Vietnam Grille - Charlotte

House Special Vermicelli.

Last time we were in Charlotte I dined with my parents at Vietnam Grille. We usually go to Saigon Palace, which is only a few blocks away, but this time we wanted to try something new. Vietnam Grille is fairly small and homey and is obviously family owned. It would be difficult to accommodate a very large group here but it is a nice and cozy place for a couple or family.

The menu is ranges from soups, noodles and rice dishes to traditional Vietnamese dishes and beverages. We tried the pictured house special vermicelli, which was very good - lots of picked carrots and radishes and tasty meat - as well as the seafood noodle soup (not pictured). The soup didn't stand out as much as the vermicelli, but the fresh spring rolls were very good - one of my favorite foods! I don't think Vietnam Grille has the yellow pancake (banh xeo) we like so much on the menu. For that (and for large groups) I will keep going to Saigon Palace - or back to Vietnam - I hope to finally put some food photos from my SE Asia trip up soon! If you are in Charlotte Vietnam Grille is a solid choice for reasonably priced tasty food. I look forward to trying additional menu items on future visits.

Shrimp and pork rolls.

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

Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria - Take 2

Fried Green Tomatoes with Deviled Egg Salad, Ruby Red Tomato & Dill Pickle Dressing.

I was excited to be invited to the second Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria - I attended the first one earlier this year and you can see my post here. In celebration of its fine tomatoes, Muir Glen invites chefs around the country to create recipes using their organic canned tomatoes. Some chefs create a whole menu for guests to try at a special dinner. Before we sat down we enjoyed Tomato Clam Chowder; Tomato, white bean, red chard & fennel sausage soup; spicy Angus beef grillades and Southern Fried Chicken with Creamy Ruby Red Tomato Gravy (both served on buttermilk biscuits); grilled cheese, bacon & tomato keasters and Oak Grilled Ciabatta Bruschetta with Red & Yellow tomatoes and basil.

My favorites included the tomato, white bean, chard & sausage soup and the grilled cheese - both used the flavorful tomatoes perfectly.

Chef Gary Klaskala of Aria explaining the special tomato menu.

After the appetizers mentioned above, we sat down for a four course menu. We were also provided with samples of the tomatoes and reserve tomatoes - this year the reserve is called Harvest Sunset (trademark) and is a blend of red and yellow tomatoes. You can order a reserve basket here, which includes the recipe for the beef dish pictured below.

I am looking forward to making some chilli very soon using my tomatoes. I especially love the fire roasted tomatoes that Muir Glen produces. These tomatoes take canned to another level. To see recipe ideas, click here.

Pan Roasted Jumbo Prawn with Herbed Lobster Ruby Red Tomato Broth



Spicy Braised Angus Beef with Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Gold Potatoes and Cilantro. This was my favorite dish (well, after the dessert!)



UpsideDown Tomato Cake with black Pepper Tomato Ice Cream. Simply delicious - it sounds odd but a very good combination!

Buckhead Diner's New Menu Items

Today's "Ceviche" Day Boat - Calamari and scallops with mango, papaya, melon, shallots and sweet potato and plantain chips - my favorite dish!

I was recently invited to a tasting at Buckhead Diner, organized by Atlanta Food Bloggers Society. Chef Charles Schwab is at the helm of this established Buckhead meeting spot where the warm Maytag Blue Cheese potato chips and veal and wild mushroom meatloaf are adored standards. In addition to the classics, there are quite a few new items on the menu and our sampling was comprised of these new additions. Everything we tried was quite tasty. My favorites include the ceviche (above), the Cobb salad (below) and the turkey Breast Jardiniere (not pictured) - a light entree of wood grilled turkey topped with fresh asparagus, tiny tomatoes, radishes, fingerling potatoes, arugula and a very tasty lemon vinaigrette. I look forward to trying Buckhead Diner again and for all you long-time fans - you must try the new menu!

Spicy "Pow Pow" Rock Shrimp.



Pimento Cheese fritters with spicy pimento jelly. Loved the jelly with these tasty fritters.



White truffle deviled eggs - this delicious delight started off our tasting.



Flatbread vegetarian pizza.



Cobb Salad - so pretty and delicious.



Horseradish Crusted Maine Cod + summer bean and corn succotash. The vegetables really shined here.



White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie - a classic favorite.

Rooftop Fun at Six Feet Under Westside

Fried Okra platter.

Not long ago I was invited to a fabulous networking event on the rooftop deck of Six Feet Under - Westside. I had not been to this location previously and truly enjoyed the experience. The food and atmosphere was delightful as was the good company. The spicy rat toes were especially tasty as was the horseradish-dill sauce served with the addictive homemade potato chips. The view of midtown Atlanta is spectacular (sorry - no photo!).

