Five Guys With Some Fries

Would I wouldn't do for a good burger...there's not much! But it had better be good! The burger should juicy but not too fatty. The bun should be freshly toasted and a couple of thinly sliced raw onion would be perfect. Throw on a nice slice of American or Cheddar and whoo boy...heaven!

I stopped into Five Guys Burgers and Fries after a hard day of apartment hunting. The restaurant was rustic feeling with bags of peanuts in the shell piled up near the door, but the floor had a checkered linoleum floor, reminiscent of a diner. After placing your order, you grab a bunch of peanuts in the shell and sit down at your table to wait for your order.

I had ordered a cheese burger with onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mushrooms and of course a side of fries. The burger was quite good...even though it was greasy as hell. The fries...well suffice it to say that all the signs they had in there boasting about their fries isn't worth the paper its printed on. The fries are supposed to be crispy cajun fries. I found them to be soggy, greasy and generally unappealing.

Despite the fact they proclaim their burgers to be such bargains, I find myself to be more satisfied with a Chipotle burrito and an Izzy sparkling juice anytime with out the feelings of guilt.

On the Border..On the Can

Finally! A non Asian food review. I'm not saying this is the best Mexican restaurant, it is actually a chain, but with the unique I will also review the generic :).

On the Border is a typical chain Mexican restaurant similar to a Don Pablos...although I believe they've gone bankrupt, but this is possibly only in the Tampa Bay area. After walking in and being promptly seated, chips and salsa as well as a glass of water was placed in front of me. The menu looked fairly generic and it didn't seem like they had anything of particular interest. For whatever reason, I was hungry enough to decide the "Endless Enchiladas" with rice and refried beans. I usually try to eat relatively healthy , although it probably isn't obvious based on what I've written about in this blog!

The enchiladas were reasonable, cheesy and saucy...and probably loaded with tons of sodium...but it was pretty good. I love scooping up the refried beans with the chips.

Would I go back? Sure! Just don't expect a food epiphany!

It's a plane! It's a bird! It's Super H-mart

I've noticed I've been mostly reviewing Asian food. I vow to change that this weekend but for now I have one more post from the food court of my local friendly Super H-mart. I had tried a spicy Korean saury stew. Saury is a fish like sardines.

It came with some kimchee, and fermented soybeans as a side dish along with a side of rice. I was expecting it to have tofu , but even without it, the stew was pretty good. A quick and easy place to get some grub, especially when you're shopping!

Super H also has a variety of dishes from the Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese cuisines.

Sichuan in da House!

Ok, I know it's been a while since I've made a post. I haven't been too active in searching out restaurants of late. I've been busy working, looking for an apartment and getting back into martial arts. I did happen to stop by the Sichuan House for some takeout the other night.

The Sichuan House is located on the corner of State Bridge Rd. and Peachtree Pkwy, hidden in the same shopping plaza as the Target. They are an authentic Sichuan cuisine restaurant, serving everything from the exotic spicy Duck Tongues to something more familiar as Ma Po To Fu, which I ordered as my benchmark dish (no I was not adventurous enough to order the Duck Tongues, yet!).

The decor of the restaurant is pleasant and not loud, the restaurant had a fair number of Chinese patrons, which is always a good sign. I placed my order and it came out within 15 minutes. So far so good.

My order came in one of those large soup containers with a box of rice. I ladled it out into my favorite bowl...yes it does say those things...I need an ego booster every once in a while ok? Besides it was a gift! :). And if you want one for yourself, you can buy one from Our Name is Mud.

Ma Po To Fu, is a spicy dish of ground pork stir fried with To Fu and hot bean paste. It's a relatively simple dish, but it is absolutely delicious when cooked correctly, and theirs was cooked correctly although it did contain a bit more oil than I preferred.

Would I go back? Yes, I think the quality of the food does warrant another visit to try out some more exotic Sichuan cuisine. I will have to work my way up to the duck tongues though...seriously what's there to eat on a duck tongue? Anyone who wants to correct me can leave a comment.

Sichuan House
5900 State Bridge Rd
Ste E
Duluth, GA 30097

Wowee! Malaysian

This post is a bit out of chronological order. The events here happened a couple of weeks ago, but the food is still delicious!

I typically always visit this great little Malaysian restaurant called Penang when I go back to NYC. This time I was back, I noticed that they had a branch in Atlanta...and I had just found out I was moving to Atlanta. I was so excited!

