Brunch at the Mellow Mushroom in Charlotte

Brunch pizzas! I was invited to try both of the brunch pizzas that are offered on Sundays at the Mellow Mushroom. Both the Morning Glory (left), a vegetarian pizza with egg base, spinach, mushroom, onion, green peppers, mozzarella and diced tomatoes, and the Rising Sun (right), a meaty pie with egg base, sausage, bacon, ham, onion, green pepper, mozzarella and cheddar were very tasty. The superior crust really lends itself to combine with the egg base and other ingredients for a different, fun weekend breakfast choice. As always Mellow Mushroom was very accommodating to us as a family. They even brought out some avocado for my little one - one of his first foods! If you haven't tried fresh pizza for breakfast, it's time you took the plunge!

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and feta - delicious!

The awesome bus in the Mellow Mushroom - you can even sit inside!

Shrimp Hoag-boy - grilled jerk shrimp with pesto mayo, grilled mushrooms and carmelized onions - one of my favorite hoagies!

Half Thai Dye (left) and half Mellowterranean (right), served with a side of tzatziki sauce - yum! I really liked the spice and the addition of cucumbers to the Thai Dye. The sauce was great with the cheesy Mellowterranean.

Key Lime Pie - a sweet ending with lots of tasty whipped cream.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Savor Cafe and Catering

Shrimp & Grits with Andouille sausage - my #1 recommendation.

Savor Cafe and Catering, located on West Morehead St., is a cute spot for a tasty lunch or dinner. I recently dined in for dinner and we enjoyed prompt and attentive, but not overbearing service - thumbs up! The shrimp & grits, pictured above, was one of the best items I tried. The meat loaf was also very good as was the famous banana pudding. The soul rolls were crispy but I didn't find them to be as noteworthy as I expected. It would be great if the chef created a variation on the standard chili sauce to go with these, as part of the disappointment was tasting a sauce that comes right out of a bottle. The pad thai was sweeter than usual and definitely a different take if you are used to the traditional Thai variety. On my next visit I would like to try the blue cheese and bacon dip and I look forward to trying the salads, lunch sandwiches and more desserts - in particular the mile high peanut butter pie and the cobbler, which changes daily! Savor is a great addition to West Morehead and I look forward to returning soon.

Pad Thai with shrimp.



Crispy Soul Rolls.



Grilled meat loaf - very good!



Banana Pudding - tasty and pretty.

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.

Thaicoon - Marietta

The Sherlock Holmes Roll - not sure why it is called this but I love this spicy tuna roll topped with more fish and a tiny piece of lemon. Tangy, spicy and delicious!

Recently we dined at Thaicoon in Marietta just before viewing a performance of "The Sound of Music" on Marietta's historic square. This restaurant has a sister located near where I live at the Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road. For no particular reason, I have not actually had a meal there although I've ordered take out several times. This was a great opportunity to sample the offerings, which are similar at both restaurants. My favorite dishes here include the above fancy sushi roll and the basil duck. The tom yum kung soup was also good. The Panang curry with scallops was too bland for me - one of those instances when the spice stars don't mean a thing - definitely a disappointment after our recent trip to Thailand! Thaicoon was crowded - it was Saturday night - so make a reservation if you're going at a popular time. If you have never tried Thai food this is a great place to start. There is a full Japanese menu available as well including several other creative sushi rolls like the Caribbean Roll, which includes snow crab and shrimp tempura.

Basil Duck - tasty.



Panang Curry with Scallops - not enough spice for me!



Tom Yum Gung - good flavor but not heavily spiced.

Taste of Atlanta 2011 This Weekend

Delicious pork belly/fried banana bites at JCT Kitchen, one of the 80 restaurants participating in Taste of Atlanta this weekend.

I was invited on a fun progressive tasting highlighting some of the fabulous restaurants featured at this year's Taste of Atlanta event, to be held in Tech Square this weekend, October 22 and 23 with a special Friday night party on October 21. Taste of Atlanta features food, cocktails, wine, beer, cooking demos, competitions and more, with dozens of Atlanta area restaurants featured. Click here to purchase tickets. Looks like a great weekend for the 10th Anniversary of this fun food festival. Below are some highlights from the sneak peak.

Bar upstairs at JCT.



Special fall drinks at JCT Kitchen.



Dining room at Tuk Tuk Thai Loft.



Mieng Kum at Tuk Tuk. We loved these!



Beef with sticky rice. Oh how I adore you sticky rice!



Shrimp and chicken toasts.

Garlic Thai and Sushi in Decatur

Green papaya salad and grilled squid with mango.

We celebrated my cousin's birthday at the recently opened Garlic Thai and Sushi in Decatur. We opted to sit on the patio, where quite a few tables are available for al fresco dining. In addition to an extensive Thai menu, the restaurant also offers a selection of "street food", with a separate menu, and a paper sushi menu. The most outstanding thing we tried is the fried catfish (below). The massaman curry was also tasty and creamy. The sushi we tried did not stand out - the salmon nigri did not have much taste at all and the fish was too thinly sliced. Also frustrating, the server got our sushi order wrong even after scrutinizing the paper menu and asking us about what we wanted twice. It was also odd that the sushi - just 2 pieces of nigri and one roll did not come out until after all the other food was delivered. I could understand this if the place was full, but only about 2 other tables were occupied. Still, we did not try much of the sushi so there could be other rolls that would be better. I'd love to see a sticky rice with mango dessert - one of my favorites.

Inside the space has been nicely redecorated and includes photographs of southeast Asia. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

Patio view.

Ginger shrimp, massaman curry and fried catfish.

Rain on Cheshire Bridge

Super Rain Roll - shrimp tempura with avocado and smoked salmon on top - sushi for those who don't eat raw fish!

To celebrate several events including a very late birthday for one of the law partners in my office and my two year anniversary with the firm, we visited Rain, located in the Tara theater shopping plaza at the corner of Cheshire Bridge and LaVista. This is a nice place for a celebration lunch as the atmosphere is calm, quiet and soothing and the prices are not too high.

We all enjoyed the Super Rain roll and the tempura appetizer. I ordered the sashimi and tempura combination lunch, which also includes choice of soup or salad, several pieces of California roll and cucumber salad. The salmon sashimi (my fave) stood out. The tempura was excellent also.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their dishes, although I did not try anything other than the vegetarian curry, which was appropriately spiced and tasty. For dessert they brought out a complimentary ice cream/sticky rice platter with candle - nice touch! I love sticky rice so this was right up my alley.

Tempura appetizer.



Sashimi/Tempura lunch box - delicious salmon, my favorite!



Curried vegetables - nice and spicy.



Teriyaki Chicken.



Cashew Chicken.



Sushi/Pad Thai lunch box.



Sticky rice with coconut and green tea ice creams and chocolate sauce. Yum!