The lovely Ms. Roshal (pictured above), who with her boyfriend are important components of Eat Squad, grew up in Jamaica.  Her boyfriend, Z, frequently raves about Roshal’s talent for cooking authentic Caribbean food.  We knew that if we were ever lucky enough for her to host a dinner party for us to try out her cuisine, we were in for a treat.  So we started hinting – and she caught on. 

On Sunday evening, Roshal cooked us an amazing, traditional Jamacian/ Trinidadian meal that Slick + I have been incessantly talking about since. 

Please witness our feast:

Curried goat + potatoes with Jamaican/ Trinidadian curry.

Roti: Traditional bread to accompany curried goat. (Similar to naan.)

Pelau: Trinidadian rice dish cooked in coconut milk with chicken, beef + PIG TAIL!  (Which Slick + Mr. Barocas loved.)

Jamaican sauce made with scotch bonnet pepper, onions + vinegar to go over Fish Escovitch.

Fish Escovitch.

A gorgeous salad with strawberries + yellow peppers.

Malibu coconut rum + pineapple cocktails to accompany the flavorful meal.  (We all kiddingly mocked this drink as the “college girl’s drink of choice,” but had NO problem finishing a large pitcher…)

Everything was SO unbelievably fantastic!

Although Roshal does not have plans to open a Jamaican restaurant in Atlanta, I think the lesson here is that sometimes the most delicious + exciting food could be right under your nose.  Sure, heading over to Buford Highway to try cuisine from around the world might be the easy way to do it – but it won’t necessarily be the best you can get.

When you have the opportunity to taste Caribbean dishes at a traditional restaurant, I strongly recommend you try the dishes pictured + described above.  (Although, go easy on anything made with scotch bonnet pepper – yowza!  I learned the hard way…)

xx, L

The CTFC is more than kind of amazing – located in the Atlanta Chinatown Mall on New Peachtree Road in Chamblee.  According to the mall’s website, there are 100,000 Chinese-Americans in Atlanta, and the mall is an area for them, and anyone else who appreciates Asian culture, to socialize, shop + dine.  Mr. Barocas had eaten at the CTFC a few times before, so he spearheaded our trip. 

Please witness our culinary adventure:

(This was all handwritten!)

(Mr Barocas’ buddy @ Chong Qing Hot Pot – where the majority of our food came from.)

(Perusing food picture books to help us select our feast.)

(Slick serving himself some rice.)

The meal:

Okay, so I’m going to be real w/ y’all:  I’m definitely into food, but I’m not a culinary genius…  I am not really sure what everything was that we ate (with the exception of the pork dumplings + Cari’s chix fried rice, of course).  The boys did the ordering, which was fine by me, and we ate whatever was brought over to us.  Everything was delicious, and total cost for all that food for five people was about $10 per person!! 

The CTFC is such an interesting cultural experience, and I would definitely recommend a visit to adventurous eaters + anyone who wants to have a really fun/ filling meal that won’t come close to breaking the bank.  Bring your appetites, though – even you serious eaters.  Consider yourselves warned… 

About Atlanta Chinatown: http://www.atlantachinatown.com/en/about.html
Mall Directory: http://www.atlantachinatown.com/en/directory.html
Directions & Maps: http://www.atlantachinatown.com/en/directions.html

xx, L

Atlanta Chinatown Food Court
5383 New Peachtree Road
Chamblee, GA  30341
770.458.6660

It’s called The Iberian Pig, and you can find it hidden in downtown Decatur. 

also, you can find it here in this picture. you're welcome.

