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

Taka is on Pharr Road in Buckhead. I found the atmosphere to be a nice Americanized version of a Japanese sushi bar. By Japanese standards, the place is huge (it has tables!), but for this country it is intimate and friendly. I didn't sit at the sushi bar, which is of course the best way to enjoy sushi, so I can't comment on the sushi chefs directly, but they did appear to be friendly. Unfortunately, the chef said that he couldn't do an omakase (chef's choice), so I ordered a selection of sasimi and sushi. One of my rolls was a yellow tail roll that had been fried. The crispy part of the coating was thin and added an interesting texture. That sort of thing could be a nighmare if mishandled but this roll was expertly done. I do not claim to be a sushi expert by any means but I think that the quality of the fish is the ultimate test. The fish here was excellent. The menu lists where each item comes from, which is interesting in itself and a show of quality.

The combination ice cream/hot dog seems to be the new trend in food emporiums. Pete's is at the intersection of Shallowford and I-85. It's a neighborhood place. It's very cute---bright and cheery with great video screen menus. I stopped by for a hot dog and was happy to see that they offer Chicago dogs. Their version is authentic and not bad. I don't think that they use Vienna Beef dogs, which is heresy to the true believer, but hey, if you're that intense about hot dogs, move back to Chicago.

I've eaten at Mediterranean Grill quite a few times. It's reliable fast Middle Eastern food, very popular with students. My go-to dish is the gyro plate, which includes rice and salad, but I've had their large salads several times as well.

Cleveland is the home of Cabbage Patch Kids(TM), but they also make a mean breakfast. I went into Glenda's Place because it looked like the right kind of place for biscuits and gravy. Boy, was I right. Unfortunately my camera malfunctioned, so you will have to take my word for what happened. A huge plate came out, covered with biscuits and gravy spilling off the edge. The gravy was excellent---rich and meaty. And talk about rib-sticking...a good breakfast should coat your innards and keep you going all day long.

The Decatur Book Festival was a a very enjoyable experience but I passed on the urge to review the fast food there. Instead, I decided to try Parker's on Ponce. Although they are officially a steakhouse, I was in the mood for salmon. I'm not sure what happened to the photo of the dish, but the presentation was wonderful. The salmon was on a bed of very fluffy mashed potatoes and a few baby vegetables. The salmon was a bit disappointing. It had a bit of a fishy smell---not that much but more than I would expect.

Coming out of the Georgia Tech game, I spied a food truck that promised fried pies. I don't see food trucks around Atlanta very often, so the very concept was intriguing, but quite frankly they had me at fried pie. The truck was from Mercier Orchards, an apple orchard in northern Georgia, so naturally the theme was apple. I ended up with a fried apple pie and an apple slush. The pie was good but my favorite was the slush. It was very rich with apple taste. The slush captured the tart/sweet combination that is the essence of an apple in some ways better than the average apple does. Who says football food has to be boring?

Chocolate Pink is a small midtown hideaway. They're open very late and they attract a big date crowd. They have a variety of desserts: chocolates, cupcakes, etc. When I saw that they had a fleur de sel tart I had to try it. The basic tart is a pecan pie on steroids: pecans, chocolate, caramel, pastry shell. The kicker is the sprinking of sea salt on top. Salt on chocolate may sound counterintuitive, but salt enhances the taste of almost anything. The tart was a very impressive product that was beautiful to look at and tasted delicious.

I've passed by this place on Roswell Road several times and decided to stop by. I wasn't ravenously hungry so I went for a brisket sandwich. The sandwich isn't the ideal form for evaluating meat since the bun can hide some of the meat's subtleties, but hey, that's all I could eat. I must say that the brisket was tender and juicy. My favorite part of the meal was the corn souffle. I'd classify this as a good local BBQ outfit.