Sweet Corn Muffins & Rolls
Did we mention that those cornbread muffins are sweet? They are VERY sweet. Imagine, if you will, the type of sugar-crusted sweet corn muffin that you’d expect at a mother’s day brunch. Well, that’s where our imagination took us, anyway.
Lobster Bisque
She Crab Soup
Lobster #1
Two Sauces
Each lobster is accompanied with a choice of drawn butter or a choice of listed sauces. Given a do-over, we both would’ve opted for the drawn butter. One sauce was a sweet creamy Jamaican inspired (loosely inspired) sauce. And, the other was a very sweet cream sauce. Both of these sauces were overpoweringly, distractingly sweet. We were puzzled by all of this random sweetness during the course of a lobster dinner.
Lobster #2 With All Of Our Sides
Both lobsters were a bit overcooked. With lobsters of this size, it’s not surprising. The asparagus was nice. It had a nice fresh snap. But, the mushrooms were rather bland and soggy. And, if those mashed potatoes are real, they’re absolutely the worst mashed potatoes we’ve ever experienced. They tasted like out-of-a-box rehydrated potato flakes.
The Stuffing
We ordered both of our lobsters stuffed. The option for stuffing was an added charge. But, the lobsters at Lobster House never touched the stuffing. Served barely warm, it was roughly 5 parts crumbled, buttered bread to 1 part crab. Now, let’s just say that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that half of our family lives in one region or another of New England. And, in our experience, we might say that one possible reason for the “stuffing” to actually touch the lobster would be for that lobster to retain some moisture and allow lobster drippings to flavor the bread crumbs. But, hey, that’s just our take on it.
Each meal was $20. (If you opt for the stuffing, it will be an additional expense.) Each meal includes lobster, soup and sides. Our meal was “fine”.
But…
You get what you pay for, right?
Lobster House
1555 Pleasant Hill Road
Duluth, GA 30096
678 788 8888
Old Bay Potato Chips with Bleu Cheese
These were fried to a shatteringly crisp state. But, they were also very salty.
Country Fried Chicken with Fried Okra and Collard Greens
This giant chicken breast was nicely crisp on the outside and tender inside. We would have appreciated less salt in the breading, though. (That’s not something you hear every day, right?) The okra was piping hot, dark golden brown (very close to burnt) and very crisp. And, the collard greens had an unusual sweetness that was bordering on unpleasant. Neither one of us enjoyed them. As a matter of fact, we could only manage to eat a couple bites each.
Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato Casserole and Collards
While the chicken was tender and quite edible. This whole plate had a hospital food vibe. There was no color to the chicken skin. This left it fatty and inedible. This dish of collard greens was just as unfortunate as the last. And, the sweet potato casserole was pureed to a fluffy mass that had the consistency of baby food. This was one excruciatingly bland meal.
Sliced Potatoes
Barely brown and a bit greasy, they were edible. But, we didn’t eat them. What would be the point?
Desserts
You’ve gotta love a hand written menu.
Sadly, we didn’t feel like spending even $2 to try one of these offerings. That’s not a good sign. We’d love to give them another chance. But, quite frankly, we don’t want to waste our time.
Alpha Soda
11760 Haynes Bridge Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770 442 3102
Ass Kickin’ Peanuts Variety Pack
Jalapeño Cheddar
These aren’t even ass tappin’. But, they are quite cheesy.
These were sweet, smoky, and mildly spiced.
Out of the four, the original ass kickin’ peanuts MIGHT start kicking your ass after a few handfuls. But, then again, they might not.
Bright side?
They’re all tasty.
AssKickin’
Chips & Salsa
Drink Specials
A Very Pink Prickly Pear Margarita
Chipotle Salmon with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes
Steak Zacatecano
A sliver of ribeye under a sea of melted white cheese and a strange wetness beneath… a separated Ranchero salsa? Quite simply, there are no words.
Tacos And Tequilas
4279 Roswell Rd
Atlanta, GA 30342
Chicken Empanadas
Bursting with tender chicken chunks, this was a welcome sight to our hungry eyes.
Whipped Hot Chocolate
Passionfruit Milkshake
There is a lengthy menu of juices with health benefits listed. Served on ice or blended with milk, you choose. The passionfruit milkshake was absolutely divine. Refreshingly tart with just the right touch of sweetness, it’s just too good for words.
Tamal
Topped with onions and wrapped in a glossy banana leaf, this Colombian tamale was generously stuffed with tender chunks of pork, chicken, potato, carrots, and peas. This tamale makes a very generous meal served with two freshly grilled arepas.
Bandeja Paisa
Piled high with all of the usual suspects. Avocado, grilled thinly sliced steak, chorizo, fried egg, rice, beans and chicharron cover this large platter. Not that hungry? They over a mini version, too.
