NO! Burger

Maybe I’m just getting high maintenance in my old age, but I tried out YEAH! Burger on the West side yesterday and I just wasn’t that impressed. The atmosphere I would describe as fast-food funky, and the noise level (being in an echo-y loft-style space) I would describe as offensive. Hearing the noise before even crossing the street from the White Provision complex across the way, I opted to get my burger to go to avoid the hubbub. Unfortunately I was still subjected to at least 20, maybe 25, minutes of it while I waited in the bar area for my burger.

Granted I did not try any of their fancy cocktails, shakes or fries with dipping sauces. This visit was strictly business as I bustled between various events/appointments on a Sunday afternoon and needed a bite to eat. But the burger I got was just not that great, and if you’re called YEAH! Burger, you had better make a good burger in my book.

I opted for the special, a lamb burger, as I have experienced several blissful dreams at night about the lamb burger I had a few weeks ago at Leon’s in Decatur. Unfortunately this one did not live up to my expectations. The flavors were there, but were unfortunately masked by being overcooked, the charred bits overshadowing both the meat itself (apparently seasoned with rosemary and garlic) and the burger’s toppings (lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and basil mayo). Such mouthwatering potential, but a no go, especially for $7.99 (just for the burger). For that price, I’d rather go gorge on multiple cheeseburgers and orders of onion rings at The Varsity if I ever find myself starving and on a tight schedule in this area of town again.

Leon's Full Service - Not a gas station!

I have been intrigued by Leon’s, the gastropub formerly known as gas station, for quite some time. The atmosphere, the dipping sauces, the bacon in a glass – they all kept dancing in my head like visions of sugar plums. So when my boyfriend asked me where I wanted to eat during the Decatur Book Festival, the answer was clear (especially since he was paying to “help a starving writer out” – so charming).

Leon’s is one of those places where you can sit inside and feel like you’re outside. Not because of unpleasant reasons like the sound of whizzing cars or passerby gawking at your plate, but because it’s extremely bright and airy inside. Tables are moderately close together, but not in a “sorry I knocked your fork out of your hand” kind of way, and it was quite crowded when we were there, yet not too loud to leisurely plan our attack of the book fest. We were also seated within five minutes despite the hoards of festival-goers waiting to be seated. Overall the atmosphere was euphorically pleasant compared to other “trendy” places I’ve been to in Atlanta, as were the servers. Downright peachy even!

It was the unique menu, however, that had me at ‘hello’. My boyfriend got the trout gyro – love trout, love gyros but never had them together. The combo worked very well. I, however, could not pass up that day’s sandwich special – the lamb burger with chevre and fruit jam. It was juicy, sweet and salty all at the same time – perfect trifecta!

Now let’s talk about Leon’s famous pub frites with a Disneyland selection of dipping sauces. I figured if I was going to eat fries, I might as well go big with the bacon mayonnaise and goat cheese fondue. And not wanting to be outdone, the boyfriend also had to have the bacon mayonnaise, but cleverly supplemented it with the less-likely-to-clog-your-arteries spicy mango sauce. Our deary of a server informed us that double dipping in bacon mayo, then barbecue sauce resulted in the rich, meaty taste of a pulled pork sandwich (true story!), so she brought us an extra sauce on the house. In fact, she brought us three extra sauces for free because the sandwich and frites combo is only supposed to come with one sauce. I am glad Leon’s recognizes that people are primarily there for the childlike experience of dipping fries in as many sauces as possible just like we used to do at McDonald’s, and is therefore not at all stingy with the goods.

The one negative I’ll throw out there is that the frites were a little too charred for me. I don’t really like the taste of burnt stuff, but I realize some people do so it’s cool. It was nothing a little goat cheese fondue couldn’t fix! Incidentally, I also realized towards the end of my meal that the sauces made a great extra condiment for the sandwiches too. Duh! Obviously dipping a lamb burger with goat cheese into more goat cheese could only make it better. (I think my boyfriend got hip to this trick way before me because I noticed that most of the spicy mango had mysteriously disappeared.)

Overall, Leon’s was a superb place to fuel up before a few long hours of festing. Since the number of fests in Decatur seems to be infinitely multiplying, I’m sure I’ll be back at Leon’s one day. Next time I will save room for dessert, as our peachy waitress seemed pretty sad that we did not try the peach cobbler. And I can’t blame her. Since she declared that she only eats when she’s at Leon’s, I am sure she knows exactly what we missed out on. The drinks looked tempting too, but I had a lot of daylight ahead of me and I didn’t want to let it down.

