Review Atlanta

Table & Main

Table & Main

Cocktails

The Boulevardier

Copious amounts of Big Bottom bourbon, Campari, and Dolin’s vermouth…

What a great summer cocktail!

Bourbon, Anyone?

Cheese Straws To Nibble While You Browse The Menu

The Preservation Plate

Lamb sausage with sultanas, micro greens, grilled bread, an assortment of pickled vegetables and a square of bleu cheese.

Pan-Fried Grouper With A Warm Barley Salad And Charred Onions

Nutty barley mingles with a mix of red pepper, onion, and celery touched with vinegar.

Burger & Deep Fried Baked Potato Quarters

Good burger, but, it’s really all about the bacon jam.

These are no ordinary fries. They’re deep fried quarters of breaded baked potato.

Greedy Fingers

For two people who normally hate (HATE) breaded fries, we both really enjoyed these. As a matter of fact, we both dipped into the fried potato quarters first. They were super crisp on the outside, lightly dusted with salt and pepper, tender and full of roasted potato flavor on the inside. No adornment needed, these were absolutely perfect as is.

Table & Main
1028 Canton Street
Roswell, GA 30075
678 869 5178

Sweet Auburn Curb Market

Chopped Greens

…And Other Veggies Ready To Go

We eagerly grabbed and bought one of those jars of Hot Chow Chow.

Pint Sized Markets Within The Market

Each Oozing Its Own Individual Charm

Yellow Root Tea By The Jar

Ears To Tail

Next Time: AfroDish

Murals Spice Up The Parking Lot Walls

How Do You Get Your Parking Validated For 1 Hour?

Make A Purchase At One Of The Markets Or Eat At One Of the Restaurants

(It’s $3 for each additional 30 min.)

HOURS:

Monday Thru Saturday — 8am to 6pm

Sweet Auburn Curb Market
209 Edgwood Avenue SE
Atlanta, GA 30303
404 659 1665

Then, It’s Time To Wander A Bit

Mezcalito’s Cocina & Tequila Bar

A Day Of the Dead Skull… Or Two.

They greet you on the way in.

Just what the doctor ordered, it’s still quiet and serene at 11 o’clock on a Saturday morning.

Rosemary’s Baby?

That’s a dark reference for us at 11am. But, that won’t stop us from trying it.

Fried Chicken With Mole Rojo

This was a Tex-Mex marriage made in heaven.

Fried Sweet Plantains & Green Rice

Both were very nicely done.

Papatzules Enchiladas

Enchiladas were stuffed with fluffy and delicate scrambled eggs under a pumpkin seed sauce and a mince of epazote. Just to be sure we met our carb limit of the day at breakfast, it was served with a generous mound of green rice on one side and an even more generous portion of black beans on the other.

It won’t win any beauty contests, that’s for sure. But, it made a very nice start to our busy day. Rich, hearty sauce over fluffy egg stuffed tortillas, it was comfort food fabulous. We’d eat this any day for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The sangria was nice, but a bit forgettable.

Mezcalito’s Cocina & Tequila Bar
304 Oakland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312
678 705 7008

Banh Mi Cafe

Banh Mi Thit Nuong — Grilled Pork

So much tender meat for $3. We were amazed.

So much of everything!

Dac Biet Banh Mi — Special Combo

This one was bursting with even more generous amouts of everything that makes up this hearty special combination. It was loaded with pork, pork belly, pate, cilantro, pickled veggies, cucumber, and jalapeño slices. And, all of this for just over $3.

Cha Gio — Vietnamese Egg Rolls

Tiny, delicate, and delicious, they’re oh so tasty.

The filling is very pork rich with a blend of herbs and spices for oodles of complex flavor.

Thit Bo Luc Lac

Filled with the most tender, medium rare cubes of steak, the shaking beef was divine. We were ravenous. But, after those generously stuffed sandwiches, we had to take most of this to-go. That is, after we picked out each and every little morsel of medium rare beef. This might not be the best or the most elegant version of the dish. But, who cares? We loved the simple charm of it.

Check out their facebook page for more pictures and a portion of their menu.

Mango Shake & Thai Iced Tea For Dessert

Banh Mi Cafe
3512 Satellite Blvd. NW
Duluth, GA 30096
404 750 6507

Arepa Mia

Domino Up Front, Pernil In Back

Domino Arepa

Who needs meat? This hearty combination of fried sweet plantain slices, shredded queso blanco, black beans and red pepper was pure comfort food heaven. We loved it more than words can say. And, this will be a love that will last. We’re sure of it.

Pabellon Arepa

Similar to the Domino, the Pabellon adds tender shreds of beef to the blend of plantains, queso blanco, and black beans. Proving that meat can be a good thing, too, we were equally torn between the two.

Pernil Arepa

A Saucy Mess!

But, who cares? It was delicious. Sometimes, you need to get your hands dirty to enjoy life. And, this is one of those times. We just left the wrapper on and let the sauce of the marinated pork drip down over our fingers as we devoured each and every delicious mouthful of tender pork, caramelized onion and toasty corn arepa. Even with all of that luscious porky sauce, the freshly griddled arepa was satisfyingly crisp.

The other two arepas were equally delicious, slightly less saucy, and all around easier to eat.

Papelon Con Limon & Jugo De Parchita

That’s sugar cane juice with lemon up front and gorgeously fresh passion fruit juice in the back. Both were lovely. But, we fought for possession of the passion fruit juice. The refreshingly tart, complex flavor was divine with each arepa. Paired with the rich pork, it was sweet meets savory magic.

