Steamed Red Snapper at Little Szechuan

Steamed Red Snapper with Ginger Sauce.

I have written about Little Szechuan on Buford Highway before, but found this dish I'd never had before noteworthy after dinner here with the extended family. As usual the other dishes were excellent, too, although they did not provide the customary "free dish" as usual.

I was reminded again that the pickled cabbage, carrots and jalepeno peppers as well as the spicy bean sprout goodies they bring you upon arrival here contain some of my favorite flavors. Does anyone know other Chinese restaurants that provide these gratis snacks (or have them on the menu for purchase)?

Havana Grill

Cuban Sandwich.

On a recent trip down Buford Highway, Calvin and I decided to check out Havana Grill, which comes with its own family saga. You order at the counter, then sit down and wait for your food to arrive. We tried some maduros (not pictured) as well as the Cuban sandwich and the beef picadillo, served with beans, rice, bread and salad. Everything was really tasty, especially the black beans and rice, which could definitely stand alone in a big way. This place offers many traditional Cuban dishes and is in my opinion, the closest thing to the original Havana that burned down in 2008. Hopefully I'll be back soon to try something else!

Beef Picadillo with beans, rice, salad and bread.

Crawfish Shack Seafood

Boiled Shack-tastic Platter for One!

One of my new favorite places on Buford Highway is Crawfish Shack Seafood, a Vietnamese owned restaurant serving Cajun classics at great prices. The restaurant was featured in this NY Times article about the prevalence of Vietnamese-owned Creole/Cajun restaurants. Everything we've tried here pleased us, especially the boiled seafood - crayfish, shrimp, wonderful crab, and mussels too - the hush puppies and the beignets. There is nice, nautical themed seating inside, but luckily both times we've ventured here we've managed to secure one of the two outdoor tables in the front. The restaurant is in a brand new strip that is a bit difficult to see from the road. Raw seafood is also available to buy and cook at home. But why do that when it's so great here?

Tilapia, shrimp combo with hush puppies and slaw.

Stone Bowl House - Woo Nam Jeong

Beef bulgogi with banchan dishes.

We met up with friends at this OTP Buford Highway gem on a rainy January evening. The signage here is a bit deceptive, but I've tried to help by calling the restaurant "Stone Bowl House - Woo Nam Jeong" instead of the other way around. When we visited only the English words were visible and all I had was a sheet of paper with "Woo Nam Jeong" scribbled on it with the address. Since the place is in a strip shopping center, this caused a bit of confusion.

In any event, once we arrived, we ended up waiting for about 30 minutes for a table for 5. The restaurant had just been reviewed by the AJC (see their review here) so I think that explains part of the allure that weekend. That and the place is really good - at least really good for non-Duluth Korean BBQ. Since I don't get out to Duluth much I was so glad to find this place. Also the atmosphere is quite nice, with several private rooms.

We didn't opt for the 12 course menu bloggers have been raving about, but it looks like a real experience. I was very happy with the seafood pancake (not oily here and so fluffy) with delicious dipping sauce, the bulgogi - very tasty meat and the bi bim bap as well as the plentiful and fresh banchan (vegetable side dishes including many that are pickled).

Seafood pancake with delicious dipping sauce - we want more sauce!



Bi Bim Bap in hot stone bowl - the egg cooks as you mix it in the sizzling bowl.

I look forward to returning to Woo Nam Jeong soon. They are reportedly open for lunch as well, offering good midday prices.

Co'm Vietnamese Grill - Buford Highway

Combination salad with mango, papaya, apple and chicken.

C'om Vietnamese Grill on Buford Highway is a place I tried once when I first moved to Atlanta, then did not return to for several years. I can't quite remember why. I enjoyed my last two visits here immensely, for the quality and freshness of the food as well as the quick and non-intrusive service. I adore the combination salad, made with green mango and papaya as well as apple. You can add any of there meats - the chicken and the lamb were quite good. The food here may not be as authentic as some of my other favorite Vietnamese haunts (such as Pho Dai Loi #2) but I have to give them credit for creativity and for the ambience of the small restaurant, which is refreshingly pleasing after coming in from the strip-mall parking lot. I have not tried the Dunwoody location, but would seek it out if I'm ever in that area.

Lamb-stuffed grape leaves.

Penang Malaysian and BuHi Farmer's Market

Nasi Lemak - sometimes I get a real craving for this!

Wednesday evening I convinced a couple of my girl friends to accompany me to dinner and to the Buford Highway Farmer's Market (5600 Buford Highway, just outside the perimeter). We dined at Penang, which serves up tasty Malaysian and Thai cuisine. I had the nasi lemak (pictured above) which was spicy and tasty; I love the savory coconut rice. The curry chicken served along with the pickles and anchovy mixture really hits the spot with the rice, too, and the hard fried egg is an interesting addition, although in my opinion it could do with a little less cooking! My friends seemed to really enjoy their noodle dishes (below) also. They pretty much cleaned their plates, as did I, so I'll take that as a good sign.

I will have to do another post on the BuHi farmer's market sometime. Let me just say IT IS AWESOME! It's quite different from DeKalb Farmer's Market, with more in the way of packaged goods from other countries and less in the way of fresh fish and deli products. This was especially evident with the Japanese selection as well as the Eastern European goods. I didn't even have a chance to check out the African/Caribbean section or the Latino section - definitely on the list for next time. They have several prepared foods sections as well, which are probably busier during the day. From what I noticed these include a Mexican bakery (with fresh-made tortillas, breads & pastries), a taqueria up front, a Korean/sushi counter and an Eastern European counter with pierogies, pastries, cheeses etc. I will be back soon and I promise to take photos. Honestly I was just too excited to take any this time! I also enjoyed their variety of produce and going on a weeknight was probably a good idea - not crowded at all and much easier to navigate than I've found at the DeKalb market. Try it - you'll like it!

