Posts Tagged: Xteeener

Rosebud | Atlanta, Georgia USA

Rosebud

Rosebud

 

Christine w/ menu

Christine w/ menu

 

Kobe Burger

Kobe Burger

 

Crab cake on sweet potato hash

Crab cake on sweet potato hash

 

Eggplant tempura fried chips

Eggplant tempura fried chips

 

Fried chicken, green beans, mash potatoes, coleslaw

Fried chicken, green beans, mash potatoes, coleslaw

 

Decided it would be best to explore Virginia Highlands a bit before I start my travels again. It’s frankly a part of town I rarely seem to be drawn to despite having a solid array of restaurants and bars; a charming part of Atlanta that I do hope to check out more. Chose two places that evening: Honey Bubble for their macaroon selection and Rosebud for some dinner. The better dishes in my mind were the Kobe burger and the crab cake on sweet potato hash. Really enjoyed the Gourmet Magazine art work on the wall (posted a photo on my instagram if you’re interested).

Thanks for coming by! 🙂

 

Rosebud (information gathered 2/2013)
1397 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA
404.347.9747

Hours
Mon – Fri 11:30AM – 2:30PM
Sat 10:00AM – 3:00PM
Sun 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Parking:
Side street parking near and around the neighborhood.

Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com

References: 

Add me on: twitter | facebook
Rosebud website | twitter | facebook

 

Bleu House Cafe | Norcross, Georgia USA

 

Cafe Sandwich, Mixed greens, tomatoes, and pesto mayo on focaccia with your choice of meat & cheese: roast beef & cheddar

Cafe Sandwich, Mixed greens, tomatoes, and pesto mayo on focaccia with roast beef & cheddar

 

Spicy Chicken Wrap, Grilled chicken with melted cheddar, yellow rice, onions, tomatoes and mixed greens on a sundried tomato wrap with spicy ranch.

Spicy Chicken Wrap, Grilled chicken with melted cheddar, yellow rice, onions, tomatoes and mixed greens on a sundried tomato wrap with spicy ranch.

 

It doesn’t look like it, especially per this post lacking the item, but Christine and I have been on the hunt for some awesome macaroons. During such a search, we came across Bleu House Market (right next door to Bleu House Cafe) and during some internet research of sorts, lunch here sounded pretty good. I don’t know about you, but the vibrant colors of the blue plates and the sundried tomato spicy chicken wrap is rather inviting at this point in time, especially it being lunch time right now.. mmm..

Post on Bleu House Market coming soon! now up! LINK

Bleu House Cafe (information gathered 2/2013)
108 S Cemetery St
Norcross, GA 30071
Hours
Mon – Fri 11:00am – 3:00pm

Parking:
There is a gravel parking lot on the back of the eatery.

Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com

References:

Add me on: twitter | facebook
Bleu House Cafe website | twitter | facebook
Christine (Xteeener) youtube | twitter | facebook

The General Muir (Dinner) | Atlanta, Georgia USA

Sweet Tea

Sweet Tea

 

General Muir?

Is this THE General Muir?

 

Christine at The General Muir

Christine at The General Muir

 

Dinosaur Kale Salad, radish, avocado, green goddess dressing

Dinosaur Kale Salad, radish, avocado, green goddess dressing

 

Potato Pierogi, duck pastrami, house fermented sauerkraut, granny smith apples

Potato Pierogi, duck pastrami, house fermented sauerkraut, granny smith apples

 

Poutine, gravy, cheese curds, pastrami

Poutine, gravy, cheese curds, pastrami

 

Skillet Crisped Trout, farro salad, hazelnuts, butternut squash puree, chicken jus

Skillet Crisped Trout, farro salad, hazelnuts, butternut squash puree, chicken jus

 

Double Burger Stack, red onion, pickles, lettuce, russian, American cheese, onion roll, fries

Double Burger Stack, red onion, pickles, lettuce, Russian, American cheese, onion roll, fries

 

Inside The General Muir

Inside The General Muir

 

After a great brunch last time at The General Muir and the want for a night out with Christine (aka Xteeener), thought it’d be a great choice to come back for dinner. I had seen their menu online and really wanted to try their poutine to match it against those found in the Canadian province of Quebec City. I gotta say, it was definitely one of the better versions I’ve had outside of Quebec City. Personally, I found it a bit heavy handed on the salt but overall, it was the food coma inducing poutine I love, with pastrami! The other two appetizers were solid choices too; Dinosaur Kale salad (*insert Jurassic Park theme*) and Potato Pierogi. For entrees, we ordered the Double Burger Stack (did you know: Chef Todd Ginsberg created the delicious ‘Burger Stack’ at Bocado?!) and the skillet crisped trout. Both good but I’ll need to come back and eat them without having had ruined our appetite with the heavy hitting appetizers.

