Thaicoon - Marietta

The Sherlock Holmes Roll - not sure why it is called this but I love this spicy tuna roll topped with more fish and a tiny piece of lemon. Tangy, spicy and delicious!

Recently we dined at Thaicoon in Marietta just before viewing a performance of "The Sound of Music" on Marietta's historic square. This restaurant has a sister located near where I live at the Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road. For no particular reason, I have not actually had a meal there although I've ordered take out several times. This was a great opportunity to sample the offerings, which are similar at both restaurants. My favorite dishes here include the above fancy sushi roll and the basil duck. The tom yum kung soup was also good. The Panang curry with scallops was too bland for me - one of those instances when the spice stars don't mean a thing - definitely a disappointment after our recent trip to Thailand! Thaicoon was crowded - it was Saturday night - so make a reservation if you're going at a popular time. If you have never tried Thai food this is a great place to start. There is a full Japanese menu available as well including several other creative sushi rolls like the Caribbean Roll, which includes snow crab and shrimp tempura.

Basil Duck - tasty.



Panang Curry with Scallops - not enough spice for me!



Tom Yum Gung - good flavor but not heavily spiced.

Park's Edge

Fabulous appetizer special: fish tacos - these could definitely be made into an entree as this portion was huge!

I was recently invited to sample the newly revamped menu at Park's Edge in Inman Park, which was updated following the taping of Chef Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" show, set to air on Fox Network February 2012. My favorites among Chef Jorge Pacheco's dishes: the fish tacos (a daily special but should be added to the regular menu) were huge and delicious, although a bit messy, the lobster mac and cheese and the white chocolate bread pudding. Park's Edge has a reputation as one of Atlanta's best brunch spots. I look forward to trying brunch another time soon.

Park's Edge also has a neat cocktail menu including the midnight martini - served with blue cheese stuffed olives and a blood orange mojito (my favorite!). We also tried the strawberry basil caipirinha, which was also quite tasty.

Scallops served atop sweet corn puree with crispy maple bacon.



Bone-in Pork Chop with sweet potato puree, spinach and apricot pistachio relish. A tasty combination - love meat served with sweet sides.



Shrimp & grits. A bit bland for me but big, tasty shrimp nonetheless.



Lobster mac and cheese - as tasty as it sounds with herbed breadcrumbs.



White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bread Pudding - one of my favorite parts of this meal.

I'm not usually a white chocolate fan but this bread pudding with raspberry compote ended the meal on a high note! Park's Edge is a bit hard to find so be sure to check the map here before you go.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary

Chicken and the Egg Revisited

House made Pimento Cheese and Buttermilk Fried Oysters with Creole Tartar Sauce - a wonderful start to the meal. We were even able to pack up the leftover cheese to take home!

We recently went for a second visit to Chicken and the Egg in Marietta after being invited back to try the entire menu. Our dinner at the Friends & Family night was superb so we expected nothing less. I am pleased to say that this newcomer delivered once again. We were seated in a comfortable booth in the center of the far wall - a great place for people watching and seeing the workings of the entire restaurant. It was a Friday night and it was busy - I suggest reservations for sure on weekends. Again, service was stellar and we were lucky enough to get to talk with Chef Marc Taft and his lovely wife, Elizabeth, who are the co-owners as well as manager Tom Foust. It is evident that all three really care about the dining experience of each visitor and that means a lot. If you haven't been yet - go soon. I hear there is a new fall menu now. I can't wait to try the new fall menu as well as brunch one of these weekends!

Specialty drinks by mixologist Brandon King include creative cocktails and tasty non-alcoholic "mocktails" which are just my speed! Left, the Strawberry Pie non-alcoholic and right, Calvin's Grilled Peach Manhattan, which includes infused bacon!

The restaurant has moved from the mini-corn muffins to the above spoon rolls, which are equally wonderful if not better with the molasses butter.



Special of the day: Hanger steak with black garlic puree and potatoes. I adore black garlic and have used it in cooking at home after my mother included it as one of my Hanukkah presents. I found it really neat that Chef included this ingredient in such a traditional dish. The meat was also very tender and the potatoes were great for soaking up the sauce.



Seared Sea Scallops with Pimento Cheese grits, charred onion, baby arugula and chili oil. I really enjoyed this dish, especially more of that wonderful Pimento Cheese. The one issue was that the arugula was overly salted. With the other great flavors in this dish, the greens could really go without any salt at all.



Praline Bread Pudding with caramel ice cream and Rhubarb Streusel Tart with brown sugar-sour cream ice cream. I think we got the last rhubarb of the summer season! The bread pudding really hit the spot - delicious!

Chicken and the Egg - A New Destination in Marietta

Over the weekend my family was invited to a pre-opening "friends & family" night at Chicken and the Egg, a new farm to table restaurant in Marietta. While I don't visit Marietta often, Calvin and I both agreed we will return here for the excellent food, atmosphere and service - our server Richard really took great care of us. For all those Cobb County-ites, the existence of Chicken and the Egg should cut down on the tendency for many to drive all the way ITP for modern Southern cuisine. This week the restaurant opens with dinner service only; lunch will be added August 8 and a family style weekend brunch will also be in the mix at a future date. I look forward to returning again soon!

Creative cocktails include the "Dirty South" martini, featuring house pickled okra instead of olives and "South of the Border", a refreshing watermelon cooler with a kick.







The amuse bouche included one of my favorite foods: a scallop served over homemade ravioli. I am assured that there is some variation of this on the full dinner menu!







