Almond Croissants
Flaky, buttery, and very generously stuffed with richly scented marzipan… we’d love to start every morning with a cappuccino and one of these beauties.
That toasty bite of marzipan was perfection.
Peach & Blueberry Fried Pies
Super-ripe peaches and blueberries make the perfect filling for these crispy hand pies.
Cheddar & Bacon Croissant
Cheese was oozing from both ends. And, that cheese got crispy in the oven as the croissant baked. So delicious.
There might not appear to be much inside. But, the quality of both the cheese and bacon shines when wrapped in these buttery, fluffy layers.
Holeman & Finch Bread Co. offers their incredible pastries and breads at a number of specialty markets, restaurants and all of the best farmers markets around town. Check out their website for a full list of places to find them near you.
Holeman & Finch Bread Company
Dunwoody Green Market
Nutella Twist
In a word… phenomenal!
To Add Another Word… Never-Ending
From doughnut to the delectable, fluffy nutella cream this is doughnut perfection. We’re not sure what sort of black magic they summon up to create these glorious doughnuts. But, the doughnut itself is richer, tastier, and in every way more delicious than any other we’ve ever (seriously, EVER) eaten.
The beautiful golden color of this twist was the first indication that this doughnut would be something special. It’s clearly rich with butter, eggs, or both. And, the well-developed flavor of Dutch Monkey Doughnuts replaces that raw doughy unpleasantness that other doughnuts possess.
Chocolate Cream Pie Doughnut
Filled with bittersweet chocolate pudding and topped with sweet cream, this is another work of genius. It would not be an exaggeration to describe these doughnuts as “peerless”. They really are that good.
Chocolate Puddin’ On The Inside
Red Velvet Cake Doughnut with Cream Cheese Icing Mountain
The Doughnut Making Geniuses Busy At Work
Stacked Up And Ready To Go
…In Our Bellies
Look For The Baby Monkey
A world of thanks to Chloe Morris & Jennifer Zyman for finding the singlemost very BEST reason EVER to venture this deep into the burbs.
The Nutella Twist, Chocolate Cream Pie Bismarck, and Red Velvet Cake Doughnuts were daily specials. Be sure to check out their daily specials before you visit Dutch Monkey Doughnuts.
Update: The Nutella Twist is now a regular.
To Check Daily Specials:
Visit The Dutch Monkey Doughnuts website or facebook
Dutch Monkey Doughnuts
Suite 502
3075 Ronald Regan Blvd
Cumming, GA 30041
404 482 3650
Boiled Peanuts
You don’t need to take a road trip to find boiled peanuts.
Sherry’s Produce offers two sizes… a $3 bag & a $5 bag.
We also bought a heaping basket of gorgeous (and delicious) tomatoes for $5. This charming little market is a breath of fresh air on an otherwise gloomy stretch of Lawrenceville Highway.
Sherry’s Produce
3863 Lawrenceville Highway
Tucker, GA 30084
770 934 6090
Two Empanadas
Inside the Empanada
Grilled Steak with Garlic Marinade
Medium Rare, Nicely Done
(loads of garlic can be seen clinging to the bottom of this steak)
Served With Chimichurri
And, Accompanying Fried Plantains, Cabbage Salad, Avocado, & Rice
Fried Pork Cutlet With Fried Yucca, Cabbage Salad, & Avocado
And, Passion Fruit Juice For Dessert
La Casona
3820 Stewart Road
Atlanta, GA 30340
770 458 6657
Eggplant, Sausage & Bacon Pizza
Eggplant, sausage and bacon make for a killer combination on this thin (but, not too thin) crusted wood-fired pizza. The touch of smoke provided by the wood-fired oven adds another built-in element of something special. That sharp smoky bite complemented the tender, buttery eggplant perfectly.
Shorty’s Pizza
3701 Lawrenceville Highway
Tucker, GA 30084
770 414 6999
BBQ Beef Brisket, Fried Okra, & Potato Salad
Over the years, we could best describe our visits to Spiced Right as a mixed bag of luck. But, it was all good on this visit. No, we take that back. It was all great. Really great. The BBQ Beef Brisket was particularly moist, tender, smoky and delicious.
Pulled Pork, BBQ Beef Brisket, Fried Okra & Potato Salad
BBQ Spare Ribs, Cornbread, Corn Souffle, & Hashbrown Casserole
Tender, Succulent & Smoky BBQ Spare Ribs
The spare ribs were another standout. And, that’s high praise for a meal that hit all the right notes. From start to finish, cornbread, sides and all of our BBQ’d meats were stellar.
Super Rich, Creamy, & Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Corn Souffle
Moist & Smoky Chicken Paired With The Spare Ribs
Spiced Right Smokehouse Barbecue
If our next visit stacks up to this level, we’ll adding Spiced Right to our BBQ restaurant rotation.
Spiced Right BBQ
5364 Lawrenceville Highway
Lilburn, GA 30047
770 564 0355
BBQ Spare Ribs
Another visit to Tipsy Pig Barbecue… And, we were rewarded with another mountain of fantastic ribs. Just the right amount of spicy, peppery rub brings out the best in this pile of lusciously tender, smoky ribs. So moist and tender, no sauce was needed.