Although it took Slick + me an extra 30 minutes more than everyone else to find it for Eat Squad last week, it was absolutely worth the hunt.  (Seriously, though, it takes a committed foodie to find this place.  I kinda felt like I was on The Amazing Race…)

As soon as we found it + met our friends, I was ready for a drink.  Much to my complete surprise + great excitement, they feature the Aviation on the menu!  I mean, it was just like they KNEW me.

well hello, gorgeous

The menu at The Iberian Pig is pretty freaking phenomenal.  The tapas list was extensive + creative enough to fully grab the table’s attention, so we decided to share a bunch of those among the six of us.  Here’s what we ate:

charcuterie + quesos

patatas al valdeon

salmon ceviche (special)

salchicha 3-ways

the ladies...

...our studly gentlemen

bbq octopus w/ patatas

first order of pork cheek tacos...

...second order of pork cheek tacos

jonah crab croquetas

B.W.D. (bacon wrapped dates)

cabrita carbonara w/ slow roasted goat

tocino con manzana

calamares

NOT PICTURED (but incredibly delicious):  ALBONDIGAS – wild boar sausage meatballs stuffed w/ piquillo peppers, Macedonian dates + roasted tomatoes.  Finished w/ pimenton creme and oyster mushrooms.

Every small plate we ordered was unbelievably good.  And, we went to town!

so insanely full - could barely stand up to take this, but nice lookin' group, eh?

This was the best meal I’ve had in a long time.  The Iberian Pig gets points for (1) really friendly + knowledgeable staff, (2) an incredibly creative + beyond delicious menu – there’s so much more that I’m dying to try, (3) offering the Aviation martini + bacon-infused bourbon (which was v. tasty) at the bar + in the dining room, and (4) for its kind-of-hidden-and-hard-for-Lindsay-and-Slick-to-find Decatur location. 

Once we finally found it, though, the giant hunt sorta made us feel like it was OUR restaurant.  Which, in fact, it is now.  

xx, L

The Iberian Pig
121 Sycamore Street
Atlanta, GA  30030
404.371.8800
www.iberianpigatl.com

I was the first of the four of us to arrive, and was pleasantly surprised with the authenticity of the restaurant.  Albeit a bit weirded out about how empty and quiet it was, which resulted in a panicked call to Cari, “WHERE the (insert: expletive) am I – and WHERE are y’all?!?!”

Cari informed me that they were on their way, and that I should watch the TV look at the wall covered with photos of noteworthy restaurant patrons until they arrived.  The wall was pretty outstanding - including photos of Imperial’s chef with Governor Schwarzenegger, Teddybear Turner and Reba McEntire, herself!  Reebs!!

Good thing I wore my fancy 4-inch heels to dinner…

The host walked us into a cozy Oriental-rug-covered room, and sat us all down on what looked like a plush, but pretty worn out couch.  This is where all the people were!  Surprisingly, too, there were a sizeable amount of people there – many more than I’d guessed.  Our server asked us to place our hands into a silver bowl, and he washed them for us with water.  Then, he handed each of us a towel to throw over our left shoulder for the meal, and he instructed us to only eat with our right hand.  Yes, hand – not fork. Hand.  So fun!

We selected the 5-course dinner, which runs $45 per person.  We all agreed that that was a pretty solid deal.  We started off with the Harrira Moroccan Lentil Soup with Moroccan Bread (Whole Wheat & Honey) + Moroccan Crackers (Fekkas). Slick said that this was his favorite part of the meal.

Next up was Moroccan Salads with a Side of Red Harissa and the chef’s signature hot sauce.  Our table was not well lit, but I remember eating eggplant, spinach, dill + cucumber and something with rose water, which tasted like perfume to me.  We used the Moroccan crackers to shovel the salads into our mouths.

By this point, Cari and I tired of the towels on our shoulders and put them on our laps.  We appreciated the idea of keeping with the tradition, but we didn’t trust ourselves not to be messy.  Our server brought us an appetizer called B’stella to share, which was my favorite part of the meal, and was super delicious!  Cari told us that it was made with sweet spices, chicken and eggs.  (We used forks to eat this one…)

As soon as the forks appeared, they were used throughout the rest of the meal.  We each ordered an entree, and they were devoured in a flash!  So quick, in fact, that most of the pictures I took are of half-eaten dishes.  Our entrees are ranked below in order of what I liked best to least*:

1 – Cornish-hen Tajine baked with apricots, ginger, saffron + honey.  Garnished with roasted almonds + sesame seeds.

