Six Feet Under

No this is not a morbid post! Six Feet Under is a seafood restaurant in Atlanta. There's two locations: the original on Memorial Drive in the Grant Park Neighborhood and the 11th Street location on the Westside just off Northside Drive. I always go to the 11th St location.

Whether you're with one person or 20, this is a great place to go. The atmosphere is energetic and the service is great. I've never had anything I didn't like. This time I tried the oyster po' boy and I sampled my friend's calamari tacos. Both delicious! Try a po' boy, some fried green tomatoes, and a Cabo Wabo margarita! Stay for a while, have some drinks, and thoroughly enjoy! One day ill get to the memorial drive location ;)

                      

The Real Chow Baby

If you're picky this is the place for you! Ok that may not be completely true. The Real Chow Baby is a new american stir fry where you choose from an array of meats and vegetables the ingredients in your dish and its made on an open stir fry grill. You can make rice or noodle dishes, soups, salads, or wraps out the ingredients you choose. Add shrimp, salmon, or roti for a little extra.

A couple of weeks ago I took friend who rarely goes out because she is a vegetarian here last week and she thoroughly enjoyed all the options available for her. The food is fresh, the price is great ($8.99 for lunch and $12.99 for dinner), and its fun trying different concoctions. I love making Pad Thai.Come hungry and get small portions so you can try different things!

Cheap Eats: Sushi

Rusan's is one of my favorite places to go for cheap japanese. The summer/fall of 2008 I think I went every friday. Other than the original location on Piedmont Road in Midtown, the Edgewood location in Reyneldstown is my favorite! I love sitting at the bar chatting with the cooks in Spanish. The quality for the price is pretty damn good. If you're looking to try sushi you've never had the heart to order, hit up the lunch buffet. Get the calamari, unagi, tuna and salmon nigiri, and you can't go wrong with any tempura or fried rice. There's no labels so if you've got allergies be careful and ask questions, if not just get whatever looks good. With the large menu there's something for everyone!

Cajun

Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro in Atlantic Station is a little piece of New Orleans in Atlanta. The atmosphere is great, the service is good, and the cheesecake is perfection. I have a confession to make: every other time I go to this restaurant I order the same thing. Luckily I've been so many times I've tried many things on the vast Louisiana inspired menu. This time I ordered my usual: wings for an appetizer, catish for an entree, and dulce de leche cheesecake for dessert. My friend and I totally indulged! As you can see no vegetables or leafy greens in sight. This is my favorite dish because its always crispy, seasoned wonderfully, and served with fresh cocktail and tartar sauces. The portion is out of control so you can eat it two or three times; talk about bang for your buck! For dessert try any of the cheesecakes and you'll leave satisfied.

Korean Fusion in Little Five Points

As much as I enjoy being in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta, I don't know that I've ever eaten at one of its restaurants. A friend and I stopped into to OMG Taco on our way to East Atlanta Village. 

When I walked in the first thing I noticed was the artwork and decor. Street art adorned the walls and the counter was made to look like a food truck. I ordered bi bim bap. It is a signature Korean rice dish with sauteed veggies, marinated beef, and topped with an egg (raw or fried) and chili pepper sauce. The vegetables were crisp, not over cooked, the sauce was delicious and the beef was tender. I will go again to try the tacos. 

Atlanta Food Trucking

You already know how much I love food trucks so it's only right I visited a few while on vacation! I was on my way to lunch with a friend, when I noticed one of my friends posted a pic on Instagram from one of the trucks; of course I had to figure out where it was and go, so on the off ramp headed to a different restaurant, I Googled the location and got directions. Oh the joys of social media and a smart phone! Luckily it was down the street from our original destination so we were already going in the right direction. 

There were a few options so we looked around a bit first and decided on bbq. I ordered the brisket sandwich and the guy taking my ordered mentioned a "crisket" sandwich. Intrigued I asked for that instead. I received a heap of pulled brisket AND pulled chicken on buttery Texas toast. I ordered a side of loaded potato salad and topped my sandwich with sweet and spicy sauces. For 6 bucks you can't beat it!

Dessert Please

Café Intermezzo is another Atlanta favorite and a must visit. I haven't had anything I didn't like. I usually go for dessert but the few times I've gotten paninis they were good. There's a wide variety of hot, cold, alcoholic, non-alcoholic, caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages to choose from. When you go don't ask for dessert menu because there isn't one! Everyday the dessert cases are filled with different fluffy cakes and creamy cheesecakes. You can be a "regular" and not get the same thing every time. 

