Your Dekalb Farmer's Market

I was in Atlanta recently, and we decided to stop at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market. It was a fun spot to visit. If you are looking for an extensive selection of very fresh fruit, produce, meat, poultry, and seafood items, this is the place for you. Aisle upon aisle, table upon table is piled high with all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits. It's a huge place, and all refrigerated, and everything is very, very fresh. Lots of people were milling about, filling their carts with all manner of food, mostly fresh food. 

There is a smal section of cans and jars and prepackages foods, but Your Dekalb Farmer's Market specializes in fresh food--and they do it well. 

One of the features I really like here is that you can pick out your fresh seafood and have them dress it for you. Head on, guts out, head off, fileted, steaks, you name it, they'll do it for yoy--while you wait. It's impressive to watch them as they skillfully dress your fresh fish.

Ice packed bin upon ice packed bin is filled with most every fresh fish you can imagine, all well labeled, all awaiting your purchase. And not just fish. Various varieties of shrimp, octopus, calamari/squid--all are here. There are even some tanks full of live catfish, dungeness crabs, lobsters, and tilapia. Can't get much more fresh than that. And of course, they'll dress it for you right on the spot, however you want it.

For their seafood selection, this place rocks. It's a great place and I wish we had one like this--or better yet, like Buford Highway Farmer's Market--in the Orlando area.

Buford Highway Farmer's Market

I was in Atlanta for a few days, and we kept driving past this place called Buford Highway Farmer's Market. Well, I finally decided to look it up on the web. It sure sounded like an interesting place, so my friend and I decided to stop in. There is good and bad news here: The bad news is that we don't have anything remotely like this place in Central Florida. The good news is that this is a truly awesome place. I sure wish I lived closer to it!

Buford Highway Farmer's Market is a large indoor specialty food store. They specialize in Asian foods and also have an Eastern European section, beside having some typical American foods, including some south American foods. Their produce section is awesome, filled with all types of exotic fruits and vegetable. I saw fruits and vegetables here that I've only heard of, read about, or seen on Iron Chef America, but never had seen for real. Black Radishes, Dragon Fruit, Golden Beets, they have it all here.

The meat section as well is awesome. Where else can you find your typical meats, but also pig's ears, cow's feet, and pigs uteri. Yes, you read that right, pigs uteri. We did look for Rocky Mountain Oysters but did not find any--perhaps they were sold out.

Ditto for the seafoo section, a large selection of fresh seafood on ice was all laid out, ready for purchase.

Later in the day we also visited the DeKalb County Farmer's Market, and I 'd have to say that this place is better, very different, but larger and better in many aspects. Atlanta is lucky to have such a fine place, for sure.

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

I had an excellent meal at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen near Atlanta recently. We arrived kind of late on a Saturday evening and found a full restaurant, a full courtyard/patio, and a 30-45 minute wait. It was worth the wait!

We quickly found a table on the outside patio and got a few drinks from the bar. The waiting system is pretty simple, you get a card with a number, and then in the waiting areas they have the number being seated displayed.

There was entertainment outside, some nice and mellow New Orleans style music. It was a very pleasant evening and the time passed pleasantly. Our wait actually ended up being 50 minutes. We were shown to a table in a nice quiet area, perfect for us!  Our waitress was very attentive and efficient, and we never had to wait for anything. She did a wonderful job of meeting our needs. 

We started with an appetizer, the Boudin. This is a cajun sausage stuffed with dirty rice. The presentation was great and the flavor was excellent. Basically this was a casing stuffed with a mixture of sausage and dirty rice. In the flavor department, this was superb. It was served with a creole mustard that was truly oustanding. And it was served on a bed of white rice that was also well cooked and very flavorful. The one thing I did not particularly like was the casing--it was a bit chewy. But outside of that one minor point, the Boudin was excellent. I'd order it again in a heartbeat.

In due time our salads arrive. I had a citrus viniagrette with mine. The dressing was served in a small boat but the oil was all on top of the vinegar part--it was not emulsified very well. Nonetheless, it was very flavorful. And the salad itself was very good, nice and fresh ingredients--it was really a very good salad. With the current price of tomatoes, I was amazed that there were more than just one or two pieces. 

In due time, or food arrived. My two friends both ordered the Fried Oysters. Both said they were excellent oysters. They also liked the regular remoulade/dipping sauce. But, they both absolutely loved the tartar sauce. It had a bit of horseradish in it. They were both impressed.

For my entree, I had a special of the day: Catfish Yvette. A good-sized filet of catfish was blackened and perfectly cooked. It was placed over a portion of dirty rice and finished with shrimp, crawfish, mushrooms, and spinach in a monterey jack cheese. This dish was excellent. The catfish was cooked perfectly. The taste and texture of the dirty rice was very good. And the sauce.. oh, the sauce... it was oh, so good. Large chunks of mushroom were promiment, the shrimp and crawfish plentiful, the sauce velvety and delicious. This was an excellent dish. 

I'd rate our dinner at Pappadeaux as excellent in most every regard. The service was fantastic, the food great. I noticed that this place was busy the whole time we were there. It was well after 9 PM, maybe closer to 10 PM, when we left, and still they were busy with only a few open tables. Maybe al of Atlanta eats out on a Saturday night, but this is surely one very desireable place to eat. Now all we need is one of these in Lake Mary, FL. Great meal!     

Colonnade

You can get Good Eats at Atlanta's Colonnade restaurant, and i did when I visited recently. I was visiting Atlanta with a friend and we met up with several of his friends for dinner on a Friday night here. There was a wait, a good 30 minute wait, but it was well worth it. We sat outside on the patio and had a few drinks while we were waiting, it was a pleasant spring evening in Atlanta.