2 – Chef Rafih’s Special Beef Ribs marinated with Moroccan herbs, spices + dried sweet chili (not pictured b/c we ate it too fast…)

3 – Lamb Tajine Morozola baked with Rass El Hannut (32 aromatic spices prepared by the chef) + garnished with onions, raisins + roasted almonds

4 – Roasted Lamb Shank M’Choul baked with cumin, garlic, paprika, fresh cilantro + herbs.  Garnished with exotic wild mushrooms.

*Note: I’m pretty sure that I don’t care for lamb, generally, because everyone at the table liked the lamb dishes the best.  Slick did not care for the chicken because he said it was too sweet for him.

Dessert was yummy, but I’m not sure what it was and I can’t find it described anywhere on their menu.  There was powdered sugar and chocolate sauce on the outside, and the inside tasted like baklava – but not quite as sweet – with apples and nuts.  We also had fruit skewers with strawberry sauce.

We ended the evening with sweet Moroccan Hot Mint Tea.  Before he brought us the bill, our server had us put our hands back into the silver bowl he used to wash them at the beginning of the meal, and he brushed rose water onto them.

Throughout the meal, the skinniest belly dancer I’ve ever seen preformed for us.  At first she just danced, but then she got all crazy with swords and fire. I was v. impressed.

These were the cutest kids EVER!

The meal was almost three hours long, but it was totally + completely enjoyable in every way. It was very easy to forget that the restaurant is situated on Peachtree Street not far from the hustle + bustle of Midtown.  I strongly recommend Imperial Fez for a birthday party, a fifth or sixth date, or for a big group of people since almost everything is family style.

P.S. You can get a hookah for the table at the restaurant for $25.

Check out Imperial’s daily specials on the second page of the menu here: HOOKAH TIME!

xx, L

Imperial Fez
2285 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.351.0870
www.imperialfez.com

Cafe Agora - Buckhead

Upon arriving at Cafe Agora, Slick introduced me to Al and he slid two glasses of tap H2O in our direction.  I told Al that it was my first time at the Cafe, which had come highly recommended from Slick.  Without saying much, Al walked to the back and came out with a small maza plate of hummus, baba ganoush, ezme, kisir + piyaz and eggplant salad, as well as a small plate of spanakopita.  He sternly informed us that we had to finish everything on the plate if we wanted to eat dinner there.  (It didn’t take long for me to realize that this isn’t a man you want to argue with… ) Instead, I mentally prepared myself to ingest large quantities of Mediterranean food over the next hour and a half – whether I wanted to or not.

As soon as some more of our Eat Squad arrived, we sat down at the somewhat rickety, unassuming tables in the small restaurant and waited to order.  When the server approached our table, he brought over a large version of the maza plate w/ warm pita for the table to share – a nice welcome gift from our friend, Al.

Once we polished it off, the server took our orders.  Everyone except for Foodie Buddha and I got the Agora Mixed Grill (mixed plate of meats).  FB and I ordered the Gyro.  (Honestly, I didn’t really have a choice – I was told (or commanded may be the better word?) by Al to get it.)  Sure – whatever he says.

LISTEN TO AL!!  I loved it.  It was awesome.

I was concerned that the gyro was going to be fatty, but I seriously didn’t find an ounce of fat on it.  Instead, when I unwrapped the aluminum foil holding my huge gyro together, it overflowed with meat, lettuce, onions and tzatziki.  It was delicious, and I ate all of it.

Al brought over a large plate of pistachio baklava for dessert.  I thought that it was pretty greasy, but it was certainly tasty and we didn’t have a problem finishing it.

What a fun experience!  That’s really what it was – an experience.