For a little place, there’s quite a good amount of seating.

Happy Stomach, Warm Heart… that’s a motto to live by each and every day of your life.

Arepa Mia Atlanta
(Inside the Sweet Auburn Curb Market)
209 Edgewood Avenue SE
Atlanta, GA 30303
404 880 8575

P.S. Don’t forget to have them validate your parking ticket for 1 hour of free parking. If they don’t validate your ticket it’s $5 for the first hour of parking and $3 for each additional 30 minutes.

Hola! Mexican Cantina

Hola!

Quite mild, but, this salsa was a nice blend of rich, charred tomatoes, cilantro and onion.

Carnitas Torta

The pork was so tender and full of flavor that we can overlook the excessive usage of chipotle mayo. We did expect a bit more heat from the chipotle mayo. But, no, it was quite mild. It did add a good depth of flavor, though.

Thick avocado slices added to our enjoyment of this torta. Each half held two generous slices.

Cayenne Fried Chicken

Now, this was spicy. The exterior was pleasantly crisp… even under those layers of cayenne.

Crispy Outside, Tender Inside

Very nice.

Add a Texas margarita with a Gran Gala floater to wash it all down and we’re happy.

Lunch with cocktails for about $30(before tip), this place deserves a second chance.

What a serious improvement over the previous (hideous) diner that shall remain nameless!

Hola! Mexican Cantina
205 East Ponce de Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30033
678 873 7376

Seven Lamps

Pickles & Creme Fraiche

A Mix of Onions & Cucumbers

Pate de Campagne, Pistachio Macarons with Mortadella Mousse
and Pork Belly & Chicken Leg Rillettes

The portions were very generous for two or three to share.

Grilled bread and a little mound of grainy mustard are hiding in the back.

Left Hand Brewing Co. Milk Stout

Left Hand Brewing Co. Sawtooth Ale

Smoke & Mirrors

Loved it!

Salmon Tartare With Avocado & Baby Greens

Copper River Salmon, Fresh Peas & Strawberries

Cooked to perfection, this is in no way an exaggeration.

This was a gorgeous (and incredibly LARGE) piece of salmon. There is a brief moment in time when you cook salmon. It might appear to be slightly undercooked. But, when you press your fork into the flesh, the meat falls into the most delicate, buttery flakes. That’s perfection in our eyes. This was the case here. Perfection, delicious perfection.

Southern Bell

An equally fresh and delicate blend of pineapple and sweet yellow pepper, this was a perfect way to end our meal.

Next Time? Red Dawn Or A Barrel Aged Rusty Nail…

Decisions, decisions.

Seven Lamps
(Seven Lamps ATL)
3400 Around Lennox Road
Number 217
Atlanta, GA 30326
404 467 8950

Rodney’s Jamaican Soul Food

Jerk Pork

This was another take-out meal. So, we plated this ourselves.

Hands down, the pork was the highlight of our meal. The jerk pork should really be called Jerk Pork Pot Roast. The tender chunks of pork were fork tender and generously doused with a moderately spiced sauce. The portion of pork was placed in the side item slot. So, the meal size was significantly smaller than Scotch Bonnet’s. With that mountain of rice and peas drizzled in sauce filling the large slot, we had more than enough food for dinner.

Jerk Chicken with Cabbage & Broccoli

Quick on the heels of our Scotch Bonnet meal, we found this jerk chicken to be almost bland. Red pepper flakes dominated the sauce. This left it to be a bit one dimensional. Would we feel the same if this meal hadn’t followed the gorgeous smoky meat of Scotch Bonnet? It’s hard to say.

Side Order of Plantains

Irish Moss

Nutmeg, vanilla… and a touch of cinnamon… maybe? Flavor wise, it’s roughly the island equivalent of egg nog. But, tiny bits of Irish moss are used to thicken this drink. This gives it a slightly more unusual texture. It might even be a bit thicker than egg nog. There’s a coarse, more smoothie-ish nature to Irish moss. It’s very sweet, rich and tasty. If you’re an egg nog fan, this is available year-round. Just add a shot of rum for an instant cocktail.

Rodney’s offers indoor and outdoor seating. On this gorgeous sunny day, everyone was placing to-go orders and the restaurant was empty.

Rodney’s Jamaican Soul Food
2092 Cobb Parkway Southeast
Smyrna, GA 30080
770 272 1956

Scotch Bonnet Jamaican Eatery

Scotch Bonnet Jamaican Eatery

Just look for the big red pepper.

Then, place your order.

Take a look at the smoker while you wait.

Covered seating, this is an especially handy feature on a rainy day.

The Food

Smoky, spicy, & delicious.

Jerk Chicken
(Rice & Peas, Buttered Cabbage, & Sweet Fried Plantains)

Every bit of this meal belongs together …just like this. The chicken demands to be piled over the rice and cabbage. The extra sauce blends into the mix to make something so special, there are no words to describe it.

A food and art fair in Miami set the bar very high for us. And, few jerk stands live up to the memory of our favorite meal. This one is close. REAL close.

It’s hacked into pieces to allow the sauce to coat every tender morsel of smoky meat.

Jerk Ribs

Equally delicious.

Big chunks of meaty pork ends are added in there, too. Three big ribs and ends could easily make two meals. But, don’t forget, you also have a mountain of rice & peas and generous mound of cabbage to eat. It’s a spicy feast for a day.

Scotch Bonnet Jamaican Eatery
Facebook (To Check Their Hours For The Day)
4454 Campbellton Road SW
Atlanta, GA 30331
404 344 3359