The Setting: Large glass windows allow light into a dining room that is pleasantly dim with candle light at night.
The Staff: Friendly and Efficient
The Food:
BBQ Beef Sandwich: Barbecued beef torn off of freshly made BBQ beef ribs are combined with a sweet & mildly spicy barbecue sauce. Then, it’s piled generously on a soft egg roll. Rich flavor is imparted by the bits of charred beef shredded into the barbecue sauce. The one fault for some might be the generous use of their barbecue sauce.
Salmon Sandwich: Perfectly grilled salmon on a simple hoagie roll with lettuce and tomato. The careful attention to proper cooking time make this sandwich great. The salmon is grilled to a perfect temperature, moist on the inside and golden brown along the edges.
Prime Rib Sandwich: Thin slices of their own prime rib are served on a simple roll with au jus on the side. Generous amounts of tender meat are piled into the soft roll. I love the tenderness of the prime rib.
Filet Mignon Sandwich: Sliced filet mignon on a roll. What’s not to love? It’s a great sandwich. But, I prefer the tenderness and richer meaty flavor of the prime rib.
Reuben Sandwich: Carnegie Deli corned beef! I don’t know how I’ve missed trying this sandwich over the 10+ years we’ve visited Joey D’s… this oversight on my part will be remedied tout de suite!!
House Salad with House Dressing: Love it! Almonds, chopped boiled egg, & bacon make this salad a meal. There is a bit of sweetness from the honey in the bacon & honey mustard dressing. And, the always warm croissant has a honeyed glaze. In a moment of weakness, I could easily make a meal out of a basket of their warm-flaky-yummy-gooey croissants!
Verdict: BBQ beef and prime rib are my favorite sandwiches at Joey D’s. But, all of their sandwiches are great and incredibly reliable. This is a perfect spot to grab a quick & enjoyable no-worries lunch.
Joey D’s Oak Room
1015 Crown Pointe Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30338
770 512 7063
Fingertips:
21 Short works (theatre and multimedia pieces) inpsired by their favorite band
( Since it’s one of my favorites too… I’ll be there!)
Dad’s Garage
280 Elizabeth Street, Suite C-101
Atlanta, GA
404 523 3141
 Fox Bros. Chicken & Ribs Combo
The Setting: This perfect summer day with a bright blue sky had Fox Bros. packed to near-capacity.
The Staff: Friendly and attentive, even with the crowd
The Food:
Watermelon Margarita: Perfectly fresh watermelon juice, a good kick of tequila & just barely sweet… YUM!
Chicken — perfectly moist, juicy, & smoky… just a pleasant bit of crunch to the perfectly browned skin (2 orders — both perfect)
Ribs — rich, juicy, meaty & the perfect amount of smoke… with a nice bit of char & caramelization at the edges bringing out the full flavor of all the spices
Corn Bread — my favorite, as usual, this corn bread defines the category for me: crisp, golden brown outer shell, moist interior with plenty of corn flavor, dense & a hint of sweetness to play off of the diced jalapenos. Ours arrived fresh out of the oven, in a new shape (see photo above). But, all of the same great flavors, textures, & ginormous size (every piece we’ve ordered has been huge — in this loaf shape, like two generous slices of pound cake) are still present
Turnip Greens — even better than the collards, if that’s possible… the sauce has a red tinge (see photo below), a bit more heat and incredibly rich flavor
Collard Greens — pleasantly bitter, a bit spicy, meaty, & tender-yet-maintaining structural integrity
Half-chicken with turnip greens (bottom left) & collards (top left)
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
1238 Dekalb Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
404 577 4030
These pretzels were picture perfect when we purchased them. Unfortunately, several hours on a kitchen counter caused the pretzel salt to melt.
One pretzel filling a plate with sliced roast beef
Your Dekalb Farmers Market
3000 East Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
The Veronicas
The Setting: A brand new strip mall on stretch of 78 that is so far east of the city that it’s referred to as Athens Highway.
