Westsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide

There were a couple of places I’d been dying to get to on the Westside for some time now, so I decided to take advantage when I had a dance class to go to over there.First stop, Star Provisions. Yes, I know I am probably the last food lover in all of Atlanta to go there, but what can ya do. Having been fantasizing about it for a few years, I always pictured it to be a massive place along the lines of my beloved Alon’s. I was quite shocked that it was so small.

Tragically, I wasn’t too hungry when I went there (damn 95 degree weather!), so I mostly just wandered through it. I’ll admit it was a bit intimidating. While I enjoy cooking, I am by no means a gourmet, and the place specializes in top-of-the-line meats, cheeses and seafood that I know very little about and wouldn’t necessarily go shopping for unless Rachael Ray told me I needed them for a recipe and I couldn’t find them at Kroger.

In addition to the counters of high-quality ingredients, the market also sells a cute collection of kitchenware. While I liked a lot of it, it just felt too fancy for me to actually purchase.

I felt a bit more at home at the prepared foods counter, which serves up a variety of hot and cold dishes, breads and sweets. If I’m back in the area again (I live nowhere near it), I will have to stop by and give this counter another go. I particularly had my eye on the house cured salumi stuffed bread. Alas, on this sweltering hot day the only thing I could fathom ordering was their soft serve. Lucky for me, one of the topping options was – get ready for it – olive oil and sea salt!

Knowing my tastes for the unusual, I knew I’d enjoy it, but didn’t know how much. The flavor combination of the sweet vanilla and the savory oil and salt was out of this world! I only wish they’d layered in the oil and salt instead of putting it just on top because after a few blissful bites I was left with just a plain old cup of vanilla ice cream. In any case, this was so amazing I am definitely going to try to recreate it at home ASAP.

I also felt a little uncomfortable when it came time to eat the ice cream. I didn’t want to go outside and pass out, and the inside boasted some large picnic tables, but I wasn’t quite sure if they were just for looks or not. Luckily, the woman who rang me up read my mind and assured me I could sit there. Even though people were browsing and shopping around me, I started to feel a bit more comfortable as I sat and savored my treat. Being such a sophisticated establishment frequented by foodies from near and far, I had expected the service to be pretty stuffy, but everyone was very friendly and helpful.

Star Provisions is located in the Westside Urban Market, which also contains the glitzy restaurants, Bacchanalia, JCT Kitchen and Quinones, as well as the more casual Figo Pasta and the ever-yummy Taqueria del Sol. It is also next to a funky, industrial development called White Provision, which mostly contains a slew of fancy art galleries and furniture stores, as well as another high-end restaurant, Abbatoir.

Overall, this area (with the exception of Figo, which I don’t really like, and Taqueria del Sol, which I love), is just a bit too fancy for me to visit regularly, but I imagine it’s quite the dream come true for the gourmets out there.

My post-dance class stop was more my speed – very bare bones. Korea meets Mexico at Hankook Taqueria – or does it? Having an overwhelming love of both Asian and Mexican fare, I was ready to be blown away by this place. I have to say, however, that my beef taco tasted much like any other taco I’ve had before. I wasn’t really hit by any obvious Korean flavors. The sesame fries, though, were quite interesting. I wasn’t really sure where the sesame was going to come in, but basically these were French fries cooked in sesame oil – very delicious and unique flavor! While the melding of Korean and Mexican flavors promised by the restaurant’s menu didn’t quite come to life through my taco, I will definitely be returning here to try a few more items. I’m way too curious, and the food is way too cheap, to not give some of their other offerings a go. The atmosphere is great too. No frills, no fuss, diverse crowd, solo diners to large groups and everything in between. Stay tuned...