Spicy Rat Toes - that's baked jalepeno peppers stuffed with shrimp and wrapped in bacon, served with Ranch dressing.



Housemade potato chips with delicious horseradish-dill sauce.

George's

George's famous onion rings.

We recently dined with our neighbors and played trivia at George's, a long time Virginia Highland neighborhood hangout. The restaurant's tables are covered with small plaques identifying the famous people who have dined at each particular table - neat idea and fun to know you are sitting where someone famous once sat!

Trivia happens on Tuesday nights here and there were several die-hard and very smart teams participating, although we thought that one of them violated the "no smart phone" ban. Although we did not come close to winning the trivia competition, we had a great time and enjoyed the atmosphere and good burgers. In my opinion this is one of the better burgers in Atlanta; without getting into the burger war debate I will say that George's burgers are cooked properly, delicious and not outrageously priced. The onion rings were a bit hit, too. The only miss was the shrimp po'boy, which I probably should not have ordered after hearing about the great burgers! Now I know.

The above smaller size burger is also available.

Shrimp po'boy. Don't fall for it. Get a burger!

Mushroom swiss burger.

Bacon cheeseburger with tots.

Chocolate cake at Jimmy Carter's seat.

Alfredo's - An Atlanta Classic

Calamari.

Somehow I lived in Atlanta for more than four years before I dined at Alfredo's Italian Restaurant. I drive past it all the time and heard that it exemplified "old-school Italian" cooking so I'm not sure why I waited so long! One reason might be that the parking lot is always full and a reservation is a must on the weekend. Luckily when we had a friend visiting from out of town we reserved a table and had a lovely meal. It really is old-style Italian (and old-style Atlanta, having operated for more than 35 years), with wonderful, attentive service by men who appear to have been in the business for years and a head waiter/maitre'd who reminds me of some of the characters in stereotypical mafia films.

The signature sign on Cheshire Bridge Road.



Mussels appetizer.

For the amount of food you receive, the value is outstanding. Although I did not photograph the buttery garlic bread or the pickled vegetables that are brought out to every table, they were both delicious, the veggies very nostalgic and the bread great for sopping up all the delicious sauces presented throughout the meal - I think we ate four baskets! The above-pictured mussels are listed in the "Zuppe" section and do contain a delicious white wine/garlic broth that can be eaten as soup after consuming the delicious mollusks.

For entrees the three of us split two: the linguine pescattore and the veal three ways. Both were outstanding. More yummy sauce to eat with garlic bread!



Padrino (Godfather): veal three ways with spinach.

Poquito - Latin American Cuisine in San Francisco's Dogpatch Neighborhood

Churrasco - most delicious steak EVER! Grilled beef with a fried egg on a bed of rice, sweet plantains and spinach salad.

While in the Bay area recently, I truly enjoyed my visit to Poquito, a Latin American Tapas Bar in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood. Poquito was a highlight, not only because of the unique Latin American flavors but also because of the excellent service and variety of dishes offered. The above steak was excellent, something I would order again in a heartbeat and I am not usually a steak person. The sweet plantains and Spinach salad with cheese and dried fruit only added additional bursts of flavor to the mouthwatering steak, paired perfectly with a fried egg and delicious rice. Yes even the rice was better than usual.

L to R: Habas Fritas (fava beans, fried and salted); Chulpi (Ecuadorean corn kernels); Tostado (crunchy corn kernels, the Andean version of popcorn). Order one of these for an authentic South American start to the meal - great paired with drinks also.



Street sign.



Full bar.



Dining room.



Arepa con relleno - plain arepa topped with pork fritada, green onions, sweet plantain, cheese and white beans. Cheesy and delicious.



Shrimp tacos on jicama wrappers with pickled slaw and guanabana balsamic reduction. I LOVE the use of jicama instead of a tortilla - makes it healthier and adds a wonderful crunch to the delicious shrimp taco.



Homemade Hibiscus Cooler - yum. Other non-alcoholic drinks offered: Guanabana, Blackberry, Guayaba, Naranjilla or Lucuma smoothies as well as Hibiscus soda and Guava and Mango Nectar. Poquito has a full bar as well.



Shrimp Ceviche, Ecuadorean style. I love ceviche and this did not disappoint. The Eduadorean style was full of tomatoes and adding popcorn and tostado enriched the crunch factor.



Empanadas: 3 varieties are offered. These cheese and bean ones were delicious.



Empanadas de Aire con guayaba - sugar crusted empanadas with guava & cheese filling. Although stuffed I had to try these and again, a new delicious flavor. These would be great for breakfast with a cup of coffee!



Yours truly with co-owner Jason Yoo. Richard Vila is the second owner. If you live in SF or if you are visiting, this is a really neat place to try. I look forward to visiting again someday.