Tiki-like entrance.



Thai Basil Noodles.



Pad thai, veggie style.

Shaved Ice, With Style

Rainbow ice cream and shaved ice.

Over the weekend I tried the shaved ice at Mozart's Cafe & Bakery on Buford Highway. The shaved ice has the best consistency - like snow - and is doused with sweetened condensed milk (actually the sweet flavor may actually be IN the ice and shaved after it's already sweetened). Then it's covered with fresh and canned fruits and a scoop of ice cream - in this case green tea. Sweet red beans are usually added also, but I'm not a big fan so thankfully they informed me of this prior to putting those on top! A delicious summer treat for sure.

Korean BBQ and Bakery

When a BBQ restaurant has photos of cows on its sign... you know it has to be good!

On Easter Sunday I ventured to Han Il Kwan with some friends and family members. Although I've been to several Korean restaurants, this was my first experience with the tabletop grill. Overall the experience was very enjoyable - and much faster than one might think for a meal prepared at your table. The neat thing here is that the waitstaff is not intrusive nor are they putting on a show like at a hibachi place. Instead, the waitress controls the grill and cooks everything, but you are responsible for pulling the meat off and wrapping it in lettuce leafs with rice, spiced lettuce, kimchee and other goodies. We tried the ribeye and the marinated beef shortribs. Both were delicious. The seafood pancake was also excellent. Since we had quite a few folks we also got a rice dish with seafood. Although this was fairly bland before we added hot sauce, I do like how the rice crusts up at the bottom of the hot stone bowl. If you've never tried Korean barbecue, you should give it a shot. I've heard about several really good places in Duluth. What's your favorite place for Korean BBQ? Please post to the comments section!

Charcoal grill in the center of our table.



Banchan - my favorite was the one at nine o' clock - not sure what it is!



Meat - ready to cook!



Seafood pancake - delicious and not as greasy as some I've tried elsewhere.



Cooking meat.



Seafood bi bim bap.



Outside Mozart Cafe and Bakery.

After lunch we stopped by Mozart's for some ice cream. They have the best crumb cream bread here & an overall nice atmosphere for taking in a cup of coffee or tea and a pastry.

Closest in the photo - my favorite crumb cream bread. I could eat one of these every day!

Churros = Happiness

Churros, fresh from the fryer.

Following our weekly yoga class, somehow it was decided that we needed churros (Mexican fried dough treat rolled in cinnamon and sugar) and we needed them immediately! Luckily I knew just the place and our yoga instructor, Elizabeth, knew enough Spanish to ask for a fresh batch - try saying "fresco". We opted for the plain kind, as opposed to the kind with cajeta (sweetened carmelized milk) and they were oh so delicious. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have the person working there fry up a FRESH BATCH! Don't take the one that's been sitting around in the cabinet. Trust me. Below are some shots of other available goodies.

Rincon Latino

Roasted jalepenos, chips, slaw & sopes.

This is what I call getting the most for your money. On Sunday at Rincon Latino we ordered plantains with sour cream (delicious), two pupusas, and two sopes. Our total bill, with tip, was just at $15. The restaurant offers complimentary roasted jalepenos, which went very well with the sopes - watch out, though, they're hot! When they bring the check they also offer cajeta lollipops, which are delicious. Definitely a worthy BuHi spot to try. The decor is very simple and some of the waitresses don't speak much English, but their menu is in English and they are very helpful about finding someone to answer all questions.

Fried sweet plantains with sour cream.

White Windmill Bakery - Quite a Treat!

While my family was here over the weekend we also ventured through the rain to White Windmill Bakery & Cafe, one of the trendy Korean bakeries in town. This place has a great selection of baked goods, chocolates, cakes and teas and I noticed this visit that they also offer frozen yogurt (it looked similar to Yoforia's original flavor). The sweets here tend to be subtly sweet rather than over the top, and much of the offerings reminded me of my time in Japan. This is a neat place to take out of town visitors who are not familiar with Koren bakeries.

Grandma and Mom check out the pastry counter.



The bakery provides baskets to hold your goodies while you shop. My favorite pastry is the one on the left (I got two!). It's a sweet, crumbly dough with cream inside. Sometimes it has a slightly nutty taste. I had similar pastry in Japan so it brings back good memories.



Rows of different pastries with descriptions.



Cakes on display.



Mocha cake my stepfather picked out.



Tea service - this pineapple green tea was delicious.

Hot, Spicy & Homestyle - Little Szechuan

Last night I took my family, visiting from out of town, to Little Szechuan, one of my favorite Chinese places in Atlanta. The place is never packed and it's a comfy spot to have some great, reasonably priced Chinese food. The place is tucked into a small strip mall at the corner of Shallowford Road and Buford Highway. The leftovers make great lunches and dinners - somehow we always end up with a LOT of food here! At the end of the meal customers are given orange slices to clear the palate - a nice touch.

Complimentary nibbles served upon arrival - the pickles and marinated bean sprouts have a nice kick.



Hot & Spicy seafood soup and salt & pepper calamari (appetizer portion - with some already eaten!)



Vegetable dumplings. These were a special of the day but I think the chef is considering adding them to the regular menu. They were a big hit with my grandmother since she doesn't eat meat out and has never before been able to order dumplings at a restaurant.



Fried red snapper with hot & spicy sauce.



Sesame chicken (left) and kung pao sole - very spicy and also so tasty.



Stir-fried string beans.



Garlic eggplant - yum!