseed danish
And, even more bonus points for being the only bakery capable of stocking enough croissants and pastries that they are available after noon on the weekends.
Parish
Sadly, inconsistency took Parish out of the race. We attempted to purchase croissants for side-by-side comparisons on 5 separate occasions. We were unable to purchase croissants at Parish 3 out of 5 times. On one occasion, the only croissants available were ham & cheese. And, they appeared to be dark brown/borderline burnt… not suitable for comparison. On the other occasion we were able to buy one (the last) chocolate almond croissant. Parish’s original almond croissant offered an almond filling baked in (far superior). The new version offers a sliced chocolate croissant schmeared with almond paste. I’m not fond of the taste or texture of this new version. And, the almond paste ruined the interior texture of the croissant. Another flaw, the texture of the croissant’s exterior was soft. There was a total lack of crisp flaky outer layers.
If you attempt to buy croissants from Parish after 10:30am on the weekend, availability is seriously random.
Best Croissant in Atlanta: Currently Star Provisions edges out Alon’s by less than a nose. But, Alon’s easily offers the best almond croissant in the city. And, Alon’s offers incredible consistency & reliability. The best croissant is the one you can buy EVERY time you want one. Alon’s offers a sure thing. Are you willing to gamble with your time on Saturday morning?
The Good: Two incredible po’boy sandwiches with shrimp… Each sandwich was jam-packed with freshly fried shrimp, juicy-sweet & thinly sliced tomatoes, and brushed with a mildly spicy remoulade.
Is this donut wet?
Umm… no that’s oil. It’s saturated with oil! UGH
and the cutting board is coated in oil now…
The Bad: After nearly a dozen of near-perfect donuts( sampling one or two a week over several weeks), our last visit brought two donuts (one chocolate glazed and one maple-bacon glazed) that were saturated with oil. So, saturated that by squeezing our fingers together, the oil would ooze out. They were inedible. And, in fact, they were so full of oil that they left a ring of oil on our cutting board following our “photo shoot” (term used very loosely). One bite was so horrifyingly disgusting (I got a mouthful of oil and fried dough that was so saturated that after the first bite… I actually thought the donut was wet… I’m still queasy) that I won’t be eating another donut till… um…i dunno… maybe never. My waistline will thank you, but, I may just be ruined for all other donuts… FOREVER)
The Ugly: The male cashier at the sandwich checkout register… We’ve received inconsistent service here before. The service can range from incredibly friendly, to indifferent, to condescending, to this weekend’s first experience of downright bad service. There are plenty of places I accept bad service (Dekalb Farmer’s Market, Starbuck’s, crowded diners, NY Delis, or any other place that bad service is the rule). I do not expect Star Provisions to fall into this category EVER. Given the clientele and the premium they set for their product. In return, I expect pleasant to civilized indifference in my service. Rudeness is not acceptable… EVER! Guy behind the register at sandwich/misc counter, YOU ARE RUDE!!
Star Provisions
1198 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
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