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Posts tagged atlanta
Restaurant List Updated, Finally
Jul 12th
Yes, I know it’s been a long time coming (almost a year!), but I’ve finally gotten around to updating the George and Linda’s A to Z Eatathon Extravaganza list.
As of this update, we’re up to 104 different places.
This list covers 688 days – 8/23/2008 to 7/12/2010
We eat at a new place approximately once every 6.6 days.
We’ve eaten in 7 different states: GA, CA, PA, IL, TX, FL, NY
22 of 26 letters have been covered – missing letters: Q, V, X, Z
Currently Craving: Holeman and Finch Public House
Apr 22nd
“The Burger”, at Holeman and Finch Public House, here in Atlanta, GA. While a good standby favorite (on the occasion you can actually score one), I’ve enjoyed everything else off the menu that I’ve tried there. Pork belly, pig tail, charcuterie – I’m ready to explore the rest of the menu.
Review: Thaicoon & Sushi Bar
Mar 30th
www.thaicoonatlanta.com
1799 Briarcliff Rd NE # W
Atlanta, GA 30306-2142
(404) 817-9805
So L has been having this craving for sushi recently, and as a means of filling her cravings as well as further our restaurant repertoire, we bypassed the standby Sushi Yoko and went online to find somewhere to broaden our somewhat barren horizons for sushi in Atlanta.
Our requirements were fairly simple – it had to be affordable (MF and Hayakawa were out) and somewhere new (so was Sushi Yoko). It was also preferable that it wasn’t a buffet (*sob* bye Nori Nori). L knows I have this thing against Yelp, because I have some egotistical thought that people who post reviews on Yelp are uncouth heathens with uneducated palates who would rather get a double cheeseburger from McDonalds. Then I remembered that I like double cheeseburgers from McDonalds. Regardless, Yelp is always a last resort for me.
Since the forums on Atlanta Cuisine closed down (for the umpteenth time), I didn’t have anywhere else to quietly lurk to get my inside Atlanta restaurant info. Fortunately, the regulars from Atlanta Cuisine rebanded under a new forum: 285Foodies.com. It was there where I carefully perused all the thread titles under the restaurant section to look for my unicorn cheap sushi place here in Atlanta – some authentic hole in the wall place by some trained Japanese sushi chef that’s trying to make it big in the States. Unfortunately, if such a place exists, it still hasn’t been a) discovered, or the more likely b) leaked out even to the food connoisseur community.
At the end, I rediscovered Thaicoon – a Thai/sushi place that has a fairly silly name over by Emory. I ate there a number of years ago, when Andy came to visit and it made for a nice weekend lunch with like 12 other people. It obviously was not good enough to leave a very lasting impression on me food-wise, and never even really came up mentally as a working solution to the sparse Thai cuisine here.
But on to the actual experience. We were greeted at our table by a lady who tonged us some hot towels, which reminded me of the similar service when you fly trans-Pacific on a decent airline (Air China != decent). The sushi roll section of the menu (despite its ethnic authenticity, was what L really wanted) was surprisingly extensive, and even better is that they have specials on Monday and Tuesday from 5pm-10pm. The constant stream of people coming in were evident of the weekly specials, and made us wonder what the place looks like on a Wednesday night. Specials were $1 for most nigiri and $2-$3 for a 4 piece roll for select rolls. Not too shabby, I thought, but we decided to order something off the menu anyways.
What we ended up with, via my awesome cell phone cam, after the jump.
Review: Phnom Penh Restaurant – Tucker, GA
Mar 17th
We went to Phnom Penh last night with Su and Sommie, and it was surprisingly delicious. When looking up directions to this place, I had a sudden recollection of Joe (number 2!) mentioning this place and how he really liked it when he and his coworkers stumbled upon it for lunch one day. Knowing Joe’s tolerance for Asian (and other ethnic cuisines), for him to praise a hole-in-the-wall Cambodian place was duly noted and filed away in my mental file cabinet.
It’s tucked away in a non-descript section of Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker, and you would never find it unless you knew to look for the wrong sign. The signage still bears the marks of its previous tenant, Beef Stix. If you’re looking for the place, just drive down Lawrenceville Highway until you see a modernish white and maroon sign labeled Beef Stix. It’s located between Flanigan’s and The Milk Jug but across the street, for you Tucker locals.
We were a little afraid when we pulled up because the place was fairly deserted. There were one or two cars parked out front, and a table of two inside. For context, this was about 7:15 on a Tuesday night. But through some voracious mobile Yelping, our fears were assuaged as review after review recommended a healthy handful of dishes. Inevitably, we ordered them all.
Quick food review:
Baan Chav – A huge nicely textured crepe with an amazingly flavorful meat filling inside. It’s excellent with their dipping sauce.
Fish Amok – Definitely get the fried version. Even though the fish is covered in delicious sauce, it somehow still maintains a good crispiness to it.
Beef Sticks – Very flavorful, with a touch of sweetness to it. The beef they use is fairly good quality steak, and is quite tender.
Noodle Soup with Chicken – This might have been our least favorite dish of the evening, largely because the soup is unexpectedly sweet. Granted, we’re no Cambodian food experts, but it was somewhat of a turn off. The chicken was also a bit dry, but the rice noodles had a good mouth feel and not overcooked.
Curry Saraman with Beef – Our feeling toward this dish might have been somewhat muddled due to the fact that this was the last one out and we were pretty full by then. There is definitely a LOT of flavor, but that may also be why it didn’t appeal so much at the end of the meal. I can see myself eating the whole plate of this with a big bowl of rice as a nice big hungry lunch.
All in all, the food was surprisingly good. There was so much flavor in every dish. Large portions, along with being incredibly affordable, was more than enough for me to grab a take out menu to ease this place into our rotation of go-to quick-and-cheap eats.
The owner was incredibly nice too. He served us the entire evening, and his wife does all the cooking. On weekends, his daughter comes in to cook as well. It’s a true family affair, and it shows. The restaurant, although sparse, is the result of this family doing what they do well – serving up good plates of home cooking.
If you haven’t had a chance to go, make some time to go. It really is a hidden gem in the middle of Tucker.
Some shamelessly stolen pictures from Linda’s phone after the jump: