Baci by Cafe at Pharr

Mussels of the day: today, served in a bacon cream sauce - we had to ask for more bread to sop up all the delicious sauce!

I was recently invited to check out Baci, a new restaurant by the owners of the famous Cafe at Pharr local chain. During lunch, Baci serves some of the same delicious salads and sandwiches offered at Cafe at Pharr (I'm partial to the curry and walnut chicken salad plates) but during dinner they have a totally different, delicious menu. The dinner menu is a combination of eclectic dishes that are both Mediterranean and Eastern (Asian) inspired. Since I adore all types of Asian food and really enjoy Mediterranean fare as well, this is a concept that makes me smile! The atmosphere at Baci is very inviting and once the liquor license comes through they expect to have an extensive wine list - all the better for enjoying at the bar. Service was excellent throughout our meal, which is always a good sign!

The lovely bar.



Japanese Ceviche - more like sashimi than ceviche!

We started with the delicious mussels, pictured up top, served with grilled bread. The chef's preparation, which changes regularly, included a bacon cream sauce which provided a tasty bath for the succulent, plump mussels - definitely a good choice. We saw other tables with the Mediterranean tasting plate, which looked like a good option for group sharing. The Japanese ceviche is more like sashimi with ponzu sauce and jalepeno slices. Although I enjoyed the raw salmon (I always love raw salmon) it was definitely not what we were expecting from "ceviche".

Baci burger - all Kobe beef served with homemade pickles and duck fat fries - yum!

The best entree we tried was the Chilean sea bass, served with perfect Japanese rice on the side and a bed of spinach over a Hong Kong soy broth; the flavor is light, delicate and fantastic. The burger (above) is unique in that only certified Kobe beef is used. This results in a juicy, extremely flavorful burger. Although I loved the idea of duck fat fries these did not taste much different from other fries I've enjoyed lately - I guess I expected a meatier flavor. But you don't need it when you have the Kobe beef. In order to try more from the menu, we also sampled the chef's risotto of the day: butternut squash.

Chilean sea bass with white rice (served on the side) and spinach. Favorite of the meal!



Butternut squash risotto - very tasty albeit a bit chewy.



Dessert sampler: red velvet cake, lemon fruit tart with raspberries, blueberries and kiwi and moon pie and salted caramel gelatos from Honeysuckle Gelato. All of the desserts were excellent, especially the unique gelato flavors which change on a weekly basis.



Nespresso selection and beautiful cafe latte.

Baci is a great new option in Brookhaven. I look forward to returning to try more from the menu, especially since the selections change frequently.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Burger Tap: The New Neighbor in Morningside - Grand Opening January 20

Truffle Burger with fried zucchini and the Classic Burger with sweet potato fries.

I sampled Morningside's new Burger Tap soon after its soft opening. You order at the counter, where several beer taps are also available. The look is industrial, with metal tables and clean lines, which may be a bit too "trendy" for maximizing business in this location. I hope they decide to install padding on the benches and add some individual tables to the large space in front.

I enjoyed the food, especially the truffle burger with gruyere, fried onions, garlic mayo and a truffle glaze and the fried zucchini. The burgers are served in a unique shape (rectangular) which seems to cause some people to feel that they are too small. I think the size is fine so long as you are up for one of the side dishes. If not, you may want to order 2 burgers. The sweet potato fries are made using Korean white sweet potatoes - a different taste and feel from the usual but good.

I'd like to see a wider variety of non-alcoholic beverages as well as more desserts - they have ice cream which can be made into a float. It would also be nice to have a more kid-friendly space. I learned that since my visit they have added a price-sensitive kids meal which is a great idea.

The restaurant holds its grand opening this weekend with the following specials:

Friday, January 20th from 6 - 11 p.m. Burger Tap will offer $.25 (twenty-five cent) pints of Bud Light, Newcastle or PBR when you purchase a burger. 50% off all other beer selections.

Saturday, January 21st from 12 noon - 7 p.m. Burger Tap will treat children 12 and under to a complimentary Kid's Meal, which includes a hamburger or cheeseburger, side of fries and a juice box.

Check out Burger Tap for yourself and let me know what you think!

The beer taps.



Dining area - there is outdoor seating also.



Southwestern Burger with fried jalepeno.



