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

The Majestic, on Ponce de Leon, dates to the 1920s. I've eaten breakfast there before. I think this was my first dinner. My pork chop was fine, more or less what you would expect from a nice diner. The salad, which I didn't show here, was great, with a wide variety of ingredients and a flavorful vinaigrette. The menu is generally heavy on sandwiches and lighter on blue plate specials (I had been looking forward to a turkey dinner, but alas). Their breakfast menu is very strong---I suspect that they serve breakfasts to all sorts of people at all hours of the day.

Java Jive is, in my opinion one of the classic Atlanta breakfast places. I've been there a few times before for breakfast. It's on Ponce de Leon. They have a truly impressive collection of vintage/antique kitchen appliances and dinette sets so the '40s coffee shop vibe is well earned. I had a pecan waffle and bacon, both of which were very good. They brag about their biscuits so I had to try one. It was truly excellent---moist, flaky, buttery. They don't seem to have any gravy dish to go with it. At the time I was disappointed but upon reflection the lack of gravy helped me enjoy the biscuit more.

Bhojan Market is next to Bhojanic; I assume they are related. The market carries a variety of take-home Indian dishes: curries, chutneys, breads, etc. I bought a container of tamarind chutney and methi roti. I'm a nut for tamarind. I don't think I've had this type of bread before; it has almonds in it, among other things.

Bobby G's Chicago Eatery is in the restaurant complex at the Lindberg MARTA complex. Let me warn you that the parking situation there is confusing and you may have to pay to park. I had a Chicago-style hot dog and a tamale. They also have Italian beef and deep-dish pizza. The dog had all the basics but it lacked zing, in my opinion. In particular, I didn't get the hit of celery salt that I associate with the classic Chicago dog. The other flavors lacked impact as well.

Bhojan Market is on Clairmont next to Bhojanic (I assume they are somehow related). It specializes in refrigerated take-home Indian food. They have a variety of curries, meat, breads, etc. I took home some tamarind chutney (I'm a sucker for tamarind) and bread.

Leslie and I were in a protein mood, so we headed to McKendrick's Steak House across from Perimeter Mall. I've been intrigued with this possibility for quite some time and I'm glad that I got the chance to go. Leslie won the salad competition with a salad of heirloom tomatoes plus mozarella and bleu cheese. The tomatoes were exquisite; sometimes heirlooms can be more interesting in concept than in the flesh, but these were great. My ribeye was buttery in texture on the inside with just enough char on the outside. It's a big cut but you don't go to a steak place to be shy.

I stumbled across both Paizanos and historic Norcross. This old town Norcross is very cute, including several nice restaurants, parks, and a real live auto parts store. Paizanos itself is in an old building but is contemporary casual inside. I tried a margherita pizza. To tell you how much I liked it, I took some home, reheated it, and am enjoying it right now, something that I never do. The crust was the right combination of chewy on the outside and tender on the inside. The topping included sliced tomatoes, a good dose of garlic, and basil. Every part of it was flavorful.