Such was my friend’s assessment of the meal we’d finished inhaling a few moments ago.

Not only do I agree with her glowing gastrointestinal review, I feel especially accomplished because this comment is coming from the one friend I have that is the absolute hardest to please in the culinary department. Everybody has that friend. Hell, some of you ARE that friend. You know the one, doesn’t eat much more than chicken (sans bones) a few vegetables (usually corn, and usually canned) and turns their nose up at the mere suggestion that they ‘try something new’. Case in point: earlier that day, friend and I were chatting at my kitchen island while I munched on some cut watermelon. I offered her some, and she immediately replied, ‘Oh, no. I don’t like watermelon.” Aghast, but undeterred, I ventured what should have been a ridiculous question: “Have you ever tried it?” Her: “Well…no.”

Jesus, keep me near the cross.

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Hi there boys and girls!

I know, I know. It’s been a long time since I last posted and I’ve been feeling terrible about it. But hey, it’s a busy time for the empire so I hope you’ll forgive me for slacking. Anyway, I thought I’d make it up to you by catching you up on all the goings-on with me over the last couple of weeks. Ready? Here goes.

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I’ve always had this internal guide that I use should I need a good excuse to go out for drinks on almost any day of the week.

Monday – it’s the beginning of the week, must drown sorrows
Wednesday – hump day…halfway through!
Thursday – unofficial start of the weekend, since nobody does anything but clock watch on fridays
Friday-Sunday – it’s the weekend, that’s what it was made for

But what about Tuesday, you ask?

Well, with the exception of Fat Tuesday, I’ve never been able to come up with a good reason to justify going out for drinks on a Tuesday night. So my hard and fast rule has always been: If you’re out drinking on a Tuesday, you’re officially an alcoholic. That’s it. End of story.

That is, until last week.
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Some people call you Dinho, some people call you Frank Ma’s. Most Atlantans in the know call you the best Chinese food this side of the Great Wall. Every foodie in Atlanta from Buckhead to Bankhead has written about you, so why should I? What more could I possibly say? But that one Friday night we spent together just before closing has been lingering like a phantom in my mind and haunting my taste buds ever since. So consider this not a review but a futile attempt at exorcism.

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I had every intention of getting up and going to 9 a.m. yoga on Saturday. But when my yoga partner sent me a text message around 8 a.m. to confirm if we were still on, the kamikazes from the night before said otherwise.

Downward facing dog? I think I’ll just keep practicing corpse pose in my nice, comfy bed thank you very much. I raised myself from the dead just long enough to send a reply text letting my friend know I wouldn’t be making it.

Her reply: Ok then. Are we still on for breakfast?

Now, that I can do.

Earlier in the week, I’d received a rather clandestine invitation to a new breakfast spot, launched by the same people who operate two of Atlanta’s most popular, upscale urban eateries: Rare and The Harlem Bar. The invite informed me that they had recently opened a third restaurant called The Social House, and mysteriously implored me to “be selective in who you tell” since they wanted “to keep this place for those that appreciate Great food, Great ambiance, and friendly service!”.

However strange and hokey I thought the invite was, it was intriguing enough to make me drag my slightly hungover self out of bed and head to the corner of Howell Mill and Chattahoochee to get a peek and a taste of this secretive new establishment.

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The sign outside reads, ‘Fish Fry Every Day’ - a more convincing advertisement simply isn’t needed. I pull my trusty steed over and enter The Spot - a little-known neighborhood eatery on Ralph McGill. Inside, there are maybe half a dozen tables, and several stools nestled around an L-shaped lunch-counter style bar. To the right of the bar is a handwritten menu consisting of about 6 main dishes and a handful of sides - none of which is more than $8. I’m greeted familiarly by an auntie with dreads, and an older gentleman with smiling eyes and a sporty demeanor.

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Monday evening. Atlantic station. I’m meeting my friend Cheryl for 50% off Mondays at Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this outing since last week when a co-worker hipped me to the Monday-night deal the restaurant offers. What better excuse to go and indulge in some fine feasting on the day everybody loves to hate? I step into the place and instantly… I am 10 degrees sexier than I was outside.

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Last weekend marked the 6th annual Taste of Atlanta food festival - a 2-day culinary event hosted in the open-air intown shopping haven of Atlantic Station. The festival is dubbed as the food lover’s food event – so to live up to my self-imposed title of bon vivant I definitely had to be there. My $25 advance-purchase ticket ($35 day of event) covered admission for one day of the event plus 10 food tickets to use at any of the 70+ local restaurants that were slated to be on hand. I was amped at the opportunity to scope out some new dishes from local restaurant favorites as well as discover some new flavors and places that might be worth a full-blown followup visit.

I opted to go on Saturday and arrived around noon with my strategy already figured out. Armed with my map of the Taste’s restaurants, I decided to first take my time perusing all of the vendors and scope out their menus before determining which ones I deemed worth spending $25 worth of play money on. Most of the restaurants offered 2-3 options for tasting, with each option displaying a ‘price’ of either 1, 2, or 3 tickets. As I made the rounds, I was a little disappointed at the lack of imagination and originality in most of the offerings, particularly from many of the high-end eateries. I mean, if this is your chance to get a customer who might have never considered dining with you intrigued enough to come in and pay for a full meal, why would you offer the culinary equivalent of soup and salad? But I can also understand vendors wanting to keep the fare simple and approachable for the masses while keeping costs and prep time at a minimum. Whatever the reason, it made it a hell of a lot easier for me to narrow down who’d be getting my precious tickets. Here’s my review of the chosen few:

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