In my current (but soon changing) state as a financially challenged recent graduate, I was sadly unable to participate in this weekend’s inaugural Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. The preview I attended was so great I knew the festival would be too, but maybe next year. I decided the best way to mitigate my sorrows was on a patio with libation in hand. I had heard tell of a place that served what some might consider the holy grail of summer drinks, a Jack & Coke slushie: Inman Park’s newest addition Victory Sandwich Bar. So Mario and I snagged one of their tree trunk patio tables and I ordered up:

Jack & Coke Slushie

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During Inman Park’s recent restaurant week, Mario and I visited Wisteria for some “new South” fare. I was really hoping to be able to visit again before writing this (especially because they’re now on Scoutmob), but the start of my wedding diet has delayed many of my must-trys for a while. Restaurant week is not always the best time to judge a restaurant on service, but I thought the service at Wisteria was outstanding for a regular night, and the fact that it was a Friday evening during restaurant week just made it that much better. Although not typically the case for Inman Park, many restaurant week menus are so boring to me–steak, chicken, fish. So I LOVED that Wisteria’s menu had an array of non-boring appetizers and entrees (rack of lamb, shrimp and grits, 3 meat bolognese) at two different price points. We started with the crawfish and corn fritters and fried oyster toast:

Crawfish and Corn Fritters

Fried Oyster Toast

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Finally getting myself over to Miso Izakaya in Inman Park was the result of two things: 1) Blogger friends repeatedly asking whether I had tried Miso Izakaya’s pork belly or crispy duck buns, and 2) a new iPhone app I’ve been beta testing, Trumpet. It’s one thing when people tell me I HAVE to visit a restaurant, but it’s another when an app does. Trumpet gives personalized restaurant recommendations based on simple star ratings you give places you visit. I had spent about a week playing around with Trumpet by rating restaurants (and drooling over its design: the photos are GORGEOUS), and it was starting to give me feedback on places I would like. Miso Izakaya popped up on my screen along with a “You’ll Love It!” and I decided it was time to go.

An “izakaya” is a Japanese drinking establishment that also serves food. Plates are small, but more substantial than tapas. Mario and I went one Friday evening and were promptly seated. I already knew I wanted to try both the pork belly and crispy duck buns, but I also decided to add an order of steamed gyoza (pork filled dumplings, sweet toasted sesame soy sauce) to round out my meal. Mario had the tempura (lumpy “batter fried” tiger shrimp, shitake mushroom, sweet potato, freshly grated daikon in dashi dipping sauce) and a chicken and rice bowl, the name of which I unfortunately can’t remember.

Pork Belly Bun

Crispy Duck Bun

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Scoutmob coupons are so handy lately. So many people are getting out to try restaurants they might not normally visit or even know about. I hope quality places continue to offer discounts. Our most recent Scoutmob sponsored outing was to the Old Fourth Ward’s P’Cheen. P’Cheen is an “International bistro,” which gives it the freedom to serve dishes that don’t necessarily have a particular theme. The ambiance is warm and cozy–lots of dark wood and recessed booths to give you privacy if you’d like, along with open sections that allow the restaurant to still feel like a neighborhood spot.

We started out with the drunken shrooms appetizer (white wine garlic reduction, melted provolone, white truffle oil, grilled crostini):

Drunken Shrooms

I had almost forgotten about writing this post until I clicked through some photo albums on my computer and saw the pictures from the meal. It would have been a real travesty if I hadn’t caught it, because I enjoyed my meal at Serpas True Food so much.

Serpas is located in the Old Fourth Ward and is situated midway between Lotta Frutta and the Irwin St. Market. The head chef, Scott Serpas, hails from South Louisiana (instant check-plus for that) and worked in restaurants from Texas to The A before opening his own in 2008. Mario and I stopped by for dinner on a weekday evening. We immediately loved the wide open space of the restaurant, which has probably 15′ ceilings (don’t take my word for that, I’m terrible at estimating measurements) and is dominated by a wall of windows on one side. First off, I have to comment on our AWESOME service. Our waiter was one of the most enthusiastic I’ve ever had and clearly enjoyed the food at Serpas. He deftly fielded our questions, made recommendations, and gave insightful comments on what dishes were his favorites and why. Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name, but if all the servers at Serpas are as passionate as he is, you’re in for a nice night.

