Here is a list of places I ate:
Sydney:
Melbourne
Completely fun trip, ate incredibly well. Definitely email me if you’re planning a trip to Australia and want to know where to eat.
Photos from Australia (part 2)
Photos of my trip to Australia (part 1)
First thought: a take-out fried chicken spot in my neighborhood is going to be dangerous.
Yes it is. LeRoy’s Fried Chicken (note- Chef Julia LeRoy, no one named Leroy is involved) opened recently on Howell Mill Road. The Westside has been positively blowing up recently, and the hits just keep on coming. So far I’ve read mostly negative press on this place (but that’s Yelp for you…). Alex and I decided to give it a try this past weekend.
It’s easy to miss on Howell Mill, sandwiched between La Fonda and a law firm. In fact, the restaurant is a partnership between LeRoy and the owners of La Fonda. Tip: you can park in the La Fonda lot if the LeRoy’s lot is full. We came in on a Saturday afternoon and parked right out front.
(image from foodiebuddha)
Order your chicken at the window (a chicken liver sandwich and fried chicken salad are also available), pick some sides, a drink maybe, and wait for the deliciousness to be delivered to you. It takes about 8-9 minutes to get your chicken, as the organic Springer Mountain birds are fried to order, in lard, naturally.
We got a four-piece order, two sides and a biscuit for two people. It was too much food. I’d recommend about a piece and a half per person, considering the chicken pieces are huge, juicy and piping hot. I was honestly blown away at the quality of the chicken. The breading is thick, and prone to slide off the chicken. I found it to be perfectly spiced, enough to give it a bite, but not burning your tongue. The portions on the sides are also incredibly generous. We got a tangy pile of cole slaw and some smoky collards. I’d skip the biscuit, unless you’re a fan of the doughy, dense variety of biscuit. I tend to prefer mine more flaky and fluffy.
Was it the best fried chicken I’ve ever had? No. But it’s a take-out spot about a mile from my house with delicious food. It’s definitely going on my list of faves.
LeRoy’s Fried Chicken (no website), 1021 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30318
Some shots from my weekend in Napa with Alex.
One of my favorite parts of moving to my new neighborhood has been discovering my new local restaurants. Possibly the best one so far has been Hankook Taqueria. It’s been open for a little over two years now, and they specialize in Korean-style tacos. To the best of my knowledge, the Korean taco trend started in LA with food trucks. Hankook has a food truck here in Atlanta, the Yumbii truck.
So what is a Korean taco? Basically, Korean BBQ meats and lightly fried meats in a soft taco shell with lettuce, cheese, and a special Korean BBQ sauce. The menu is small, just a few tacos, with a nightly special, burritos, and “street snacks.” Stand in line, order your tacos, and take a seat in the unassuming dining room. This place is bare bones, but that makes it feel special, like a secret you’ve discovered.
It’s BYOB with no charge- so bring a six pack to share. I would recommend 2-3 tacos per person and then sharing some of the street snacks around the table. My favorite taco so far was a special- the crispy pork, but they’re all good, and at $2.25 a piece, you can afford to try them all. People rave about the sesame fries, but I found the Ko-Kuma (tempura friend Korean sweet potatoes) to be much better.
(sorry- I ate most of mine before I remembered a picture).
Honestly, I’ve been back once a week since I moved in. I can’t get enough of this place. Taqueria Del Sol will always have a place in my heart, but this is my new go-to spot. It’s cheaper, BYOB, more interesting, and frankly- better.
Hankook Taqueria
http://www.hankooktaqueria.com/index.html
1341 Collier Road
Atlanta, GA
Mondays 11-4pm, Tues-Sat 11-9pm.
The two men behind Fox Brothers BBQ, the Fox Brothers themselves, have opened a new Tex-Mex restaurant in Decatur, Big Tex Cantina. I visited it this past Friday, one week after it opened. Decent wait at 8pm, but expected for a hot new restaurant. We grabbed some seats at the rich, newly varnished bar…and waited 20 minutes to get a drink. All new restaurants experience growing pains, but I would expect a little more from the Fox Bros, considering they already run one successful restaurant here in town. Big Tex needs to staff more than two bartenders on Friday nights.
Despite the wait, the bar had a pleasant atmosphere. Lots of options on draft (Allagash, Terrapin, Dos Equis, Founders, etc). I tried a watermelon margarita, a drink the Brothers have been pimping on Twitter. It was refreshing, but bore little resemblance to a margarita. We wandered into the back where they have pool tables and an area to hang out and drink. I would definitely come back for drinks and a game of pool.
We sat in the main dining room, which is decorated in a bit of a kitschy approximation of a Tex Mex joint- lots of horse hooves, stars, and other Texas errata. Alex commented that he thinks the dining room could look more elegant without the pieces of flair, but we agreed it’s probably not the look the Fox Bros are going for. It’s a restaurant where everyone can feel comfortable.
The food was good, but not amazing. I would absolutely recommend the guacamole, which had more lime than I’ve ever experienced. It was a great pop of citrus. I only had one bite of the queso, but noted it was reddish in color and packed a zing. I ordered the 2-taco basket, which comes with a side. The fried avocado taco was completely different from any taco I’ve ever had- but not necessarily in a good way. You taste the avocado and the fried coating, but it feels like the meat is missing from the taco. Far better was the Tex taco. Filled with brisket, jalapenos, onions and mustard sour cream, it was the uncontested favorite at our table.
Bottom line- give it some time. Big Tex is still working out the kinks, but it’s a great addition to the Decatur scene, and a cheap place to grab some beers and tacos with friends.
Big Tex Cantina
308 W Ponce de Leon Ave
Decatur, GA
This was my first time trying Barleywine, and as you can see from the label, this was a very high ABV beer (15.2%). I shared it with a friend at a party recently. My problem with beers this high in alcohol, is that the alcohol flavor tends to dominate the taste. This beer did have a lot of complexity though, with some nice fruit flavors mingling in. The bottle indicates it could be aged, so it may be a candidate for the cellar*. I’d be curious to taste the difference.
*In case I have somehow neglected to share, when I move, I plan to build a modest cellar in the basement of my new house. I say modest because this isn’t something to age high-end Bordeaux wine for investment, but rather a fun project I want to undertake. More updates on the project can be found at http://www.katherinescellar.com/
Sierra Nevada Ovila. This beer is a collaboration between SN and the Abbey of New Clairvaux. They will be releasing a dubbel, saison, and quad- I’ve only had the dubbel so far. It was a nice, easy-drinking beer. Nothing really exceptional going on here. It would be a nice one for an average evening, or something good to bring to a party to share. Not as aggressive as some of my favorite Belgian dubbels.
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