It's Rico's World

      This past Friday my fiancé and I found ourselves at my Mom’s house debating where we would go out to dinner.  The usual suggestions were made Mexican, Chinese, and a place named Digger’s.  I suggested we make the trek to downtown Buford from Suwanee to give one of the most popular restaurants in Atlanta a try.  I called Rico’s World Kitchen and they said there wasn’t a wait, but they took our information anyway.  The restaurant is in a remodeled gas station in the nostalgic area of Buford.  There is a no frills décor inside but if your food is good the atmosphere is the food.  We sit down and it is slightly warm in the dining room.  I look over the menu there are so many delicious flavor combinations to choose from.                                        
     My fiancé ordered some Sangria which was a nice homemade wine drink with fruit in the bottom.  We opted not to get any appetizers although the egg rolls looked amazing.  We ordered our food.  I decided on the fried green tomato and portabella sandwich with smoked Gouda and remoulade.  My mom ordered the mussel and shrimp appetizer in a barbecue broth.  My step father ordered the smoked chicken Cuban with mojo dipping sauce.  The wife to be ordered the shrimp po boy we all decided on the homemade sweet potato chips.  Of the four dishes ordered I tried three of them.  First my sandwich had a crispy perfect fried green tomato with a nice grilled mushroom that was not soggy like mushrooms can be.  Then it was topped with the subtle smokiness of the cheese and tanginess of the remoulade.  Every bite was a cornucopia of flavors I barely even missed not having meat for dinner.  The po boy was a great deal for $9 it was loaded with good size shrimp they were crisp and not greasy.  The mussels were slightly small but the number of them made up for the size.  The shrimp were massive there were about 4 in the appetizer.  The sauce was a nice broth similar to a white wine scampi broth with a Cajun kick.                                                                         
     Rico’s World Kitchen is an affordable restaurant that has plenty of gourmet flavors.  This is one restaurant I wish we had in Roswell.  He executes flavors with perfection and service is great.  With all the mediocrity that is around the Suwanee and Mall area Rico’s and the other restaurants in downtown Buford are a breath of fresh air. People of suburbia especially in Suwanee instead of going to the local sports bar or chain restaurant make the 10 minute trip to Buford for something that you will savor every bite of.  

Roswell is Lucky

As someone who has been to the best burger joints Atlanta has to offer the Vortex and Flip I have longed for a neighborhood place that provides good quality without the drive.  We have been talking about trying Lucky’s for some time but have not had the opportunity.  Well Saturday night was a perfect time to give it a shot.  We were meeting another couple for dinner and wanted a nice affordable dinner in Roswell.  Upon arriving we were told the wait would be 45 minutes which was a little long but we were still waiting for the other couple so we agreed.  The wait was actually only about 15 minutes which is reasonable in Roswell.  The menu has many delicious looking combination burgers also chicken wings and salads.  

            For our first visit to Lucky’s we all opted for the basic burger.  The girls got the $7 special which is a 4 oz. burger fries and a drink.  We both got the Pure Breed which is the basic burger.  I got mine with Cheddar.  My fiancé got the parmesan fries and I upgraded for the sweet potato fries.  Our friends got the onion rings.  The burgers are massive and come on a challah bun.  The burgers were perfectly cooked and a nice blend of lean and fat.  It was juicy just like a burger should be.  My sweet potato fries were honestly the best I have had and came with blue cheese dressing for dipping.  The dressing was a good consistency with chunks of cheese and made me want to try their wings on a future visit.  My fiancés parmesan fries were nothing special as they just had grated parmesan on them.  She ended up eating half of my sweet potato fries.  The onion rings had a dipping sauce with them as well.  We were all satisfied with our meal and more satisfied with the check. A nice touch was the owner or manager coming out and asking how our meal was.  This makes me feel appreciated as a customer. 

            In conclusion I will make this place one of my regular spots to eat they have a nice beer selection and a menu that deserves to be tried.  Next time I will try for the Chihuahua burger which has green chili, guacamole, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayonnaise.  It looked like spicy perfection.  

Piggin Out On The Green

As a kid in the Atlanta area one of our Christmas traditions was to drive to see some extravagant lights.  One of my fondest memories of the Christmas season was making the drive from Norcross to Roswell.  Why is this relevant you may ask?  Well the answer is because it involved a now closed but always remembered barbecue restaurant The Georgia Pig.  To make a long story short you ate on picnic tables outside no matter what the season.  Well, there is still outside seating but the old dive has been replaced with something that brings back the same nostalgia.  The restaurant is Swallow at the Hollow and it has turned into a barbecue hot spot in Roswell.  I was hesitant to try Swallow even though I love Greenwoods (their sister restaurant).

