Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I didn't notice Dai Phat for quite some time. It is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall behind the Wal-Mart on the north side of Lincoln. I'm glad I did notice. The owners are very nice and friendly. The shelves and coolers are stocked with a full assortment of Vietnamese items. I left with a tin of coffee and some celery. This is just a small part of the sauce selection. A row of sauces here are named after Vietnamese cities. Canned meat is a staple item here just as in Hawaii...

Open Harvest is down the street from Zesto. Following a chili dog with a visit to an organic grocery store seemed like a natural idea to me. The store has a good selection of vegetables, meats, and other items. I left with some vegetables and crackers, both welcome additions to my pantry.

Buford Highway is full of surprises. I have driven past Chicago Supermarket many times, always wondering why a Chinese grocery store would be called Chicago. To my great surprise, this resident of a primarily Chinese mall is actually a Hispanic market. The meat counter holds all sorts of good things. The refrigerators down the aisle hold chunks of menudo and some great-looking chiccarons. This is just one of the several varieties of peppers available. The store also houses two food stands: one for savory and another for sweets. I will have to return to sample their wares.

Zion Market is the latest entry into the busy Asian food market on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, right next to Micro Center. It is a mid-sized market specializing in Korean groceries. It has a large produce section where I saw some pretty good deals. The seafood section was large with items ranging from octopus to fresh abalone; many of the items were on trays and wrapped in plastic. A stand with a name something like Mom's Treats offered little tiny fish that had been pickled or dried. And of course they featured a large aisle of red pepper sauce.

New Asian Market opened in the space formerly occupied by 99 Market. The store is compact when compared to the football field-sized markets that are in vogue but it has depth and breadth of selection: home appliances and utensils, a large frozen section, a large seafood section, a good meat section, vegetables, and canned goods. It also has the food court that you would expect in an Asian market; I hope to get to those places another day. While most of the goods are Asian, this being Buford Highway, it also stocks a selection of Hispanic goods. I walked away satisfied with bean sprouts and sweet potatoes.

City Farmers Market is the new market on Buford Highway in Chamblee, taking over and radically renovating the former location of a flea market. The store is very nicely appointed. Speakers played "Mr. Grinch" as I walked in, an interesting choice that, along with the fancy architecture, gave it a bit of an amusement park feel. The market is very large and well-appointed. As tradition dictates, aisles are marked by nationality. The produce section includes a wide variety of items whose use I don't fully understand. The large meat counter includes some items whose function I do understand ("beef pizzles"). The fish counter is very large and well-appointed. I picked up a couple of cans of coconut milk and I will think about some interesting dishes that I could make from items I pick up on my next visit.

I visited the new farmers' market on Buford Highway. It's located near the southern end, perhaps a mile south of Clairmont---my best local reference is the bowling alley. Most of these markets skew toward one or a few ethnicities. This one definitely serves the Hispanic market, although it has the usual selection of items from everywhere. Here are some random observations: * A pretty good deal on organic peaches. * A wide variety of interesting produce that I've never cooked with before. * What I assume must be lard labeled as "pork oil," a strangely accurate description. * Fresh chiccarones. * A large selection of woks next to a large selection of pans with largely Spanish labeling. * Some really huge pots and an excellent selection of tortilla presses. * And they handed out fresh popcorn at the exit!

Yu and I trekked up to Great Wall Supermarket in Duluth. It just opened a few weeks ago near Gwinett Mall. The place is huge---the size of a football field. They make good use of this space by providing not only a wide variety of items but also many different types and brands from each category. They have more varieties of mushrooms than I've ever seen in a store; their soy sauce aisle is dauntingly large; and the list goes on. We were very happy with our selections, including the fish. This store is definitely worth the trip.