martyparty's Profile
Looking for great crab cakes
The crabs are steamed with lots of Old Bay, which of course gets in the meat when you pick them. Other than that, we really didn't season the cakes much, except for a little salt and pepper to taste (usually not even needed due to adequate seasoning from the Old Bay). There was never any mention of Coleman's :)
Weird use for Old Bay: put a (very!) little in chili while it's simmering. A friend told me to do this and it adds crazy depth - and nobody can guess what it was you added
best fish and chips in ATL
Having become addicted to fish and chips over years of business travel to the UK, I have tried a lot of offerings around town, and I believe the best is at Miller's Ale House just off 400 on Mansell Rd. You get a huge single fish fillet, properly battered and fried. This is often a lunch special (quite the good deal). At dinner, you get a couple of sad hush pupplies. Ignore them. I recently had the Rose & Crown version...smaller fillets so you get more breading/less fish. It was OK. Taco Mac changed their product about a year ago, and although it's a few smaller fillets, it's usually not bad. But Miller's is delicious and the closest I've had to authentic in the US.
Just around the corner. Where is the place to eat before/after a Braves game?
Haven't heard back from anybody regarding the Buckhead Life food stands, but I did just hear that Kevin Rathbun has a steak sandwich stand at the Ted. The meat looks BEAUTIFUL. Supposedly there's nothing revolutionary about the sandwich, except the $15 price. However, this would make a very nice alternative to sad pizza/nachos if you do eat at the game. And I will be giving it a try.
Looking for great crab cakes
Went to Stony River yesterday for business lunch. They are doing "seafood week" or something and they offered a crab cake app, so I got it for my lunch entree. That plus some of their delicious rolls was plenty for me. I thought it was really pretty good, mostly nice fresh crab meat with some panko on the outside. They DID have some finely chopped redd pepper and shallots mixed in with the meat. The manager came around and I complimented him on it and told him I had read about it here. He said that they had just altered the recipe about 3 weeks ago. He said formerly, there was nothing mixed with the crab, which I would have much preferred. But, coming from a really picky crab cake eater, it passed the test, although with points off for the pepper and shallot. :) Thanks for the recco. I hope to try some of the others on the list. Or maybe just get myself up to MD during the season.
Just around the corner. Where is the place to eat before/after a Braves game?
Do they still have Buckhead Life restaurants doing concessions on Lexus level? Years ago, THAT was some nice stadium food.
Otherwise, do the right thing and go to the Varsity.
Looking for great crab cakes
Jboeke, you have both a good point (asking about the % crab content) and an illustration of the problem: servers will just tell you what they're told to tell you. I don't really blame them. It sounds like AFM's crab cakes are probably pretty nice! I suppose I should just develop my own recipe and make them at home. Too bad I don't speak to my ex-mother-in-law; she has an excellent recipe!
Looking for great crab cakes
I have no problem sending something back that's improperly cooked, such as an undercooked shrimp or overcooked steak. However, I don't send crab cakes back because their recipe is actually flawed or they are purchasing poor pre-made product. There's a reasonable chance that people who haven't had good crab cakes have no idea that these are bad. I like to think that the fact that a $10-15 appetizer going virtually uneaten would be a message, but I know that's probably not the case. If a manager is working the room and asks how things are going, I'll usually say something though. You do have a good point ;)
Best Bakery for Cake
+1 for Alpine Bakery in Roswell if you are looking for something special. It's not far off of 400 so it's an easy drive (except for rush hour). The raspberry white chocolate cake is gorgeous and delicious. The black and white is outstanding. I was responsible for dessert for 2 occasions this weekend, so I also got to taste the chocolate raspberry "wedge" and the adorable, girly napoleons. All fabulous. Be prepared to lay down some cash. A "small" (large!) rasp/white chocolate cake plus 1 chocolate wedge and 2 napoleons were just under 50 bucks. Absolutely worth it in taste, quantity, and wow factor.
Want Real 'Cue in ATL
Fat Matts boils their ribs. Ick. I also don't consider Fox Bros a chain ??
Really excellent barbecue can be found at Sam’s BBQ1 in Marietta, Zeigler’s in Acworth. Both are worth the drive. Look for the Atlanta Magazine BBQ issue for full reviews of these and many other places. For something just a bit different, I have heard wonderful things about Heirloom BBQ near the intersection of 285/75 (Akers Mill rd?). I plan to try it asap since I have had very good reccos from very picky friends.
