Tag Archive for: atlanta eats

Brassica, in the Waldorf Astoria Buckhead

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 6/5/22

Marble and brass extend out from the warm wood bar, dotted with happy hour patrons enjoying fancy drinks and small bites. To the side the dining room is packed with warm leather booths juxtaposed to the orange and blue ornate plates and the slats in the wall that peer into the hall next to the restaurant. On the back end, the décor changes to a modern black with white tables and dark napkins. This beautiful spot is Brassica, the opulent French-Inspired Southern fare restaurant nestled in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Buckhead. They put just the right spin on traditional French and southern dishes, while offering upscale cocktails and an extensive wine list.

Brassica does everything well, including their cocktail and wine offerings. For the cocktails we tried the fancy James Bond inspired Vesper. Shaken not stirred, botanical gin, vodka, and the right amount of lemon make for a boozy, strong, floral, smooth cocktail where the flavor profile changes as you drink. If boozy isn’t want you’re looking for, go for the Roman Punch, it’s like drinking tea on the porch! Lemony, tangy, and sweet, it’s smooth as you can get. That might be dangerous. Plus, they have a great wine list that pairs with the great French-inspired southern menu. We tried the Licia Albarino from Spain and a Cabernet that were both delicious and went so well with the dishes we got, the Trout, and the Roasted Rack of Venison.

For starters, you can never go wrong with a solid Beef Carpaccio, tender and savory with tangy olives, earthy capers, and the sharpness of the cheese and tangy onion. A great bite when you roll it all up into one. We paired that with something we don’t see every day on menus, frog legs! The Sauteed Frog Legs are deconstructed and taken off the bone, and surround a crunchy, buttery toast with roasted garlic on top. Then underneath a fantastic creamy, earthy parsley cream adds the right amount of balance to the tender frog, buttery, crunchy toast, and sharpness of the garlic. This mix and match dish is a keeper.

Of the sides, we are in love with the Butternut Squash Jambalaya. This one is an experience all on its own, served in a smoked dome and the smoke released at the table. The smokiness is prevalent in the dish and pairs with the lightly spicy Cajun spices and creamy rice then contrasts the hearty and earthy butternut squash. Beyond that we had to opt for the Mac N Cheese that is served in a pot. It is creamy brie and tender macaroni all topped with a layer of sharp cheese.

The chef surprised us with a pair of Little Gem salads that is one part crunchy with pecans and apples and one part earthy of the greens. The best part is the buttery, tangy brown butter vinaigrette. It goes so well with the overall flavor profile of the salad. This is so good you may want to lick the plate. Another fun surprise we can talk about here is the cornbread that comes before the meal. It’s thick, dense, sweet, and savory bread that’s topped with a beautiful, warm brown butter sauce that give off hints of caramel. It’s some of the best cornbread you can get in Atlanta. It almost is like a dessert!

We can’t stop thinking about this stunning Roasted Rack of Venison shared plate. Have you seen venison presented so perfectly (see article cover)? It is tender and savory with a balanced amount of seasoning. On top boozy, sweet, and tart marinated cherries marry with the meat for an explosion of flavor, then underneath creamy and smooth mashed potatoes and savory, earthy Brussels pair with a savory, meaty sauce that just knocks the flavors out of the park. This is the best Venison we’ve EVER had! Go try it! The other main that we got is the Pecan Rainbow Trout. It is tender and flaky fish with a light crunch of the fish skin on the top. The pecans dotted on top roll into the creamy corn and sauce below for a warm, crunchy, overall great bite that is popping with flavor. This is a light dish that goes so well with the heftiness of the Venison.

To finish out our meal, we had to try the Oven Roasted Georgia Apple. It’s a whole cooked apple, skin on, that’s stuffed with sweet apricots, topped with a sweet, caramel sauce, spicy cinnamon, and paired with a cool dollop of ice cream. The uniqueness of the crunchy apple skin, sweetness of the apricots and creaminess of the sauce and ice cream make for the perfect pair.

This was epic.

CURRY UP NOW TO CELEBRATE GRAND OPENING OF NEW MADISON YARDS RESTAURANT ON SEPTEMBER 24

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/15/20

The Award-Winning Indian Fast Casual Will Celebrate With 50% Off App & Online Orders All Day Long

Curry Up Now, the award-winning Indian fast casual known for its innovative and creative approach to Indian cuisine, will celebrate the Grand Opening of its newest restaurant in Atlanta on Thursday, September 24. The restaurant, which is located at 915 Memorial Dr SE Suite 210 in the Madison Yards retail-living center, will celebrate by offering 50% off orders placed via the Curry Up Now app and website all day long with code CelebrateATL. This location joins another in Decatur, which opened last summer, and will be closely followed by another Curry Up Now opening at 24 S Main Street in Alpharetta in October. The local franchisees are also on the fast track to complete another Curry Up Now outpost at The Interlock, which will also feature Curry Up Now’s craft cocktail bar concept, Mortar & Pestle.

