Vosges — Woolloomooloo Bar
Roasted macadamia nuts with salt, Indonesian coconut, hemp seeds and deep milk chocolate…
When you bite into this rich & creamy milk chocolate bar, you might be biting into an exotic chocolate truffle. The flavor of roasted macadamia nuts, hemp seeds and coconut mingle to create the likings of one yummy, nutty truffle-like center of what could be a high end truffle. But, it’s not a truffle. It’s one large bar of chocolate.
So rich, this is one great bar to share. Break it into small pieces. Then, take turns savoring each bite slowly.
Love it.
Vosges
Alon’s Bakery & Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781
Tunisian Spicy Tuna on Ciabatta
Mixed with a fine dice of potato, capers, and red onion, this tuna dressed with olive oil stood the test of time (a wait of at least 30 minutes before we were able to devour it) . If anything, we believe it might have even improved with the extended wait. The ciabatta was hearty enough to hold up to the moist interior of this sandwich. Harissa spread onto the bread added a nice, mostly mild heat and became one with the ciabatta. But, the crust still managed to retain it’s crunch. For us, this sandwich makes a perfect meal on the go. This is exactly the type of fast food we crave. And, we’ll definitely be adding the Tunisian Tuna to our sandwich rotation.
Roast Lamb with Sweet Onion Marmalade on Ciabatta
Pink, tender and luscious… as always. If we wanted to be picky, we might say there was a touch too much onion marmalade. But, that would really be nit-picky. Super-ripe tomatoes added another touch of savory sweetness.
Cherry Tomatoes & Mozzarella
Neither one of us was a fan of their choice of mozzarella. But, super sweet cherry tomatoes were bursting with freshness… literally. That saved the dish for us.
Alon’s Bakery & Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781
(The El Norteno on Jimmy Carter)
Carnitas
Grilled Chicken
Salsas
El Norteno
5528 Jimmy Carter Blvd.
Norcross, GA 30093
678 646 0365
Spicy Basil Lamb Chops
Crispy fried vegetables accompany the lamb chops served over a spicy basil sauce decorated with mushrooms, onions and red pepper. Two of the slightly smaller chops were cooked closer to medium than medium rare. But, they were still juicy and tender.
Salmon Curry
This was a nice dish with properly cooked slices of salmon. But, we would have enjoyed a few more vegetables. White rice was served on the side for both dishes.
Thai Chili
2169 Briarcliff Road
Atlanta, GA 30329
404 315 6750
Costillas Espanolas
Fall-off-the-bone tender ribs in a wash of spice stained olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. This was the best savory dish of the night… by far.
Fried Yucca with Two Sauces
Fat chunks of yucca are nicely fried with soft, tender interiors. This is what yucca should taste like. Served piping hot and sprinkled with salt and chopped cilantnro, these were a welcome change from the poorly handled yucca we’ve seen elsewhere. Often, you see stringy, starchy, mealy interiors when the yucca isn’t handled properly. Not here. This dish was a pleasure to eat. Accompanied by mojo and garlic aioli, it would be greedy to ask for more… wouldn’t it?
Empanada de Pato
Filled with tender pieces of finely chopped duck leg and pepper, this is one satisfying pillow of meat topped with rich cilantro cream.
Ceviche de Coco
Many veggies and little shrimp. But, it was “fine”. Crispy plantain chips added a hard crunch.
Ternera Fricanado
Visually and texturally unpleasant, this dish of veal was unfortunate in many ways. It was overcooked. So, as you can imagine, it was tough, chewy and the opposite of full of flavor. It’s a dish that offered little… except for a knockout mouthful of garlic. This dish has the added distinction to be the very first time we’ve ever been served a bad dish of veal. Ever.
Chorizo Casera
(AKA Chorizo Sliders)
These would be easier to eat if the buns weren’t so… what’s the word? Yucky. Sadly, that is the word. These unpleasantly doughy, crumbly grocery store buns put these in the forgettable column.
Tres Leches
Soaked with three milks, this cake square manages to retain its structure. And, even with the drizzle of caramel this lovely hunk of cake manages (somehow) to not be too dense or cloyingly sweet. As far as tres leches are concerned, that is. By its very nature, tres leches will always be a very sweet cake.
Pan Chocolate
One great big world of yum…
This gorgeous bread is toasted to a cispy golden brown perfection. Then, it’s topped with dark chocolate, sea salt crystals and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s mine! All mine…
Eclipse Di Luna
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 205 5862
Sugar Crusted Brioche Bun
One Brioche Bun + One Cappuccino = The Perfect Weekday Breakfast
Alon’s Bakery & Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781
Mysore Bonda
Vegetable Bonda
Mixed Vegetable Parotta
Gobi Mutter
Devil Potato
With a name like Devil Potato, you might expect something fiery hot. Not here. This was an unexpectedly mild, yet tasty dish of potatoes and onions in a thick sauce of tomato, chilies, and spices.
And, Special Milk Tea
The tea was the one real disappointment. We’ve ordered this tea many many times. And, this was the first time it wasn’t quite right. It was bland and watery. We both noticed that it was significantly less creamy and flavorful than we’ve experienced on every other visit. There was barely a hint of cardamom.
Saravana Bhavan
2179 Lawrenceville Highway
Suite V
Decatur, GA 30033
404 636 4400
Eggplant Makki Ki Roti
Described as roasted eggplant with caramelized onions and tomatoes, we were hoping for a deep roasted eggplant flavor with an almost meaty richness and a touch of sweetness from caramelized onion. But, this dish had a stewed taste. And, there was quite a tangy bite to it. The same tangy note that you notice in barely simmered tomato sauce.
Samosa Chat
Our two small potato samosas were topped with tamarind chutney, cilantro mint chutney, yogurt and freshly chopped cilantro. But, we didn’t see roasted cumin. They were still tasty and enjoyable.
And, Chai Tea To Finish
Bhojanic
1363 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30033
404 633 9233
Samosa Chaat
One big, crispy golden brown samosa is filled with spiced potato and peas. Then, it’s topped with chole, yogurt, freshly chopped cilantro, tamarind chutney, cilantro mint chutney and sprinkled with amchur and other spices. Chat Patti’s version of samosa chat has it all. That’s why we’ve eaten this perfect snack/meal more times than we can count over the years.
Another Chole Chaat
Bangla Chaat…
This time chole is topped with onions, tamarind chutney, cilantro mint chutney, freshly chopped cilantro, and crispy fried chips made with flour. Chips on top allow for added crunch.
Sweet of the Day
Chat Patti
1594 F Woodcliff Drive, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
404 633 5595
Sweet, warm and comforting…
These freshly made (And, did we mention warm?) gulab jamun brought our meal to a homey end.
Generally speaking, we aren’t huge fans of the buffet restaurant concept. In execution, they tend to border on the frightening. But, this well-kept example of the genre was a pleasant experience. The food itself? Overall, it was tasty yet mild. One might say they’re sparse with the spice. Another might say much of it was bordering on the bland. Still, pleasant surroundings and friendly staff made for a very enjoyable lunch.
Is it worth the drive north? Probably not.
What if you happen to be on the very north edge of the burbs? Sure, check it out. If we’re that far north and in the market for an early lunch, we’d revisit.
Sri Krishna Vilas
5815 Windward Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770 475 9195
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