No. 246, Decatur, GA (February, 2012)

Since July of last year, a lot of the local buzz has been about No. 246, the new offering from Ford Fry (from JCT) and Drew Belline (former chef de cuisine of Floataway Cafe).  It became the new "it" restaurant and when I read that they didn't accept reservations, I figured that we'd never get there. Today, after church, when I hit the Open Table app as we headed downtown, it came up as a possibility, so I grabbed a table for two.

The reservation wasn't necessary as the place was empty (see above).  The lunch menu had plenty of options, and after googling several things on the menu (cavolo nero - black kale / grana padano - cheese / porchetta - essentially, pork belly) we were ready to order.  Side question: don't you love, smart phones, google and wikipedia?  In the dark ages, you always had to ask the waiter.  Then he would pretentiously look down his nose and tell you that  "No, fennel does NOT taste like licorice" (he was wrong and Google, on a computer in the kitchen, finally convinced him of that) or whatever, not that I'm still bitter about that, or anything....


So Jo started with some fired toast with a spread made from cannelloni beans, braised cavolo nero, chilies and olive oil.  I sampled a piece and the strongest taste was of lemon.
   

I decided to try the no. 246 meatball with san marzano, basil and parmesan.  It was excellent.  Not dense, like cheap meatballs or meatloaf can be, but with a "lightness" about it and wonderful seasoning from the tomatoes and cheese.

Jo ordered the north georgia trout, cooked with asparagus, garlic, cherry belle radish, dill and lemon

She said that the fish was excellent, and from the bite that I had, I would have to agree.  She also said that the cherry belle radishes were very un-radish-like, nowhere near as bitter as usual red radishes.   She shared one of those with me, I'll agree they were an improvement:  while I usually HATE radishes, I just didn't like these.

Because I'm always leaning towards a burger, I talked to the waiter about theirs.  Without telling me it wasn't a good choice, he said that of the three sandwiches, it was the least memorable and that I really ought to consider the "plates".  

So I ordered the shrimp - pan seared with parmesan polenta, garlic, local greens and  tomatoes.  This was, effectively, their take on shrimp and grits.  I'm a huge S&G fan and these did not disappoint.  The polenta and cheese mix was spot-on and it was decadently tasteful.  I actually sat there, with my eyes closed, savoring several bites.   They seem to be on the same tack as Miller Union and Cakes and Ale, as far as the local sourcing-fresh ingredients.   We'll definitely plan to head back one evening.

Fred's Bar-B-Q House, Inc - Austell, GA (February 2012)

Over the course of my life, I've eaten at the Bar-B-Q House dozens of time, and I honestly don't think I've ever eaten their barbecue. When I was kid, my dad took me to the Bar-B-Q House for "yellow jacket" hot dogs.  For barbecue, we always went to Wallace's.  If you've ever eaten at Wallace's, you'll understand why I grew up NOT liking barbecue.  

So, how did yellow jacket hot dogs end up in Austell?  I've heard half a dozen versions of this story over my life.  The top two, in my humble opinion:

Story One: there used to be another drive-in near the Georgia Tech campus, in competition with the Varsity, called the Yellow Jacket.   One day (early 1960s), the owner closed for vacation (put a note on the door that said "gone fishin') and never re-opened, supposedly bought-out by the Gordy family. 

Story Two: Fred, of Fred's Bar-B-Q House, somehow ended up with the chili recipe for the yellow jacket hot dog and took it to the exotic locale of Austell. 

Either way, Fred's is about two miles north of I-20 on Thornton Road and looks like any roadside barbecue shack anywhere in the South.

When you go inside, they have basic counter service, full of barbecue items, but prominently featuring things covered with chili.  The "delicious" fried pies?  Fair, and very similar to those at the Varsity. 

I consider myself, with thirty years of experience under my belt, as something of a Chili Dog connoisseur.   I love the dogs at the Varsity - they're classic Atlanta fast food.  I'm a huge fan of the dogs at Martin's - they're really good.  (Truthfully, one of the best things about the dogs from Martin's is that they also serve an incredible fried chicken sandwich.  You can get an "almost-Varsity" dog and an "almost-Chick-fil-A" chicken sandwich at the SAME TIME!  

