5 Napkins Burger - Atlanta, GA

5 Napkins is originally from New York and recently opened their 6th location on the corner of 10th and Piedmont in Atlanta, in the former Niki Moto's Sushi spot. When you walk in the atmosphere has potential.  Would be a great place to meet friends for a cocktail. 

To start we ordered the fried pickles and pastrami, with sauerkraut and mustard seed sauce. Not a major bite, the dough was soft batter very simple and soft. Flavors all melted into one.

Then we tried the house burger with Gruyere, caramelized onion, rosemary alioli.  It was nothing major and definitely not worth the $14.  As Atlanta has become the burger capital of the south, 5 Napkins is falling very short.  With competition like Holeman and Fitch, Bocado, Vortex, and Farm Burger; they cannot afford to come up short. AP mentioned the Farm Burger's house burger is actually made up of the same combination but they have a formula that balances the burger, cheese, toppings, and bun type to perfection.

In order to  make the burger edible, I had to scrape off the Rosemary alioli which was way to sweet.  Yes I said sweet.  Get fresh caramelized onions, mayo and mustard in order to bring it down to earth and make it palatable.

 Then in addition to the burger fiasco they have these "Tuscan" fries on the menu... Really!?!  What you have are some frozen fries with some bland herb salt stuff on top.  When I hear 'Tuscan" I'm expecting, fresh cut fries with an olive oil drizzle tossed in fresh herbs at the least. This is was most disappointing thing, both AP and I were visibly disturbed by this.

I'm not sure what's happening in NY if this place is considered good...

Overpriced is not always Right... Eat Bright!

Kitsch'n 155 - Decatur, GA

The grilled cheese sandwich is one of my favorite childhood dishes. It may even be a favorite of my adult years as well. When you couldn't stomach any more Ramen, you made a grilled cheese. When your sick and making soup, a grilled cheese is the perfect pairing.

A few weeks ago AP was raving about this adult grilled cheese she found. So she takes me to
Kitsch'n 155.

I had to try the sandwich; Grownup grilled cheese." Thick cut Texas toast with havarti, colby, jack and blue cheeses with pepper maple bacon, sliced tomatoes and green onions. The cheeses were all perfectly melted and balanced by the bacon. The green onions provided the most distinct flavor, providing a nice finishing bite. Then there was the sweet potatoes fries. Unstructured in design, it looked as if they just used a knife to cut the potato length wise and whatever they looked like, that's what you got.

They also serve some unique bottled soda's and make a magnificent shake using Ben and Jerry's ice cream. AP tried the Red Rock golden ginger ale that is more than a century old recipe. The amount of bite on this soda was WOW... It had a peppery finish that left just the right amount of burn in the throat as it went down.

Now as we looked around the small diner we noticed how many people were ordering the burger. One family of three all had a burger, and about 10 minutes later, we notice the mom come back in to order another. Her son could not have been more than 13 but he completely murdered two kinds burgers and fries. His apparent love of this burger inspired AP and I to try it. Yes, I know what your thinking... 'She did just say that they each finished off a grown up grilled cheese sandwich and now about to eat a burger'...
 

But give us some credit we only ordered a kids cheese burger and we shared it. Actually we kind of picked over it choosing to focus on the patty. It was seasoned perfectly with a house mixture they affectionately call 'Kitsch'n.' And let me not forget the fries which were fresh cut and served piping hot. No ketchup needed, they are probably in my top ten of best fries list.

This place is a total gem in Atlanta. Something I would have chosen to just drive by had I seen it on the road. But fresh food made with care is awaiting you at Kitsch'n 155 on Clairmont in Decatur 'Where its Greater' GA.

Eat Bright!

Montgomery Inn BBQ- Columbus, OH

So as my time in Ohio is coming to an end, I decided to come try a place that I've meaning to visit for more than a year now. The Montgomery Inn is supposed to be known for their ribs. They were started in some small town in OH and eventually expanded to multiple locations. The building very cute sticking to the Inn theme.

As I study the menu, I see a sweet plum and spicy mustard sauce listed. Thank goodness I decided to taste it first, I totally did not like it. The mustard sauce is too spicy and the plum sauce just ok. To think this was going to be served on shrimp is scary, totally would have killed the shrimp if they weren't already dead.



So I ordered the Rib and shrimp entree with NO sauce. The ribs were tender and the meat fell off the bone, their house sauce was slightly sweet and just OK. Shrimp were typical frozen fried shrimp, nothing unexpected. But maybe its me, and my taste buds are off, but the best thing on the plate was the baked sweet potato.

Sometimes your food intuition keep you away from a place for a reason...listen to it... Eat Bright!!

