The Cajun
Spicy red pepper sauce, andouille, shrimp, chicken, green pepper, onions & cheese
Yum.
White on Red
Thyme-spiced ricotta, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, chèvre, parmesean, and spicy red pepper sauce. We frequently substitue the spicy red pepper sauce for the tomato sauces.
More yums.
We’re both quite fond of Savage Pizza. Both, The Cajun and The Mexican pizzas remind us of a particular pizza shop in Florida that holds many memories. So, for us, a visit to Savage is a bit like a quick trip to South Florida. Whenever we get a little home sick, they offer us an oasis of happy memories along with their tasty pies. Pies that aren’t at all traditional. And, for that, we thank them.
Savage Pizza
484 Moreland Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30307
404 523 0500
Green walnut preserves, date molasses, carob molasses and two ma’moul cookie presses…
This is just a small glimples into the three rows of dry and canned goods offered at Mediterranean Bakery. They also have three refrigerated cases with cheeses, double cream, yogurt, yogurt drinks and an assortment of prepared goods. And, don’t forget about the breads and pastries. We’ll be grabbing more of those next time.
Mediterranean Bakery & Sandwich
3362 Chamblee-Tucker Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
770 220 0706
Lovely and delicious, shreds of crispy dough are stuffed with pistachio and drizzled with honey. The nutty richness of the pistachios keep this pastry from dipping into the too sweet category.
Each nicely charred piece of tender lamb on the kabob has a touch of pink at its core. For this dish, we chose baba ghannouj and little stuffed grape leaves. The tartness of both helped to add a glimmer of light to the rich lamb. We both loved the rush of tart vinegar and lemon. These were a hit with us.
The lamb kabobs deserve a closeup. (even if it is a bit over-exposed)
Beef shawarma, hummus and falafel…
The small falafel guaranteed a bit of crunch in every bite. With a generous heap of whole sesame seeds, the falafel had a great smoky, nutty taste. Also rich in tahini, the hummus was a nutty and lemony mouthful of ground chickpeas. I’m always amazed by my love of this simple dish. Yum. The beef shawarma was a bit on the tough side. But, the rich spice rub added a ton of flavor.
This little shop jams a lot of goodness into an unusual space. It’s a bakery, grocery & sandwich shop all in one. It’s a real gem in the desolate strip mall it inhabits.
Oh yeah, they have hookah pipes and tobacco, too.
Mediterranean Bakery & Sandwich
3362 Chamblee-Tucker Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
770 220 0706
Bacon wrapped Shrimp
These little bacon wrapped shrimp were tasty. But, we were hoping for something with more toasty, charry bits. We would’ve preferred less bbq sauce, too. The bbq sauce almost buried the taste of the shrimp.
BBQ Chicken with garlic green beans & collards
The chicken was perfect… tender, smoky and moist. And, the sides were stellar. The green beans were full of flavor with a fresh crispy bite and the right touch of butter and garlic. The collard greens were great, as usual, with smoky bits of meat throughout.
Sweet ‘Tater Tots
These were new to us. Sweet potato fries were still listed on the menu last weekend. But, these crispy tots are taking their place. They were perfectly crispy and golden brown with creamy centers. Yummy. But, we liked the sweet potato fries better.
D.B.A. BBQ
1190 North Highland Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 249 5000
Spicy Marcona Almonds
It’s nice when a food claiming to be spicy turns out to actually be spicy. These rich almonds had a lovely dusting of smoky, fiery spices. We both agreed, a touch less salt would be nice. But, they were still finger lickin’ good.
Humbles
These crispy hummus chips are lower in fat than potato chips and offers 3 grams of protein in a one ounce serving. Better than a potato chip? Yes. But, one ounce? I hope you’re not too hungry.
Ultimate Plus Bar
Also known as black sesame brittle… But, I love this clever packaging. Black sesame brittle is high in calcium and iron. So, now, I don’t have to feel guilty eating it, right?
Ciabatta Rolls
These were a real bargain. No, they’re not a day old (or, at least they weren’t at the time). These were fresh rolls made that day. They made too many. So, there was a huge basket of rolls for sale. They did lose the crisp exterior in the plastic bag. But, they stayed fresh longer than any ciabatta we’ve ever purchased at Alon’s. We finished the last one today. And, it was surprisingly good.
Alon’s Bakery & Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781
Pumpkin Manju
Sweet pumpkin shines. It’s rare that pumpkin is showcased without the assortment of sweet spices that accompany it in one form or another. It’s refreshing to savor the simplicity of sweet pumpkin and nothing more.
Panko crusted fried dough filled with meat, potato and veggies
Like a pierogi… but, better. The fried dough is surprisingly light and airy. This provides an interesting contrast to the rich filling.