Sugar Shack - I'll be back!

As a resident of Brookhaven, I have been dying for the Sugar Shack to open on Peachtree. More and more eateries are slowly popping up in the area, but we still lack a chill place to grab a sandwich or coffee. While it seems my excitement and anticipation might have been a bit out of proportion, Sugar Shack is a decent spot.

Dropping in on a Saturday afternoon, I was certainly impressed with the crowd that the shack had attracted. Apparently I wasn’t the only one anxiously awaiting something unique in the neighborhood. While the pack made the tiny dining area look downright miniscule, there is outside seating that I’m sure will be put to good use once the temperature drops below 90.

I’d had a generous breakfast the day I stopped in, but I still managed to taste two sandwiches and two cupcakes. The turkey and gouda sandwich was palate-pleasing and hearty. All of the flavors blended together very well so that no one flavor was dominant. The smoked salmon sandwich was also good, but half the size of the turkey. Quite tiny, which is why when I originally ordered the turkey and my boyfriend got the salmon, I ended up with half the turkey and half the salmon. Overall the sandwich selection is creative and solid. I’ll definitely make another appearance to try both the prosciutto sandwich and roast beef panini.

By far the biggest focus of the Sugar Shack is its desserts (hence the name). The cases and countertops are overflowing with every kind of temptation imaginable – cakes, cupcakes, cookies, bars, muffins, brownies and more. Throughout the time I was there, my eyes were firmly transfixed on this cornucopia of goodness. I was dumbfounded by how many desserts they had, and also pondered how on earth they were going to sell even a fraction of them before they went stale.

While my eyes devoured all of them, just two of the desserts made it to my mouth – the coconut and cuatro leches cupcakes. The coconut was satisfyingly sweet with a strong punch of coconut flavor, but the cuatro leches was truly special. The “leches” made it so moist that it was completely void of any of the dryness that cupcakes often suffer from. A real treat indeed!

Overall, the shack made a favorable impression on me. I no longer lie awake at night dreaming about it as I did before it opened, but it will surely see my face again – probably sans make-up on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I decide to have cake for breakfast, and of course try one of their many coffee drinks.

Varasano's

I checked out Varasano’s in Buckhead just to make sure my assessment of Fritti having the best pizza in Atlanta was accurate. I’m proud to say that it was. I got the same exact thing at Varasano’s that I’ve gotten a couple of times at Fritti – Caesar salad and salumi and olive pizza. The Caesar at Varasano’s was okay, but lacked the tangy bite prevalent in the Fritti salad. As for the pizza, the salumi was tasty (but when isn’t it?), the olives were a bit too pungent and I could have used more cheese. The crust, though, is where I really had an issue. It was essentially charred, so every bite was overpowered by the taste of burnt dough. The pie was also on the greasy side. Overall, the flavors just did not balance out well for me. It wasn’t horrible, but definitely does not hold a candle to Fritti.

As for the ambiance and decor, it was definitely very Buckhead. Minimalist, sleek and subtle. While I’ve complained before about the elbow-to-elbow seating and chaotic raucous of Fritti, it definitely feels more like an authentic pizzeria experience than Varasano’s.

Sandy Springs Farmers Market – An Unassuming Oasis of Top-Notch Treats

After seeing 1,000 posts about them on Twitter, I had been dying to hit up at least one of Atlanta’s farmers markets. After reviewing its list of vendors, I chose the Sandy Springs market based on the treats I could acquire there as well as its relative proximity to my home. (Getting out before noon on a Saturday can be tricky.)

Pulling up to the market, it looked fairly small, but I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to struggle at all for parking, as it takes place in the parking lot of an old, abandoned Target. Despite its relatively small stature, the market makes up for its size with the amazing array of treasures it offers up.

Let’s start with the peaches. Over the years I have been relatively confused about Georgia’s top standings in the peach world, as the ones I’ve purchased at Kroger have been small, very mild in flavor and generally lackluster. When I moved here I was expecting the softball sized, super juicy variety of peaches that I used to find in China of all places.