This picture was taken pre-mustard.   (Weird note:  I hate mustard.  I prefer mayonnaise on sandwiches, and I order my burgers without it.  But mustard and ketchup is the perfect condiment combination on a chili dog.)  The bun is sturdy enough to toast perfectly and the chili is just the right mix of mild and spicy.

I honestly believe that the Chili Dogs at the Bar-B-Q House are the best in Atlanta.   If you like a good chili dog, you owe it to yourself to try one.

(And you have to appreciate a restaurant with a sense of humor.  There t-shirts say "You Can Smell Our Butts for Miles" on the back.   That's just funny.)

Ginopolis' Bar-B-Q - Farmington Hills, MI (December, 2011)

So, here it is a cool December day and I'm driving into our Detroit office for an afternoon meeting and I see this sign:

"World's Greatest Ribs"?  Challenge accepted!  I know when I think of the centers of the rib universe, Michigan jumps right to the top of the list.....

So, I get inside and the first thing I notice on the menu is that they serve the "World Famous Montgomery Inn Ribs" (as endorsed by Bob Hope!), shipped directly from Cincinnati, Ohio.   Let me get this right:  This place has the world's greatest ribs and they don't even make them themselves?  

I figure since I've already parked, and it is cold outside, that I'll stick around and check them out.   So I order a rack and wait.   While I'm waiting I notice the array of barbecue sauces that lie before me:

Any time that I see this many choices of sauce that there will potentially be something wrong with the barbecue. (spoiler alert).  While I'm waiting, I sample them all.  The winners (in case you're ever at Ginopolis')?  Hickory and Brown Sugar and Sweet Chili.   The ribs come with two sides.  Since I ordered this meal two months before I wrote this review, I can't remember why I had three sides.  Cole slaw (which I wouldn't have ordered if it was a choice), macaroni and cheese (which was common, but tasty) and an odd black-eyed peas with some carrots (?) and peppers in it.  The ribs, themselves:

From the picture, you can guess for yourself.  Pretty bad.  They lied.

Chicken and the Egg, Marietta, GA (November, 2011)

One Sunday, after church, we were looking for some place new to eat.   As we're pulling out of the parking lot, I hit Open Table and searched for places nearby and took a look.  Up popped Chicken and the Egg, near the square in Marietta.  We read the reviews and decided to give it a try.  

Their premise is "Modern Farmstead Fare".  Apparently, every new Southern retauranteur's grandmother (regardless of their place of birth - Atlanta, GA, Jackson, MS or Long Island, NY) served pimiento cheese and deviled eggs at all dinners.  They're on EVERY menu.  So we started with the pimiento cheese to see how it stacked up.

Fairly well.  Not as good as that as Rosebud (in Morningside) or Local 3 (kind of in Buckhead) - my current favorites - but very tasty.   We (technically, I) emptied the jelly jar.

Jo ordered the Farm House Burger - house ground beef, fried egg, Nueske's bacon - with fries and said it was good.  

In case you aren't familiar with Nueske's bacon, it is mighty good stuff.  Apple wood smoked and cured with love.   Mmmmmm.


I believe the true test of the caliber of a southern cook is in their ability to properly fry chicken.  You'd think that a place with such a fowl name would prominently feature their chicken.  So I ordered the fried chicken with mac-n-cheese and green beans.   On a side note, ordering the green beans was a challenge - I was trying to determine how they were cooked (French-style? Slow-cooked?) and couldn't seem to get the waiter to understand my question.

When my meal arrived, the beans were indeed Southern style.  The mac-n-cheese was fresh.  And the fried chicken was good.  Not great, but good.  I'd go back and eat there again, but don't feel the need to have the fried chicken again.

Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria, Kennesaw, GA (November 2011)

When I first saw Man Versus Food, I thought, "Adam Richman is the kind of guy that I'd like to hang out with" (yes, I know that I shouldn't have ended a sentence with a preposition, but I didn't honestly think "the kind of guy with whom I'd like to hang out" at the time, and I feel that truth is needed).   In the first few episodes, he journeyed to Atlanta.  One of his stops was Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria.  He was there for the Carnivore Challenge, in which two "contestants" attempt to eat a 30-inch, 11 pound meat-lovers pizza.  The entry fee is $50.  If you clean the pizza pan, without throwing up, in 60 minutes or less you win $250. 