            My hesitation is purely out of principal.  I feel that barbecue should be a cheap economical meal.  It is hard for me to bring myself to pay $9 for a sandwich with no sides included.  That being said my Dad was in town from Washington State and we were cruising around looking for a place to eat lunch.  I asked if he was in the mood for barbecue and he said “absolutely”.  So we pulled in the gravel parking lot.  We walked in the dining room which I instantly fell in love with.  It has an open kitchen which gives it that down home feel.  The interior looks like the inside of an old barbecue shack I grew up eating in on our trips to the beach.  

            After being seated I looked over the menu seeing all of the options.  There are a good many veggies as well as meat choices.  We opted to start off with the smoked wings.  They come out on a skewer dipped in the sweeter of the 3 sauces.  The wings had a rich smoky flavor and the sauce complemented them perfectly.  For our main course we both had the pulled pork sandwich and split some fries.  I always get fries my first visit to a barbecue restaurant to dip in their variety of sauces to truly explore them.  The sandwiches came out and upon first glance I knew why they were pricey. They were big enough to split.  The bread was fresh bread that the Swallow turns into texas toast my favorite thing to encase my barbecue.  The pork is moist without sauce, it is lightly smoked with a few pieces of bark.  My only complaint is my preference would be for more smoke.  However, this was some of the best pork I had tasted in quite a few years.  They have 3 sauces one is a sweet tomato based, one mustard base and one pure vinegar pepper sauce.  All are good and unique.  Being a sweet sauce guy I went for the tomato based but used the other two for my fries.  After eating half my sandwich I picked the pork out of the other half as it is that filling

            My experience at the Hollow is one I will not forget anytime soon.  My father was in town and the whole experience took me back to a simpler time of Christmas lights and my biggest concern being homework.  For that I thank you Swallow at the Hallow.  I will most surely be back.  

Tapped Out in Roswell

On Saturday my fiancé and I decided to try out one of Roswell’s newest restaurants.  We tried Roswell Tap off of Highway 9.  Pulling to the historic home we saw a pretty good size crowd which is always refreshing.  Upon entering the restaurant the hostess sat us down promptly.  After a few minutes the hostess came to take our drink order.  While waiting I noticed the menu looked extremely promising there were many sandwiches that looked enticing on their menu.  On that particular night though we were both in the mood for wings as another reviewer had pointed out they were the best in Atlanta.  She ordered the medium wings I opted for extra hot.

Wings should not be an extremely difficult menu item to execute as the entire entrée is fried.  After twenty minutes of waiting our food finally came out the wings were mostly small in size and were barely coated in sauce. This was disappointing as I was looking forward to tasting wings coated with hot sauce laced with Irish butter. What I did taste was very good.  The wings were crispy some were meaty and the hot sauce had a well flavored kick.  The blue cheese was good and homemade it wasn’t the best nor the worst.  The fries were incredibly salty. My honest opinion is that the place has potential there is a great creative atmosphere and if the food was well executed Roswell Tap could be a worthy addition to the Roswell area.  However, the service is slow and at one point no food was coming out of the kitchen.  

In conclusion I will probably return to the Roswell Tap to try one of the sandwiches especially the chicken sandwich containing rosemary bacon.  Upon my return I sincerely hope that the kinks are worked out and I can update this review to brag about the restaurants turnaround.

Somethings Smokin in Alpharetta

 

            After a morning on the golf course one of my buddies and I decided to go eat some barbecue.  We discussed a few days prior trying each of the top 10 barbecue restaurants on Urbanspoon.  We decided to stay local and go to Smokejack in downtown Alpharetta.  I have dined here on one prior occasion and was reasonably satisfied.  It had some positive qualities and some drawbacks.  After my first dining experience it was a solid barbecue choice when wanting to remain local.  We arrived and there were only a few tables which is normal at noon on a Saturday.  The waitress asked us if we wanted an appetizer we opted for the fried pickles.  They came out and were huge pieces of dill pickle well seasoned and fried.  They are served with a spicy mayonnaise which was decent.  It was a good appetizer.  We both ordered the pulled pork sandwich with the Kansas City barbecue sauce.        

The first time I ate here I had the meat trio which had burnt ends, pork and turkey on the plate it had a sweet sauce I wasn’t a fan of.  I didn’t know this was that sauce.  The sandwich was good but the pork didn’t have enough bark in it I love bark it is the best part of the barbecue.  For anyone that doesn’t know what bark is it’s the chard pieces of pork that are crisp and really let you appreciate the time and effort it takes to smoke pork.  This was disappointing because my first dining experience had plenty of it as well as the delicious burnt ends.  My side dish was the collard greens which I will admit were some of the better ones I have had at a restaurant.   Justin had the mac and cheese and he said it was disappointing it looked a little too brown on top which I thought I would never say.