Based on my lack of success in finding those gems here, I almost kept walking when I saw the Georgia Peach table at the market, but the line intrigued me and I took my place at the back. For $5, the kind vendor gingerly placed seven of the largest peaches I had seen since 1999 in Asia in my brown paper bag. As the super sweet juice from the first bite dripped down my chin, I knew I would not, after all, have to return to China for a good peach.

Peaches definitely dominated this market. I got some ginger peach ice cream from one of my Twitter stalkees, Westside Creamery, which was very flavorful and hit the spot in the blazing sun of the July morning. My most amazing find at the market was the yogurt from AtlantaFresh Artisan Creamery. Typically when it comes to yogurt I can take it or leave it, but my interest was strongly piqued by this creamery’s unique flavors. By the time I got to their table at around 10:30 am, they were already sold out of the Tropical Sweet Heat Flavor, which I most had my taste buds set on, but the three flavors I ended up purchasing – Black Cherry & Port Wine, Ginger Peach and Vanilla Caramel - did not disappoint. I could actually taste the wine in the Black Cherry & Port Wine, which blew me away, as did the other flavors. At $2 a piece, these yogurts are not cheap, but they are so far beyond what you can find in the grocery store in terms of both creaminess and flavor that they are well worth the extra investment.

Another terrific find at the market was the “sweet homemade seasonal breads” from Breadwinner. Having made an appearance on Food Network, these guys have been on my radar for awhile now, as have some of the other vendors at the market, so it was fantastic to get to try them all in one spot. The cannoli bread I bought from Breadwinner was sinfully tasty. Crusty on the outside and moist on the inside (much like a cannoli), I can’t get enough! At $15 a loaf and I-don’t-wanna-know-how-many calories, these breads cannot be a weekly purchase, but are definitely a great option for special occasions or intermittent splurges.

I’ve always been intrigued by flavored, dried pastas but have never purchased them. After all my other splurges, I figured what the hay and picked up a pound of lemon garlic flavored pasta from Pappardelle’s. It definitely added some nice flavor to my meal, but probably not $8 worth, which is what it costs for a pound. Last but not least, I purchased some Maple Ginger granola from a very nice lady with Goodness Gracious! Granola. Being all natural, it’s a little on the raw side, but still tasty, especially with milk poured over it.

Overall, SSFM was a very entertaining place to spend a Saturday morning. I have my boyfriend so excited about AtlantaFresh that we’re returning this weekend!

Have you called Jenny yet?

I must admit I’ve never been that big on soup, but I was recently taunted to go over to Souper Jenny in Buckhead for lunch by the promise of a free treat from the King of Pops. (Per my previous post, stalking of the King is officially under way.)

Souper Jenny is a homey little café where everyone seems like a regular and you feel like you’re eating in someone’s home – a very crowded home – but a home nonetheless, complete with super cute bowls for serving up the soup. Jenny’s crew is very friendly and chatty, and despite the chaotic ordering process, you really feel like you are cared for when you set foot in the door.

In addition to running the café in Buckhead, Jenny is also a dominant force in the Atlanta street food movement. She takes her own fare on the road with a food truck, and is a strong supporter of other street vendors, hence her collaboration with the King of Pops on the day I was there.

The free pop came with the $12 lunch deal, which includes any two items from the menu, along with a drink, roll, piece of fruit and dessert. The dessert is typically a cookie, but on the day I went it was all about the pops.

While waiting in the substantial, but speedy line, my eyes narrowed in on one of the sandwich offerings on the chalkboard menu. (The menu changes daily and is also available on Jenny’s web site and via email.) I began to salivate as I pictured the turkey sandwich with havarti, arugula and pineapple/zucchini marmalade I was about to order. Since Jenny is famous for her soup, I figured I’d better order some of that too, just to give it a whirl.

Even though I’m not a soup fanatic, I definitely enjoyed my chilled curry squash soup topped with a generous dollop of tangy yogurt. I also felt very sophisticated savoring this dish at my desk while my co-workers ate lean cuisines or bad salads from the office “bistro.” On to the sandwich – OH MY GOD! It was even better than I had imagined. I am still daydreaming about the perfect blend of meaty, creamy, spicy and sweet stuffed into a pillowy soft, perfectly chewy bun encrusted with a few slices of dried fruit. So enticing, yet comforting at the same time. I am so glad I got to try this euphoric delight.

