Nom Nom Burger - Charlotte

Kalbi Burger with Garlic Fries

Since I love all Asian foods, especially Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean, I was very excited to try out Nom Nom Burger which opened fairly recently across from Park Road shopping center on Woodlawn Road. We met and talked with one of the founding partners, Tung Ngo, who is very energetic, personable and dedicated to making this creative concept work. We visited on a Tuesday night and it was "kids eat free" night for kids age 10 and under with purchase of an adult meal. Once our little one is old enough to actually eat his own meal (it won't be long!) this will be a great place to go. There were lots of families as well as some couples and groups of friends. The dining room has a neat waterfall that all the kids were fascinated by. 

Finding myself missing Korean food the most since I moved back to Charlotte, I knew we had to try the Kalbi Burger. It includes kimchi, a fried egg, sesame roased nori (seaweed), spicy aioli and roasted garlic. Wow. This was a fantastic burger. Part of the excellence is because of the meat that is used, which is Sterling Silver ground beef, but the flavors in the Kalbi really make it top-notch. The signature Nom Nom burger was also good - it includes Provolone cheese, sauteed Shiitake mushrooms with mirin, caramelized onions with ginger orange marmalade and mayo. It is really a toss-up with the Kalbi but my favorite item we tried is the Ahi burger - a thick piece of Ahi tuna seared and put on a sushi rice "bun" with avocado, spinach and sprouts with both wasabi and citrus soy dipping sauces. Sushi lovers - you must try! We also tried the calamari, which was light, spicy and delicious. The shrimp chips (a Vietnamese item) were really tasty, but regular fries (can be made garlic or jalepeno) as well as sweet potato fries are also options. 

For dessert we wanted to try the Honey Bunz with ice cream but since they were unavailable we had the fried cheesecake "Xango", which was good. There is a Ben & Jerry's right across the patio so that is another option if you have any room after trying the delicious offerings at Nom Nom. Next time I'm trying the Banh Mi Burger (it's actually chicken) - if I can keep myself away from the Ahi! There are also more burger options (including a plain one for the non-adventurous), chicken sandwiches, fish sandwich/tacos, salads, noodles and even a veggie burger on the menu so vegetarians and even vegans should be able to find something. We will see you soon, Nom Nom!

 Calamari

Ahi Burger - for the sushi lover!

 Nom Nom Burger with Shrimp Chips.

Xango - fried cheesecake.

The Generous Pour at The Capital Grille

Special - Wagyu beef ribeye with onion rings.

The Capital Grille is again offering its summer wine event, The Generous Pour. This fantastic deal runs until September September 2, 2012 and is even available during Queen's Feast restaurant week, which is going on in Charlotte now until Sunday July 29. Click here to see the special menu offered by The Capital Grille for restaurant week. Here's the deal about The Generous Pour: unlimited portions of 9 different fine wines are available for a flat cost of $25. You must order an entree to participate. This is a great deal as several of these wines retail for more than $100 per bottle. It is also neat that you can have so much variety with your meal without ordering 9 separate glasses of wine.

I recently had the chance to come in, have dinner and sample all of the wines available with The Generous Pour. I brought our family friend Joal Fischer along, who is not only a wine lover but also a chocolate maker and co-founder of Barking Dog Chocolatiers. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and had fun tasting the nine available wines that are unlimited when you participate in this special wine event.

Joal's favorite wine of the night was the aperitif: Lunetta Rose sparkling rose from Trentino - Italy. This straightforward sparkling has very clean flavors and was a fabulous start to the meal. Other notable wines include the Falesco, Assisi Rosso 2009, the Villa Mt. Eden, Grand Reserve 2007, a Slovenian wine: Simcic, 2008/2009 - making its US debut for this event - and the South African dessert wine Kanu Kia Ora 2006, a chenin blanc - sweet and very tasty. The dessert wine was my personal favorite - it paired very well with the cheesecake, which is one of my favorite renditions of cheesecake ever.

We enjoyed our food as well, particularly the entrees: salmon prepared as the seared tuna usually is and a special Wagyu steak with onion rings - very tender and succulent meat. I also enjoyed the calamari and the Wagyu carpaccio. Dessert is always a winner here as well. The ice cream sampler was very good - I love the peanut butter ice cream that was available alongside the traditional chocolate and vanilla - and the carrot cake was something I'd never had here before - also very tasty. I encourage any wine lovers out there to make your way over to The Capital Grille to dine while The Generous Pour is being offered - a great opportunity to try some excellent wines and enjoy the classic ambiance offered by The Capital Grille.

Joal Fischer of Barking Dog Chocolatiers enjoying the wines from The Generous Pour.



Wagyu beef carpaccio.



Appetizer sampler.



Calamari.



Salmon - substitution for the seared tuna - loved the ginger, white soy and wasabi sauces and the delicious coconut rice.