P.S. Apologies to the ever helpful waitress Arabia for having drowned myself in sweet tea throughout the evening. Great server. Attentive, friendly and knowledgeable.

Thanks The General Muir for a great meal and a fun evening~ 🙂

The General Muir (information gathered 2/2013)
1540 Avenue Place, Suite B-230
Avenue Pl Atlanta, GA
678.927.9131
Hours – Dining Room
Breakfast
Mon – Fri 7:00am – 10:30am
Brunch
Sat, Sun 8:00am – 3:00pm
Lunch
Mon – Fri 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner
Sun – Thurs 5:30 – 9:00pm
Fri, Sat 5:30 – 10:00pm
Hours – Deli
Mon – Fri 7:00am – 5:30pm
Sat, Sun 8:00am – 5:30pm

Parking:
Free parking in the Emory Point Parking Deck. 2 hours during the day, 3 hours in the evening. Not sure the cost after that point. Also there are metered parking (max of 45 minutes at a time, credit card only).

Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com

References: 

Add me on twitter / facebook: twitter | facebook 
The General Muir website | facebook | twitter
Xteeener youtube | facebook | twitter

Busaba Eathai | London, England UK

Busaba Eathai

 

 

Thai calamari ginger and peppercorn

 

 

Ginger beef – Thai pepper, chilli and spring onion asparagus

 

 

Tom yam talay – prawn, squid and fish cake, vermicelli noodle, spicy sour soup

 

 

Pad kwetio – sen yai noodle, smoked chicken, prawn and holy basil

 

Thanks to one of Christine’s (aka Xteeener) fans, we were pointed in the direction towards some wonderful Thai cuisine. Perfect as I was totally in the mood for some tasty Asian food. 🙂 The place seriously has a zen like environment and you cannot help but feel transported upon stepping in. I especially love the identical wooden community tables that are spaced out perfectly throughout the establishment and the little pond in front with the candle-lit stuffed flowers. Really nice touches.

Enough of the decor and now onto the food! Ordered a few dishes that were recommended both from Chefs Feed and various online review sites and must say the dishes we ordered were delicious! Although I think we should have coursed the dishes a bit better as we went from the flavorful calamari, to the rest of the dishes. Like a sapling in a densely covered forest, That Tom Yam Talay dish was so delicate in flavor with the lite prawn broth that the other super bold dishes never gave it a chance to shine. Oh and the food comes out really FAST. You will probably want to ask them to space it out a bit as we didn’t even have 3 minutes to eat the calamari when the other three rolled on by. The servers (you will have multiple people helping) were informative and patient however I would have liked more water and it seemed unanimous throughout the restaurant as the other patrons were constantly asking for more too. Might be best to order a drink next time or BYOW (bring your own water). But aside from that, the service was excellent.

Favorite dish was definitely the Pad Kwetio. Perfectly cooked noodles with smoked chicken, well prepared prawns, and some blanched green beans that added a brightness and textural crunch; topped with an addictive spicy sauce that made you want to eat one bite after another.

They have multiple locations scattered throughout London. Checkout their website linked below for more information. We were able to walk to one that was but 10 minutes from the National History Museum. So if you’re in that area, do check it out.

Busaba Eathai (information gathered 11/2012)
44 Floral Street
London WC2E 9DA
020.7759.0088
Hours
Mon – Thurs 12:00 – 11:00pm
Fri – Sat 12:00pm – 11:30pm
Sun 12:00 – 10:00pm

Parking
Walked from a nearby tube station.

Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com

References:

Chefs Feed chefsfeed.com | twitter
Busaba Eathai website | twitter | facebook

 

Crawfish Boil | Smyrna, GA USA

 

Chef Rusty Hamlin cooking up a storm

 

Buddy Chris Buying Beer, mmm…beer….

