Chocolate Hazelnut & Oreo Cheesecake
This is one killer combination. I don’t know which flavor I love more. And, I love the color and crunch of the sprinkles. (my sugar cone was dipped in chocolate as we waited and generously covered in gorgeous multi-colored sprinkles) The freshly dipped cone really adds a nice touch. The chocolate melts almost instantly on your tongue. Perfection!
Oreo Cheesecake & Butter Pecan
Yeah, we’re not kidding. We both LOVE the Oreo Cheesecake. You can almost see that this waffle cone’s (also freshly dipped) chocolate dip is still soft and melty. Yum! The butter pecan is incredible, too. A hint of maple (syrup, maybe?) adds a lovely touch of unique flavor.
Morelli’s Ice Cream
749 Moreland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30316
404 622 0210
For close to ten years, Pig N Chik has been our go-to BBQ spot for a quick meal. And, out of all of those meals, we’ve never been disappointed. Not once. We order the same thing every time… pulled pork and Brunswick stew. Sometimes, we’ll throw in an order of potato salad or mac’n’cheese. But, if we’re eating at Pig N Chik, the pulled pork and Brunswick stew are mandatory. The pork is always tender and delicious with the perfect amount of smoke. On the rare occasion that we have room left for dessert, the Chocolate Madness cake is seriously dangerous.
I think it’s fair to say that if we’re living in Georgia, we’ll be eating at Pig-N-Chik.
Pig N Chik
4920 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
404 255 6368
Fentiman’s Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger
Ginger and juniper extract add a pleasant jolt to this “botanically fermented orange drink”.
Almond Croissant
We are not early risers. So, to reward ourselves for the first time we were up before 8am this year. We decided to mark the occasion with a visit to Alon’s. We were there as the doors were opening at 7 am. (It’s a miracle.) And, we were rewarded with croissants… still warm from the oven. We were in heaven. There is nothing more delicious than the taste of warm marzipan melting on your tongue. Well, almost nothing… The taste mingling with the rich buttery perfection of Alon’s croissants flaking and crumbling under your delicate bite makes it even better.
These might not be my favorite bagels in the city, but, they’re pretty darn good.
And, surprisingly, this one was enjoyable after sitting on our counter for two days in the Alon’s paper bag.
Alon’s Bakery & Market
1394 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 872 6000
St Louis Style Ribs & Pulled Pork
We can sum up this visit in one sentence. Everything is better. From the ribs and pork to the Brunswick stew and collards, every little bit of our meal was significantly better on this visit. While the ribs and pulled pork might not have the same rush of smoke we get from DBA & Fox Bros., they make up for it with near-perfect melt in your mouth tenderness. The picture (above) might not be the best looking plate we’ve seen. But, the stacking of meat kept each and every bite warm and moist.
We both got a nice mix of tender meat and perfectly charred bark. The flavor of the pork really shines here. The chary bits taste more of perfectly-caramelized pork than smoke. Very yummy.
Brunswick Stew
This Brunswick stew was full of rich tomato flavor with generous amounts of meat and corn. A nice amount of spice brings it all together. Oh my goodness… No lima beans! For both of us, this is a positive. With the lima beans out of the picture, the chunky tomato broth can better highlight the flavors we love.
This poor plate of brisket & pork stumbled into bad lighting.
But, don’t let this horrible picture fool you. Every last bite of this brisket was full of powerful beef flavor and the perfect amount of smoke. We loved (Loved!) this brisket. And, it was one of the highlights of the meal. ( I don’t know why it looks a bit dry in this picture… it wasn’t. Every bite was moist and tender.)
The one teeny tiny negative? The very ordinary white (smashed & soggy) toast. How do they manage to smash each and every piece of toast? And, why is it so soggy and not at all toasty?
Community Q is inching it’s way up our list of go-to BBQ spots.
But, so far, no one can come close to Fox Bros. BBQ.
Community Q BBQ
1361 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30033
404 633 2080
Featherwise Farm Eggs
Community Q BBQ offers a handful of great items provided by Georgia farms. I couldn’t resist Featherwise Farm’s eggs for $4.75 a dozen. Good thing, too. They’re fabulous.