View of the kitchen and condiment station.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

HD1 - The Trendy New Hot Dog Joint

From top: the Eastbound & Down (with pulled pork), the Classic dog and the Jerk Chicken.

I recently succumbed to the hype and tried HD1, Richard Blais' "haute doggery" of recent fame. Not being a huge hot dog fan, I enjoyed it more than I expected, especially the Merguez (lamb sausage with currants, minted cucumber relish and yogurt) and the Jerk Chicken (chicken sausage with mango pork ragout, curry ketchup and ginger crunch). The fries were also tasty as was the peanut butter soft serve ice cream (not pictured).

The space here is trendy, as one would expect from a Blais establishment, although it is not as hypertrendy as Flip. The service was a bit slow. There are communal tables, a bar and high-stool tables (where we sat), none of which make for a very comfy situation. The better to get 'em in and get 'em out, most likely. Overall I suggest giving it a try - definitely a unique concept in Atlanta.

Waffled fries with "maple-oy", the Merguez (lamb dog) and the beet salad.

Chef G's Burger Bar at Park 75

House Grind with Sweet Potato Fries.

I was recently invited to sample Chef G's (Gerstenecker's) Burger Bar in the kitchen of the Park 75 restaurant, located inside Atlanta's Four Season's Hotel in midtown. The Burger Bar is open each Wednesday and includes 2 seatings with 8 people each. Reservations are accepted. The neatest part of the experience for me was getting inside the kitchen of such a high class restaurant and watching the many chefs prepare not just our burgers and accompaniments, but also the rest of the food served out in the dining room.

Luckily, I was able to share both the Buford Highway Duck Burger and the House Grind Burger, which gave me a good sampling of the burger menu that week. My favorite was the House Grind, topped with Pimena cheese, fried green tomato and chow-chow. I also tried all of the side dishes - the sweet potato fries and the poutine definitely won out for me. I also loved the housemade pickles, served in a jar at the high-top steel table. This is a unique Atlanta experience and I recommend it for a fun lunch. The milkshakes (available in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and red velvet) added a nice nostalgic touch and I loved going up to the roof to see the herbs and the honeybees after the meal.

The experience starts here.

They even have ice made from tea so as not to dilute your ice tea with water - neat idea.

Buford Highway Duck Burger with Onion Rings - my selection.

The burger options change frequently, with four options available any given week.

One strawberry and five red velvet milkshakes.

House grind with loaded tots.

On the roof Chef G grows herbs used to enhance the restaurant's dishes.

He also raises honeybees and makes candies from the delicious honey.

Smashburger: Buckhead

An outpost of Smashburger, a national burger chain, opened in Buckhead in July. Another John's Creek location just opened this week and another location is planned for Alpharetta. I was invited to try Smashburger for lunch during a busy workday several weeks ago. Luckily, the Buckhead location is around the corner from my office so getting there was quick and easy. Smashburger took over what used to be Fatburger. In addition to signature burgers and a build your own option, grilled chicken, veggie burgers, hot dogs and entree salads are available. Sweet potato fries and haystack onions add to the "side" mix. There are no combos, so if you want fries with that you need to say so. The burger is available in three sizes, which is nice. View the Buckhead menu here. I enjoyed the Atlanta burger and Smashfries - the herb mixture on the fries is tasty and I liked the spicy flavors on this signature burger.

The Atlanta Burger: Peach BBQ sauce, Wicked Pimina cheese (I assume this is a trademarked version of Pimento, however I didn't really taste cheese in the mix), grilled jalepenos and Vidalia coleslaw. On the side: Smashfries tossed in olive oil, rosemary and garlic.







The Classic Burger with Fried Pickles.







The chocolate milkshake with Nutter Butter added - probably my favorite part of the meal! They use Haagen Dazs ice cream, which is my favorite commercial cream. Other mix-ins include Oreo and Butterfinger. Ice cream floats and malts are also available.

Hand in Hand

Brit Burger with Rocket Salad.

On Saturday we wanted to relax on the patio at a neighborhood restaurant with our friends from the neighborhood. We decided to go to Hand in Hand, a Virginia Highlands staple with a great patio. The food was fine, although the fried mushrooms and fried fish were too greasy for my taste. The burger was good and the fries were decent as well. However, the service was definitely BAD.

