Breakfast - Desayuno - at Rosa Mexicano

My favorite dish: Shredded Beef with Eggs - so flavorful and juicy!

I had the opportunity to sample the new breakfast menu at Rosa Mexicano while we were in Atlanta in mid-March. The breakfast offerings are available every weekend starting at opening time (11:30 AM) and include some delicious choices. While you cannot go wrong with any of the breakfast offerings, my favorite dish by far is the Machacado con Huevo or Shredded Beef with Eggs. This is made from short rib and includes scrambled eggs with the succulent shredded beef, jalepenos, tomatoes and onions, served hot in a cast iron skillet with tortillas on the side. This is truly one of the best breakfast dishes I have ever tasted! My second favorite main dish is the Creamy Breakfast Tamale, which is grits infused with chorizo, topped with chile-poached eggs and fried cheese - yum! I also really liked the Fried Eggs and Carnitas Hash and the Stuffed French Toast (see photos with additional details).

Special drinks are also available. A sucker for good hot chocolate, I adore the Mexican Hot Chocolate - and get the churros on the side - these are awesome! The hot chocolate itself is infused with almonds and cinnamon and served with whipped cream - delicious. I also enjoyed trying to Coconut Horchata made from pressed rice milk and the variety of Aqua Frescas or "Fresh Waters". My favorites are the honeydew melon and the hibiscus blackberry but the cucumber-tomatillo is also tasty. Although we did not sample them this visit, special adult breakfast beverages such as Mezcal Bloody Maria and Horchata Especial (Anejo tequila, coffee liqueur and horchata with espresso!) are also available and sound awesome.

 

If you have the chance to try Rosa Mexicano on the weekend, definitely check out the brown paper menu on the table, which offers this special breakfast menu!

Horchata (left) and Fresh Water selections.

 

Fried Eggs and Carnitas Hash - love the pineapple-habenero mustard jam served on the side!

Tropical Fruit Bowl - a nice lighter selection.

Soft Scrambled Eggs and Cactus Paddle served with molletes (soft roll spread with refried black beans).

Mexican hot chocolate - yum!

Stuffed French Toast - Cinnamon-Cascabel chile-crusted brioche bread filled with Mascarpone cheese, topped with caramelized plantains - has a delicious kick. One of my favorite items!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary. 

Rosa Mexicano's Foods of Baja

Conejo de Fideos - deliciously different!

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to try Rosa Mexicano's special Foods of Baja menu, which features culinary advisor Jonathan Waxman's special Baja-influenced menu from now until July 1. I dined at the Atlanta location, which recently welcomed Executive Chef Brad Weideman to the team. Foods of Baja features a fun menu with several really interesting dishes worth trying. My favorites include the lump crab meat tostadas - so much crab meat with interesting flavors that add just the right amount of flavor without being overpowering - and the fideo pasta - special Mexican dried pasta with rabbit, chicken and portabella mushrooms in an wonderfully spicy habanero chile-roasted tomato salsa. This entree is delicious and unusual - definitely a good choice.

All three desserts that we tried were fantastic as well, including the special Baja menu dessert of plum and blackberry compote with crema catalana - very creamy and fruity with crunchy crust bits on top. The churros are seriously one of the best things I've eaten in quite some time (see last photo, below). Calvin also really enjoyed the special drink (Miel de Toronja) with its unique smoky flavor and we had wonderful service from Ramon - what a great waiter! If you are looking for something different to try during the rest of the month, definitely check out the Flavors of Baja menu at Rosa Mexicano.

The Miel de Toronja (left): Herradura reposado tequila, Vida mezcal, honey, fresh grapefruit and lime.



Amuse bouche of seared scallop with slow braised beef short rib - Mexican surf and turf.



Tostada de Jaiba con Coco. One of my favorite menu items!



Zucchini a la Parrilla. Loved the most chile cornbread.

Tacos de Camarones de San Felipe (shrimp tacos)



Our expert guacamole maker.



Spicy guacamole - you can't eat at Rosa without ordering the guacamole!



