trappedartist's Profile
12 Day trip To Italy: Venice, Verona, Florence, Rome, Positano/Sorrento, Capri. Where do I start???
jmby - That is interesting that you really liked Antico Dolo. We had an absolutely horrible meal there. Because we had a large lunch that day, we ordered two simple fool-proof menu items (or so we thought). My gnocchi that tasted like miniature bricks -- heavy and laden down -- and my husband ordered spaghetti with bolognese that was fine but nothing exceptional.
Best cheese course in Atlanta
Agreed. Bacchanalia's is beautiful and they bring out the various cheeses on a tray so you can choose which you would like.
Just moved to JAX... need to eat! =0)
You know, even though the restaurants here aren't great, the produce and meat tends to be fantastic so we end up cooking in a lot. We especially love Seafood Gourmet (the best seafood my husband says he has ever eaten) and the Jacksonville Farmer's Market. If you haven't tried those, check them out. I have lots of thoughts on where to buy produce/meat in JAX, so let me know if you want more thoughts.
Just moved to JAX... need to eat! =0)
We moved down from Atlanta and have also had a tough time finding places we like to eat.
The BEST we've found are:
French Pantry: Oh so yummy. This place is only open for lunch on weekdays but well worth going out of your way. Their bread is served at many other restaurants in town (1171, Pastiche). Their cheesecake is what I dream of when I dream of cheesecake: light and velvety, not weighed down by too much cream cheese, sweet but not cloying, and bound by a buttery graham cracker crust. I cannot overemphasize how good this place is. Their ambience is horrible (basically a warehouse off University) but the food more than makes up for it.
Lemongrass Thai - Cool interior from former cooks at Pom's Thai. Best Thai that we have found in the city.
Metro Diner - Good, greasy diner food. Love the Challah on the Square.
Pepe's Hacienda - Mexican restaurant attached to a Mexican grocery. It's not the best Mexican I've ever had but the best I've had in Jacksonville. They use good fresh ingredients. Leans more towards true Mexican food than Tex-Mex.
Matthews - Upscale restaurant but the only upscale restaurant that is really worth the expense in this city. Recently, they've been putting coupons in the weekly mailer for $20 off a $100 dinner, which we recently used.
Heirlooms Cafe: We have only been here once so I can't say definitively that it's the best in the city but we had a darn good brunch here. Novel usage of fresh ingredients.
Mojos Barbeque: Good barbeque. Good sides.
Mossfire Grill: I think Mossfire Grill is probably somewhere in between the mediocre and the best restaurants, actually, but, to give it the benefit of the doubt, I'll place it in best. Reasonable nouveau Tex-Mex.
The MEDIOCRE we've found are:
Bistro Aix: We don't really understand the hype. The food is good but not great and tends to be fairly greasy. But, it's better than most in the city.
BBs: Salads and desserts are very good. Pizzas and entrees are pretty good but not great. We go there only for salad and dessert (hey, we have to balance out the healthy with the unhealthy).
Basil's Thai: This place can be hit or miss. We've had good meals here and we've also had really lousy meals here. I think the trick is to stick with curries and noodle dishes here because their other food isn't that good.
BAD restaurants in the city (so so many):
La Nopalera: We tried this place twice because it was so near our house but found the food to be disgusting. Much prefer Pepe's.
1171: I have no idea why this place gets accolades. Boring, unseasoned food. And way too expensive.
Row Restaurant: Same as 1171. Cute house but bad food.
Biscottis: I know that BBs and Biscottis have the same owners but we've found BBs to have generally much better food.
River City Brewing: Bleh. But great views if you go there for drinks.
Any Indian restaurant: Indian food in this city is just bland, mediocre, and Americanized.
Middle Eastern restaurants: We've been to Layla's in San Marco and Casbah. Both were lousy. Hala looks promising since they make fresh pita, so we will try there next. Zaitoon at the beach is supposed to be good but we haven't tried it.
Taste of Thai: Not good.
Italian/Pizza: We've been to La Cena and found the food to be overpriced and uninspiring. A pasta restaurant in Riverside (can't remember the name) was reasonable but service was horrendous. We aren't big fans of Pizza Palace or Vito's pizza. The best we've had is Picasso's Pizza (right next to the Whole Foods). But, we want to try Moon River which is supposed to be really good.