The Staff: Very friendly
The Food: On a day that we spent over 4 hours walking/hiking nonstop, we were ready for a hearty meal. Ionie’s fit the bill perfectly.
A glass counter was filled with a number of prepared offerings. Brown stew chicken, curried goat, curried shrimp and oxtail stew caught our eye. But, we were undecided. We were immediately offered a taste of everything. What a treat that was! Each offering was uniquely spiced, piping hot and slow cooked to a fall-off-the-bone tender level of doneness.
Oxtail Stew — Shining above the rest with an incredible blend of spices, we couldn’t resist its draw. The richness added to a stew from being cooked on the bone with its added tendons and bits of rendered fat added a complexity to the entire stew that other cuts of meat just couldn’t touch.
Jerk Pork — Unlike the heavy handed spicings that many versions of jerk demonstrate with a ton fresh spices, dried spices, sweet elements, and smoke. Ionie’s jerked pork had a relatively simple rub of dry spices on the outside of the roast pork. Then, sliced thin, the pork was drizzled with a thin sauce. The flavors were clear and independent. Soy sauce, red pepper, black pepper and brown sugar create the base of this simple sauce. Used with restraint, these flavors complimented the pork without dominating it.
The flavor of soy sauce was a bit more prominent than some might expect to find in a jerk sauce. But, I enjoy sampling all of the different interpretations that exist for this sauce. The differences that exist from family to family are one of the compelling components that keep us returning to sample new takes on a familiar food. The only real negative is a lack of grilled/smoke flavor.
Deep Fried Dumplings — These barely-sweet balls of fried dough are quite dense. But, they’re perfect for sopping up all of that rich sauce. And, they’re perfect for pushing the limit on carb overload that’s bound to occur.
Pro — A wide assortment of Caribbean soda pops and other beverages.
Con — It’s a long drive from inside the perimeter.
Ionie’s Caribbean Kitchen
1142 Athens Highway
Grayson, GA 30017
Current Hours:
Monday-Friday — 11:00am – 9:00pm
Saturday — 10:00am – 9:30pm
Closed Sunday
Chicken Shawarma with pickled vegetables and hummus
We loved this! The flavors were incredible. The combination of moist chicken layered with spices, hummus, and pickled vegetables were just about perfect. We also received a generous serving of paper thin pitas as part of the platter.
Za’atar Flatbread
Za’atar spices were blended with olive oil to make a paste, then smeared on the flatbread. This was prepared in advance and heated to serve. It arrived perfectly crisp along the edges and tender & chewy in the center. This could easily be a meal.
We also ordered a small serving of falafel (6 small pieces). They were fried to order. Arriving perfectly crisp and hot served with tahini sauce that had the perfect splash of lemon, we both loved them. They were full of flavor, generously spiced, bright green from fresh parsley and the taste of sweet onion was a nice background flavor.
Jerusalem Bakery
4150 Old Milton Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30005
Spice Hut offers a large assortment of pre-packaged spice blends and quick meal packets to make both sweet and savory dishes. They have rows for fresh fruits, vegetables, refridgerated items, pantry items & more. My favorite section was the row holding a large assortment of Indian snack foods… chips, spiced nuts (LOVE the red-spiced cashews), sweets, sugar coated fennel seeds, jams, and chutneys.
On our visit, they were offering a box of fresh & perfectly ripe mangos for just over $5. Deal!
Spice Hut
4150 Old Milton Parkway
Suite 124
Alpharetta, GA 30005
770 410 9477
 (pictured above, over half of the trout has already been eaten)
Trout at Thai Lanna
Thai Lanna
2142 Johnson Ferry Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30319
770 454 8889
Lisa Landry @ The Punchline
June 26-28, 2009
For more information & showtimes: Punchline
To watch clips of her comedy: Comedy Central
Lisa Landry
The Punchline
280 Hilderbrand Drive
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
404 252 5233
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