We didn't go for the challenge, we went with the Coolest Journey Group Ever on the Monday after Thanksgiving.   For perspective, before you look at this picture, Tony and I are both good sized men.   So, we ordered the 30 inch, extra-large (they only have medium, large and extra-large) - one half veggie / one half meat lovers, for six of us.

So we ate.

And ate.

And ate.

And ate.

And when we were done, we had enough pizza left to fill a Domino's large pizza box.  I don't know how in the world two people could do this.  From the info on the web site, it looks like three teams have completed the challenge.

How was the pizza?  It was fine.  Slightly better than fine.  I can only imagine how challenging it is to cook 706 square inches of pizza and get it done.  They cooked it perfectly well, but I've had a lot better pizza.

(We did have a really good time, though.)

The Girl and the Fig, Sonoma, CA (October 2011)

One of the most pleasant food stops on our visit to wine country was the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma.   We were staying in Napa and while checking the reviews for restaurants in the area, the Girl & the Fig kept being mentioned.  On Monday evening we took the drive over.  Sonoma is a "cute" little town: shops bordering a town square, wrapped around a courthouse, in a tree-lined park.  On the corner opposite where we parked, stood the red door and entrance.

Entering, you walk into the right side of the establishment - the bar, bakery and waiting area.  After telling the young lady our name, she took us to a window-side table in the restaurant.  The view to the right is from the far left corner, back into the restaurant.

The menu was very interesting, knowing that we were heading into a French restaurant, I wasn't sure what exactly to expect.  The variety of choices was surprising.  What we didn't order, that we should have, was the heirloom tomato salad.  Doesn't every place have a tomato salad?  What could we be missing?  We wouldn't have known except the order from the table next to us arrived.  The tomato salad was five half-inch slices high and a palette of myriad colors.   It looked amazing!  It's a good thing that pictures would not have done it justice, as it would have been awkward trying to snap a photo of someone else's food <g>.

So on to our choices.  Going out and ordering cheese in a restaurant was similar, at least in my mind in level of pretentiousness, to paying for bottled water.  But next thing I know, I'm that guy.  We decided to start with "the works" - three cheeses, cured meats, apples, house-made fig cakes, spiced nuts and a baguette.

Wonderful start.  But the heirloom tomato salad looked so good, these good cheeses paled by comparison.

Jo had a grilled fig and arugula salad with Laura Chenel chevre (a Sonoma area cheesemaker), house-made pancetta, toasted pecans and a fig & port vinaigrette. 

She said that it was very tasty.  But being the carnivore that I am (technically, I am an omnivore, but I prefer carnivorous pursuits) I had to follow that dream.  I chose pork belly and scallops.  The pork belly sat atop grilled scallops, on a bed of sunchoke puree. 

In seems in vogue to substitute other pureed vegetables for a place where you would normally serve mashed potatoes: sunchokes (here), cauliflower (one night at home) unnamed root vegetables (at 4th & Swift), etc.  It was served with an apple-pancetta vinaigrette.  The sunchokes were fairly nasty.   The scallops were good, although I'm not a great fan.  But the pork belly was awesome.  Overall, a nice night out at a very tasty place.

The Georgia Pig, Brunswick, GA (October, 2011)

Early last month, I stopped off at the Georgia Pig in Brunswick, GA for some barbecue.  I had eaten there two or three years back, but I didn't remember anything at all about the meal.  I blamed that on my memory - what I should have blamed it on was the general forgetfulness of the food.

When  I see a place like this, I automatically think, "This has to be a winner."  Nope.  Not even close.  When I went inside, there were two folks in the place: the cook - who was working hard at the pit behind the counter; and the owner - an older woman sitting at one of the inside picnic tables, talking on a cordless phone.

The sign "Would you like pickles with your order", implies that you have a choice.  Nope.

So I ordered a half rack of ribs and a chopped pork sandwich.   The ribs were non-descript.  The barbecue sauce fairly weak.  The sandwich bland.   I know exactly why I didn't remember - I had blocked it from my memory.