“Our Decatur opening last year was the perfect way to introduce Curry Up Now to the greater Atlanta area, but we’re thrilled to be opening closer to the heart of the city in a popular center like Madison Yards,” said Hemant Suri, Atlanta franchisee for Curry Up Now. “We are excited to welcome the community to the newest Curry Up Now restaurant with our Grand Opening event, and look forward to becoming a go-to spot for Indian cuisine lovers in Atlanta.”

Curry Up Now began as a food truck in 2009, founded by husband and wife duo, Akash and Rana Kapoor, and ably supported by co-founder and Senior VP of Operations, Amir Hosseini. Since day one, Curry Up Now has been on a mission to serve Indian flavors and ingredients in a way that is approachable for the everyday American consumer by utilizing formats that are more recognizable to the mainstream. Their signature dishes include Tikka Masala Burritos, Deconstructed Samosas, Indian-style tacos, Naughty Naan and more, as well as a wide variety of Indian street food snacks and traditional dishes like Thali Platters, Kathi Rolls, and more. Ingredients are clean and sourced from local vendors whenever possible, and the menu is designed to support vegan, gluten-free, and Halal diets in an effort to accommodate all guests, no matter their dietary preferences. In the last ten years, the Kapoors have expanded the Curry Up Now empire to include three food trucks, 13 brick-and-mortar restaurants spanning coast to coast, and a globally-inspired craft cocktail bar concept, Mortar & Pestle, that is housed within select Curry Up Now restaurants.

“Despite the crazy and unprecedented year that 2020 has been, we’ve seen great growth as a brand and are very excited to welcome the new Madison Yards restaurant to our expanding Curry Up Now family,” said Akash Kapoor, founder and CEO. “Hemant and the Atlanta team have worked tirelessly to get this restaurant ready for the opening, and now that they have Alpharetta and The Interlock on the horizon, it’s shaping up to be a big year for Curry Up Now’s Atlanta expansion. With the opening of the Madison Yards location, we have now opened 5 restaurants since February.”

The Madison Yards location will be open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Catering and takeout will be available, and guests are invited to order ahead using the Curry Up Now mobile app. For more information, call 678-732-0953, visit www.curryupnow.com, and follow @CurryUpNow on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

Rock N Taco Roswell: Foxey Lady!

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 12/29/19

“Here I come baby, I’m coming to get ya!”

Previous Buckhead staple, Rock N Taco is back and it’s bigger, better, and more immersive in its new downtown Roswell location. If you’re looking for a place that you can eat a taco while watching a Stone Temple Pilots video, we’ve found your spot. It truly is a rock n roll haven with tons of early to late 90’s rock, rock inspired cocktails like The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Offspring, as well as fresh tacos, fajitas, and everything in between. Let’s take a Journey into Rock N Taco, adventure ahead!

From the moment you enter, rock is strong with this one! Starting with the signature cocktails, they have two that we tried: The Offspring and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. First, The Offspring was a bourbon cocktail that was mellow and smooth, creamy with the whisked egg white, and topped with bitters to give it a slight bite, give it to me, baby. Followed by a real treat, The Jimi Hendrix Experience is Yuzu vodka, Crème de Cassis, and orange liquor, filled with marinated berries topped with sparkling wine, which gives makes it slightly sweeter. Drop in some dry ice. It billows and bubbles giving it a psychedelic effect. It’s really a fun, foxy drink to watch being made and to drink. Foxey, lady!

Fajitas, tacos, triple dip trios, and even inspired desserts, Rock N Taco has some good eats in a rock n roll atmosphere. We’ll start with the by taco bout some tacos. Of these solo performances hands down the best taco was The Classic. It’s perfect: simple, crunchy, beefy, cheesy, and all-around delicious. Tip: Add guacamole! Carne Asada was also simply good with tender steak, onion, cilantro, and lime. Savory, classic, and rich. The Hulk had fried avocado that was perfectly fried, good amount of avocado and crunch from the breading. Perfectly paired with a ranch sauce that adds to the creaminess of the bite.

Headliners like Metallica would be proud of this: topped with a decent amount of cheese, the tender steak combined with crisp peppers and savory onion, it was a great bite when all mixed together. Our recommendation would be to stuff everything into a tortilla with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and top with guacamole and the original salsa. It’s a stellar creamy, savory, concoction!

They call them Encores, but we call them Show Stoppers. The Fried Ice Cream was like eating cake and ice cream, the breading was so fluffy and thick then fried and topped with raspberry and chocolate sauce. The Churro was cinnamon goodness that they fried and sandwiched creamy vanilla ice cream. It’s hard to decide which was our favorite, but that thick fried breading of the fried ice cream is probably it. Can’t decide? Order both!

Not being too far from our hood, we may adopt them as our new taco spot for live music, 90’s rock, and of course, some more of those fajitas and fried ice cream.