As for the pops, I decided to continue with my pineapple theme and went for the pineapple ginger. WARNING – only get this pop if you are really into ginger, as it is quite powerful. Lucky for me, I love ginger, so it was a success. I have to say, though, that it definitely felt different eating this pop at my desk in the AC as opposed to last time when I was darting through the streets of downtown under the scorching sun. Under the sun is definitely the way to go when consuming a pop. After all, trying to eat the whole thing before it melts all over you is half the fun!

A Mexi-korean Lunch with Yumbii

When I heard that the Korean taco truck also known as Yumbii was going to be in Buckhead recently, my lunch plans were solidified. After receiving the truck’s exact location via Twitter, I quickly spotted its vibrant colors bursting from behind the trees like an oasis amidst a desert of towering office buildings.

The truck had already gathered a respectable crowd of very intrigued patrons who peppered one of the owners with endless questions about her business and the Atlanta street food movement in general, all of which she graciously and enthusiastically answered while helping to facilitate the food orders.

When it came my turn to order and chat, I found out that she also owns a clothing boutique in Buckhead called Rebecca, and that her son came up with the idea for the Yumbii truck during their frequent trips to LA (where food trucks roam free and don’t have to feed the masses on the DL like they do in Atlanta).

This was my second rendezvous with the Yumbii/Hankook Taqueria entity (Hankook being the restaurant component of this venture, Yumbii being the truck). At Hankook I had the beef taco (tasty, but not super Asian-tasting) and the sesame fries (uniquely delicious and very Asian). From the Yumbii truck I scored a chicken burrito. It was quite spicy (bonus!) and definitely had an interesting combination of flavors that kept me on my toes.

Overall, I think my palate is still trying to figure this Mexi-korean cuisine out. Of course, there’s only one way to do that – see you next time, Yumbii!

Joli Kobe

I finally checked out Joli Kobe the other day after hearing about it for years. The curry chicken salad sandwich I had was tasty, as was the ginger dressing served with my side of greens. My lunch was on the pricey side, but I was served quite a large portion and it was perfectly satisfying.

The issue I have is that I’ve heard people totally RAVE about Joli Kobe over the years, and I just don’t get it. I mean it was fine, but not the cultural wonderland I expected. The concept is unique – a French/Japanese bistro on one side and bakery on the other blending the flavors of Europe and Asia. Maybe I just built it up too much in my head? It seemed mostly French to me...or American for that matter.

I had also heard amazing things about the ambiance here. I didn’t get the full experience because the AC was up too high for me to sit inside, but the interior looked fairly typical to me. They also don’t have table service outside, just a few tables you can sit at if you order your food at the bakery and bring it outside in take-out containers. Outside seating is very important to me!

To be fair, I was too full to try a pastry, though I was intrigued by the Asian buns filled with unique flavors like red bean, sausage and Yakisoba. Next time I am in the area I vow to pick one up to make sure I give Joli Kobe a thorough investigation.

In love with Helen

Helen is a well-rounded little lady. She boasts both peace and tranquility and hustle and bustle. If you take in both like I did, she makes the perfect hostess for a weekend getaway in the mountains of North Georgia.

After countless weekends of raucous parties at my apartment pool, I decided I had to get out of the city for the 4^th. Based on my aversion to large crowds of loud, rowdy people, I went with a semi-secluded cabin in the mountains. While I only had the Internet and the word of the kind folks at Georgia Mountain Rentals to rely on, I ended up picking a next-to-perfect little hideaway. The cabin I chose – five miles from Helen, GA next to Unicoi State Park – was quiet, cozy, surrounded by nothing but trees and equipped with cable TV, a DVD player, hot tub, gas grill and almost all the proper tools I needed to whip up several tasty, down home meals for myself and my boyfriend. Success!

One of the tasty grilled creations we made at the cabin!

While lounging, cooking and eating are always very satisfying activities, I also do like to get out a bit and take in my surroundings whenever I travel (even if it’s just an hour and a half away from Atlanta). Helen served as the perfect destination for a quick romp through society before returning to seclusion. Built to look like an alpine village (think Bavaria, Germany) and stuffed with as much kitschy, touristy stuff as possible, it is ripe with photo opps as well as unhealthy pub and festival fare such as pizza, ice cream, fudge and funnel cakes. There are also many cheesy souvenirs to be had, and a street performer or two for good measure.