Now then, the food. We had a My Daily Thread coupon (like a Groupon) to spend, so we did our version of a “splurge” and ordered an app, entrees, AND dessert. To start, I ordered the flash fried oysters (pickled chilies, mirliton, no photo) and actually got picky eater Mario to try one!
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Image via inmanparkrestaurantweek.com

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I don’t typically post much ATL food-related news on this blog (mostly because there are a few others who already do a great job at it) but because I love restaurant weeks and I think Inman Park is a cool ‘hood, here’s the lowdown on Inman Park’s upcoming (next month) restaurant week. Let’s do this 5-W’s style:

Who: Fritti, Pure Taqueria, The Albert, North Highland Pub, Wisteria, Parish, Park’s Edge, Rathbun’s, Sauced, Shaun’s, Sotto Sotto, Kevin Rathbun Steak
What: 3-course prix fixe menus at $15, $25, and $35 price points
When: September 20-26, 2010
Where: Inman Park!
Why: To allow you to sample some great restaurants at a great price!!

Check their website to see menus for all of the participating restaurants: www.inmanparkrestaurantweek.com

Last weekend my brother decided to cash in on letting me sneak into his dorm for Mardi Gras and crash at my place during his spring break. I was worried we wouldn’t have anything to do around the city because, well, I’m pretty boring, but some food-centric events had us out and about and made for a pretty decent weekend. For lunch Friday, we stopped by the Sweet Auburn Curb Market for “Atlanta’s Urban Picnic” (which I’m just calling “street food fest”). Saturday, the 10th annual (but my first time attending) BaconFest was hosted by theatre/improv group Dad’s Garage in Inman Park.

I was a little disappointed with both festivals. At Street Food Fest, organized to raise awareness on legalizing street food in Atlanta, I felt it was a case of over-promise and under-deliver. Press releases promised a myriad of street foods, including “handmade biscuit sandwiches, Korean BBQ tacos, locally sourced sandwiches and baked goods, fresh smoothies, Caribbean specialties, Greek gyros, vegetarian samosas, locally made hot dogs, wood-fired pizza, and Grindhouse Killer Burgers.” At our arrival, there were 4 food carts with pizza, salads, hot dogs (Good Food), and soup (Souper Jenny), along with a few tables selling sandwiches, meats and cheeses, and a few other knick-knacks. I suppose the foods mentioned may have encompassed both what was available outside the Market and what’s typically available inside, but I was expecting a larger showing. We did, however, taste a “Poodle Dog” (French toast bun and apple/cabbage slaw) from the Good Food cart, and a lovely prosciutto, swiss, rosemary mayo, and artichoke sandwich from Artichoke Bliss.

Poodle Dog

Sandwich from Artichoke Bliss

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The day I lunched at Parish in Inman Park was one of those horribly cold and dreary days Atlanta experienced early in the new year. To warm myself up, I decided to visit Cacao and try their “Aztec Aphrodisia Sipping Chocolate”, which I first caught wind of via The Blissful Glutton‘s blog. In a hidden nook off N. Highland Ave, I found a little heaven in a cup:

Aztec Sipping Chocolate

I’m ashamed to admit that I have spent almost zero time in the Inman Park area since I’ve been in Atlanta. Equally as surprising is that before last week, I had never visited Parish Foods & Goods, a New South eatery with a New Orleans flair (hence “Parish”…we don’t do counties in Louisiana). I stopped by the market side for lunch (Parish consists of the restaurant upstairs and the market downstairs) and was looking forward to trying a po’boy. They offer shrimp, oyster, and for those of us who can’t make up their minds, combo po’boys. I went for the combo:

Shrimp & Oyster Po'boy