My favorite cheesecake.



Ice cream with cookies.



Carrot Cake.

Disclosure: The meal and wine described in this review was complimentary.

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.

Vintage Pizzeria - Chamblee

Calamari with jalepeno peppers and okra - favorite dish. The tomato sauce was really good, too.

We recently dined at the Chamblee location of Vintage Pizzeria while my dad was in town (there is a location in Alpharetta as well). Family friends we met at a recent gathering really raved about this place so we thought it was high time to try it out. We got a little lost getting there although once we found it I realized that every time I come to this part of Peachtree Rd. I get lost! This is definitely a neighborhood gathering place and watering hole, although I warn you to stay away from the house margarita - it is seriously 3/4 ice. In fairness, they did take it off our bill - however, it was removed only after the server said management would "discount" it. When it was not discounted on the original check we reminded her of this and it was removed.

Notwithstanding the margarita, we enjoyed our meal overall. However, the pizza did not stand out to me as much as I expected for a restaurant with such a high urbanspoon rating. While still not thick-crust, the pizza here is much more filling than some of our favorite pie places (Urban Pie, Antico) so there is more bang for your buck. The salads were also large, and the Caesar was tasty. This place is rather far from us so not a place we would likely return unless we were already in the area. If you live nearby, definitely give it a try. There is a cute ice cream stand across the street, too if you aren't totally stuffed after eating here.

Small house (left) and large Caesar salad.



The Vintage - half without olives.



Carmen's Own - a veggie pie with tomatoes and basil - we added garlic too. This was definitely my favorite of the two as I tend not to like a lot of meat on pizza.

Cakes & Ale - New Location + Bakery

Fabulous fried okra.

After reading several wonderful reviews of the recently relocated Cakes & Ale in Decatur, I decided to try it out with my dad during his visit to Atlanta. We had a lovely dinner with gracious service, delicious food and a wonderful setting. The new space includes a large bar/table area, another large dining room and the attached, quaint cafe/bakery where breads, pastries and coffees as well as lunch are available. Many of the plates are small, sharing plates, which works just fine for me since you get to try more this way. I can't wait to return here to try more - the menu changes daily so there is always more to try!

Vermont burrata cheese with roasted broccoli, arugula and cherry tomatoes in a light dressing. The cheese paired perfectly with the house-made bread.



The delicious bread selection kept coming. You can buy whole loaves in the bakery as well. They also made me a lime/ginger "mocktail", which was delicious.



Squid stuffed with farro, frisee & feta, beet & frisee salad - one of my favorite items.



Gnocchi with rabbit ragu and mustard greens.



Roasted squash with rosemary - delicious and not too strong of a rosemary flavor.



Top: Pecan Tart with Cinnamon Ice Cream; bottom: brioche donuts with squash ice cream & pumpkin seed brittle - really unique. Both were sublime.

Canton House

Salt & Pepper Squid.

When we found our usual dim sum place closed for renovations, we took out of town guests to Canton House instead and were delightfully surprised at the variety and quality of the weekend dim sum. We tasted lots of dumplings and buns as well as excellent duck (not pictured). The salt & pepper squid, my stepdaughter's absolute favorite, was a huge hit even with our niece who had never tried squid before. On another note, my local cousin told me she returned here for dinner and was not very impressed. She advises sticking to the dim sum, which we will most definitely continue to do.

Chinese broccoli and clams.



Various dim sum desserts - the egg custard tarts are always a favorite of mine but here they also have custard filled buns - a favorite with the kids!



Signage on Buford Highway.

Alfredo's - An Atlanta Classic

Calamari.

Somehow I lived in Atlanta for more than four years before I dined at Alfredo's Italian Restaurant. I drive past it all the time and heard that it exemplified "old-school Italian" cooking so I'm not sure why I waited so long! One reason might be that the parking lot is always full and a reservation is a must on the weekend. Luckily when we had a friend visiting from out of town we reserved a table and had a lovely meal. It really is old-style Italian (and old-style Atlanta, having operated for more than 35 years), with wonderful, attentive service by men who appear to have been in the business for years and a head waiter/maitre'd who reminds me of some of the characters in stereotypical mafia films.

The signature sign on Cheshire Bridge Road.



Mussels appetizer.

For the amount of food you receive, the value is outstanding. Although I did not photograph the buttery garlic bread or the pickled vegetables that are brought out to every table, they were both delicious, the veggies very nostalgic and the bread great for sopping up all the delicious sauces presented throughout the meal - I think we ate four baskets! The above-pictured mussels are listed in the "Zuppe" section and do contain a delicious white wine/garlic broth that can be eaten as soup after consuming the delicious mollusks.

For entrees the three of us split two: the linguine pescattore and the veal three ways. Both were outstanding. More yummy sauce to eat with garlic bread!



Padrino (Godfather): veal three ways with spinach.