Salsas and bottomless rice and beans, which accompany every meal.



Compota de Ciruelas y Zarzamoras - tasty plum and blackberry compote with crema catalana.



Pastel de Queso - apple cheesecake with cajeta and candied pecans.



Churros.

Awesome churros with three dipping sauces: chocolate, caramel and raspberry guajillo. We almost didn't order these but luckily Ramon talked us into it and we were not sorry - these are very good. The presentation is also nice - the churros come in a bag with cinnamon and sugar which Ramon shook table side to ensure each churro was coated with a nice layer of sweet goodness. The caramel sauce was my favorite but I also love that the raspberry guajillo has a serious kick!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt

Menchie's mascot.

Menchie's is the closest place to walk for frozen yogurt in our neighborhood. I had seen Menchie's in Atlanta but never actually tried it until we moved to Charlotte. Menchie's offers more flavors that many yogurt shops (flavors rotate) and has franchises in almost every state, Canada and in quite a few other countries. Many of the flavors are certified Kosher, which certainly makes it a popular destination in the Toco Hills section of Atlanta. I prefer the tart yogurts and recently enjoyed some plain tart with fruit from Menchie's. I wish Menchie's would offer a green tea flavor - my absolute favorite! Kids have fun here piling on the toppings and enjoying visits from the mascot! At this location there is even a room for a birthday party. I'm sure we'll be here plenty in years to come - although, a new fro yo place is opening soon less than a block away. Stay tuned.

Empire State South - Atlanta

Super Food with hangar steak.

For my farewell lunch in Atlanta my Atlanta office dined at Hugh Acheson's Empire State South in Midtown Atlanta. I am so glad I had the chance to try this place before we left because it was great and it was a really fun place for a group lunch. The highlights for me included the Super Food salad plate - available with the standard hangar steak, chicken or fish. The farro and radishes on the plate particularly shined but everything really worked together well. The pimento cheese with bacon marmalade was truly out of this world also - a must-try starter. Everyone enjoyed their meal and we enjoyed sharing several desserts to top it off. The brownie ice cream sandwich was a bit too sweet for me but I like how they have baked goods available in the center of the restaurant for eating in or take-out. Several in our party also tried the specialty sourced coffee, which proved to be tasty. The atmosphere here is versatile with an airy, inviting dining space suitable for business, friends or family. I hope to have the chance to have dinner here when I am back in town visiting. Breakfast is also served.

Pimento Cheese with bacon marmalade - delicious!



The bar.



Fish po-boy.



Super Food with Tilapia.



Bratwurst with chips.



Phatty cakes, strawberry cupcake and chess pie.



Ice cream sandwich on brownies!

Dominican Restaurant and Bakery - Lilburn, GA

Stewed goat (left) and platter with oxtails, beans and rice and side of potato salad.

After playing some mini golf recently in Duluth we headed over to check out Dominican Restaurant and Bakery in Lilburn. This place has lots of items ready to go along with menu items that are prepared to order. We tried some of each. The above plate came from the food line and everything was really delicious. The oxtails and goat were simmered in a thick gravy that went very well with the rice/beans. We also had an order of mashed plantains which is great for gravy soaking.

The below seafood soup was made to order and boy was it good! There is a spice in this that I am not familiar with but it made for very pleasant slurping and the seafood portion was generous, with shrimp (large and small), mussels and faux-crabmeat. This is a neat place to try if you've never had Dominican food before - definitely authentic.

I also tried a piece of their flan to go (not pictured). It was creamy and delicious and contained coconut. There is also special Dominican cake that looked really good but I think most people are too full!!

Seafood soup.

Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint - Atlanta. Coming soon to Charlotte

Portobello Pesto Pizza.

