Review Atlanta » Beer

Boylan Bridge Brewpub — Raleigh

michele — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:42:22 +0000

Boylan Bridge Brewpub

Beer Tasting

Boylan Bridge’s Bruno Bitter and Pullman Porter were two clear favorites.

Slivered Duck Reuben

It was fine. Good fixin’s were buried under two utterly ordinary ho-hum slices of bread.

Boylan Bridge Brewpub
201 South Boylan Avenue
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
919 803 8927

Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub

michele — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:18:54 +0000

Wild Heaven Escaton & Cream Soda

Wild Heaven Escaton, a Belgian-style quadrupel ale (10.5%) aged on pinot noir chips is currently available in only a handful of restaurants in Atlanta and Athens. We enjoyed the rich flavor that reminded us of a fine tawny port with hints of vanilla, oak and dried fruit.

And, what’s mimicking a third glass of water? It’s a cream soda cocktail with Pinnacle whipped cream vodka and ginger ale that’s just too easy to drink for our own good.

Next time, La Poire

Duck Fat Fries with Bacon Mayo

AKA “The Day Killer” …These crispy decadent fries should come with a warning. We were both ready for a long winter’s nap after sharing this dish. And, even sharing them, we both thought they were a meal on their own.

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Fingerling Hash

But, wait, there’s more. This gorgeous pork chop is topped with gremolatta and served with two, tender easy-over eggs.

Someone’s stealing a crispy, garlic-y fingerling

Crispy on one edge, tender and buttery on the other… we couldn’t stop eating them.

Shrimp & Grits

Those shrimp were tender, full of flavor, and perfectly cooked. Yes, perfectly cooked. That’s no exaggeration. But, we both found the vinegary tang of the broth a bit overwhelming.

And, last but not least, the grits were rich, buttery, smooth and creamy. If we weren’t stuffed to the gills, we would have gobbled up every bite.

Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub
K-Pub
1410 Dresden Drive
Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30319
404 474 9600

HD1

michele — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:38:41 +0000

HD1… A Haute Doggery

New Fashion
(Knob Creek Bourbon, Muddled Blackberries, Bitters, Soda & A Twist of Lemon)

…And A Honey Brown Lager

Our First Meal

Fried Chicken Livers & Hot Sauce

It’s true. These are losing a bit of their breading. But, each tender little liver was touched with just the right dose of pink. And, that wilted pile of greens might not look like much. Fear not, these mustard greens are full of rich meaty flavor and strewn with bits of smoky pork.

Merguez With Cucumber, Mint, Yogurt & Currants

The casing was browned nicely. Yet, the interior remained tender and succulent. A chunky dice of red pepper adds more flavor and a touch of color.

Lobster Roll

Tender little bites… Norway Lobster (Langostine), maybe?

Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream With Charcoal Dust

The light dusting of sea salt brings this sweet vanilla to life.

Simple & Lovely.

La Pièce de Résistance… The Sammy

Two buttery cookies with big chunks of chocolate and crisp bacon are filled with sweet vanilla ice cream. The intense contrast of that soft, sweet vanilla ice cream from those crisp, salty nibbles of bacon is a real winning combination. But, the true genius is the soft, tender cookies. They’re not frozen. So, those delicate, buttery cookies crumble decadently into the ice cream.

These little darlings might only be $3 each. But, they’re gonna getcha with the come-back.

They’re just begging to be eaten.

Chocolate Bacon Chunker Sammy With Chocolate Ice Cream

These are tasty, too. But, the chocolate gets lost in the mix. The vanilla’s the way to go.

The Last Of The Late Lunch Crowd

Hours: Monday – Sunday from 11:30am to Midnight

HD1 Restaurant
664 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 815 1127

Kurt’s Bistro

michele — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:00:13 +0000

Kurt’s Bistro

Kurt’s Oktoberfest September 23 – October 22

Bread Basket

With Chive Butter

Spaten Oktoberfest

Schwabian Platter
(With Smoked Pork Chop, Bauernwurst, Bratwurst, Braised Sauerkraut, & Warm Potato Salad)

Tender Pork Tenderloin
(With Mushroom Sauce, Braised Red Cabbage, & Spatzle)

Is this better? …Nope, still too dark

But, that pork tenderloin is so tender it deserves a second mention.

Kurt’s Radler

And, Bananas Foster Prepared Tableside

This was a lovely meal in the dark.