After two visits to Smokejack I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  This restaurant has some potential I firmly believe with a better sauce it could easily be a 4 out of 5 their meat is solid and the service is spot on.  I was impressed with the collards and the pepper vinegar anyone who loves collards should try them.  

Urbanspoon rocks

A Night In Bombay

Often times when my fiancé wants to go eat Indian food I oppose.  Not that I do not like Indian food, because I love it being a lover of all things spicy and flavorful.  It is because of the cost of the food.  It is hard to justify many times paying $12-15 for an entrée consisting of chicken.  Also we can never agree on an entrée she is a Korma girl while Vindaloo is to me one of the most perfect dishes.  That being said we had the ever prevalent debate after going to the gym.  She wanted Indian I was trying to save my bank account.  Then it hit me that while driving on Mansell the other day I saw a sign near one of our favorite Indian restaurants Santoor.  The sign was for Bombay Xpress which to me meant affordable.  So we took a chance and drove over there to find out the older gentleman had retired and sold his restaurant to a chef named Sandeep Singh.  He was a nice gentleman who explained the transition and his new concept.  He explained he wanted to open a casual Indian restaurant with more affordable prices but the same high authentic quality.  This to me sounds like an outstanding idea one I have often dreamed about during our debates. 

            The restaurant has the same décor as the prior restaurant nothing special but I let the food do the talking.  There is a menu on the board for the lunch serving.  The menu is large but it hits all the essentials Korma, Vindaloo, Tandori, Tikka etc. Most entrees are under $10 which is a great price point.  The entrées come with rice, naan is extra but that is to be expected.   I had the Chicken Vindaloo she had the Chicken Korma and we split an order of garlic naan.  Whenever I order my sacred dish I ask for Indian hot which usually results in slight laughter and shock of course this was not different but he was happy to make it the way it is meant to be eaten.  He promptly went to the back and began preparation of our entrees.  After about 10 minutes he came back with our plates which were plastic including the silverware.  He said that some customers had complained about this.  To me it is not a problem if using the plastic saves money I am all for it.  Honestly, it may be more cost efficient to use the real stuff but I am sure the numbers were figured.  We each had our bowl of rice and our separate bowls of our entrees.  The smells were very tempting as we situated ourselves for the feast.  The naan gave off the delicious smells of garlic.

 I made my plate and took my first bite, it was spicy but not unbearable just the right amount of heat.  The flavors in the gravy were delicious and there was a hint of cilantro contrasting.  From first bite I was hooked especially when I noticed it was all breast meat and no dark meat which is common at other establishments.  After eating this I went in for my half of the garlic naan which honestly pretty good.  Caitlin loved her Korma as well she said everything was delicious.  Rarely do I have all positive things to say about a restaurant but this may be the best Indian food I have had beating out India Chef and The Palace in Norcross.  As a special surprise Chef Singh brought out some of his Kheer “rice pudding” as a complimentary desert it was the perfect ending to a perfect dining experience.  In conclusion I will say that if you are in the mood for great Indian food give Bombay Express a chance.  Chef Singh is an experienced chef and a pleasure to be around he is kind and polite.  My hope is that he will increase his business and become a fixture here in Alpharetta.  To me there is nothing better than a first time restaurant owner making it in a tough market.  His food is spot on which to me is all that matters.  

Apocalypse Now

We walked into Tre on a Wednesday night looking for a quick bite to eat.  I had assumed that this was a self serve restaurant by the menu behind the counter.  This assumption was wrong for dinner time it is a sit down restaurant.  Tre is in a small strip mall, the décor is nice it has high ceilings giving it an urban feel.  I want to start off by saying I have never dined at a Vietnamese restaurant.  We were seated in a booth and the hostess brought us water.  Our waiter had an immense knowledge of the menu and gave suggestions of what we should order if we were first time diners.  He suggested we both order pho which I have heard about on many occasions in books and television.  I also saw on the menu a sandwich that had my interest for some time. It is called bahn mi it is a pork sandwich with ham, pate and some fresh veggies.  The waiter gave us a few minutes to look over the menu. 

            My girlfriend ordered first she decided on the lemongrass stir fried chicken.  The waiter described this as a good choice because it possessed sweet, salty, and spicy.  I opted for the beef pho as he suggested this was a better choice than the meatball pho. To splurge we ordered a bahn mi to split.  The sandwich came out first it was on a fresh baguette.  The baguette was flaky and tasted like what you would expect at a French restaurant.  This is to be expected with the heavy French influence in Vietnam.  The sandwich was accompanied by hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce.  The sandwich was topped with fresh jalapeno, cucumber, carrot and cilantro.  It had a nice texture I liked the fresh veggies, the meat was mediocre at best.  I would not order the sandwich again but you live and learn. 