But, Tipsy Pig’s hot barbecue sauce is incredible. The regular version of barbecue sauce is nice, too. But, it’s really all about the hot sauce with big flecks of crushed red pepper and a burst of vinegar that’s “just right”. It’s this hot barbecue sauce that we pour all over our pulled pork sandwich.
Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwich
We could have happily eaten this sandwich “as is”. The huge mountain of pulled pork in this generously stuffed sandwich was moist, tender, smoky, and all-around delicious. Their hot barbecue sauce takes it to another level. A higher level.
Brunswick Stew and Mac & Cheese
The Brunswick stew was chock full of smoky meat and corn. So good…
Mac & Cheese
This is one tasty mess of ooey gooey, cheesy macaroni. Just a guess… But… We’d say these aren’t a low calorie food item. This order of mac & cheese was richer, tastier and significantly cheesier than that of our last visit.
The gorgeous pork (spare ribs & pulled pork), crave-worthy hot barbecue sauce and Brunswick stew will keep bringing us back. Again and again. There is no denying that this is quite a drive deep into the burbs. But, is it a drive we’re willing to make? Hell, yeah!
Don’t forget, the ribs are available on Friday & Saturday ONLY!
(Hours: Tues-Sat from 11:00am – 8:00pm)
Tipsy Pig BBQ
(Located on the Inside of a Shell Gas Station)
3020 Five Forks Trickum Road
Lilburn, GA 30047
770 885 5313
Saffron Rock Candy & Tea
This will make a lovely accompaniment to this weekend’s morning tea… or coffee.
Earl Grey & Cardamom Sugar Crystals
Many of the teas are “buy one get one free”. So, we did. Also, we happily grabbed a bag of cardamom sugar crystals and a version of chocolate hazelnut spread that we’ve never seen before. Next time we’ll be sure to try one of the many nut blends at Shahrzad… probably one of the spicy ones.
Sadly, we completely forgot about green almonds this year. But, next year we’ll be frequent visitors of Shahrzad in late April/early May. Now, we have at least two green almond sources in Atlanta!
Shahrzad International
6435-A Roswell Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
404 257 9045
Polvorones
AKA Sprinkle Cookies…
Whether you cover these in sprinkles or dip them in powdered sugar, these crumbly sugar cookies are just plain yummy.
Apple Stuffed Cake
This simple rectangle of dense cake is stuffed with a super sweet jam-like apple filling. It’s super rich, delicious and very dangerous. Each rectange is HUGE. We shared one piece. And, still, we almost needed to be rolled to the door.
Hojaldras
Puff Pastry… Here, it’s shaped into a ring stuffed with pineapple jam and topped with sweet shreds of coconut. We both loved this combination of sweet coconut and pineapple jam.
This flaky pastry was filled with a thin layer of jam. Still, it’s lovely paired with a strong cup of coffee.
Pan Dulce Relleno
A nearly foot long sugar-coated “donut” roll without the deep frying? Love it. Ok, sure… they’re still dipped in butter, rolled in sugar, and stuffed with strawberry jam. But, hey, at least they aren’t deep fried. That’s something, right? These are a simple, yet tasty indulgence.
It’s what’s for breakfast! These clearly won’t be making a daily appearance. But, every once in awhile? Why not? At just over a dollar, these are an inexpensive treat that feels like an indulgence. As a matter of fact, all of these treats cost just over a dollar. That’s one bargain we’ll be happy to take advantage of again and again.
Plenty of pan dulce (or sweet bread) are available here. One of the most commonly seen are conchas. Conchas are rolls topped with a thick butter and sugar paste. Sometimes, that paste may flavored with cinnamon. Or, it might be plain or brightly colored. The paste is then carved into decorative shapes… usually swirls or arches to give them their traditional seashell appearance.
They have puerquitos (dense gingerbread piggies), cuernos de crema (cream filled horns) and besos (the kissing cookies stuffed with jam, brushed with butter, and caked in oodles of sugar), too.
Who doesn’t love sprinkles?
What if those sprinkles coat barely sweet, buttery sugar cookies? Just say yes. Yes, please. The kid in both of us can’t resist these simple sprinkle-coated, crunchy-crumbly giants.
Panaderia @ Assi
1630 Pleasant Hill Road
Duluth, GA 30096
770 921 4989
Clusterfluff
Finally… a new Ben & Jerry’s flavor that we not only like but downright LOVE! Sweet peanut butter ice cream, caramel clusters, fluffy marshmallow swirls and peanut butter swirled throughout, this is one killer combination of yum.
Since we both love it, it’s sure to disappear in the not-too-distant future. Then, we can go back to hating Ben & Jerry’s for killing yet another flavor that we loved.
Bonnaro Buzz
Can it be? Another new flavor to love? Yes, sure enough, it is. This is another winner. Coffee and malt ice creams swirled with whiskey caramel and English toffee chunks. Divine. This might even be better than Clusterfluff. At least one of us thinks so, anyway.
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
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