Now because of the awesome patio and the location Hand in Hand probably isn't lacking for customers. They also have some great recurring daily specials such as the $1 fish taco and $1 PBR on Sundays. Upon arrival, we seated ourselves at an outdoor picnic table. Nobody came although we could see several waitresses in the vicinity. Finally after about 20 minutes one of us got up and went inside to find out if we could get menus. After that we ordered quickly and the food came out in a timely fashion. Still, it was impossible to find our waitress. We got malt vinegar and hot sauce on our own (we could see it on a stand near the door); we asked another waiter for a refill of iced tea and Coke. We asked twice for a side of blue cheese dressing that took at least 20 minutes to materialize. We ordered the fish & chips because our waitress told us it was $5 instead of the usual $12. When we got our check it was $12 and she said "Oops I forgot it is Saturday, that special is on Friday. Sorry." We made it clear we were not going to pay $12 for something she told us was $5 and she did take care of it although I thought it was terrible customer service for her to even suggest we would pay full price at that point.

In any event, this place is a great find for the patio but beware of the service. And you probably want to come when they are actually having one of their specials!

Fried Mushrooms.



Fish & Chips.

Fran's Filling Station - Charlotte

Huge salad with grilled salmon.

Fran's Filling Station is a relatively new addition to the Dilworth dining scene. Located on Park Road across the street from the American Red Cross, Fran's functions as a place nice enough to take company but inexpensive enough for a casual dinner anytime. Restauranteur and owner Fran Scibelli serves a varied, tasty menu including soups, sandwiches and salads as well as some heavier entrees. Having dined here twice recently, the second time indulging in dessert, I recommend Fran's wholeheartedly. Try the grapenut pudding if it is offered - a real New England treat not usually found down south.

Special fries plain and (back) with blue cheese.



Chicken sandwich - I can't remember which variety!



Greek salad with seared tuna.




Eggplant parmesan.



Burger with fries.

Googie Burger at Centennial Park

Several weeks ago I was able to take some of my co-workers to Googie Burger's opening media event. Googie is inside downtown Atlanta's Centennial Park and provides a nice alternative to the nearby CNN food court. My favorites: the Flyin' South chicken sandwich and, believe it or not, the veggie burger. The chicken sandwich has a kick to it, with spicy batter, hot sauce and blue cheese slaw on top. A definite winner. The veggie burger was better than most renditions I've tasted, prepared in house and topped with BBQ sauce and pepper-jack cheese. The hand cut fries were not bad either.

The burgers were tasty, too, although the beefy pig was a little too hefty for me, with smoked pork and bacon on top! One complaint from my entire table involved the iced tea: the sweet iced tea was too sweet, with little tea flavor and the unsweetened tea was watery, with little tea flavor. Some improvements should be made here.

We did enjoy three varieties of milkshake: a perfectly passable vanilla, a delicious peach and a wonderful peanut butter and jelly, although not much jelly could be tasted. The PB&J tasted even better frozen at home and eaten like ice cream. Googie also serves beer, wine and spiked milkshakes, a unique offering.

Googie's name comes from a distinct type of architecture, which features a bold look and wild angles. If you're in Centennial Park, you won't miss it!

Yours truly with Googie Burger's chef.

Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Auburn Curb Market

Apache Burger with Fries - so yummy!

I finally had a chance to try Grindhouse Killer Burgers, located inside the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, with a colleague on a windy weekday downtown. I could not resist the peanut butter chocolate milkshake, which was so worth the calories. To me there's something about eating a burger and fries with a milkshake - I so seldom eat red meat, when I do, it's nice to have the whole package.

I tried the Apache burger: house roasted green chiles, grilled onions and pepper-jack cheese - and I think I chose the best one. Wow. This burger is seriously tasty. I also feel nostalgic about crinkle cut fries and these did not disappoint. The onion rings were okay, but did not amaze me.

Euro-Style Burger with Onion Rings.



Frequent visitor card with peanut butter chocolate milkshake.

While we were waiting for our food - we did not have to wait long, but apparently the line is sometimes extremely long - I took a look around Sweet Auburn Curb Market. There are some unique food stands as well as retail shops inside. I saw a Jamaican place as well as cooked to order seafood that I'd like to try. I'm not so sure about using all parts of the pig, but if you need a pig's ear or knuckle, this is your place! There are also produce stands and an organic stand selling eggs and cheeses.

Seafood for sale!



Crabs!



All parts of the pig sold here.