            After a few minutes had passed our entrees came out.  Her entrée came with a side of garlic fried rice.  My pho was accompanied with some basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts and a few other items.  The broth in the pho was a beef broth with a medley of Asian spices that gave it an almost Thai curry like flavor.  It was packed full of flavor.  The beef was sliced paper thin and had a roast beef consistency to it.  Overall, the dish was solid I would order it again but probably in the winter time.

 The lemongrass chicken is a different story.  This dish did hit all of the flavors the waiter described.  To be honest usually lemongrass is not a flavor I enjoy but this dish used it in a subtle way.  The chicken had a crisp texture and almost tasted like the texture of a good sesame chicken.  However, the chicken was not battered.  It was well trimmed white meat chicken which is important to me in ordering chicken dishes.  Being someone who loves spicy food I could have had more of this flavor in particular but most people do not share my love of all things hot.  The fried rice was mediocre but I did appreciate the hints of garlic mixed throughout.  Overall, the food was above average.  I would give the food 3 out of 5 stars, to let you know there has never been a restaurant where I have dined that gets a 5. 

However, though the food was pretty good the service at Tre was unacceptable.  The waiter was a solid waiter he knew the menu and expressed his knowledge well.  My grievance is with the American hostess and a middle-aged woman that may have owned the restaurant.  The girl who provided water looked to be younger and inexperienced. Her job was to seat people and provides water.  She did little else and I doubt that is her fault.  The middle-aged woman stood behind the counter and acted as sort of an expo for the food.  We sat at the table for more than half our dining experience with the same empty water glasses.  This became an issue when I needed water to clear my palate from a slice of jalapeno in the pho.  Finally we flagged down the hostess who provided more water.  After waiting for about 15 minutes for the check my girlfriend asked the owner for the check and a to-go container.  After another 5 minutes the waiter brought our check.  The owner must have thought the task was beneath her.  Our waiter was handling about 6 tables including a table of about 7.  He was clearly scrambling to stay out of the weeds.  The hostess should be assisting with the beverages and running food as it is up in the window.  The owner needed to be working the restaurant and asking for feedback. Also if a table wants the check the owner should provide it.  I will more than likely go back to this restaurant but it will be during lunch time when I can wait on myself.

A Piece of Paris in Buckhead

I decided to give Anis a try based on my scoutmob deal.  I am cheap I know but I enjoy fine dining and am young so I do not have a lot of disposable income.  My reason for going out was to celebrate a late valentines day with my girlfriend Caitlin.  It was a surprise for her.  We had 7:30 reservations and the restaurant was packed.   A table was not available to us for about twenty minutes.  I could harp on this but its Friday night in Buckhead it’s to be expected.  Although I must mention that a couple who came in significantly later was seated before us.  C’est la vie.  They must have known someone because they received extra attention.  Plus the guy was carrying a man purse (murse as I call them) so maybe he was Indiana Jones.  That aside I must say the atmosphere was wonderful.  The restaurant is a quaint house off of a side street in Buckhead.  There is outdoor seating which for an unseasonably warm February night was great.  The music was live from a pretty decent band.  We sat down and were immediately waited on.  We each ordered a glass of wine which was slightly pricey but very good. 

As an appetizer we ordered the Coquilles St. Jacques.  A bread basket was brought to the table,  it was decent bread but nothing special.  Out comes our appetizer.  Let me say that if you are looking for large portions you are better off going to a chain restaurant.  The plate had three perfectly bronzed scallops on a bed of mushrooms with a sweet truffle honey.  The scallops were flawless from the texture to the moistness and the color on the sear was how they are meant to be plated.  

For our entrees my girlfriend ordered what she thought was the bistro steak from pointing at the menu but ended up being the Filet of Beef Au Poivre.  Her steak was ordered medium and came out slightly medium rare but in my opinion all steaks should be rare to medium rare especially a filet.  There was a nice char on the steak which gave it hints of a nice smoky flavor.  Being a southern boy I was a huge fan.  There is nothing I like more than smoky charred flavor.  Her potatoes were well cooked they could have used something to make them stand out a little more on the dish, maybe a fresh herb.

 I opted for the special which was Duck leg confit with a ragout of lentils.  Let me point out my opinion on lentils is pretty low.  However, my love of all things duck overruled my hatred.  The lentils were as good as lentils can be they were well seasoned and had immense flavor but I would have been more satisfied with some haricot verts.  The duck was the star of this show.  It fell off of the bone it was so tender and juicy.  It had the aroma and flavor of garlic that did not over power the dish but took it to another level.  There is nothing not to love about legs of duck bathed in their own fat. 

Overall, I would give this dining experience a 4 out of 5 stars.  The meats were delicious but the side dishes left something to be desired.  The service was pretty good.  I would reserve this place for a special occasion unless spending over a hundred dollars for two people is within your budget.  I wish it was within mine if it was this would definitely be a place I would visit regularly.