Delicious mini sweet corn muffins, available with sorghum butter and maple butter - yum! These will definitely be a big hit for brunch.







Fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese fondue, country ham and tomato jam. One of our favorite parts of the meal. I loved the tomato jam and Calvin had been talking about fried green tomatoes for weeks - finally satisfied his craving.







Roasted heirloom tomato and vidalia onion soup. This soup was creamy but not too heavy. I really enjoyed the deep tomato flavor, but did not really taste much onion.







Short ribs with smoked gouda au gratin potatoes, baby carrots (including heirloom varieties in purple and white). Our waiter was impressed that my 8 year old stepdaughter ordered this - and she loved it, especially those potatoes, which were really quite something.







Clams + Linguini - littlenecks with crispy pork belly, tomatoes, onions in a spicy broth with griddled bread. This was my favorite entree. So much flavor and just the right spice.







The fried chicken was also fantastic - you can tell the chicken is brined before being breaded and fried. The mac & cheese was another table favorite - I'm sensing a pattern with us and cheese! It contains 5 cheeses and was absolutely delicious. The braised turnip greens added a green, flavorful component to the southern feast.







I didn't taste the vegetarian lasagna but it looked awesome and a woman at the table next to us was nice enough to let me photograph her plate!







Functional decor - makes it easy for the waitstaff to replenish silverware and adds a nice touch to the dining room.







Bar area - I was impressed at the overall size of the restaurant. There is also a private room available for small to medium sized groups.







Fried apple pie with boiled peanut and sorghum ice cream. After my recent foray into ice creams, this was definitely interesting and tasty.







Outstanding banana pudding. Definitely my top pick for dessert - from what I tried so far anyway! I look forward to returning soon!

Tantra Restaurant & Lounge

Signature dish - seared ostrich with mushrooms and onions. This is one tasty steak, and healthier for you than beef too.

I was invited to try Tantra back in May. Located on Peachtree Road, next door to Imperial Fez, Tantra is a real treat. Calvin and I enjoyed a spectacular meal with great ambiance and service. The hummus with lamb and the scallops were my favorite dishes and the desserts were awesome too. They also offer an ostrich filet, which is very tender and delicious - something different is always fun too. This is a great special occasion place and with the lovely bar, also a nice place for drinks and appetizers or dessert!

Tasty, although a bit salty, flat bread provided at the beginning of the meal with a tasty herb butter - we liked the butter so much we had to ask for more!



Lamb tartar with shallot butter on matzah - very tasty and unique, but not as much lamb flavor as the hummus with lamb, below.



Hummus tahini with sauteed lamb - one of my favorite dishes of the evening. Absolutely delicious!



Mussels with red bell pepper coconut broth - also outstanding.



Basil Caramelized Scallops - another winner. I love this dish. Basil, scallops, whipped potatoes and greens. Yum.



Tantra has several inventive cocktails including the Tantric, left, which includes fresh thyme and Elderflower liquor.



Lemon scented Italian doughnuts + warm white chocolate cake with vanilla-lavender ice cream and berries. Both of these are wonderful and unique. I was already full when I got to the dessert course but I had to taste these anyway - so glad I did!



Espresso and Sambuca drink - great way to end the evening.



The dining room is dark, romantic and sensual - as it should be at a place called Tantra!



Nicely decorated bar area.

The Big Ketch a Big Disappointment

Blackened Dry-Pack Sea Scallops with Georgia Peach Dipping Sauce

I was provided with a $25 gift certificate to try out The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, which opened in late 2010 in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. Thinking this would be a fun place to take the family for some good seafood, we tried it out on a cool, rainy evening. We were seated on the enclosed patio, which has bar-stool height tables. Although there were heaters it was still quite chilly. The indoor portion of the restaurant looked neat and rather upscale. Maybe I would have felt better about the prices if I'd been sitting inside.

In addition to the scallop appetizer pictured above, which was tasty but small for the $10 price tag, we tried the salmon with chili sauce entree and the lobster roll. The hush puppies and cole slaw that we chose to accompany the salmon were not memorable and the salmon itself was boring and plain as well. The mango-sweet chili sauce tasted like the chili sauce you buy for $1.39 at any area Asian market. The lobster roll was delicious but provided only about 4 bites that included any lobster meat. Overall the portions seemed really small to me for the price. Our bill ended up being around $50 before the gift certificate and we left hungry. That was for 1 appetizer, a sandwich and an entree. For that price, I expect more. While our whole family loves seafood, this place didn't stand out enough for me to want to go back.

Very Belated Birthday Post

Fruit tart from my lovely cousins - yum!

For my most recent birthday we ventured to Cobb County for a performace at the Cobb Energy Center. Before the show, Calvin researched and found a nearby Italian restaurant - Taverna Fiorentina - for us to try for my birthday. The space is small , which I liked although too many of the tables are near the kitchen, adding to the noise and decreasing the intimate ambiance. The service, although a bit slow (they were pretty full that night) was decent. The food we tried was a mixed bag. I loved the Caesar salad and the pasta and risotto dishes were tasty but the food felt heavier than it should have. I liked the grilled squid a lot but there wasn't much squid on the plate! The scallops were cooked perfectly and not overdone, which always makes me smile. I would like to give this place another try in order to taste more dishes from their menu. Unfortunately since there are so many new places to try, it might be awhile before that happens.

Seafood mushroom pasta.


Grilled squid with fruit jelly.

Stellar Caesar salad.

Risotto with Scallops.

Italian rice pudding.