On the heels of John Kessler’s glowing review of newcomer Local Three Kitchen & Bar in the AJC is my equally glowing review. Luckily I visited before the AJC ran the story, because now it seems to be near impossible to get a reservation at the popular new restaurant. Opened by the founders of Muss & Turner’s and Chef Chris Hall, Local Three stepped onto the scene late last year in a big way. The restaurant is housed in the old JOEL Brasserie space off Northside Pkwy. in Vinings/Buckhead, and while it retains some of the trappings of its former upscale inhabitant, the owners have updated the decor to a kind of “down home chic.” (Props for the “George P. Burdell was here” board on their accent wall)

Local Three

Above is the nearly hidden entryway. We had to backtrack once to find it (as did the ladies we were following), so it feels almost like a clandestine destination. In fact, the directions from the lobby would go a little something like this: “On your left, down the hallway, just past the bathrooms…” I’m sad to say that the above photo is the best of the bunch that I have from this dinner. Not only did I forget my camera, but Mario forgot his iPhone which usually works as our stand-in. The camera on my phone was just not working for me in the low light of the restaurant. Hopefully the lack of photographic imagery won’t detract from the review.

Mario and I both ended up ordering two “small plates” each in lieu of an actual entree. This was a good way to taste more of the menu, and we both ended up full anyway. I ordered the braised lamb shoulder (spiced lentils, yogurt) and the roasted mushrooms (creamy polenta, truffle jus), and Mario had oven-roasted chicken wings (celery root remoulade) and “Breakfast for Dinner” (maple glazed pork belly, fried egg, grits).
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Every time Mario and I visit Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood (kind of a littler Little 5 Points, Atlantans), Cabo Fish Taco has a crowd milling outside and a wait time of an hour-plus. To me, this says, “must be good.” It could also be due to the fact that the place was recently featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (although I really don’t think that it would qualify for any of those monikers):

Cabo Fish Taco

We waited patiently for hour hour-plus wait, alleviated slightly by the opportunity to peruse the gallery crawl held in NoDa on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. When we were finally seated on the patio, we quickly made our choices for dinner. Mario went for the signature beer battered shrimp tacos (cheese only, yawn) and I had the BBQ Mahi Tacos (Grilled mango BBQ Mahi-Mahi tacos stuffed with Cabo slaw, tomato, avocado, mixed cheeses & finished with cilantro white sauce):

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After an afternoon farmers’ market run and before a Mayweather/Mosely fight party, Mario and I decided we needed something to eat. Since we were driving through downtown Decatur, I suggested the newest purveyor feeding Atlanta’s burger frenzy, Farm Burger. Farm Burger’s claim to fame are its locally-sourced, 100% grass-fed, 2-week dry aged, daily ground burgers (which are as much of a mouthful as this sentence). We stepped into the lengthy line during what I assume was about midway through the dinner rush. It took us 30-45 minutes to reach the counter and place our orders and another 15 for the food to arrive. The line never got any shorter during this or the other 30min-1h it took us to eat. All I’m saying is, go prepared for a wait.

Farm Burger (via Farmburger.net)

Farm Burger offers a $6 “base burger” to which you can add toppings ranging from free to $3. There are also pre-made selections you can order fast-food number system style. We were told at the counter that all burgers are either cooked medium or well-done, and the cashier suggested everyone try medium to start. I believe this is a departure from the “medium only” rule that Farm Burger started with, and I’m guessing the change is due to customer complaints. Not everyone likes pink burgers. I’m a medium-well kinda gal, but I decided to go with what was suggested and was happy with the temperature of the meat. I decided to order a No. 1, the “Farm Burger” (grafton smoked white cheddar, caramelized onions, FB sauce) to try out the signature offering. Mario put together his own burger with cheddar and bacon:
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I was back in Charlotte last weekend and Mario and I got a chance to meet up with some of my high school buddies that are new to the area. I’ve been debating on whether or not to do some name-dropping in this post, but I think I’m gonna go ahead and drop away One of my besties just moved to Charlotte to be with her longtime boyfriend and my old friend, recently acquired Bobcats player Tyrus Thomas. They requested a soul/Southern food spot, and after some debate, Mario and I decided to meet them at Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen in NoDa. Obviously Boudreaux’s is not the name of this post, and that’s because I didn’t feel motivated to write a full post after our disappointing meal. The crawfish and spinach dip appetizer was the highlight. I had an oyster po’boy that was unseasoned and borderline gross. There was one interesting point on the menu–their selection of hurricanes. We couldn’t decide whether it was in poor taste or kind of funny/clever that they named their different hurricane concoctions after actual hurricanes. The Hurricane Katrina was made up of spirits from locations that followed the course of the hurricane. Hmm…

