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

I've passed by this restaurant quite a few times but this is the first time I've been in. It's located near Target at Briarcliff and North Druid Hills. The front is plain but the atmosphere inside is more upscale. They have what seems to be a well-stocked bar and they have jazz performances on some nights. The seating was mostly European-style (chairs); they probably have some cushions but I didn't see them. I just stopped by for a quick buffet lunch. As you can see, I got carried away---you're supposed to dip your bread into the food, not spoon the food on top of it. It was pretty tasty; I'd say medium spicy, enough to get your attention but not too hot. Dinner would, of course, be a better test. I plan to try out their dinner some time.

The Frosty Caboose opened about a year ago next to the Chamblee MARTA tracks, just up the road from the Chamblee MARTA station. Talk about cute---it's a real red caboose complete with their own railroad crossing sign. There's no place to sit, unfortunately, but it is a great place to visit. I was in a mood to indulge, so I ordered a banana split. I don't think I've had one since I was a kid. It was wonderful. They use Greenwood Ice Cream, made in Chamblee and something of a local legend. Overall, one couldn't ask for a better summer evening.

South of the Border is a big national chain. I sampled the location in Buckhead, near the entrance to GA 400. I have a weakness for fajitas. Today, I tried the pulled pork fajitas. The nicest thing about this restaurant is the fresh tortillas. There's nothing like a fresh tortilla---soft and tender. Have you ever noticed the machine they use to knead the tortillas? They put the dough balls between two metal plates that make the dough do a little belly dance to liven them up. I wouldn't mind having a small home version of one of those...

Small world department---I used to eat at Penang's sister restaurant in New Jersey. This one is located in Chamblee, in the same shopping center as Pho Bac. (That little strip mall turns out to be a go-to spot for food in Chamblee.) Indonesian food borrows from a number of nearby traditions, as you might expect, including Chinese and Indian, but makes good use of its own local ingredients, the peanut being the most memorable. Leslie, Mary and I tried several small items. I really enjoyed my order, satay tofu. The fried tofu was used as a pocket for sauteed bean sprouts and topped with peanut sauce.

Only in Atlanta---a Korean-owned Southern cafeteria. Sage Hill is in Dusty's old location on Briarcliff. They added an outside deck, which is a very nice place to sit this time of year. This is your standard Southern meat-and-two cafeteria. The food isn't anything special but it is pretty good and quite inexpensive. I tried the fried chicken cutlets with gravy. I also had the fried green tomatoes, which were well executed.

Pho Bac is on Buford Highway in the same shopping center as Little Hot Pot. It's a pretty big Vietnamese noodle shop. Like most of these places, it's all business, no atmosphere. I had the brisket soup. The broth was quite hearty. The side salad includes a leaf that doesn't look like mint but certainly tastes minty; I wish I knew what it was called. I'm still not sure exactly how to rank the various pho spots in town, but I did enjoy Pho Bac. And, in general, I think that pho makes a great lunch---well balanced but not too heavy.

My friend Michael decided that we should cook the Bon Appetit cover dish; he did all the work and deserves all the credit. The salmon was broiled with a mildly hot glaze. The hot salad---snow pea tips and sweet peas---was cooked separately and added on top. We also had a cucumber salad that really tasted like spring. A wonderful dish and not very difficult to prepare.