Not long after I arrived in town I decided to go look this place up and check it out. I found it on Buford Highway (of course!) and Chamblee Tucker Road, hidden among Vietnamese and Korean stores.

The store front is fairly nondescript. The inside is spacious with plenty of seating. I was quickly seated by a waitress who spoke Mandarin and given a glass of ice water and a menu.

The one appetizer I always get there is the Roti Canai with Chicken Curry dipping sauce. It is their version of an Indian roti bread. I don't know how they make it, but the chewy/crispy texture is simply delicious.

Another benchmark dish is the Beef Chow Fun. A better beef chow fun you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere. If you don't know what Beef Chow Fun is...you have to try it! Highly recommended!

Penang
4897 Buford Highway Suite 113
Chamblee, GA 30341
Telephone: 770-220-0308

Did you say fried chicken?

Korean fried chicken. It is a novel concept for me. I read an article in the NY Times a while back about a restaurant called Baden Baden, a Korean take on a German beer hall, and it sounded delicious! I was in NY during Christmas visting family but forgot to get some Korean fried chicken and since there is such a prominent Korean community here in Atlanta, I'm betting there has to be some good fried chicken here!

On the way back home from What the Pho? I stop in the Super H-mart shopping plaza. I mean this place looks nice and new and there are tons of Korean shops! There just may be a good chicken place in here right? Ok, I'm a little full at this point, but damn it! I'm already in the neighborhood. Besides I wanted to go explore the Super H-mart, since I've been hearing all about from my white co-workers. If they're expounding the goodness, then its gotta be pretty impressive right? Besides I've seen a couple of Super H-marts already and they all look huge. I step in and I am amazed! I've been to the markets in NY and they're pretty impressive, but this supermarket is neat, organized and has a food court! At this point I'm wishing I had 4 stomachs like cow, but I'm so full I leave without purchasing anything! I'll be back though!

I exit the and see the restaurant I had read about, Korean characters with "Chicken Wings" in English . I step in and speak with the lady...and I use the term speak loosely...it really was a lot of pointing and smiling. I order the #2 (Fried Chicken of course!) and am feeling like quite a glutton at this point, but having to deal with the traffic to get here on a Saturday, I'm not about to waste this opportunity.

The chicken comes hot out of the kitchen 15 minutes later in a small pizza box and a container of pickled daikon radish...interesting. It smelled so good, I had a piece in my car :). Yes, I am a glutton sometimes! I have to say though, it was amazingly good. I like my KFC, but this thing was crispy and juicy all at the same time...also burning hot! Well worth the extra calories I'll have to burn off tomorrow. I'll have to go back one day and eat in when I'm nice and hungry!

Chun Cheon
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd Suite 112
Duluth, GA 30096

Pho in Atlanta

So I woke up this morning with a hankering for some Pho. After my disappointing Pho experience with Phoenix Noodle Cafe, I decided to do some research. I located a place called "What the Pho?", I mean come on! I had to go just for the cool name!

I hopped in the car and headed East on Pleasant Hill Rd. and had to sit through some nightmare traffic due to a broken traffic light to get to the shopping complex. Not being familiar with the area, had to make a U-turn at Old Norcross Rd. The intersection had two left turn lanes and a sign that indicated U-turns were allowed and people making a right turn onto Pleasant Hill Rd. have a Yield sign. So when did Yield start meaning "I'm gonna freaking go anyway even when I don't have the right of way?!?! And I thought Florida drivers were bad...ok, I guess that is my first post about bad Georgia drivers...but from what I've seen, it won't be my last!

The restaurant was clean, filled with a diverse mixture of people. It seems to be quite the popular hangout with teens. I was seated promptly as I walked in and ordered the classic Pho, with meatballs, tendon, tripe, rare beef and ribeye.

Shortly after I had ordered a waiter came by and took my bottle Sriracha hot sauce to refill and never returned it! Only after I got my order did someone notice and give me a bottle of Sriracha. I believe in restaurants refilling condiments when the restaurants are less busy or during closing hours. At the very least, don't do it at tables where customers are dining!

After tasting the soup, I had to add some Sriracha and fish sauce to enhance the flavors. The soup is bold and strong enough to carry the bowl of Pho. This is what I had been craving. I had ordered a medium portion and it was still quite sizable. Make sure you're really hungry if you decide to order the large portion. I noticed a number of patrons were dining on the seafood Pho. That could be the one to try next time I return.

If you like Pho, you should definitely give this place a try!

What the Pho?
2442 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, GA 30096
Tel 770-814-9396