Kurt’s Bistro
3305 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
770 623 4128

Flip Burger, Again

michele — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:26:11 +0000

rBQ

This burger is topped with freshly ground black pepper, chives, slaw, and pulled brisket in rBQ sauce. It all sits on top of a buttery bun with a dab of smoked mayo. It all works. But, it would work even better without the smoked mayo.

rBQ On Top, Butcher’s Cut On Bottom

Butcher’s Cut

Still one of our favorites…

Thinly sliced onions and dressed mixed greens top blue cheese, caramelized onion, and red wine jam. The grating of fresh pepper makes the perfect finishing touch. Creamy blue cheese needs that bite of pepper to wake it up and round it out.

Bell’s Amber Ale

What could make it all better? A great beer to wash them both down. Bell’s amber ale did the job beautifully.

Nutella & Burnt Marshmallow Milkshake

This followed an appropriate intermission, of course.

Rich, creamy, and chocolate-y with a pleasantlly mild touch of nutella nuttiness. Bury all of that creamy delicious under a mound of charred marshmallows. Yum. But, then again, when isn’t the chocolate/marshmallow combination an instant win?

Flip Burger
1587 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
404 352 3547

Melton’s App & Tap

michele — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:46:05 +0000

Sausage Special

Three sausages served with a buttery pretzel, grainy mustard and an amber ale… or two.

Smoked Brisket Sandwich

Sliced paper thin, this smoky brisket has a mild & sweet barbecue sauce drizzled on top. And, crispy waffle fries with house blue cheese dip cover the rest of the plate.

Each platter has a generous mound of waffle fries served with a little condiment cup of their blue cheese dip.

With the sweetness of their barbecue sauce and the egg roll, this sandwich takes a bit of the best of two worlds. The sloppy joe sweetness adds the comfort food appeal. While the smokiness of the brisket plants it on the fringes of being a bbq sandwich. These flavors work well together… smoky bbq’d brisket with the sweet tomato-y flavors that hint of a sloppy joe.

Loaded Dawg Basket

Cheesy dawgs have a little bit of everything. Chili, mustard, chopped onions, cheddar, and jack cheese… these dawgs are fully dressed.

And, there’s an interesting mix of locals to watch while you drink & nibble.

Melton’s App and Tap
2500 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA 30033
404 634 9112

DBA BBQ

michele — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:06:48 +0000

Pulled Pork Sandwich with sweet potato fries

The Pork

The tender, succulent interior is perfectly crusted with a nicely charred shell of smoky deliciousness.

The Sweet Potato Fries

Close to perfection — I think these are the best sweet potato fries in Atlanta right now. The salt, pepper and spice mix sprinkled on top of these perfectly browned fries push them to to top for us.

Carolina Spare Ribs & Chicken with creamed corn

This picture really speaks for itself. The ribs were perfectly luscious and tender with gorgeous smoky char. The chicken was melt-in-our-mouths tender. And, yet, it is still infused with a perfect amount of smoke. It’s just about perfect. And, the spicy BBQ sauce was pleasantly well-rounded. It had a bit of tang, a bit of sweet, and a bit of spice. (A bit more spice & heat might be better. But, it was enjoyable.)

The one thing they could fix… the sweet BBQ sauce. We weren’t loving it.

Bacon Bourbon Manhattan with maple syrup

We were pleasantly surprised that this works in the real world as well as it does on paper. Thankfully, the maple syrup is used frugally. A heavy hand with the sweet element could have easily ruined this. Instead, the high alcohol content cuts the heavier notes.

For us, right now, DBA Barbecue is proving to be Fox Brothers’ biggest competition.

DBA Barbecue
1190 North Highland Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 249 500

Hobnob

michele — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:26:04 +0000

Shortrib & Lamb Pizza

This pizza is full of flavor. Tender, braised shortrib is one of my all-time favorite things. It has a luxurious buttery quality that underlines all the positive attributes of beef. The tender shreds on this pizza illustrate that point beautifully. Coupled with red pepper, crumbled goat cheese and roasted garlic, this pizza is a very good thing. We didn’t notice the lamb… at all. I’m not even sure there was lamb. But, honestly, I’d rather have an extra bite or two of short rib anyway. We can overlook the sogginess issues as they work to perfect this dish.

Seafood Stew

This seafood stew was less successful. The tomato saffron broth was excessively fishy… in a bad way. The scallop were teeny tiny. I’ve never seen scallop this small before. And, most of the protein in the “seafood stew” was actually chicken. Not a fan of this dish. At all. The soft flatbread was on the very far side of soft & doughy.

Nutella Mezzaluna

This looks pretty good…right?

This dough (possibly the same dough used for the pizza?) is stuffed with nutella and drizzled with what I believe is hershey’s syrup. Well, I’m using the term dough deliberately because it is still raw. And, I do mean raw. So raw that when a fork was used to poke at the center, raw dough oozed between the fork tines. When we mentioned this to our server, we were told, “Well, it’s supposed to be doughy.” As a budding bread baker, I’ve never seen raw dough in a finished product… ever. I still have unpleasant memories of biting into the raw dough and the unfortunate gag-reflex it induced.