Al isn’t for everyone – I will say that.  I’m not sure how my father would feel about Al forcing a forkful of food in his face…  And, I kind of think that Al arbitrarily makes up his own prices when you approach the register, which is more than a little eyebrow raising – frankly I’m not sure it’s even legal.  Regardless, I got a kick out of him, and the Cafe Agora gyro has been summoning me back ever since I left on Sunday.  I definitely recommend checking this place out, and please send Al my regards when you do.

xx, L

Cafe Agora
262 E. Paces Ferry Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.949.0900
www.cafeagora.com/index.htm

Aside from Whole Foods-prepared Viet. spring rolls, I’d never eaten Vietnamese food before.  (It’s always interesting not having a benchmark for which to compare new foods or restaurants, but that’s kind of the point of Eat Squad, I guess.) 

This ES session, we had the honor of food blogger FB joining us.  We all sat down at a large round table at the restaurant and perused the extensive menu.  I was pretty overwhelmed, so I asked Mr. B. – who has experience with Viet. food – to order for me.  On his and our friendly waitress’s recommendation, we decided to eat family style and order a number of tasty dishes, a few of which we had to prepare + cook ourselves. 

Below are a few pictures of our meal:

the "create your own spring roll" spread

fish + meat for the spring rolls

waitress showing cari how to prepare the spring rolls

my spring roll didn't really cut it...

cold pot w/ fish, veggies + broken rice (my fav.)

waitress stirring the cold pot and explaining to us the history of broken rice - a famous Viet. peasant dish

i went back for thirds - it was delicious!

veggies to cook in hot pot

fish to cook in hot pot

beef to cook in hot pot

hot pot cooking on our table

mmmmmmmmmmm!

I really enjoyed this meal.  In preparation for my upcoming vacations, I am kinda watching my waistline (only kinda) and I didn’t feel guilty at all about what I ate.  To me, Vietnamese food is like a healthier version of Thai food.  I definitely want to get it again, but I’d like to consider trying some other Viet. restaurants around town.  For the Eat Squad members who had eaten Viet. before, they said that Bamboo was good – but not the best in town.  Whatever the case, I’m happy to know that I like Viet. food and I look forward to trying it again soon.

The next Eat Squad gathering will take us to Cafe Agora in Buckhead for some Mediterranean cuisine.  Stay tuned…

xx, L

Bamboo Grill & Hot Pot
4646 Buford Highway St.
Atlanta, GA  30341
678.580.1727

*Note: Dim sum is commonly eaten on Sunday afternoons or during lunch, however, Canton House offers dim sum carts in the evening, as well.

Canton House - street view

underbelly of the massive Canton House chandelier

Once we found the restaurant and walked inside, we were immediately shown to our table.  Less than two minutes later, the servers began accosting us with stainless steel dim sum carts. 

dim sum cart - steamed dishes

dim sum cart - fried items

We tried almost everything on both carts – with the exception of tripe and chicken feet.  My personal favorite items were the shrimp dumplings and the pork sticky buns.  Unfortunately for me, though, Slick wasn’t sharing his sticky buns…

not sharing

Although the dim sum plates quickly filled me up, the boys were hungry for more.  We ordered a heaping plate of chicken fried rice, which I hadn’t eaten since I was 15 at the old Prestonwood Mall in Dallas, and pork chow fun, which I thought was way too oily – but still pretty tasty. 

Eat Squad

Eat Squad

We shared everything by way of the massive lazy susan on our table.  When we requested the bill, I tried to mentally tally what I thought the final price would be for the incredible amount of food we ate.  Much to our surprise, we all got out of there for roughly $12.50 per person!  We were absolutely shocked at how cheap everything was.  Dim sum @ Canton House is truly a cultured culinary experience that won’t put a dent in your wallet!  Just a little sum-thing to think about… 

roshal w/ the lucky buddha

On the way home, Slick and I ranked our Eat Squad expeditions so far on Buford Highway and dim sum held down my #1 spot, followed closely by our Bangladeshi dinner @ Panahar.  Slick’s favorite ES meal was Korean BBQ: Hanil Kwan was definitely a fun culinary experience, but I could take it or leave it. 

