Cliche Pun on Book Title

July 25th 2011

leroy’s fried chicken

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

Posted at 6:05pm and tagged with: leroy's fried chicken, atlanta, food, westside, julia leroy,.

October 12th 2010

antico pizza

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I had heard from several sources that Antico Pizza was the best Atlanta has to offer. Last week, I finally went to investigate for myself. I can honestly say that it is the best pizza I’ve had in Atlanta. I know there are some mixed feelings on the place, so here’s my take.

You have to know what you’re getting yourself into ahead of time. Either go for takeout, or try to go at a time where it’s a little less busy. This isn’t a sit down restaurant with waitresses. You go in, order at the counter, and then sit at a family-style picnic table in the actual kitchen. It’s BYOB and they bring your pizza(s) to the table. We went at 7 on a Wednesday night and there were plenty of open tables. By the time we left at 8:30, however, it was pretty crowded.

On to the pizza. We ordered two (for three people).

capriciossa. While this pizza was definitely good, it really wasn’t that impressive. The dough is amazing. Chewy and perfectly charred. But the ingredients on this pizza didn’t really do it for me, even though they’re all things I like.

diavola. This was the favorite. A little spicy, peppers, and tons of meat. We had some leftovers in the car after the concert. I can safely report that this pizza is just as good (if not better) when consumed cold. ;)

The pizzas run an average of $18-20 per. Between three people, we didn’t even finish two pizzas. So I’d say it’s a pretty good bargain.

Also, this place is hardcore Italian. Their website has a .it domain and we saw a Range Rover parked out back with Italian plates- no US plates. Whatever. They toss the dough and play loud Italian music. Combine that with the BYOB and I’m sold. I love the atmosphere and love the pizza.

Posted at 9:45pm and tagged with: antico pizza, atlanta, food, one column,.

December 31st 2009

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Pictures from my dinner at Miller Union

Posted at 1:44pm and tagged with: miller union, atlanta, pictures, food, review, atlanta,.

June 12th 2009

trois is closing

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I would like to officially say, I called it. Obviously, I just gave it a negative review; I didn’t predict the closing itself, but I think this somewhat validates my foodie opinion. Concentrics generally has some great restaurants, but Trois just wasn’t a winner. They’re keeping the space and re-branding it, which is great because I love the space.

(via Creative Loafing)

Posted at 11:47pm and tagged with: one column, food, atlanta,.

May 13th 2009

the publican

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This past weekend in Chicago, I had a chance to try Paul Kahan’s new restaurant: The Publican. It’s supposed to be a gastropub focusing on beer, oysters and pork. So, that’s what I had when I visited.

We wanted to take public transportation so we could have plenty of beer and because we were having drinks at the Violet Hour before dinner. That made getting to The Publican a bit difficult. The el brings you within about 2-3 blocks, but you’re walking through a random part of town. I’m sure I’m not wrong, nor am I probably the first person to say this, but it seems like the area Paul Kahan chose (Fulton Market) is similar to the meatpacking district in New York, but just now turning in Chicago.

The restaurant just won a James Beard Award for design. The main dining room feels like an old European beer hall. There’s lots of wood, and the main table is a long communal table that seats about 100 people. We were sitting in a booth that had doors on the side, so it was essentially a little box.

The beer list is extensive, but well-edited. Some places (cough, Brick Store Pub) have an almost overwhelming menu, but this one was quite manageable (samples are on the website if you’re curious). I started with Three Floyds’ Gumballhead. My second beer was New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk. The Milk was actually, unsurprisingly, milky. It’s a very dark, thick, rich beer. I’d recommend waiting until after dinner to have it.

We had the Chef’s selction of oysters, featuring my favorites: kumamoto, among others. We also had the Chef’s selection of three hams. Honestly, the hams blew me away more than the oysters. These were pretty decent portions and the quality was absolutely top notch.

The fries with the egg on top were good, but the real standout here were the pork rinds. They were lightly spiced and crispy without being greasy.

For our entrees, we shared the potee and the country ribs. In both dishes, the meat was fall off the bone tender. The veggies were also superb. But while I loved the entrees, I felt that the appetizers we had were more special. If I went back, I’d just go for beer and apps.

For more pics, check out my flickr.

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Posted at 9:26pm and tagged with: beer, chicago, food, oysters, pork, the publican, one column,.

March 3rd 2009

graham elliot

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(I fully realize this is almost a month late-whoops!)

Eric and I went to graham elliot in Chicago for Valentine’s Day this past year. I’ll keep the review succint, especially because I’m starting to forget some things.

There was a nice prix fixe menu with a floral theme. Each dish incorporated a flower in some way. I really loved all of the food we had, but the outstanding dishes were the toasted almond bisque with lavendar marshmallow, green apple, grilled onion and smoked salt; and the braised beef shortrib with black bean, palm heart, young coconut and hibiscus jus:

The portions were all nicely sized, and every dish included a little surprise, whether it was a soba noodle cake under fish, or the candied rose petals with the dessert. I really enjoyed Chef Bowles’s whimsical style.

The only serious downer about our meal was the service. It was possibly some of the worst service I’ve ever had, hands down. I made a joke at the beginning of the meal about how easy it would be to be a waiter on a prix fixe night. Apparently I jinxed us. The servers seemed like they were just having a good time, and if graham elliot wants to be a big player on the fine dining scene, they need to step up their game.

I would recommend going to graham elliot on a slower night where service might be more attentive. The food was lovely, and the atmosphere was downtown-chic.

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Also, I loved the take-home gift of caramel corn. Instead of bread, they bring you gourmet popcorn because Chef Bowles doesn’t think there’s a good bakery in the city. I’d say bake your own bread, but the popcorn was tasty. Eric and I enjoyed the caramel corn later that evening.

Posted at 8:46pm and tagged with: chicago, food, graham elliot, restaurant, review, one column,.

February 8th 2009

Parish Foods & Goods

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After spending the morning at Inman Perk, I decided to walk down the street and check out Parish Foods & Goods. There’s a restaurant upstairs, and downstairs in the back is the market. I had heard good things about the market, so I decided to check it out. There’s a small patio with some outdoor seating.

Inside, there’s a communal table with stools. They have the NYTimes and other papers scattered on the table.

There’s a coffee bar and a variety of fresh-baked pastries to choose from. On display around the room are various home goods. In the back there’s a sandwich bar where you can order brunch and lunch stuff. I had a fried green tomato BLT. Completely delicious.

I’m definitely going to have to come back with some friends for a brunch without my laptop/law school work.

Posted at 3:54pm and tagged with: atlanta, brunch, food, inman park, parish, restaurant, one column,.

January 16th 2009

L2O (Chicago) adds degustation menu

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If I didn’t already have Valentine’s Day plans, I’d be all over this.

Posted at 1:16pm and tagged with: chicago, food, restaurants, L2O,.

November 5th 2008

best neighborhood restaurants (Chicago)

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For all my friends here in Chicago, here’s a list someone created of the best neighborhood joints in Chicago. I haven’t been to all of them, but I can attest to Al’s Deli being awesome, and I’ve heard good things about Avec and Violet Hour.

Posted at 6:10pm and tagged with: food, chicago, restaurants,.