Yogurtland

Yogurt and toppings - quite a nice variety!

I was recently provided with a gift card in order to sample Yogurtland, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop (apparently the first such company that offered self-service) with 170 locations in the US, Guam and Mexico. The majority of locations are in the western half of the US. In Atlanta there are 2 locations, one on West Paces Ferry Rd. near I-75 and another in Norcross. A third location in Peachtree City is coming soon. At the West Paces Ferry location on a recent rainy Saturday, high school kids dominated the constant crowd in the bright, friendly shop. A sprinkling of young families played into the mix as well.

Although I believe the Atlanta yogurt market is over-saturated I was pleasantly surprised with Yogurtland's flavors, toppings, atmosphere and price. I tried many of the available flavors (more than a dozen!) including limited edition Yo Frappe and Mango Mixer tart flavors. Both were tasty. I personally prefer the tart flavors, and found the plain tart flavor to be delicious, especially when coupled with fruit and chocolate toppings! Toppings include the usual fruits, nuts and candies as well as mochi and tiny pieces of cheesecake as well as cookie dough bites - definitely appealing for the under fifteen set. Other flavors I enjoyed include Pecans & Pralines, Superfruit tart, Guava-Pineapple tart and Red Velvet Cupcake Batter. In my experience it is hard to find a good chocolate frozen yogurt and Yogurtland's version was pretty good - another welcome surprise. On the company's website you can view all flavors. I would love to try the Matcha Green Tea (which was not available when I visited).

I was also impressed by the pricing. At 33 cents per ounce the cost is reasonable and seems quite a bit lower than some of the other local yogurt establishments. Each of the above creations cost about $3.50. If Yogurtland was closer to me it would definitely be my top pick. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Disclosure: The yogurt described in this review was complimentary.

Miso Izakaya Revisited + foodie book recommendation

Kimchi Rice - a deliciously flavored perfect comfort food. Love it!

I recently dined with fellow foodies at Miso Izakaya, a place I've blogged about before. Read about my first visit in 2009 and my awesome tasting visit in 2010. Miso has consistently improved since its opening and I found my latest visit exceptional as well. The above kimchi rice is not complicated but the flavors meld together perfectly with just enough spice - definitely a must try this winter. The fried Camembert is also a winner (although I don't want to think about the calorie content!) - do what I did and share with a friend. The sushi is also drastically improved since opening. The white tuna was particularly delicious.

The meal turned into a celebration for my friend and fellow food blogger, Malika Harricharan, who wrote the below book, available for purchase at Amazon.com. I am impressed that she compiled such a valuable resource for Atlanta food lovers. I also appreciate her mention of my blog in the introduction! Thank you Malika :)

Buy this book!!



Fried Camembert. Need I say more?!



The sushi was also excellent. Spicy tuna handroll, white tuna and salmon sashimi.

Ledet Ethiopian

Lamb tibs (center) with vegetarian platter surrounding. We also had the doro wat (chicken with boiled egg).

I recently met up with friends to celebrate a birthday at Ledet Ethiopian. This quality Ethiopian spot is located at what I call "Ethiopian Corner" (corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont) in DeKalb County. The service, although a bit slow to start, was quicker than most Ethiopian places (other than Desta, which is my favorite modern Ethiopian restaurant) and the food was good. We found both the sambusas (below) and the salad dressing (not pictured) to be quite spicy even for our versatile palates. The main dishes, however, were very pleasing and it didn't hurt that was had a Scoutmob to take $20 off the bill. The doro wat, which is chicken in a rich sauce with a whole hardboiled egg included, was the best dish we tried. The vegetarian sampler was also very good.

The sambusas had a lot of flavor - too much flavor for most of my dining companions as there were huge chunks of very spicy jalepeno peppers inside. I'm not usually one to ask a restaurant to turn down the spice but in this case, they should do just that, or at least have two varieties: regular and extra spicy!

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.

Birthday Party with Delicious Indian Food

Delicious Indian and Indo-Chinese food from Chopaati in Decatur. As you can see they cater!

Our friends' baby turned one in August and we were invited to share in the festivities. In addition to hanging out with more one year olds than I've ever seen at the same time in one room, we enjoyed a delicious Indian/Indo-Chinese lunch with food catered from Chopaati. I definitely look forward to going to this place and recommend it if you are looking for Indian food catering.

We also enjoyed watching the birthday girl tear into this special cake made just for her. So cute and fun to be included in this family's special day.

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.

Pig Pickin'

The pig pit.

Friends of ours actually roasted a whole pig in their backyard in late August. The process took more than a day and the result was juicy, delicious pulled pork. We enjoyed a fun afternoon with great food and friends. More photos below.

Rise-n-Dine

Vegetarian roll-up sandwich with side salad. The roti bread used for the roll-up was delicious and flaky.

I recently met a friend for lunch at Rise-n-Dine at Emory Village. On weekends when I drive past this place it is always packed with a crowed waiting to get in. Even for this weekday lunch we waited about 10 minutes. Now I know why so many people are waiting. The food is simply good, with some innovative twists to keep it interesting. Breakfast is served all day and there is a short lunch menu as well. Everything we tried really hit the spot, especially the light, warm roti used to roll up a vegetarian sandwich and the delicious apple butter made in house and served with the restaurant's toast and biscuits. I look forward to visiting again soon to try the tasty looking pancakes and French toast as well as some of the other sandwiches.

Smoked salmon scramble with toast and homemade jam and apple butter. The apple butter is worth buying in bulk!

Salmon Under Fur Coat

Over the summer a friend of ours from Russia brought the above dish as a contribution to our BBQ. Traditionally, it's "Selyodka Pod Shuboy" or "herring under fur coat". However, in this case our friend thought the American palate would be better pleased by "smoked salmon under fur coat". It was delicious, with carrots, potatoes, beets and mayo making this a superb summer salad. Try this recipe to make it yourself.

Bad Dog Taqueria - Emory Village + Morelli's

Love the unique chips & salsa: Chips – Mix of Yucca, Plantain, Boniato and Corn Chips
Served with three salsas – Salsa Fresca, Plantain Pineapple Serrano, Fire Roasted Tomato.

After hearing a glowing review of Bad Dog Taqueria from my cousins Joanne and Craig, I met friends for lunch here one day. Somehow we all ended up with salads, which were tasty enough and served with creative dressings like pineapple plantain, tomato cumin, creamy cilantro and avocado tahini. The tacos, although I have not had a chance to try them, look very interesting, with brisket, Korean pork belly, portobello pushroom and filet mignon on the list of taco fillings. Hopefully I will have the chance to experience the tacos soon.

Although the construction around Emory done on the side near Bad Dog, parking is still an issue. I advise coming at an off time to avoid waiting for a spot - or walk if you can!

"Tastes like Chicken" salad.



"Go Fish" Salad.



"Chickpeas in a Pod" salad.



The menu.

Bad Dog also serves Morelli's ice cream, which is reason enough to visit. I've recently enjoyed visiting Morelli's second location on Caroline Street, sampling flavors like salted caramel, rosemary (which I replicated recently at home) and maple bacon brittle. They also offer some pretty outrageously wicked sundaes as well as homemade waffle cones.

Chef inspired sundae options.



Options at Morelli's new Caroline Street location. The Moreland Ave. location is still going strong as well.

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.