Atlanta’s Westside has a ton of lunch spots I’m trying to check out, and last week’s stop on my rounds was TINY Bistro. TINY is an offshoot of Figs and Honey Catering that serves mostly sandwiches and salads during lunch hours. It is located at the weird little intersection of 8th St, Marietta St, and Brady St, or across the street from my cupcake fav Caryn’s Cakes if you’ve checked it out

TINY Bistro

I’ve heard lots of good things about TINY’s Cuban sandwich (guava mojo pork loin, ham, pickles, swiss, on Cajun pistolet) and decided I was in the mood to try one out on my visit:
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Here’s a quickie post while I study for two tests, write a fellowship proposal, and make more substantial posts on a girls’ night out last weekend and Taste of Atlanta.

It’s probably no secret now that I’m a certified cupcake addict. Well, I’ve found my new pusher, and she’s fortunately/unfortunately in walking distance of my place. Caryn’s Cakes appears to mostly be a wedding/special events cake shop (think “Ace of Cakes”), but they also have some amaaazing cupcakes, which I discovered when I walked over to pick up 2 last week:

Caryn's Cupcackes

I have been wanting to visit Star Provisions for the longest and finally made it over Friday afternoon with my friend Tracie. Star Provisions is a culinary shop with deli and cheese counters, a bakery, and an eclectic gift/cookware shop. But we were visiting to check out “Provisions to Go”, which serves up a fantastic array of gourmet dishes and my favorite, sandwiches, to eat-in or take-out. Arguably their most talked-about sandwich is the shrimp po’boy, but I was ridiculously excited to see that on my visit, their sandwich special for the day was an oyster po’boy:

Oyster Po'boy

Since Mario is in town, breakfast is always a must, so we tried yet another Howell Mill Rd. breakfast spot after church on a rainy Sunday.  The Social House serves breakfast and brunch 7 days a week, and like most other breakfast-centric eateries in Atlanta, had a line out the door.   The restaurant’s website advertises Georgia-grown food served in a “bright, cheerful” environment.   Aside from the room’s brightness by virtue of its many windows, “cheerful” is not what came to mind when I was met with a harried-looking waitstaff and an unfriendly host.

The Social House

Image courtesy ofThe Cynical Cook

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On a lonely Saturday evening, I decided to order out at Osteria Del Figo (or just Figo) for pasta. Figo is an Atlanta pasta chain that allows you to create your own dish by selecting the pasta type and sauce. With more than 15 types of pasta and as many sauces, the possibilities are endless. It’s also pretty cheap, so it’s perfect for my new grad student budget. This time, I tried artichoke ravioli in 4 cheese sauce:

Artichoke Ravioli in 4 Formaggi Sauce

By popular demand, we decided to visit Thumbs Up Diner for a brunch-time meal Friday.  Thumbs Up is another breakfast-centric eatery located right near where I live.  Unlike other places I’ve passed and never tried, somehow I’ve never even noticed this unassuming building on Marietta St.  Their menu has both breakfast and lunch items with breakfast served all day, but lunch only after 11am.

I decided to try the Yukon Omelette (Smoked salmon, fresh spinach, and cream cheese) with a biscuit, and Mario had 2 pancakes, a scrambled egg, and bacon.

Yukon Omelette

Pancakes, Eggs, and Bacon

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To celebrate finishing finals and prepare for this weekend’s graduation, we visited FLIP again for lunch. I usually wouldn’t make a second post about a restaurant, but since I tried something different and their burgers are so cool, I had to make an entry. We sat at the “chef’s bar” so we could see all the action in the back and got views of more of the burgers they make. I’d love to try all of them at some point!

The menu has changed a little since we last visited, and they are now offering a $12 combo of FLIP Burger, fries, and a milkshake. Pretty sweet. This time though, I had the Chorizo burger (spicy pork sausage, romesco ketchup, hash browns, fried egg, manchego cheese, smoked mayo) and vodka-battered onion rings.

Chorizo Burger & Onion Rings

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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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