Indonesian/Malaysian Restaurant?
+1 for Penang. My sister lives in rural south GA and you can bet where we eat whenever she comes to town for a Malaysian fix. If whole fish (cooked any way) is on the menu, it's wonderful.
Looking for great crab cakes
Where in Atlanta can you get really good crab cakes? By "really good" I mean mostly crab meat, with very little (if any!) filler, possibly just enough to bind the cake together. I spent many summers in Maryland, so I am pretty spoiled on this.
I was disappointed yet again after ordering crab cakes in Atlanta. The latest offender was Sage Woodfire at Perimeter. $10 for one nice-sized appetizer crab cake, served with a small amount of arugula and some type of slightly spicy aioli. I'd say it was more than 50% filler. I could barely eat 2 bites.
I have found that if you start trying to get servers to tell you whether their crab cakes are great or crap, either they don't know the difference or they're going to lie and tell you that they are awesome, when they are not. I have tried asking about how much filler goes in, etc, but servers are rarely able to make that distinction. I've also tried asking if they are made in house; servers say of course. This type of interrogations is kind of rude and embarrassing for my tablemates. So I end up ordering and paying for crab cakes I do not eat.
The one restaurant group in town where I have found crab cakes just as good as those found in high-end places in MD is the Sedgwick Group (Aspen's, VG Bistro, etc.) Theirs are amazing, but I'm looking for other options as well.
Thanks
If you're going to Atlanta, and someone tells you to go to The Varsity...
1. Why would anybody ever ask for a pepsi???
2. Seeing as how the V is 2 blocks from Coca-Cola world headquarters, it'd be pretty rude/stupid for them to serve pepsi.
3. This is Atlanta. Coke money pays for all manner of philanthropic efforts. We serve Coke.
Not meaning to be rude, but Coke is even more of an institution here than the Varsity ;)
PS: I do Looooove a chili-only dog and some fries slathered in ketchup.
Best Italian restaurants in Atlanta and environs . . .
Oscar's Villa Capri in Dunwoody - small, unique, and wonderful food
For everyday family dining: Ippolitos (we go to Sandy Springs). Inexpensive, huge servings, very consistent with excellent daily specials.
-----
Sandy Springs Cafe
6065 Roswell Rd NE Ste 100, Atlanta, GA 30328
Ippolitos
350 Town Center Ave Ste 103, Suwanee, GA 30024
Restaurant recommendations for north ga--Clayton & Dahlonega area?
I disagree about Smith House. Had fond memories of going there as a child which did NOT live up to adult expectations. The ham was of the canned-ham variety, and all the vegetables appeared to be canned. The fried okra was the kind you buy frozen with the thick batter layer, not the lightly corn-meal-dusted kind I prefer. The fried chicken was OK, but they did not bring enough pieces to go around our communal table and we had to repeately ask for more.
For Southern cooking in Dahlonega, I prefer Danny's on Route 60 just before you get to town from 400. NOT fancy, and not a huge number of choices, but very good.
For something completely different than that, we just had lunch at Bourbon Street Grille on the square. It was really nice...good Louisiana style cooking. We sat on the porch (balcony really) and it was lovely. The shrimp and grits were really good.
Atlanta Chowhound planning trip from SFO to Hearst Castle and Back
Thanks, I knew my original question was too broad.
I have worked and visited the area before, so I know Cupertino is quite a distance from San Fran, and we'll be going up to SF for a day, back down to Cupertino for a day, then down the coast. On days 2 and 5 anything in Cupertino/San Jose/Mtn View/Sunnyvale/Palo Alto will possibly be our goal.
That info about the route being closed is both helpful and sucks! I'll have to look it up.
Thanks for the link to the guide; I'm sure it'll be very helpful. I'll check the other board for Monterey and San Simeon destinations.
The boyfriend is not a big foodie, so the really high end places are wasted on him. We mostly want to find local, perhaps family run places that give a real feel for a given neighborhood or city. We've eaten in chinatowns from San Fran to NY to London, so I'm not so much interested in that unless it's something really unusual.
Anyhow, I'll keep researching and thanks for the good advice to date!
Atlanta Chowhound planning trip from SFO to Hearst Castle and Back
One night in SFO, two in Monterey, one in San Simeon, then back to SFO.