Sweet bean filled pastries, nut tarts, cream filled breads, cookies, muffins, and little cakes… Mozart Bakery has something for everyone. And, like White Windmill Bakery, I love the way most of the little treats are individually wrapped. White Windmill offers a larger selection and might be more than a little bit prettier. But, Mozart offers a few unique nibbles.
Cafe Mozart Bakery
5301 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA 30340
770 936 8726
Sesame
2 for $1
For $1, two of these Vietnamese baguettes are an unbelievable bargain. With tapered ends and a seriously good crispy, flaky crust, we preferred these over the standard bánh mì baguette.
Standard Bánh Mì
3 for $1
But, if the sesame baguettes sell out, these will do the trick quite nicely.
And, 3 for $1… incredible.
Lee’s Bakery
4005 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
404 728 1008
Kranky
Chocolate covered corn flakes, these were not bad… in that convenience store candy sorta way.
Obleas
Rice paper wafers filled with a thin layer of cajeta (goat milk caramel)… but, the cajeta had an unpleasant gritty texture. They’re edible, but, not a fan.
Huevitos
Now, these were truly awful. They might be the worst excuse for a candy… ever. The taste? Toothpaste in a candy sugar shell. Yuck. You’re not supposed to swallow toothpaste. These were so very wrong on many levels.
The next time we visit Carniceria Mi Pueblo #2, we’ll skip the candy and hit the cabinet with baked goods up front. For a small market, the cabinet had a nice assortment of pastries, cookies and sugar crusted rolls.
Carniceria Mi Pueblo #2
4005 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30345
404 636 7727
3 G Salad
Green papaya, green mango and green apples sliced in a fine julienne topped with shreds of grilled lamb and fried shallots. This salad is a lovely combination of bright green flavors with just the right touches of sweet and sour to accent the freshness of the fruit. The shredded beef and nut topping make this hearty enough to be a meal.
Special Fragrant Rice with Salmon
A mountain of rice surrounded by vegetables, grilled salmon, one fried egg and a slice of shrimp cake is topped with even more shredded meat and fried shallots. It’s served with a bowl of mildly spiced vinegar dressing. This dish is a great example of the sum being greater than the parts.
Special Fragrant Rice with Grilled Beef
Ditto above… just substitute tender, marinated & grilled beef for the salmon. We found it to be equally delicious. But, the dish was significantly richer with the beef. The sweetness of the marinade added even more to that richness.
Co’m Vietnamese Grill
4005-E Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30345
404 320 0405
Fried Chicken Liver Bruschetta
We both loved this dish. That is really saying something when one of us is on the fence about their relationship with chicken livers, in general. The cornmeal shell was crisp and golden. Yet, each chicken liver had just a hint of pink. This is a make or break point with us. When the touch of pink is gone, the chicken livers turn mealy, bitter and extremely unpleasant. We would have happily made a meal of this dish. And, we both spent some time discussing how this could work. We both agreed that served over a bed of buttery grits dotted with cloves of roasted garlic, they’d be a knock out.
Fish & Grits
So close… That really sums up this dish. Everything was so close to being a winner. The fish itself was a gorgeous piece of tender, flaky flounder and the breading was perfectly crisp. But, there wasn’t a speck of salt used in the preparation. The collard greens were mild, but, good. When we drizzled a bit of the Carolina BBQ sauce on them, they were great. The grits were a bit bland. And, the sauce was listed as red-eye gravy. This should have a good amount of salt from the ham alone. But, that wasn’t the case. We believe this sauce was a simple brown gravy. If each element of this dish were to be seasoned properly, it has the potential to be a real hit.
(Note: We both prefer very little salt in our food. And, if there was the tiniest amount of salt in this dish we would have been happy)
BBQ Pork Sandwich with Mac & Cheese
This sandwich had a good amount of tender pork. Tender with a nice Carolina BBQ sauce, we enjoyed the pork… not the bun. The bun was soggy and falling apart after 3-4 bites. The Mac & Cheese was tasty, but, the cheese seemed to be a bit of an afterthought. If we had to guess, we’d say the filling was predominantly ricotta (or some type of farmers cheese) with cheddar mostly or only on the top.
The Biscuits
These were the only true failure of the meal. At first glance, we thought they were some type of shortbread. But, once we cut one open, we realized it was an uncooked and unleavened biscuit. We politely showed them to our server. She apologized and quickly returned with a plate of identically uncooked and unleavened biscuits. We looked at each other in confusion. After shooting a few glances back and forth at each other, we cut into the biscuits and couldn’t help but giggle. Yes, they were most definitely identical to the first two biscuits. They went untouched. But, we periodically scowled at the ugly little things throughout our meal.
We’ve always loved this old building.
Farmstead 303
303 East Howard Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404 377 3550
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