Sushi Itto

Smokey Mountain Roll.

We recently tried the newly opened Sushi Itto in the shopping center at the corner of LaVista an Briarcliff. The restaurant features light wood and a long sushi bar. We sat at a table and tried the gyoza and several of the rolls. The spicy tuna was good and although at times I prefer to stick with simple sushi combinations, the special rolls we tried pleased the palate. I didn't have any nigri sushi yet but that is usually my test: the taste of the plain raw salmon, white tuna and yellowtail. I'm glad this place has joined the neighborhood since there are not many moderately priced good sushi places around in town Atlanta.

Gyoza. Good but not quite like the ones I had in Japan!



Spicy Tuna Roll and Tiger Roll.

Gu's Bistro Dim Sum - Unfortunately Disappointing

Smoked chili tofu - the first (and best) dish of the meal.



Sweet rice porridge with dried fruit.

As part of Calvin's birthday weekend I planned a special dim sum brunch at Gu's Bistro. We were served about 12-14 items for $15 each - definitely a good deal. Unfortunately the selection was not what I was hoping for and was rather disappointing compared with Gu's regular menu. The items were very starch/noodle heavy and while we enjoyed many of the items, it was too much of the same thing and included no seafood and very few vegetables. Several of the items were very interesting, however, including textures not commonly eaten in the US. It wouldalso be helpful to have a printed menu of the selections since the servers were not too good at explaining each dish. Next time we'll definitely go back to the regular menu, which is wonderful and unique for Atlanta.

Dumplings in broth. Tasty.



Very interesting cold noodle.



Beef noodles with greens.

Canton House

Salt & Pepper Squid.

When we found our usual dim sum place closed for renovations, we took out of town guests to Canton House instead and were delightfully surprised at the variety and quality of the weekend dim sum. We tasted lots of dumplings and buns as well as excellent duck (not pictured). The salt & pepper squid, my stepdaughter's absolute favorite, was a huge hit even with our niece who had never tried squid before. On another note, my local cousin told me she returned here for dinner and was not very impressed. She advises sticking to the dim sum, which we will most definitely continue to do.

Chinese broccoli and clams.



Various dim sum desserts - the egg custard tarts are always a favorite of mine but here they also have custard filled buns - a favorite with the kids!



Signage on Buford Highway.

P.F. Chang's Triple Happiness Happy Hour

Tuna Tataki Crisp - my favorite street fare offering.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro is offering a special Happy Hour they call Triple Happiness. The triple refers to "drinks, dim sum and street fare". I was invited to come sample several of the drinks and food selections just a few weeks ago. Beverage Director Mary Melton and Market Chef Nico Roldan were on hand to explain the food/drink pairings and answer questions.



I was impressed with the variety and quality of the drinks. Many of the ingredients are made in-house such as fresh squeezed juices and unique sphere-shaped ice cubes. The Coconut Lemon Sour really hit the spot for me. I also really enjoyed the tuna tataki crisp, the Shanghai street dumplings and the spicy wontons.



Although the fare is quite tame for the adventurous eater, the selections may cause the uninitiated to branch out from chain restaurants like P.F. Chang's to try smaller, off the beaten track Chinese restaurants that offer more unique and authentic dim sum: think Buford Highway. P.F. Chang's Triple Happiness is a fun idea and I hope the promotion continues. Being at P.F. Chang's also brought back fond memories of eating at the Charlotte outpost as a youngster - thanks P.F. Chang's!

Pork & Rice Siu Mai.







From left, clockwise: Dragon martini with Dragon fruit vodka, pomegranate juice and yuzu puree; Dark & Spicy with fresh juiced ginger and Cruzan rums; Blue Moon Belgian White beer; Coconut Lemon Sour (my fave) with coconut water, Pearl Coconut Vodka, fresh lemon and pure cane sugar; Yuzu Ginger Mojito with ginger, yuku and sake.







Flaming Red Wontons. These were also very tasty.







Asian street tacos - beef, pork and shrimp.







Edamame.







Special gin & tonic with Fever Tree tonic water and ice sphere.







Shanghai street dumplings filled with chicken, ginger, green onion and soy. I really liked this sauce.