Vietnamese Udon with Crab, Shrimp & Pork
Fat, chewy udon noodles swim in a rich broth garnished with fried shallots and cilantro. But, that’s not all. There’s also a crab claw, crab meat, shrimp, a hunk of pork, mushrooms and a plate filled with mung bean sprouts and herbs. It’s more than a meal.
BÚN ĐẶC BIỆT
Rice noodles topped with grilled pork, shrimp, egg rolls, chopped peanuts and pickled vegetables.
Yum.
The picture really says it all. It was a perfect blend of savory grilled meat and shrimp with peanuts and bites of egg roll for crunch. Herbs and pickled vegetables added touches of freshness. Each bite was filled with a new blend of flavors.
Broken Rice with Grilled Pork, Shrimp, Egg Roll and Pickled Vegetables
(The egg roll barely made it into the shot.)
All of this on a frigidly cold day with a bottomless pot of hot jasmine tea …what more could anyone want? We could eat like this every winter day.
Thanks to The Blissful Glutton’s Bliss List 2010 for inspiring our visit.
Quan Ba 9
4285 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
404 636 2999
Dark & Stormy
Spicy hot “in your face” fresh ginger flavor, this was a cocktail with a kick. Refreshing? Yes. But, there was a bit too much ginger. The alcohol was lost under it. It would be nice to taste the rum.
And, we’re still loving the charming little bitty baby bottles of Coco-Cola served with a straw.
Gorgeous golden brown pub frites, this picture doesn’t do them justice. Each and every fry was seriously perfect. They’re crispy on the outside with tender, creamy centers. Rich potato flavor is present in every bite. Now, if only the accompanying catsups had some of the kick that our cocktail possessed. Both the madras curry and spicy mango catsups, were different variations on sweet and tomato-y.
Seared Veggie Loaf
(with Roasted Cauliflower, Shitake Mushroom and Sun-dried Tomato Salad on top of Pecan Romesco)
And, the Brutti Ma Buoni Award goes to… Yep, you guessed it. It’s the veggie loaf. We’ll probably never tire of this dish. You’ve gotta give it to a restaurant that has you craving their veggie loaf. So rich and satisfying, we’re in a drowsy comfort food haze half way into this generous portion.
Arctic Char
(with a Warm Salad of Toasted Orzo dressed with a Caper-Mustard Vinaigrette)
About as attractive as a dish of arctic char and orzo can be, it is the taste that truly matters. This dish made us happy, too. Arctic char with a perfectly crisp exterior yielded to the gentle pressure of our fork with a tender, moist, and flaky interior. Topped with a preserved lemon relish, this generous mound of warm orzo salad was simultaneously light and filling. Though, we would have enjoyed some sort vegetable in the orzo salad.
Leon’s Full Service
121 East Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404 687 0500
Ethel M’s Dark Chocolate & Caramel Milk Chocolate Bars
The Dark Chocolate Bar — Incredibly good!
The bar starts with a nice snap. But, as soon as it hits your tongue it begins to melt. Smooth & creamy with complex flavors in the deep dark bittersweet chocolate. This is what dark chocolate should taste like. Love it!! We’ve sampled some very high end chocolate and this little bar makes our top 5 list with ease. Sadly, Ethel M only sells their artisan chocolate bars online. So, we’ll need to find a way around this dilemma.
The Caramel Milk Chocolate Bar — Good
Pleasantly creamy, this milk chocolate bar with liquid caramel interior is reminiscent of Godiva’s. But, Ethel M’s bar offers creamier milk chocolate. And, the liquid caramel filling plays off of that advantage. Not only does the caramel appear richer and butterier, the hint of salt brings out real depth in the caramel. It teeters close to that flavor of “burnt caramel” in all the right ways.
Verdict:
These are two very nice bars and they’re an incredible value for the ridiculously low cost.
(Pssssst… Honey, I know what I want for Valentine’s Day.)
Ethel M Chocolates
Lady’s Nights on Friday & Saturday
Bread Basket with Spiced Olive Oil
Fried Goat Cheese on Greens with Honey Drizzle
Shrimp & Grits
Wahoo with Smashed Potatoes & Mixed Veggies
While we enjoyed our meal, nothing really stood out to us… other than the mostly pleasant retro vibe of the place.
(But, if the fried goat cheese had a more generous bed of baby greens and a touch lighter hand with the honey, it had the potential to be a real winner. We’ll give them another chance… some day.)
Sage Woodfire Tavern–Perimeter
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
770 804 8880
Las Vegas Hilton by Night
…and by day
New York, New York
The Rio’s Buffet
Who’s got time to focus?
A nice room service meal
More Room Service
An Ordinary Chili Dog…
…and Buffalo Sliders
Gingerbread Pagoda
The holiday season is alive and well in Vegas. This convention dinner and dessert offered some of the best food eaten in Vegas on this trip.