The steak and chicharron were cooked to a very well done. Given the option, that might not have been our choice. But, we enjoyed the contrasting crunch of the chicharron paired with the comforting rice and beans.
Sweet Corn Tamale With Cheese
Blackberry Milkshake
This sweet berry milkshake was a lovely ending to the meal.
We’re looking forward to a return visit… soon.
Colombian Cuisine Rocks
Patacon Pisa’o Restaurante
4930 Jimmy Carter Blvd.
Norcross, GA 30093
678 380 0893
Pad Kee Mao
(AKA Drunken Noodles)
Pepper Steak
Thaicoon & Sushi Bar
1799 Briarcliff Road
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 817 9805
Miso Salmon
With Lemon Sauce And Snow Pea Garnish
Have you seen the 2009 video of Michael Ruhlman responding to Kelly Alexander’s challenge to try the miso salmon at Cheesecake Factory? We did. (Some time in late 2009) Then, we promptly forgot about it.
Skip forward to last week, we ended up at Cheesecake Factory. One never really sets out to “go” to Cheesecake Factory. You just end up there, right? Well, we ended up there the other day. So, we’re paging through those sticky (Why are they so sticky??) laminated pages and we spot it. The Miso Salmon. That’s it. Decision made. Michael Ruhlman ate it. How bad could it be?
Answer:
It’s really not that bad at all.
The salmon itself is quite tasty. The flesh is moist, tender and flaky. The lacquering of miso glaze (above) effectively holds in the juices. The interesting balance of sweet, salty, and savory enhances the meaty salmon. And, the rice is acceptable. Now, what about that lemon sauce that Mr Ruhlman refers to as “insipid”? He’s being generous. The sauce on our plate was oddly sweet …way too sweet. The miso glaze provides more than enough sweetness to this salmon dish. Why would you add another sweet sauce? It’s a mystery to both of us.
Bang Bang Chicken And Shrimp
This is one rich, gloppy, sweet, crazy heavy, thick-sauced dish. Are you training for a marathon? This dish might be for you. You know those rumors about 2,000 calorie meals? Now, we’re just guessing. But, we think this might be one of them. The curry sauce is heavy. Couple that with a drizzle of peanut sauce, that’s also sweet and heavy. Then, toss some toasted coconut and crushed peanuts on top just for fun. About five bites into this overtly Americanized curry extravaganza, it’ll be nap time.
Cheesecake Factory
Grilled Pork & Mango Salad
It would be silly to complain about the mildest winter in our history of Atlanta winters.
But, we’re seriously ready for spring.
Pork, peppers, onions and mango slices are grilled and served on top of a nice mix of greens. The only negative was the salad dressing. Allegedly, its a creamy mango vinaigrette. However, it tastes like some sort of Thousand Island dressing. It doesn’t complement this salad. AT ALL. That won’t stop us from ordering this tasty little salad again. But… Next time, we’ll ask for a plain vinaigrette. You can be sure of that.
Paella
This dish might be a wee little bit on the simple side. And, you could say that the mild sausage and shrimp were used a bit too sparingly. But, for this price, it’s still pretty damn tasty.
They toss you (we almost mean this literally) some chips and salsa, too!
La Fonda Latina
4427 Roswell Road
Atlanta, GA 30342
404 303 8201
Sababa Salad
Cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and mint are tossed with a lemony dressing. Then, it’s sprinkled with a nice dose of za’atar spice blend. (Za’atar is a spice blend of herbs, sesame seeds and salt.)
Shawarma Platter
Hummus, Chopped Salad, Spiced Slivers Of Chicken, & Babaganoush
Delicious, all.
But, this mound of babaganoush will be the reason for a return visit in the very near future. It’s rich, creamy, silky smooth, and touched with the perfect amount of smoke. This lovely touch of smoke adds another level of complexity to an already flavor-rich eggplant dip.
Gyro Platter With Fries
Yes, you can get a gyro wrap, too.
Just don’t blink when you’re driving down Shallowford road, this cute little restaurant is hidden inside a small strip of shops.
Cafe Sababa Mediterranean Grill
4639-D North Shallowford Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
678 705 8268
Chicken with White BBQ Sauce, Corn Bread Dressing, & Fried Okra
We’ve never had a bad meal at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q.
As a matter of fact, we’ve never had an average meal at Fox Brothers BBQ. They’ve been delivering consistently amazing bbq for how many years? This place teeters near perfection on each and every visit.
Chicken & Ribs with Collards & Corn Bread
And, Brisket Chili
So tender, so moist… so good.
Fox Brothers BBQ
1238 Dekalb Avenue
Decatur, GA 30307
404 577 4032
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