Betty's - Columbus, OH

Fried Banana Peppers... interesting!!!  Not spicy, mild flavor, but Good!

Eat Bright!!

Cafe Istanbul - Decatur, GA

So tonight we are celebrating my friend TC's 33rd at Cafe Istanbul Mediterranean Restaurant.
Prior to arriving I quickly checked out the reviews on Yelp which were mixed and did not add to our confidences. And now I sit on the floor basically with my back and butt hurting 15 minutes in. We are in a party of about 28 which alone should tell you this is going to be an adventure.

AP and I just ordered a bottle of wine and watching the shenanigans that come along with loud music, a belly dancer, and a bunch of hilarious people. I don't really know this group, but I already know this is about to be comedy.

While we wait to see when we might actually order food, I can't help but understand one of the key characteristics listed in all of the reviews. Everyone talked about how fun the atmosphere is...well, there is a DJ providing the soundtrack for tonight, and a very diverse full house of people. I am currently finding it a little hard to relax...literally. I am sitting on the floor basically. I cannot count these flat pieces of fabric as actual pillows.

One of the tables was smart enough to order as soon as they sat down, so I went and grabbed a couple of pictures of their food.

Finally my moment arises. I ate a but earlier so was not starving and decided to have just share the house Mezze platter appetizer. Out of the 7 items on the platter, I could only stomach one, the hummus. And stomach is a strong word, there is absolutely no flavor in anything I just ate. I love world foods, I usually choose to eat it over American any day. Baba ghanoush is my absolute favorite thing on earth, and today I am disgusted. Tabuleh which absorbs the flavor that you give it, was absolutely bland, not a drop of flavor. And even though the bread did seem to look appetizing, it was stale. They must have tried to warm it to soften it a bit.

At this point I am going to have to leave hungry... If the basic dishes that are the foundation of the cuisine do not prove to be good, I am not really interested in eating anything more.

This was so disappointing that I had to speak up to management. I never complain, usually only a constructive criticism if the chef or manager stops by... But this was blatantly disgusting...

I love my friend TC, and hope he had a great Birthday... But next time we are picking the restaurant...

Maybe my standards are to high...Eat Bright!

Rosebud- Atlanta, GA

Finally at Rosebud, AP set up brunch for today which we have not gotten to do for a while.

Let me get straight to the point... Pimento cheese with crackers, but not just any crackers. They put sprayed saltines with butter put them in the oven and sprinkled then with cayenne pepper...WOW!!! l

Next up,  Gordo's Breakfast... A buttermilk fried chicken breast, over an open face biscuit,
topped with two over easy eggs and sausage gravy, served with home fries. I am not a major chicken person, but this was the great. The chicken was moist and tender. The biscuit melted in your mouth. The fries had a slight vinegar bite that AP really liked. The portion was massive even after sharing I had more than enough for a late night snack.

AP has the GA Shrimp n Grits, with sausage onion and peppers, stone ground grits, and low country gravy, served in a small dutch oven.

Totally recommend Rosebud for a great Saturday or Sunday Brunch.


Eat Bright!

Goin' Coastal Seafood, Again!! - Atlanta

As we headed out tonight our destination for dinner was unknown. We tossed around idea's until it came to me... Seafood... Goin' Coastal off N. Highland. I made a quick reservation and our path was laid.

We arrived a little early so our table was not immediately available. We found two seats at the end of the bar. At most bars this would not be the best option, for tonight I would not have wanted to sit anywhere else. With a clear view into the open kitchen and direct access to witness the care and attention Seth, owner and chef, gives to the dishes that leave his kitchen.


We started with the Grit and lump crab fritters, beautifully fried yet amazingly creamy inside.

Then I decided on the low country boil, with crab, shrimp, andoulle sausage, corn and potatoes. Totally hit the spot because its not often that I can get my seafood fix like that.

A major plus to our overall experience was the owner Seth Hendricks. His welcoming southern personality just explodes throughout the place.  Even when an employee experienced a small crisis the entire team came together to keep the restaurant in balance and support her as needed.  One fun moment was as we watched Food network in the background,  there was a simple potato recipe that we felt was interesting.  So what did Seth decide to do recreate while we were sitting there. It was actually very tasty and we came up with a couple of ideas on how to improve it.

Loves his yelp reviews, so its good to know how serious chefs take the feedback of their customers.

How else would you close out such an amazing meal, then with his new PECAN PIE Milk Shake... Yes, you read that right. OMG...

Hands down, I can now say that Goin' Coastal is best seafood spot in ATL!


Hope your next meal leaves you feeling this Bright!!!
Eat Bright!