Last weekend was a great one food-wise for me, as I got to visit Star Provisions, Holeman + Finch, and even convinced Mario to ride out to Decatur to try Leon’s Full Service.

Leon's Full Service

Leon’s was packed when we arrived, and since we didn’t have a reservation we had about a 45 minute wait. But Atlanta saw some great weather post-flood, so we sat on the patio and people-watched both at the bustling bar and on the sidewalk out front. Who knew Decatur had a nightlife?
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Another “finally!” culinary experience this weekend was trying the oft-discussed Holeman+Finch Public House burger. H+F offers only 24 burgers a night at 10pm on a first-come, first-served, no reservations basis. The burger is only even listed on the menu for Sunday brunch, when they make ~70, and is also when Mario and I decided to stop in and try it out.

The Burger

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Spencer and I visited longtime Baton Rouge/LSU favorite The Chimes this week for lunch. Surprisingly, I can’t find any historical information on the Chimes and why it’s so well-loved, other than that it’s a college bar with an extensive beer selection and great food. Does it even need anything else?

The Chimes

For Friday’s lunch in New Orleans, dad, brother, and I visited famed eatery Port of Call.  This certified dive is known for having “New Orleans’ best burgers”, so we had to go see what all the hype was about.  I hear that the line for a table often spills out onto the sidewalk, but we were there shortly after their lunchtime open and were seated promptly.  The only things on the menu are drinks, half-pound burgers (served with baked potato, not fries), and steaks.  My dad and I had mushroom cheeseburgers, and Spencer went for the regular cheeseburger:

Mushroom Cheeseburger

I’ve gotta say, if this is New Orleans’ best burger, they’ve got a problem.

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One thing I love about keeping this blog is that it makes me actually think about what I’m putting in my mouth. Revisiting some of my favorite Baton Rouge eateries with a more objective eye can either leave me slightly disappointed or remind me why I love a place. I hope that my readers learn something by keeping up with First Bite (like in the Jamaica or crawfish bisque posts) and learn to think about what they’re eating as well! Now, on to the sushi…

Tsunami is one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Baton Rouge (though to be fair, I think I’ve only visited 3). Though not nearly the first sushi restaurant in the city, it was the first place I tried sushi and I think played a major role in bringing sushi en vogue in Baton Rouge. The bar scene and rooftop Mississippi River view draw crowds in the evenings (or, they did a few years ago; the party may have moved elsewhere by now) and they have great happy hour drink and sushi specials. I love going in the late afternoon when the restaurant isn’t very busy and taking a table by the large windows overlooking the river, which is what I did Thursday.

View from Tsunami

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Last Atlanta post in the queue! For my graduation luncheon, my family and I visited JCT Kitchen for some yummy Southern style bistro food. With a large party, we had to eat off of their special event menu, which proved to be nearly as good as their regular menu.

We were able to choose from:

1st course

• Tomato Soup; Fried Grafton Cheddar
• JCT Salad; Green Beans, Romaine, Spiced Pecans, Apples, Buttermilk Dressing

2nd course

• Springer Mountain Fried Chicken; Macaroni and Cheese, Garlicky Green Beans
• Shrimp & Grits; Tim & Alice’s Red Mule Grits, crusty bread for sopping
• Sweet Water Battered Fish & Chips; Fries, “Sweet & Sour” Apple Slaw, ooo-eee sauce!!

3rd course

• Ginger Bread-Pudding; Meyer Lemon Curd
  
• Georgia Pecan & Apple Fried Pies; Caramel, Cinnamon Ice cream
  

I tried to get photos and first bites of everything, but a girl’s gotta eat too! Many photos and family first bites after the jump.
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Six Feet Under is a seafood restaurant known for its fried things and bar scene.  There are two locations in Atlanta, in Grant Park on Memorial Dr. and in West Midtown on 11th St.  We visited the latter Thursday afternoon for an early dinner.

I LOVE oysters, so when I saw a buffalo version on the menu as an appetizer, I knew I had to try some.  I had an awesome version of these at Red Fish Grill in New Orleans about a year ago, so I was excited to see how they were here.  Granted, the oysters were large and juicy, but I was hoping for a “hard fry” as opposed to the toss in sauce with a little crispiness on the edges I got here.

Buffalo Oysters

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Friday night we visited Utopia [insert various food types here] Lounge for a friend’s birthday.  Although Utopia is located less than half a mile from my current residence and I’ve heard good things about its bar scene, I have never taken the opportunity to visit.  Utopia is currently touted as a Cajun and tapas lounge, but has previously been a tapas, sushi, and martini bar, among other things.  Despite all this, Utopia is, at it’s heart, a nightclub. The kitchen is open until 1am and there are three different rooms with separate DJ’s and ambiances. The Lounge’s confusion about its cuisine led to a little confusion over its menu offerings, but we soon settled on two items from the Cajun side of the menu, the Southern Fried Chicken and the Seafood Crepes, both with a side of Cajun fries.

Southern Fried Chicken

Seafood Crepes

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We visited “New Orleans style” restaurant Front Page News this weekend at its Moreland Ave location. As a native Louisianian, I’m always a little wary of cajun-, creole-, or Louisiana-themed restaurants outside of the state, but I’d been passing this particular place for a while and finally decided to check it out. We had the Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

and the Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara

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Vincent's First Bite

Vincent opens wide to try the Bomb Roll at Hello Sushi.  “Spicy salmon and cucumber topped off with snow crab, tempura crumbs, masago, green onions, eel sauce, and a creamy masago sauce.”

To play right into the cliche you all knew was coming…it was the bomb!!

www.hellosushi.com