 

Christine / Xteeener getting ready to consume lots of Crawfish

 

Weighing out Crawfish per order

 

Ohhhhh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

 

Beautiful and Delicious Crawfish

 

Between the live music, the cold Abita beer, and the 9-12 pounds of tender/juicy cajun spiced crawfish (shared between the three of us); it was such an awesome day for eating. The only thing was it was probably 95 degrees outside with high humidity; but that’s what the cold brewskies was for. Will definitely be doing that again.

Annual Crawfish Boil Festival 

Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com

Din Tai Fung | Arcadia, CA USA

Christine / Xteeener standing outside

During my layover in California checking out IMATS in Pasadena, both Christine and I agreed we had to take a trip to Din Tai Fung. I think recently I’ve been on the search for a great soup dumping (aka xiaolongbao) and I have to say, out of the places I’ve gone so far in the United States, this place has been the best. The most perfect display of elegance per the ballet of light flavorful soup and the thin thin skin. I have not yet met its equal and is why each time we’re back in Los Angeles, it’s a must that we make the hour+ drive from the airport to Din Tai Fung.

Cute toy!

 

Steamed shrimp and pork dumplings

 

Zhongzi; a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo

 

Spicy shrimp and pork wonton

Having had been here more than once before, I decided I would check to see if this place was on the app ‘Chefs Feed’ so I could add it to the foods I’ve ate. Come to my surprise there was actually another dish they recommended! The spicy shrimp and pork wontons…. oh wow. This thing was packed with flavor! Make sure you try this dish out.

 

Soup Dumplings, aka Xiaolongbao.

 

For those of you going for the first time, I would highly recommend going with someone who has had this food before, because there is definitely a consumer’s manual for this cuisine. It comes out SUPER hot on the steel steamers so you can kind of guess the soup in the dumplings will be the same. Yes, soup.. in a dumpling!

So just in case you decide to brave the soup dumpling solo, despite your inexperience, there are steps that most typically follow but it’s probably fair to say, you will probably get burnt tongue before the meal is over. It happens to everybody. Call it a right of passage. But oh man, it’s so worth it. The steps I recommend are:

  1. There will normally be a little plate of finely julienne ginger slices. This is meant to be combined with vinegar so feel free to pour some into the dish. (Note: make sure its vinegar and not soy sauce)
  2. Hold the chopsticks in your dominant hand and the soup spoon in the other
  3. You may want to practice your chopsticks skills because this next step could be tricky.  Pick up the soup dumpling by grabbing the tip of the dumpling. The place where the swirl on the dumpling skin converges is the most durable spot, you’l have a better chance of the soup not spilling out by grabbing there
  4. Dip the dumpling in the vinegar and ginger 
  5. While lifting up the soup dumpling, slide the spoon underneath to help brace the subject while motioning towards your mouth
  6. Much like eating a hard shell taco, twist your head as if to make out with the dumpling and nibble a small hole off the top/side. Not the direct side, since the soup would surely spill out
  7. Cautiously suck the soup from the recently made hole. Repeat until confident that the soup will no longer burn
  8. Potentially add more vinegar and ginger and once you’re sure the dumpling is semi hot/semi warm, feel free to eat the rest!

It’s definitely an experience and so well worth it. Oh! Some tips:

  • Much like how this is not your typical dumpling, the restaurant and how it operates is just as different.
  • Expect a wait and bring a pen because you’ll need it to order.
  • At the host station be sure to grab your number in line and an order sheet to start marking the amount you want.
  • The host/hostess will typically let you know if something is sold out.
  • Make sure everyone in your party is there, they wont seat you otherwise.
  • Finally, know all that you’re ordering, from the drinks to the other consumables, because  there will be at the most two or three times the waiter/waitress will come to the table. Be ready.

Din Tai Fung (information below gathered 07.2012)
1108 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 574-7068
Hours
Mon-Fri 11am–10pm
Sat-Sun 10am–10pm

Parking

A really good soup dumpling place in a small parking lot in Chinatown? Yeah, get there early, you’ll be waiting for a parking spot before you wait for your table. But trust me, it’s SO worth it.

Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com

References:Din Tai Fung http://www.dintaifungusa.com
Chefs Feed http://www.chefsfeed.com/
Xteeener https://www.facebook.com/pages/Xteeener/57086274728