Interested in non-chain local places. Variety of price ranges would be nice. I know the scope is huge...just looking for ideas to get us started. We're staying near relatives actually south of San Fran (Cupertino) so we may only make it into town maybe once.
Ideas much appreciated. I'm searching the forum for threads on Monterey and San Simeon as well.
flour
@ cvalga: can you tell us what is so special about this flour? Does it have certain special attributes or is it particularly good for certain purposes? You have piqued my curiosity :) If you have difficulty finding Five Roses, many southerners swear by White Lily flour for baking, so maybe you could try that.
Peter Chang's new restaurant
That's awesome! The review plus comments pretty much sum up what we're saying here (both of us) and on CL blog as well. I REALLY want to love this place. Has anybody told them to get some lights out by the river, b/c the view is great but it's wasted at night. I've seen ads in CL for "English speaking" servers for Cheng's, so I guess they're working on it, but what if the English speaking server can understand you and can't explain the food or communicate with the kitchen? I hope they work it out. I do feel ten bucks is excessive corkage if all they're doing is opening the bottle and they can't offer you an alternative anyhow.
Cheers, Chief!
Peter Chang's new restaurant
Haha chief, you are very amusing. I hope that you and Peter are very happy together. You make a great couple and I think he's very lucky to have you :)
Peter Chang's new restaurant
We aren't counting the pork chops, which my friend who did not want to try Sichuan ordered. The other items, however, were either on the sichuan page or the chef's specialties page, if I recall (I was specifically avoiding the "American" page). Bottom line: my friend and I have ordered 6 entrees there, all of which sucked. Doesn't matter which page they were on. If you go to an Italian restaurant and your dumb friend orders the chicken fingers, should they suck just because they're not Italian? Is the intent to drive away customers who may not be into the Sichuan? Driving away customers sounds like a poor business plan.
Peter Chang's new restaurant
You totally miss my point. I said that DESPITE being a spice wuss, I had NO problem with the spiciness. It was great! The problem was that our meats were cooked the fuck to death, to the point that we could barely chew them. If we ordered jerky, I'd expect the almost impossible chewiness, but I ordered lamb chops and was unable to bite pieces off. We sent the duck back for the exact same reason, but were expected to pay for it anyhow. As for taste, what I omitted mentioning earlier (because I didn't want to be piling on) was that other than the nice spices on the meat, teh accompaniment had NO seasoning. The broccoli with my lamb (which was supposed to be snow peas) had NO sauce or seasoning of any kind.
It's sad that so many people are just blind sycophants to this guy. I REALLY wanted to like this restaurant, but it was a huge disappointment. As for not trying enough things, I think trying 6 entrees (over the course of 2 lunches and a dinner) is giving the guy a decent shot. Which he missed.
Thoughts on Atlanta Steakhouses.
Curious why Ray's on the River doesn't appear on this list. I know that Rathbun's et al are great, but I was under the impression that they're more suits-on-expense atmosphere, and it sounds like a spousal birthday would prompt a more romantic setting. I'm not providing a recco (although sweetie and I had a great meal w/a great view at Ray's) b/c I haven't been to some of those that come highly reccommended. Just curious why Ray's doesn't make the list.