The best thing to do in this ultra tiny tourist mecca, however, is rent a neon inner tube from a company like Cool River Tubing for $5 and float yourself down the river. While this is very fun, don’t expect it to be a relaxing experience. You will be surrounded by dozens of strangers throughout your float, and if you are too cheap to pay $5 extra dollars for a push stick (like me), you will need to rely on many such strangers to push or pull you off of rocks when your tube gets stuck (which it will many times).

If you’re looking for a less crowded tourist experience near Helen, Unicoi State Park is the place for you. For a $5 parking fee, you can hike several trails of varying lengths and difficulty or have a picnic at one of their many pavilions. You’ll definitely see other people in the process, but not that many. There’s also a lake beach there, which is nice for a quick dip, but not so peaceful since it’s very tiny and kids love to swim (and to scream while swimming). If you’d like to see a waterfall, you can do that too by driving about three miles down from Unicoi and paying another $2 per person. Worth it for me since I love a good waterfall!

All in all, Helen was a blissful weekend getaway destination. With mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, a break from the city heat AND several mullet sightings, who could ask for more when celebrating America? The town even launched fireworks, which I was planning to go see, but my hot tub/s‘mores coma got the best of me.

Crab Stick and Cucumber Stir Fry

So when my boyfriend suggested crab sticks for dinner the other night, I had no idea what he was talking about. It turns out crab sticks are little pre-cooked, processed morsels that taste like crab but are actually made up of fish parts and other fillers. Sound good? Well, it was. Real good.

Since I have 1,000 Asian spices and sauces in my kitchen, I decided to stir fry these bad boys with onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame paste, chili paste, sliced cucumber and a mix of canola and sesame oil. The result was a nice nutty flavor with a kick. The crab sticks themselves have a bit of a sweet taste, which blended in well with this combination.

I did (partially) ruin this brilliance by putting it over a couple packs of Ramen noodles I’ve had in the cupboard forever. Next time I will definitely put this mixture over a more quality noodle so as not to insult its integrity. I will also cut the crab sticks into smaller bites before stir frying. (I thought they would break up in the wok, but they didn’t really.)

All in all, I consider my foray into crab stick cookin’ to be a success, but I am definitely anxious to give it another go now that I know these little guys deserve my full attention.

Urban Picnic - Worth the Trek

I work in Buckhead, so I am super excited that I was able to make it to the Urban Picnic downtown today – and I was only away from my desk for one hour and 10 mins! Anyone who lives in Atlanta knows that is a major feat based on traffic and parking in this town. But after hearing incessantly about the Atlanta street food movement and the awesome cuisines on wheels infiltrating the scene, I just had to make it to this mecca of portable goodness.

Once I navigated down 400, then 85, found a place to park and walked a few very sweaty blocks to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, my time at the picnic was limited, so I had to choose wisely and quickly. After perusing each of the six or seven carts/trucks on the premises, I decided to go with the Good Food Truck based on the novelty of its offerings, as well as the King of Pops because, well, he’s the king!

The Good Food Truck surprised the hell out of me by serving me a savory, curry-flavored waffle cone filled with cold samosa potato salad and mint yogurt. Anyone who is not intrigued by that combo has to be insane. On its own, the potato salad and yogurt mixture was pretty good, but combined with a bite of the cone it was heavenly. The cone was (thankfully) a little bit sweet, as one would expect, but also spicy – I want more!!! I will definitely be adding this truck to my stalker list so I can try some other crazy delicious cone flavors.

Based on the insane hype, I knew the King of Pops iced treats would be good, and I was right. The pineapple habanero popsicle was right on. I feared the habanero would be lost in the mix, but the pop was definitely spicy. Overall, it boasted a great balance of flavor. Being pretty piggish, I usually go for heavier/creamier desserts over such healthy fare as popsicles, but I’ll likely be stalking the king as well. There are just too many tantalizing flavors on his chalkboard menu to ignore.

I would have liked to sample a few more items, but I could only hold so many things on my run back to my car for a prompt return to the cubicle. While the Good Food Truck was kind enough to secure my curry cone with foil, I would definitely recommend that the Urban Picnic vendors travel armed with to-go accoutrements for the unfortunate souls who don’t work/live anywhere near the action. Then we can buy/eat more of your stuff!