I’m really looking forward to our next stop on the road!  My vote is for Thai… 

xx, L

Canton House
4825 Buford HWY
Chamblee, GA  30341
770.936.9030

I love trying new foods, but I had heard that Korean BBQ was incredibly fatty, and I tend to prefer no fat at all on beef.  I am aware that fat adds flavor to beef, but I just can’t get past the texture…  As it turned out, no caution was necessary.  We had a truly delicious meal and an absolute blast at the restaurant!  

Here’s our evening in pictures:

Hanil Kwan Korean Restaurant

Mr. B + Christine peruse the menu

Slick tries, unsuccessfully, to get us to order the beef tripe + intestine soup.

Banchan: Small plates served at the beginning of the meal

Jin Mandu: Steamed pork + vegetable dumplings (my favorite)

Haemul Pajan: Korean seafood pancake (kind of like a fancy latke...)

Galbi: Marinated beef short ribs aka Korean BBQ

Slick's face when we informed him that the meal was over...

...we'll be back soon, Han Il Kwan! Thanks for a delicious meal!

If you are in the mood for something different, definitely consider Korean BBQ – or at least venture out to Buford Highway to try a random ethnic restaurant.  I hope you have as much fun as we did!  (Our next Buford excursion is going to be either Ethiopian or Thai.  Bring on the recommendations!)

xx, L

Hanil Kwan Korean Restaurant
5458 Buford Highway
Doraville, GA  30340
770.457.3217

So, we enlisted the help of our resident Buford Highway connoisseur, Mr. B:

Mr. B

Mr. B + his adorable wife chose very, very well.  We went to Panahar – which is the only Bangladeshi restaurant in Atlanta.  It. was. AWESOME.

Inside Panahar

The restaurant, itself, is a relatively small, unassuming, mirrored room housing roughly 16 tables.  When we arrived at 7:00 p.m. sharp, it was packed.  Panahar is BYOB w/o a corking fee (hello!) and the servers are attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.  While I consider myself to be a pretty comfortable restaurant-orderer in most cases, everyone at the table (including me) completely deferred to Mr. B and our server, Mirza, regarding what we should order.  We asked for advice and some kind of  ”group special” so that we could taste a number of items on the menu.  Mirza promptly took away our ordering privileges (which we were totally fine with) and simply told us what to get.  This was definitely the way to go. 

Three hours and four courses later – everyone left stuffed and satisfied.  The meal was surprisingly cheap and incredibly plentiful.  Our table was filled with food for the majority of the evening that I couldn’t even begin to spell or pronounce…which I loved. Using Panahar’s menu as a guide, I CAN tell you that we started with mango lassi to drink and halim soup and poori shrimp for appetizers.  Among other items, we had chicken teek-ka moshol-la (my fav.) and beef shaag poneer maang-sho (Mr. B’s fav.) for entrees.  Dessert was a delicious kulfi ice cream and a firni.  We left Panahar proud of ourselves for stepping away from the norm and eating outside of our comfort zone.

Dinner @ Panahar

First time diners at Panahar get a 25% off coupon for their next visit (Tuesdays – Thursdays).  Entrees range between $9 – $15 and tax is already figured into the price.  Since the restaurant is small and meals take a while, I strongly suggest calling ahead to make a reservation. 

As I sit here polishing off the last of my lukewarm Lean Cuisine, I can’t help but think about what a cool experience I had last night and how excited I am to discover more of Buford Highway’s quiet culinary gems.    Here’s to the unusual!

xx, L

Panahar
3375 Buford Highway
Suite 1060
Atlanta, GA  30329
404.633.6655
www.panahar.com