Anyway, toward the end of the meal, my friends asked if we had heard of Amelie’s French Bakery, also in the NoDa area. When we said no, they both insited we go right away. Tyrus, usually a pretty goofy guy, got extremely serious when he started to describe a fruit tart they serve. “Jessica. Ok they have this graham cracker crust. And then this custard that is really, really good. Then on top are these perfectly sliced strawberries and berries and stuff, gracefully arranged and topped with this apple jam….ok we have to go right now.” And so we did:

Amelie's French Bakery

Mario and I visited hip-looking burger joint The Counter last weekend in Charlotte (there is also a location in GA in Roswell). We’ve been scoping it out for a while and decided that the fact that it was packed was a good sign. Surprisingly, we were seated immediately (larger groups should expect a longer wait) and were given the run-down on the order process.

The Counter

We were given a half-page menu and order sheets on a clip board. The Counter’s order process reminded me of a sushi place where the table checks off their orders for the server. You can choose your patty protein and size (1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, or 1lb), cheese (1 incl), toppings (4 incl, with “premium” toppings like bacon or mushrooms running $0.50/each), sauce (1 incl), and bun (English muffin, regular, or honey wheat). Whew! There are also “signature” burgers, the burger of the month, and non-burger sandwiches.

Mario and I ordered a “fifty-fifty” (half regular fries, half sweet potato fries), a bacon cheeseburger + bbq sauce, and a bleu-bacon-mushroom-pickle burger + roasted garlic aioli:
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I’m finally jumping on the Antico Pizza Napoletana bandwagon, though at this point it probably wouldn’t matter what I say since the ATL blogger community has already fallen head-over-heels for the place. With that said, 1) the pizza is as good as everyone says, and 2) I hope to approach this post from a slightly different angle–customer service. I’ve been the recipient of some bad restaurant service lately, and Antico is unfortunately on that list, but they did work quickly to rectify the situation.

Antico is located in the Home Park neighborhood near Georgia Tech. They have recently expanded their hours to include lunch and close “when the dough runs out” (my guess is somewhere around 9pm). Initially intended to be take-out only, they have also recently added a community dine-in table to allow customers to enjoy their pies on the spot. I think this was change was mainly blogger-fueled, since ATLiens are getting to be very picky about their crusts with the onset of the “ATL Pizza Wars” (Google that for some interesting commentary) and it tends to get soggy when carried home. I visited one Saturday evening to take my pizza to go since I live nearby and hoped it wouldn’t be soggy by the time I got home. I ordered the Capricciosa (mushroom, artichoke, prosciutto cotto, bufala) and a cannoli:

Capricciosa

Dessert Counter

And now for my customer service angle:
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I planned a girls’ night out last weekend…sorta. I wanted to get together and do something, but couldn’t think of what. Luckily, one of us had tried and liked TWO Urban Licks, and the other 2 were interested in checking it out. There’s no pic of the facade because the outside of TWO is basically a warehouse. Inside, however, is a huge, busy space surrounding an impressive rotisserie. On our visit, we tried tons of tapas:

Lamb Flat Bread

Shaved Calamari

Oysters & Onion Straws

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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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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Mario and I FINALLY had a chance to visit the new hotspot in town, Varasano’s Pizzeria, for my last meal in Atlanta until ~August. Varasano’s is located at the bottom of the posh new high-rise Mezzo, and as many posh places require, you must valet park at the parking deck. I’m not sure if I should give this away or not, but we talked to the attendant and he told us we didn’t have to valet and could park ourselves in the back of the deck. Score! We went in and were promptly seated, which was pretty nice for a Friday night in Atlanta. Mario wanted to order his usual pepperoni pizza, but had to order the “house special” Nana’s (Mozzarella & Tomato Sauce with a Secret Blend of Italian Herbs), and add pepperoni. I decided to try the New Haven Clam with Clams, Mussels & Garlic in a white sauce. I also added mushrooms.

Nana's + Pepperoni

New Haven Clam

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