This restaurant (opened just over a week) is very clearly a work in progress.

Hobnob Tavern Atlanta
1551 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
404 968 2288

Twisted Taco

michele — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:38:40 +0000

Chips & Salsa

Tacos filled with crab balls and blackened fish

I’m not a huge fan of tacos. And, the tacos here aren’t Tex-Mex or even Tex-Tex, for that matter. They’re just stuff stuffed inside flour tortillas. But, it is tasty stuff in generous quantities. The blackened fish was my favorite… if you can call it that.

My hon’s wacky trio: thai chicken, fried crawfish and gyro

Definitely not my cup of tea, he later agreed that this particular combination was strange. But, sampled individually with much drinking in between, they were each tasty enough on their own. (I was told. I had no desire to try them.)

Roast pork & blackened tilapia with red cabbage slaw

On a second visit, I ordered the Wyatt Earp and The Baja(pictured above). And, my hon ordered the crab balls (Wild Alaskan), fried crawfish tails, and something else that I just can’t remember. (He ate them before we could take a picture.) We both enjoyed the second visit more than the first. The Cactus (a prickly pear margarita) increased my enjoyment level significantly. (And, we both love that they’re open late.)

Twisted Taco
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road Suite 32
Atlanta, GA 30346
770 399 0991

Rí Rá

michele — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:15:22 +0000

Fish & Chips at Ri Ra Irish Pub
(thick-cut chips are an option)

Ri Ra’s fish & chips were a huge hit with us. This batter-fried haddock was fried to a deep golden brown with super crisp edges. The dense batter was everything we were looking for in a traditional “Fish & Chips”. The dense batter had a unique eggy quality that achieved a rich crisp crust. I don’t doubt its authenticity. We often see a lighter (and usually significantly greasier) battering. That doesn’t make it true or authentic. It just makes it common. As a matter of fact, given the size of Ireland… I’d guess that there is more than one way to prepare a “Traditional Fish & Chips”. I’ll choose this version any day of the week. If they are able to maintain the quality we saw on this visit, we’ll be very happy. Tempered with the knowledge that this is only one visit, it is still the best Fish & Chips we’ve eaten in Atlanta… by a mile. We’ll eagerly sample this for weeks to come to test for consistency. It’s a tough job, but, someone’s gotta do it.

Given the option of regular fries or the crispier thick-cut traditional chips, it was no choice at all. I can’t imagine ordering anything other than the thick cut chips. They were devoured by both of us. The picture (above) does not do the chips justice. They were super crisp with great flavor; and, they were properly salted. The Irish Remoulade was new to us. But, that didn’t stop us from dipping both fish & chips in the spicy remoulade. Is this traditional? It’s a mystery. And, quite frankly, I could care less. It was so addictively good that the tartar sauce went untouched.

Irish Soda Bread (Brown Bread) with Guinness Honey Butter

Simple, delicious & moist. Traditional Irish soda bread consists of whole wheat flour, buttermilk, bread soda, and salt. The addition of sugar is common in Northern Ireland. All other ingredients were added over the years by Irish immigrants. (Probably by loving wives trying to keep their hard working husbands happy with some simple luxuries.) Guinness honey butter… traditional? No. But, once you’ve tried it… it will be a requirement!

Irish Manhattan (Bushmills Northern Irish whiskey makes a kickass Manhattan) & Fresh Peach Margarita (not Irish… but fab… I’m a girl and I’ll order it again… you just watch me)

Seafood Pasty (September’s Special)

It’s not much to look at. But, well-stuffed with shrimp and salmon, it was enjoyed. And, more than one nibble was stolen. We’ll be ordering it again this fall & winter. I’m sure of it. In an ode to Ireland, the rice & asparagus were boiled and boiled… then boiled some more for good measure.

We finished the meal with a Bailey’s & chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream. Deadly rich, dense, and chocolate-y, it is more than enough to share. And, I dare you to finish one on your own. (If you prefer the type of mousse that is reminiscent of eating chocolate flavored whipped cream, this is not for you.)

The Verdict: Loved it! The atmosphere was welcoming, our server was incredibly friendly, the surroundings were gorgeous, and the food was great on this visit. We can’t wait to go back… is tonight too soon? Self-billed as an Irish Bistro with a fusion of Irish & American pub food. They make no promises to be 100% traditional. Why should they?

Rí Rá Irish Pub
1080 Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 30309
404 477 1700