Sparkman’s Unsalted Butter
We’re also loving this incredibly fresh butter from Sparkman’s Cream Valley Farm.
Featherwise Farm Eggs
Sparkman’s Cream Valley
Available at:
Community Q BBQ
1361 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30033
404 633 2080
Sandwich Special AKA The Ferdinand Sandwich
This is one great (and huge) sandwich. Thinly sliced prime rib, ham, cheese (Swiss, I think, it was completely melted from a few minutes under the broiler.) and thousand island-style sandwich dressing. Next time, I’d definitely ask for the sandwich without the dressing. It’s rich enough without it. And, I prefer the brown gravy served on the side. The gravy was a bit too salty, but, I still couldn’t stop dipping my sandwich into it.
The trip under the broiler caused the prime rib to be on the well side of done. Next time, we’ll try ordering the prime rib rare.
Mountains of Fries & Fried Chicken Tenders
Both fries and chicken breast pieces were nicely fried. We ignored the bbq sauce and honey mustard in favor of the brown gravy from the other dish. When dipped in the brown gravy, it was reminiscent of “chicken fried chicken”. I can’t remember enjoying fried chicken strips this much… ever.
J Alexander’s
4701 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30338
770 512 0153
Chicken & Ribs Combo with Sweet Potato Casserole
We’ve had dozens of great meals at KC Pit (old location). Sadly, this is the first visit I would label as a disappointment. I’ll be the first to admit that we did arrive at an off time (well after 2pm for lunch). But, both chicken and ribs were luke warm and predominantly dry. The rib on the end was tettering into jerky territory. The interior rib was just “ok”.
The sweet potato casserole always reminds me of sweet potato pie filling. I mean this in a very good way. I treat it as a dessert. But, I miss the days when each platter was accompanied by two sides. Now, I’m forced to choose between collards OR sweet potato with a $17 combination platter.
Burnt Endz & Ribs with Collards
This was more of the same. Both ribs and burnt endz were a bit past their prime. Since this is the first time we’ve ever been disappointed by KC Pit, we’ll write this off as bad luck… this time. But, with high quality Que all over town, this isn’t the sort of meal that has us craving a return visit any time soon. This makes us quite sad. We remember a time when KC Pit had some of the best barbecued chicken in town.
KC Pit BBQ
6317 Roswell Road, NE
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
404 459 6497
DBA Barbecue’s Sweet Potato Fries
We both think these might be the best sweet potato fries in Atlanta. We can’t get enough of them. Crispy on the outside, yet, tender in the middle… yum!
Chock full of meat, this bbq beef brisket chili is hearty enough to be a meal. It’s mildly spiced, but, we both loved the slightly bitter chili powder combined with the smoky beef. And, the bite of raw red onions added an interesting jolt.
Oh yeah, those onion rings don’t suck either. Super-crisp breading envelop sweet onion slices. I openly admit that I’m a fairweather fan of the giant onion ring. But, these were seriously addictive.
I wish I could have more… now.
Both chicken breast and spare ribs were super smoky, moist, tender and delicious… again.
At first glance, this chicken appeared to be over-done. Once we sliced into it, we saw that the interior was shockingly moist and tender. While the skin was a bit over-smoked, the meat was delicious. The flavor of rich chicken and smoke was distinct in each bite.
And, the roasted creamed corn continues to be one of our favorite parts of the meal.
Bacon-Bourbon Manhattan on the rocks
This time the Manhattan with bacon bourbon had a saltiness to it that was not present on a previous visit. From memory, we both thought the Manhattan was significantly better on that previous visit.
D.B.A. Barbecue
1190 North Highland Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 249 5000
I wish we’d seen this sooner…
Rosebud
1397 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 347 9747
Sausage & Pepperoni Calzone
The Inside: generously stuffed with meats & cheese
Thicker along the edges and thin in the middle, this smart construction allows all of the dough to cook properly. Every inch of the exposed dough achieves a pleasantly golden crust. We’ve never had to worry about a raw interior at Ida’s.
Jerk Chicken Pizza
Grilled jerk chicken diced into small cubes makes an interesting topping. I’ve loved it since the first taste at a Mellow Mushroom over 10 years ago.
Ida’s Pizza Kitchen
1340 Pleasant Hill Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770 817 0666
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