Sushi: We've been to several and have been unimpressed. We've tried Sake House, Sushi Rock Cafe, and Sushi Cafe and found all three to be pretty lousy; Sake House was the best of the worst though.
I'm excited to hear that there is a reasonable Vietnamese restaurant out at the beach! We've been avoiding trying the Vietnamese places here because bad Vietnamese tends to be really bad.
Best Indian in Atlanta
We thought Vatica was good. I liked the host too. When we were there, the vegetable was eggplant which was very good.
I haven't been to MSB in a while because we kept on getting horrible service and the food tasted incredibly spicy and salty (and I am South Indian). I totally agree about MSB slipping ---- it used to be a phenomenal restaurant, but now it is very mediocre and I think that is largely due to too many people going there.
Rose of India is very good. Best Indian that I have had in Atlanta.
There is a teeny tiny place that is, I think, dying from lack of support, called Annapoorna in Tucker, which had very good food. The wife and son were very nice and it was a pleasant experience. I would suggest checking it out --- they do both north and south Indian, but they are a south Indian family.
I am also a big fan of Chaat Patti --- good, authentic, and spicy chaat.
There is absolutely no way that Atlanta's Indian food even remotely compares to New York or San Fran Indian. The problem is that many (though not all) Atlanta Indian restaurant owners try to cut too many corners, and often end up using inferior ingredients, and covering them up with salt and spice to make it taste better. Honestly, that's the reason that I've stopped going to MSB and others in the city.
Atl - Decatur/Dekalb - Marriott Century Ctr?
There is also an Ethiopian restaurant on Clairmont right next to your hotel. It is in the shopping center across from the IHOP and right next to I-85 on Clairmont (probably a mile from your hotel). The name of the restaurant is called Meskerem. I haven't been there but have heard from others that it is good.
I think Moya is a good suggestion, too, because it is located near other good restaurant, and not too much further away.
Atlanta, GA Dining Suggestions????
I am not a fan of Canoe --- food is only mediocre for the price --- though it does have stunning views. If you are going to be in the city and willing to pay that type of money, I would suggest Floataway Cafe or Food Studio for similar price and FAR superior food. If you really want to be wowed, head to Bacchanalia for the best food in the city.
LOVE Agnes & Muriels --- our favorite Southern food in the city with great veggies and ribs. We really are not a fan of Colonnade --- their veggies taste like they are from a can and meat was unexceptional. South City Kitchen is fun upscale "nouveau-Southern" cuisine.
Woodfire Grill is good.
Of all the ethnic food in the city, I think the city has exceptional Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Check out Tamarind or Nan, or if you're willing to drive a little, L'Thai for great meals. For cheap options, there are so many great ethnic finds and other places, that you need to narrow down your thoughts before we can give you suggestions.
Many people have told me that they are not wowed by the Ritz Carlton. If you head to the Blissful Glutton blog, she had a really great review on the Ritz Carlton with pictures but an overall poor review.
Fried Mac and Cheese?
You can pan fry it. Alton Brown has a recipe that you can probably find on Food Network. The simplest way is to cut into small cubes and coat with bread crumbs and then fry on either side --- I would use a small pan and about 1/2 inch of oil.
3 day trip to LA - restaurant thoughts, please!
I also figured out where we are staying: the Synxis Wilshire Plaza Hotel.
Based on the reviews on this board, I am thinking of Sabor a' Mexico for our Mexican excursion --- probably on Saturday night when we meet up with a friend. Then on Sunday or Monday night, for our nice dinner, I am thinking Spago --- it will be a splurge but it seems like the best thought.
And, in doing further research, it looks like Chinatown doesn't have good options. So, please give me other suggestions, for good ethnic cuisine (i.e. Chinese, Japanese, Korean) that we must try in LA.
3 day trip to LA - restaurant thoughts, please!
Thanks for the suggestions. I had been considering Spago but was thinking that it may be too pricey --- though it seems like the quintessential California restaurant. Campanile and Jiraffe sound great. I am thinking that Inn of the Seventh Ray may be a bit too far out for us. Keep those suggestions coming!
Any ideas on Chinatown restaraunts?
Atlanta International Airport
There is a Chili's To Go in Concourse A or Concourse T --- you don't have to go through security there.
Cheap eats in downtown atlanta?
I love Vickery's on Crescent - great sandwiches and a very nice patio. Pasta di Pulcinella which is kind of near Crescent is also very good and inexpensive. Of course, you could also try the new restaurants in Atlantic Station --- I am not a huge fan of any of them and they are a little pricey, but they are great for drinks.