Just before leaving Atlanta I ventured into Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint to use a free pizza coupon. Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint epitomizes the "fast-casual" option that is popping up frequently now in Atlanta.In addition to pizza the restaurant serves salads and toasted paninis. You order at a long counter where you create your own pizza or choose a specialty pizza combination, pay and a server brings your food when it is ready. Drinks, silverware and other items like parmesan and red pepper flakes are all self-serve. For me this place is best enjoyed by families. There were tons of kids there when we went and as a result the noise volume was high. There is a patio available also at this location, which might be a way to enjoy a quieter meal.

The food was pretty good overall. Our salad was fresh and I enjoyed the goat cheese on the special spinach/strawberry salad. The pizza was tasty especially with the addition of specially requested garlic. Unfortunately the workers making the pizzas/salads were not very enthusiastic, perhaps because just before we ordered a party of 8 including kids took forever to make up their minds. I am also not a huge fan of this style of dining but again, I think it's great for families. Uncle Maddio's also serves Rooster 14 cookies - who can resist one of those to finish off the meal right? Apparently Uncle Maddio's is expanding significantly with franchises opening in Charlotte in the near future.

Strawberry spinach salad.

Madras Chettinaad

Chicken tikka masala (left) and saag (spinach) paneer.

After hearing about Madras Chettinaad for years from my former yoga instructor in Atlanta, two of us from the office went with Elizabeth, our fabulous yogini, for dinner just before I moved to Charlotte. After the hour plus drive I was ravenous and luckily, Madras Chettinaad came through in a big way. We started with samosas, which I always love - but here they were truly outstanding, flaky, not at all greasy and filled with spiced potato goodness. I adore the tamarind and mint sauces served on the side - so delicious!

For the main course we shared a special dosa, chicken tikka masala and saag paneer along with an order of garlic naan. I really like how Madras Chettinaad serves great veggie and meat dishes. Their focus is on Chettinaad cuisine, which originates from a region of the Tamil Nadu state in India. This means there are tons of great vegetarian curries and dosas as well as meat dishes, all perfectly spiced. Everything we tried was fantastic, with good flavor, but not so spicy that the taste was overpowered. The chicken tikka masala was a particularly tasty rendition. I'm told that the weekend buffet here is something to behold. Although I'm not likely to be in Alpharetta again anytime soon since our move to NC, it is definitely worth an extra special trek to try this place. Thank you Elizabeth for introducing me to this great Indian restaurant!

Samosas - perfectly fried with very little grease.

Special Dosa with chutneys and dipping sauce.

Garlic Naan. Buttery, garlicky and delicious!

R. Rice Wok Grill Sushi in Atlanta

Massaman curry with scallops.

While I was still in Atlanta I was invited to a special tasting at R Rice in Dunwoody. This pan-Asian restaurant's byline: "wok, grill and sushi" understates how huge its menu is - and there truly is something for everyone! The menu contains a variety of traditional and innovative sushi combinations, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai cuisines and even tacos. The location off Hammond Dr. is easy to miss although it's near the corner of Peachtree Dunwoody and Hammond and there is ample parking once you find the right lot.

My overall favorite dishes include the massaman curry (above): a huge portion with good spice and flavor; and the salt and pepper soft shell crab. Get the crab over the calamari - it's something different and it's better. The special sushi rolls we tried were also tasty. R Rice uses some unique sushi wrappers including soybean paper and cucumber, although I love the traditional seaweed wrappers personally. Several in our party tried the cocktails, which came in an array of rainbow colors and were determined to be on sweet end of the spectrum - good for those who enjoy fruity drinks. The fried green tea ice cream was a nice end to the meal - I'm a sucker for green tea ice cream so I knew this would not be a bad choice! If you are in the area, you should give R Rice a try - you will definitely find something you enjoy!

Agedashi tofu.



Salt and Pepper Calamari.



Salt and pepper soft shell crab.



Shumai: steamed shrimp dumplings.



The King and Queens' Crown - king crab with house seasoning and crunchies wrapped in avocado.



Sushi Dinner.



Hawaiian roll.



Tuna Pizza.



Lollipop roll.



Fish Katsu.



Fried green tea ice cream - deliciously sinful!



Bar, dining and kitchen areas in the open restaurant.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.