Miss Crumpy's - Awesome Atlanta Wings with a Memphis Connection

Honey Gold (left) and Mild wings at Miss Crumpy's.

Back in December owner Freda Crump invited me to come try her wings. I was so busy I didn't have time to come by until a couple of weeks ago. As soon as we arrived Calvin (a native of Memphis) discovered that Miss Crumpy's is related to Memphis' Crumpy's chain - in fact Miss Crumpy is Crumpy's daughter! What a coincidence - turned out Freda even knew an old friend of Calvin's from back in Memphis - small world!

We really enjoyed chatting with the namesake owner as well as her best friend and assistant Ron Jones. Both are warm, talkative and welcoming. Miss Crumpy's is located in the Westview neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. Although this is not a neighborhood I frequently find myself in, it is quite convenient to I-20 if you are traveling west out of Atlanta or returning from the Alabama state line. Inside a few tables are available for patron use but takeout seems to be the norm.

Ron Jones and Freda Crump cook up some great wings!

After chatting for a bit we decided to try a sampler of the fried appetizer snack goodness that is offered as well as 3 types of wings. The fried items are hand battered to order, resulting in a rich, thick and tasty crunch. I really appreciate that they hand batter rather than use frozen pre-battered vegetables. All of the snacks we tried were delicious, especially when dipped in ranch or honey mustard sauces!

The wings did not disappoint either. First of all, it must be made clear that Miss Crumpy's serves the WHOLE WING - not the pieces of wing that you normally get. Thus, when it says 5 wings, it is the equivalent of 10 pieces. That's a lot of wing! Of all the options we really liked the Mild seasoned wing. The honey gold and the hot were also good but the seasonings and crispy yet moist mild really knocked our socks off.

Fried green tomatoes, mushrooms and onion rings.



The HOT wings! We didn't attempt the X-Hot or Suicide varieties - no thank you!

Think about giving Miss Crumpy's a try and tell her that you found her on Amy on Food. The restaurant just opened in September 2011 so they are trying to generate lots of fans! You can check out their facebook page here. Miss Crumpy's does catering orders and recently had many Super Bowl orders as well.

Blue Moon Pizza - Buckhead

Delicious Portabella Mushrooms topped with "Grandma's sauce", goat cheese and basil. A great first taste.

I was recently invited to check out Blue Moon Pizza, a local chain with four Atlanta area locations. Owners Kelvin and Mandy Slater have built a fun concept including a delicious variety of "specialty moons" (pizzas) as well as salads, "flatwiches" (sandwiches with bread made from pizza crust dough and appetizers. In addition to the Buckhead location (pictured below), there are locations in Marietta, Smyrna and now Sandy Springs as well. Click here for specific location information.

We had the opportunity to taste the mushroom appetizer (above) as well as several pizzas and one of the salads. Everything was good, with enough spice already added to make red pepper flakes a non-issue (at other pizza places we are always shaking those little glass bottles to try and get more flavor on the food!) I particularly enjoyed the portabella mushrooms, the Santa Fe style pizza and the Cobb salad. I look forward to trying more options on a future visit. We also had a fun time talking with Kelvin and Mandy, who are obviously dedicated to their concept of making Blue Moon "an everyday place that still feels special" for their customers. There is a loyalty program as well as a newsletter.

Casual, pleasing dining area adorned with special blue moon decor. The restaurant also features the amazing Coke machine with dozens of possible flavor combinations. I had fun trying out cherry Dr. Pepper - a rare treat!



Top half: BBQ chicken pizza; below: Jerk chicken pizza - just the right amount of spice!



Top half: Grandma's Pizza; below: my personal favorite, the Santa Fe featuring black beans, avocado and jalepenos - spicy and so delicious.



Calvin enjoyed a blue "moontini" - all locations feature a full bar with $5 martinis every Thursday.



Cobb salad - this is no ordinary salad! All salads at Blue Moon are served on pizza crusts - a neat touch.

Blue Moon also features a special gluten-free pizza crust, which can be used for all of the pies and for garlic bread. There is a list of gluten-free menu items and even a gluten-free chocolate brownie. Additionally, the restaurant offers lunch specials like a slice of cheese pizza, a side salad and a soda for $6.99.

Delivery is available within 3 miles of any location. Blue Moon also features Take-n-Bake: you pick up a pizza that is ready to be cooked in your oven at home. The pizza comes with a special baking tray to help you achieve that perfect crispness!

If you haven't already become a fan, give Blue Moon a try!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary

Local Three Kitchen & Bar

Lamb sandwich.

Local Three is one of my new favorites in Atlanta. Cal and I had a delicious celebratory dinner there a couple of months ago. Since then I've heard great things about their brunch from others and I am excited to go back again for lunch, brunch or dinner as the menu has changed dramatically since our visit. I'd also love to sit on the patio when it cools down again, a really nice atmosphere out there. Inside is great too, with cute photos of pigs and Elivs memorabilia throughout. Our server was on point, as were the busboys who tended to our water needs nonstop.

Highlights of dinner included the lamb sandwich, the razor clams and the dessert. If you haven't been here, go soon.

Popcorn tossed with truffle oil.



Razor clams - evening special.



Menu - the current on is quite different. View it here.



Pork with brussels sprouts and onions.


Lobster pasta.



Key lime pie taste and Boston Creme Pie.


Sign out front. You could easily miss this place if you aren't familiar with the area since it's in an office park.

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.

NYC: Sushi Hana and Veniero's

Giant sushi boat - I've always wanted one of these and with four of us, we handled it pretty nicely. Yum!

Calvin and I took a quick trip to NYC in November to meet with our wedding officiant. We were lucky enough to stay with my law school friend, Nathalie, and her husband Drew, who were both super hosts during our stay. Upon arrival we headed to Sushi Hana for a delicious meal including the fabulous sushi boat pictured above.

Seaweed salad, gyoza, shu mai and fried mushrooms - all delicious.

My law school buddy Nathalie and yours truly outside Hana. It was a bit chilly!

Economy Candy - I had to take a photo of this since it's one of my dad's favorites. Unfortunately it is closed or I would have brought him some candy.

Veniero's, a delicious pastry cafe our hosts recommended - we took ours back home.

Delicious pastries from Veniero's - regular and chocolate cannoli, hazelnut tart and fruit tart.