Last Supper: ATL style

From lunch to brunch and dinner and breakfast, the week in Atlanta was filled with delicious food across the board.  No pictures, but a dining guide for all of you who plan to make atlanta your next weekend getaway


Right off the plane, we headed to Rosebud in Atlanta.  I didn't realize how famous this place was until after the fact when I happened to catch an episode of Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay- Fried Green Tomato BLT!  The bbq duck and grits were excellent with a smokey and sweet flavor from the meat and the peach gastrique.  I literally said "holy s**t" when my mom's mushroom scramble arrived at the table that it caught the attention of nearby diners.  I swear it was at least half a dozen eggs on top of toasted brioche bread.  A photo would have confirmed my initial reaction.  Rosebud plate score: 8

Dining at Umezono has always been a pleasure for my family and me in the 10 years since we first moved to Atlanta.  Umezono focuses on classic japanese fare,  none of the complicated dragon or rainbow rolls.  The sashimi (with 3 slices each of salmon and tuna) and beef teriyaki lunch combination (with salad, soup and rice) is just $7.50 and you can choose between 21 dishes so that is a lot of combinations. Umezono plate score: 9

There is no foot traffic near this restaurant, yet on a tuesday lunch, this place was almost filled with the business lunch crowd.  The corn soup was sweet and smooth but the pan seared georgia trout was the winner.  With 2 large filets over local summer succotash, the dish was amazing and for a bargain price of just $14.  The tasting portions of desserts allowed us to indulge in the key lime tart and the "snickers" bar for just $4 each.  Local Three plate score: 9

Aside from the atrocious service, Cakes and Ale restaurant is a farm to table eatery in downtown Decatur that served up delicious food.  Shared plates of eggplant flatbread, seared scallops, rabbit ragu gnocchi and sauteed shrimp were all very good.  I never write an email to the owners but i felt compelled because i think they would want to know about this lapse in service.  The owner graciously offered up a gift card and I can't wait to find it in my mailbox! Cakes and Ale Plate Score: 8

Despite the lack of parking in the area, the food at the Social House  comforting and the service was on point. I had the benedict with the sauteed mushrooms, leeks, country ham and gouda.  The english muffins could have benefited from a longer time in the toaster, nevertheless, the breakfast was solid and put a smile on both my grandmother and mom's face after our stroll through the Marietta Square farmer's market.  Social House Plate Score: 7.5


Owned and operated by a Top chef contestant, Hector Santiago, Super pan latino sandwich shop which is open on Tues-Fri from 11:30-2:30, this fast casual place is inspired by traditional latin flavors.   The sandwiches were interesting but did not really  The pork belly buns were soft and flavorful however the smoked tofu version was too smokey, tasting almost burnt.  It is definitely hard for tofu to compete against pork belly, it's like trying to say that the minnesota timberwolves will have a better record than the miami heat. The chicken torta sandwich was slightly spicy but was well balanced by the soft avocado spread and the vinegar based vegetable slaw.   SPL sandwich shop plate score: 7.5

Fried Green Tomatoes and Grandma's 80th

With a $15 groupon in tow, we headed to the fickle pickle in downtown Roswell right outside of Atlanta.  Located in a small house, this fast casual eatery offers up sandwichs, soups and salads for both lunch and dinner service.  The variety of mac and cheese (particularly the roasted veggie and goat cheese) caught my eye for dinner but I settled for the fried green tomato sandwich with bacon instead of pepperjack.  The tomato jam was more like a sweet chunky salsa but was nicely balanced by the bitter arugula and the thick slices of cormeal crusted green tomatoes between fresh sour dough bread.   My mom ordered the southwestern shrimp salad and seemed pleased and we shared a double chocolate ginger cookie for dessert!

Plate Score: 8

My Grandmother turned 80 this past weekend and we seriously ate as though it was her last meal.  We celebrated with a dinner banquet for 90 people at a chinese restaurant with ten authentic chinese dishes and three sets of dessert.  I was in a food coma at the end.  Here are a few highlights!

Appetizer platter with jellyfish (center), marinated beef shin (back left), chinese bologna (not sure exactly what that was) and some type of shellfish (similar to giant clam) dyed an interesting color.

Stir fried Seafood and Veggie Medley in a "birds nest", a fried shoe string potato basket

Fried Shrimp and Crab claw ball

My Favorite dish of the night ginger and scallion lobster 

Longevity buns.  This is traditional dessert served at weddings and birthdays.  Normally filled with lotus paste but these had red bean paste in it.  

You eat these to ensure a long life, hence the name "longevity buns"

We also had fried rice, seafood noodles, pepper steak, sweet and sour pork, fish and crabmeat soup, and crispy skin chicken, a publix sheet cake and sliced oranges.....

Plate score: 9.5 

If you are looking for more authentic stuff here in Denver, Star Kitchen will probably do the trick.

Woodfire grill

Now that the semester has ended, i am back in atlanta for a couple more days and eating my way through the holidays! First stop after my flight landed last saturday was Woodfire grill in Midtown. The chef Kevin Gillespie was the runner up on Bravo's Top Chef Season 6. The food was solid with emphasis on grilled meat entrees. I must say the highlight was the actually the roasted root vegetable soup, perfectly diced celery root, potato, carrots swimming in a light and flavorful broth with braised kale and the bread basket with herb butter. Perfect starter. My mom had the roasted quail and pork belly entree while i had the roasted duck breast. Though i ordered it medium rare, it was closer to medium well :( Nevertheless the quality was still fantastic on both of our dishes. Dessert was 2 mini chocolate crepes filled with a mocha cream with a latte "broth" and streusel topping :)

Plate Score: 8