I ordered the orange cream cake which was moist and provided just the right combination of tart and sweet. I liked that the cake itself had the orange flavor as opposed to just the frosting. It tasted like a orange creamsicle. One of my friends ordered the lemon cake that was made similarly. Another friend ordered the strawberry cheesecake. Hands down the best I've ever tasted. It wasn't just a plain cheesecake thawed and topped with that disgusting strawberry gel. The strawberry was incorporated into the cream cheese filling! So delish! Can't wait to go back and try something else!

Twist

Twist is one of nine restaurants in the Here to Serve network of establishments. Its trendy, young, stylish, and hip atmosphere lends itself to different crowds and portrays everything that I love about Atlanta. While there is plenty to choose from on the regular menu, I can't remember the last time I ordered from it because they have a great all-you-can-eat tapas menu on Sundays from 4 to close. The menu changes every week and includes fresh salads, fruit or vegetables, sushi and more. My last night in Atlanta I met some friends to share conversation and good food. The menu consisted of a fresh green salad with tomatoes and chickpeas, a pineapple salad with coconut and rum, caramelized onion and chorizo ragu, chicken enchilada balls with tomatillo sauce, and an assortment of sushi. Everyone's favorite was the enchilada which was really unique and cooked similar to falafel. The food is served family style and the plates keep coming until you say when. Its always a good time at Twist!

Down Home with Mary Mac

Miss Mary Mac, Mac, Mac
All dressed in black black black
With silver buttons buttons buttons
All down her back back back
She asked her mother mother mother
For fifty cents cents cents
To see an elephant elephant elephant
Jump over a fence fence fence
He jumped so high high high
He touched the sky sky sky
And didn't come back back back
Till the Fourth of July July July . . .

There's probably no correlation between that childhood song and this restaurant but I can't help sing it every time hear the name Mary Mac. As I looked it up the lyrics to make sure I had them right I realized the ending is rather morbid. I'm not sure if ever knew the end or I just chose to forget it because I didn't like it, either way Mary Mac's Tea Room is a must when visiting Atlanta. It's cuisine is the epitome of southern comfort food and has been since 1945. 

It's fried, smothered, covered and baked to perfection. You won't be disappointed with any selection. They start you off with yeast rolls, cinnamon rolls, and cornbread that you'll struggle not to fill up on. If you haven't been here before definitely try the Brunswick stew or pot likker as an appetizer. I chose the special of the day, chicken fried chicken. It was topped with classic white gravy and served with a choice of two sides. With all the sides they have to choose from it was particularly hard to narrow it down. You can't have white gravy without mashed potatoes, so that's one but I couldn't decide on just one other after that so I got macaroni and cheese and fried green tomatoes. The chicken was tender and crispy even the next day. I've had better green tomatoes and the mac & cheese was too salty this time but that's not the norm. From previous experiences I can tell you the greens, green beans, black eyed peas, sweet potato souffle, and cheese grits are killer sides. Save room for dessert! The peach cobbler is warm and sweet with flaky, buttery crust. You can also choose from pecan pie, bread or banana pudding, or strawberry shortcake to name a few. 

Dinner in the Park

All of my friends know how much I love Park Tavern at Piedmont Park. Birthdays, anniversaries, farewells, random Tuesday nights have been spent at this wonderful little place. The menu is always fresh and flavorful.

You can feel comfortable picking anything from their small yet diverse menu. From southwest egg rolls to mahi mahi you will not be disappointed and the prices are unbeatable for the quality.  Plus they have half price sushi everyday from 10pm to close, half price bottles of wine on Wednesday, and $1 drafts on rainy days!!!!

The bison burgers are made with fresh ground meat, seasoned, grilled to perfection, and topped with local and sustainable veggies.  while the sushi rolls are unique and fresh rolled. My favorite is the Dragon Roll, rolled with shrimp tempura, red pepper, cream cheese and green onions topped with grilled eel and crab. I get it almost every time I go to Park tavern or recommend it to anyone who goes.

I've tried almost everything on the menu, but since the last time I went they added a few new items so I chose the Big Bang Shrimp Tacos. One of my culinary pet peeves is tacos made with flour tortillas but I indulged anyway. The tortillas were stuffed with crispy fried shrimp and served with fresh pico de gallo and a chipotle cream sauce. Expectantly delicious, my only complaint is that there were only 2 and not the typical trio of tacos. 

Another must order is the sangria. Skip the glass and get the carafe! I do and I promise you won't regret it. Just be careful standing up after! What are you waiting for? Go!