Eventually we were seated and had a chance to peruse the menu. It has lots of good ole southern favorites on it, for sure. Eventually I settled on the Low Country Shrimp and Grits with black-eye peas for a go-with. I also ordered a salad for a starter. The others in my party got their salads first. Eventually we flagged our waitress down and then she got my salad as well. I guess she was a bit new but was apologetic and otherwise our service was good. My side salad was pretty good and I had it with a homemade balsamic vinegar dressing--that was very good as well. A salad always hits the spot with me!

In due time my Low Country Shrimp and Grits arrived. Twelve fair sized shrimp sat atop a mixture of okra and tomatoes that sat on top of some cream grits. Each element of the dish was pretty good. The shrimp could have been cooked just a bit less, but they were not grossly overcooked. The okra was done perfectly and not at all slimy. The tomatoes were plentiful and flavorful, and the grits were nice and creamy and not at all gritty. Nicely done. I did feel a bit that the dish was four separate elements, however. They all went together well, but did not seem to be tied together really well like with a sauce or some other element. Still, it was a good dish and I enjoyed it a lot.

My go-with was a side of black-eye peas. I guess I was expecting something more. They were OK, a bit on the ordinary side, and lacking in a bit of salt--they could have been seasoned better. But they also needed something to make them pop, and they did not have that. They weren't bad, they were actually good. It's just that they were not spectacular. Oh well.

Overall, we had a very nice dinner here. It was a lot of fun and my friends all enjoyed their food. I had a taste of the trout one friend had, and it was very good. I also had a fried chicken liver--I did not think I'd like it at all, but actually, it was very good! Our waitress did apologize for the forgotten salad and as a result took my drink off the bill, that was very nice. Overall, our service was pretty good and we had a great time.

Ri Ra Irish Pub

Ri Ra Irish Pub rocks! A friend and I went here for drinks after work recently, and I was very impressed. Most of the interior woodwork, floors, and decorations have been imported directly from Ireland--it really has to be seen to be believe. Very ornate and very old, the furninshing and all deocorations are astounding. 

It's an Irish pub and they have a nice selection of Irish (and other) beers on tap, plus an extensive list of bottle beers from all over. A beer lover would have no problem finding something great to drink here.

We decided on an appetizer, the Hand Cut Chips--french fries that were totally awesome. Hand cut, fried, and served with a great dipping sauce of mayo, malt vinegar, and worcestershire--they were wonderful. 

Ok, the drinks here were pretty darned good too. And the drinks plus the atmosphere plus the appetizers added up to a really good time. I sure wished I lived in Atlanta and close to this place, as I'd probably become a regular here. But if you're in the area, you need to try this place out. And again. And again!

Oh, and if you were wondering....yes, the chocolate martini in the background is definitely awesome! Try it!

Gordon Biersch Brewery

I had lunch at Gordon Biersch Brewery the other day with some work friends. It was a good choice. One of my friends had a coupon for an appetizer, so I got to sample the Southwestern Eggroll....it was very good. It was an egg roll filled with pulled chicken, black beans, corn, roasted red peppers, and pepper jack cheese, and served with a ranch dipping sauce. The four pieces, once split, did not last long--they were excellent.

For my lunch i ordered the Marzen Barbecue Chicken Sandwich--grilled chicken with barbecue sauce, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, and garlic fries. First off, the garlic fries were awesome! Nice, handcut fries were expertly fried and had lots of garlic on them....Yumm. The sandwich itself was a bit messy from the barbecue sauce, but had a nice flavor. With the tomato and lettuce for "cruch," it was a very good sandwich. I also had a house salad to go with. I was thinking salad=healthy, but with the cheese and bacon bits, I'm not sure how healthy it was. However, it was still a very good salad.

Overall, we had a very good meal here. I'd like to return some day after work and try out the beers from this micro-brewery--they looked good as well!

Fat Matt's Rib Shack

Fat Matt's Rib Shack rocks! I had eaten food from here once before, but that was when it was shipped to Orlando. Tonight I got to eat here "live" and it was very good. Fat Matt's is not a glamorous place, it's small and somewhat old, though well kept, The walls inside are full of placques and pictures. There are a number of tables on the crowded patio. 

When we arrived here, there was a line and so a wait, though not a long wait. It was worth it. The menu is limited, they sell pulled pork, ribs, and chicken, and a number of sides. But best to do a few things well, and Fat Matt's does these few things well. I ordered the ribs, a half slab, being a rib place. I also had some of a pulled pork sandwich. And for my sides I had the rum beans and coleslaw.

Where to start? The ribs were very good. Absolutely fall off the bone tender and well cooked. The were tender, succulent, and juicy. Of course, the falling off the bone part made them a bit difficult to eat. Fortunately, they are really finger food. And I sure used my fingers. The beans were very good and had a nice vinegar bite to them--I liked that. The coleslaw was OK, non-spectacular, but good. But I must say, the real star was the pulled pork. I could eat this every day, every week. It was outstanding. The pork had a nice smoky flavor that was not overpowering, and the sauce was excellent with a bit of vinegar and a hint of mustard. It also had a bit of heat--not too much, but a bit. An excellent sauce.

The night we were here, they had entertainment inside, which made it very loud and noisy inside. I'm not sure how those eating inside could stand it. Fortuately, we secured a seat outside. After you order, you get a card and sit down with your drinks, then they bring your meal to you when it's ready. It's a good system and seemed to work well. This is sort of a hole-in-the-wall place and has very limited parking, but don't mess with a good thing. Would I come back here? Most definitely. And next time, I think I'll get some of the pulled pork to take back home to Lake Mary, along with the sauce--it was that good. I guess the secret's in the sauce!