Looking for restaurants ATLANTA
On the Fifth Group, I am not a huge fan of La Tavola -- food is pricey and not that great. But, Food Studio is my second favorite restaurant in the city (Bacchanalia is our favorite). The styling, presentation, and choice of food at Food Studio is remarkably well-crafted. You will not be disappointed there.
If you were thinking in the price range of Seeger's, I would strongly suggest Bacchanalia. The food is unbelievable --- so yummy --- but don't eat anything for lunch that day.
3 day trip to LA - restaurant thoughts, please!
We are going to LA next week from Friday through Tuesday. I would like good lunch and dinner suggestions for the 3 days we are there. I want to go to at least 1 "California-cuisine" restaurant, 1 Mexican place, and 1 place in Chinatown. Other thoughts are also welcome --- we love food! One caveat, I am vegetarian (no fish but eat eggs/dairy), so I would prefer no seafood restaurants or restaurants that have no veggie options.
Saturday - we plan on seeing the touristy sites like Hollywood Walk of Fame and then hitting the beach
Sunday - we may go to Universal or possibly do something like the Getty Center/Tar Pits/something else
Monday - my husband has a conference for most of the day, so I'll probably head to Rodeo Drive or, if we don't do the Getty Center on Sunday, go to the Getty Center on Monday
We are going to be staying at a hotel that I believe is in Beverly Hills.
I can do one nice upscale place (i.e. $150 for both of us) but would prefer places in the $100 or less range for both of us. Thanks!
ATLANTA - one night - three choices? your vote!
Agree on all, except I don't think that Rathbun's is one of the three best restaurants in Atlanta. Bacchanalia is incredible --- in my top five restaurants list of all time.
Heads up on new chef at Sala in Atlanta....
Nope, not talking about chaat (which I love) . . . I am talking about Indian restaurants actually serving Indian food as tapas. Two Atlanta restaurants, Bhojanic and the new Duluth restaurant, Armaan, both specialize in "Indian tapas." If you check out the ajc.com review on Armaan, they discuss this concept of Indian tapas. I am hoping that this is a passing trend although Bhojanic is fairly popular among the Indian crowd.
As far as food that we tried at Sala, the chips and salsa were free and excellent. The salsa had a smoky red pepper and roasted tomato undertone that worked really well with the quite salty chips. The guacamole was good with fresh ingredients, but a basic guacamole: avocado, lime, tomatoes, onion, and salt. We ordered their queso fundido which had a nice crusty top but the queso was too watery and slightly bland. However, the queso fundido was served with some of the best tortillas I have ever eaten (even in Mexico): small, obviously handmade, and hot from the kitchen. They only brought us three tortillas at a time so we asked for more. We ordered the carnitas tacos and the papas tacos. The papas tacos, a combination of potatoes, anejo cheese, and guacamole, were only okay --- slightly soggy and the flavors did not meld well. My husband said that the carnitas tacos were very good. We also had the platanos with black bean sauce and crema; the spiciness of the black bean sauce counterpointed well with the plaintains and crema. The flan, as I mentioned before, was exceptional --- quite possibly the best flan I have eaten in the United States. Overall, the food was good but we just hated the notion that they are converting Mexican food into small plates; it was unnecessary and made the meal overly expensive. [Note: They do serve some main entrees but the waitress recommended the small plates and tacos over the entrees.]
Heads up on new chef at Sala in Atlanta....
We actually randomly went there last week without realizing that there was a new chef. The margaritas are the same, which is good because we always loved their key lime margaritas. Their new concept is small plates ---- frankly, I am so bored by this concept. I love it in Spanish restaurants and in Spain because that is how people eat there but we don't need to eat in tiny portions to enjoy every type of meal (on a side note rant, why are Indian restaurants now going to small plates/tapas --- so unnecessary). That being said, the food was good --- guacomole was fresh and all of the menu items had a good mix of ingredients and spice. The waitress brought us out a free flan, since it was their first week, and the flan was excellent, silky smooth without having an overwhelming caramel flavor. The flan was the best part of the meal. Final conclusion, food and drinks are good but we probably won't go there too often.
Best Middle Eastern in Atlanta?
My vote is for Mezza - really fantastic food (especially for vegetarians) and inexpensive.