Good food… bad lighting
Chocolate Coffee Bean Petit Four
Another Bite-Sized Dessert
Sorbet Lollipops
Chocolate Truffle (covered in even more chocolate)
Don’t forget those last-minute airport slots… they’re eager to eat the rest of your money.
A few things made it on the plane with us…
…some Ethel M Chocolates
And, a digital postcard that was (unintentionally) entertaining
Las Vegas Hilton
Rio
Amargo Chuncho
One of the mandatory ingredients in a Pisco Sour.
Pisco Sour
serves 2
4 ounces Peruvian Pisco
1-2 ounces simple syrup
2 ounce lemon or lime juice
1 egg white
dash of chuncho bitters
Combine all in a bar shaker with ice and shake vigourously. Strain and pour into two old fashioned glasses.
(Or, combine all ingredients in a blender with just enough ice to chill the mixture. Liquify.)
Chuncho, Fee Brothers, Bar Code & more
Party season isn’t over. There are plenty of gift swaps, white elephants, Super Bowl parties, and your every day sort of get togethers left to attend. And, Toco Giant has a nice assortment of bitters to splash into those cocktails that you’re bound to serve.
Toco Giant
(or Toco Hills Giant Wines)
2941-A North Druid Hills Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
404 320 9330
JCT’s Lobster Roll
We can’t agree on a best meal of 2010. We’ve had too many divine meals in 2010 to even know where to begin. But, we can offer a two-way tie for best sandwich. JCT’s lobster rolls burst with perfectly cooked lobster on a soft, fluffy, buttery roll. This sandwich illustrates perfection in simplicity.
JCT’s Shrimp & Oyster Po’boy
Crispy, feather light breading coats the shrimp, while a denser coating on the oysters is equally crisp and delicious. Then, these fresh out of the fryer pieces of seafood are placed atop a salad of dressed shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. The hearty griddled roll is given a schmear of remoulade. And, it’s time to wrap your lips around one fabulous sandwich. It’s Out-of-this-World sandwich perfection… period.
Perfect batches (every time) of super crisp fries helped to push these two sandwiches to the top of the heap.
JCT Kitchen & Bar
1198 Howell Mill Road
Suite 18
Atlanta, GA 30318
404 355 2252
The McRib
There are no words to describe the absolute and utter regret we felt after taking the first bite of this abomination. It was horrible. The formed meat patty of unknown origins was unidentifiable. It had absolutely zero flavor. And, the excessive amounts of low grade barbecue sauce only magnified the absence of flavor in the rib-shaped patty of meat by-products.
Are you thinking of becoming a vegetarian? This could push a person over the edge.
Hearty Vegetable Soup with Whole Grain Bread Stick
This tastes shockingly better than it looks.
Grilled Rainbow Trout with Lemon, Carrots, Asparagus & Potatoes
Can you believe this huge plate overflowing with grilled rainbow trout, roasted carrots, asparagus, and potatoes has less than 475 calories? Grilling the lemon half was a touch of genius. We wish more restaurants did this. We love the way it mellows the juice. And, as an added bonus, the lemon is easier to squeeze. With the exception of a touch of butter brushed on the trout, this is one incredibly healthy and delicious dinner. As a matter of fact, we’d happily eat this every weekday night.
Since we were being so incredibly good, we didn’t feel one bit guilty ordering a bottle of Rioja, Sierra Cantabria Crianza. It was perfectly smooth, delicate, lightly fruity and entirely lovely.
Buffalo Burger with Guac & Salsa
This was a nice, lean buffalo burger with decent flavor. But, it won’t be winning any “best of” awards. The whole grain bun gave us the lowlight (opposite of highlight) of the meal. It was accompanied by a pleasant (yet more than a bit boring) salad of mixed organic greens.
We’ll be back for the grilled trout at Seasons 52… soon.
Seasons 52
90 Perimeter Center West
Dunwoody, GA 30346
770 671 0052
Happy New Year!
Manhattan, please.
Tender, flaky & buttery croissants start the meal.
Pecan-crusted Trout with Acorn Squash & Toasted Almonds
Looking for a light meal after the frenzy of holiday eating? This isn’t it. After starting the meal with buttery croissants, why not continue the theme. Sauteed in butter, this pecan-crusted, butterflied trout is drizzled with a dijon butter sauce. Light will never be a word used to describe this dish. But, it is quite tasty.
French Dip and Mac & Cheese
Another healthy meal… in your dreams. But, we’ll worry about that next week. The prime rib was perfectly medium rare. And, the mac & cheese at J Alexander’s was dangerously good (as usual). Yum. It’s too rich for words with toasty, crispy crumb bits topping their cheesy goodness.
J Alexander’s
4701 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30338
770 512 0153
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