-----
Rathbun's Restaurant
112 Krog St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Ray's on the River
6700 Powers Ferry Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30339
Peter Chang's new restaurant
Really wanted to get excited about the new Chang restaurant. Love the location, excited to try his spicy cuisine. A friend and I both went there separately for lunch 2 weeks ago and found out we both planned to give it a second chance for dinner, so we went last week. And we won't go back, sad to say. They have solved many of the service problems that were noted immediately after opening - we had mostly excellent, attentive, knowledgeable service. The only odd thing was that in the nearly empty restaurant, we were seated immediately next to the kitchen doors, which meant we got to listen to the lively kitchen conversation and the banging of the doors. This got entertaining later. There were three of us, and we ordered pan fried dumplings (tough but tasty) to share and soups all around. As at lunch, the standout of the meal was the soup. The wonton was a revelation: thin, dainty, al dente pasta wrapped around ginger-infused filling in a deep, rich broth. My friend waxed equally eloquent about the hot n sour. Then the disappoinment began. The crispy duck was so oily and overcooked, we sent it back, producing a certain amount of entertainment based on the screaming and dish-slinging that ensued in the kitchen. My very generous lamb chops (8 for $24) were, unfortunately, cooked to death, too, but we had to eat something. We felt the duck (at two chili peppers) and the lamb (at one) were actually equally spicy. I am a spice wuss, so I think most people will be happy with the spice level. Our friend had ordered pork chops, which were mild (per her request) and they were fine, with the exception that (like the duck) they had been cleavered with all bones and prepared in big bony chunks. I like meat on the bone as much as the next person, but some pieces were just plain bone. The first piece of duck I picked up was just part of a leg bone, no meat at all. As I've seen reported elsewhere, what's on the menu is not necessarily what you get. That's OK with me as the substitutions were reasonable (ex: bok choy instead of pea pods). Although we asked for the duck to be removed from the bill (having had only two tiny tastes, then rejecting it) we were haggled with and they finally agreed to charge us only half (WTF?). I guess we're dealing with some of Chang's notorious "soup nazi" tendencies. That's cool if it goes hand in hand with genius, but overall, we were not at all happy. One last nit: they are totally missing the boat on the cool location! I love that space, literally hanging out over the Chattahoochee with giant pane windows all across the back. But at night, there is no lighting on the river side, so you might as well be in a windowless room. I'm sad. I hope they work out the kinks.
Atlanta Pizza
If you like the Antico/Varasano style pizza, you might try Il Bocio near the Lindbergh Marta station. I love their pizzas, they have a nice sit-down environment that's unpretentious, it's relatively inexpensive, and the staff is friendly. They have other menu items that all look great, but I am addicted to the pizza. They also have a full gelato bar.
For the north side, I like Hearth Pizza kitchen in Whole Foods shopping center on Roswell, just barely OTP.
Kerala Brass Pans (Re Anthony Bourdain No Reservations)
I'm watching a rerun of the episode right now and as soon as I saw the Urli, I started googling. WANT. Somebody could make a mint.
Restaurants in Helen, GA
If nobody replies w/info about finer dining, you might try searching for info on the restaurants at the wineries associated with GA's "wine trail". I think some of them are pretty nice.
Restaurants in Helen, GA
I love this question, and consider it somewhat funny...IS there any fine dining in Helen? I would not know b/c I don't think of Helen as a fine dining destination so much as a loopy, fun, casual destination. We go there annually during Oktoberfest. IMHO, the only way to dine in Helen is on the river, particularly if you're going when it's warm and pretty. We ususally eat at the International Cafe, mostly b/c of its location. We also eat at the place across the street (can't remember the name) that's basically an outdoor pavilon. You have to walk past a nicer looking place to get there; I think it may be Paul's. Maybe somebody will post a review of that. We've also eaten at the Festhalle...not sure when that's open when it's not O-fest. All the little places we've tried have no-frills brats, kraut, and german potato salad type entrees, which to me is the point of going to Helen. In general, it's very much like the food I had when traveling to Germany. I'm pretty sure ALT Heidelburg (not on the river, but on main st) has very authentic German food and more substantial entrees such as schnitzels. I understand their new chef is fresh from Germany. The only place I don't recommend is the Toad (???) which sits almost below the bridge, right smack on the river. Location was great, beverages, great, nachos, terrible. Maybe we should not have gotten nachos, but there are only so many times you can eat brats in a single day :) PS: I hope you like beer.
Looking for a Memorable Fine Dining Experience Close to Perimeter Mall
I think justin means Villa Christina, which is very good.
Nothing is closer than La Grotta! I haven't eaten there in years, but I remember it being amazing.
Very nice but perhaps not as fancy as the others is Chequers, a couple of blocks from the hotel.
Other steakhouses right around there include Flemings, and McCormick and Scmicks.
Alon's is great for lunch if you enjoy great sandwiches and some foodie/gourmet shopping. Otherwise, there are a number of places right across the street at the mall, pretty much clustered together. Chequers would also be good for lunch.
I'm not sure about breakfast...we never eat breakfast out...but if you're not from a place that has Waffle House, you should go there. There's not one smack on top of Ravinia, but there are a couple just an exit or 2 down the road.
-----
Villa Christina
4000 Summit Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30319
Lunch in Buckhead, casual, preferably deck or patio
Having lunch with a colleague on Weds and the weather's supposed to be gorgeous so I'd love to dine al fresco. Needs to be fairly close to the Piedmont/Roswell/Peachtree triangle.
Thanks!
