Bistec a Caballo – La Casona

La Casona is one of my fallbacks – solid comfort food and a friendly staff make it an easy choice when a day has been too long. Their Bistec a Caballo is quickly climbing my list of great dishes along Buford Highway (no, it’s not horse meat…). Carne asada topped with tomato sauce and fried eggs are perfect for the pseudo-winter we’ve been having around here.

Platanos maduros – Las Casona

“Mini” Bandeja Paisa – La Casona

Yeah, that’s the “mini” version of the classic Colombian Bandeja Paisa – a multi-thousand calorie (a full badeja paisa averages around 3000 calories) gut-bomb suitable for hangovers or bad days in general. Carne asada, chorizo, chicharrone, arepa, platanos, avocado, frijoles, arroz…

Pollo Asado & Frijoles Charros – Home

Home. Like, at my house. Like, yes, I do eat this way every day.

Pico de gallo w/heirloom tomatoes – Home

A quick salsa fresca seems to go with anything coming off the grill (see Pollo Asado above).

Rescoldo – Home

I love grilled meat so much that we’ve been toying with the idea of a trip to Argentina to truly experience cooking a la parrilla. I’ve cooked rescoldo (burying food in embers) in the past, even though I didn’t know it had a name. That pile of coals is hiding an eggplant, onions and sweet potatoes.

Cơm đặc biệt – Pho 24

Another go-to place, made especially handy by being one of the few 24 hour restaurants on Buford Highway (I have a reputation of getting kicked out of restaurants along Buford Highway at closing…). Cơm đặc biệt (đặc biệt = special) is a sturdy offering – Vietnam’s answer to the Bandeja Paisa of Colombia.  At a minimum it includes thịt nướng xả (grilled pork chops with lemongrass), cơm tấm (broken rice), chao tom (shrimp on sugar cane), bi (shredded pork skin w/toasted rice powder), bi cha (steamed pork cake),  do chua (pickled daikon & carrots), fried eggs and I’m sure a few other things. Pho 24 does a respectable Ga Xao Xa Ot (chicken with lemongrass and chilies) as well.

Lahmajoun – Mediterranean Bakery

I won’t even try to place a nationality on lahmajoun, as pretty much anywhere in the Middle East will claim it, but I know it as a Turkish thing. Minced meat, onions, peppers and other good stuff on a thin crust. A squeeze of lemon gives it just the right about of sourness.

Fatoush – Mediterranean Bakery

A simple salad with fried pita bread, but fair warning, Mediterranean Bakery occasionally goes a bit too far with the sumac and this salad can become way too sour.

Pulled Pork – Home

I’ve been smoking quite a bit of meat over the past couple of months – trying to revive a family tradition. Boston Butt, spare ribs, chicken, bacon.

Pulled Pork Sandwich – Community Q 

Spare Ribs – This Is It!

Ponkan

What the hell is a ponkan? I asked the same thing, and I’m from Florida – where this specimen likely originated (obviously picked too early). Ponkans are a variety of Mandarin oranges – more closely related to the tangerine. Beautiful fruit – keep your eyes open for it.

No, there’s no Sichuan food at Sweet Auburn (that would be awesome though…), but I just want to mention that we have some really cool things going on over at Atlanta Culinary Tours.

Most importantly, a portion of the ticket price of all tickets sold will be donated to the Red Cross to help the recent victims of tornadoes that jacked up the South. Our tours are a lot of fun (and a  lot of food) and now you can feel even better about coming along, knowing that you’re also helping out those in need!

Sweet Auburn Curb Market

Our tour of Sweet Auburn Curb Market is coming up on Saturday 5/14. It starts right after the Urban Picnic, so you can check out the street vendors before taking our guided tour of the market.

We’ll tell you how the market came to be, introduce you some of the amazingly friendly vendors throughout the market, give you some behind the scenes info on Southern & soul food cooking, and we’ll feed you to no end (much like this sentence…). Seriously, you’ll beg us to stop feeding you. We’re relentless – we’ll even feed you dirt (seriously). And you’ll be so happy on this tour that you’ll eat that dirt – and you’ll enjoy it (YMMV).

Your can read more about our tour of Sweet Auburn Curb Market here and here. Tickets to Sweet Auburn Curb Market Tour are available here.

Sichuan: Beyond Málà

Speaking of relentless, check out Sichuan: Beyond Málà. Another brutal culinary tour-de-force where we pass 11 dishes that run the gamut of Sichuan cuisine – from cooling vegetarian dishes like xiao bai tsai w/xiangu (baby bok choy with fragrant mushrooms) to blazing chao shui yu (mouth-watering jumping fish). You’ll also get to hear me yammer incessantly about the ingredients, cooking techniques and history that go into this important (and delicious) cuisine. We wrap this dinner up with a tour of Chinatown, including the gift shop, Dinho Supermarket and dessert & tea at the World Journal Bookstore.

The World Journal had nice things to say about us here. Trust me. Tickets to Sichuan: Beyond Málà are available here.

Atlanta Culinary Tours has announced a new event – Sichuan: Beyond MáLà. This is a multi-course Sichuan dinner provided by Chong Qing Hot Pot, with a discussion about some of the ingredients that make Sichuan cuisine unique. It will also include dessert and tea at the new tea room at World Journal Bookstore. There will also be time to shop and explore Chinatown.

Seats are limited (and are only $28!). Sign up now!

Beef, lamb and sausage chuanr

I only know a few characters of Hanzi, and this is one of them 串 (chuàn). It has several meanings, but the one that’s important to me is “skewer”. As in, food on a stick.

Chuanr is so appealing to me that I even hunted down and bought a chuanr grill last summer. So I was pretty excited to learn about a new spot specializing in just that.

Even the floor is in Chinese…

The seasoning on the meats is distinctly Northern Chinese/Dongbei, with cumin and chili (they will adjust the level of spice to your taste). I’ve not had a chance to fully explore the menu, but what I’ve tried is good – and cheap. Skewers range between $0.50 & $1.00, with a few hitting $2.00. They also have a few cold dishes and entrees ranging from $2.00 to $6.50 (steamed pork buns, lamb & tripe soup, hot spicy beef tripe, etc.). I’m am, however, thinking of offering to help them with some of their translations (“string” = stick, “Napu” = nappa, “Chicken Jane” = ?, “Mixed Flower Food” = ??, “Rot Bamboo Mixed Decay” = ???).

Shrimp ball, woodear, shiitake

Edamame

Open kitchen

Te Wei Chinese Kabobs
5090 Buford Highway
Suite 103
Doraville, GA 30040
770.455.8388

You see, this is why you don’t want to miss the Buford Highway Blogger EatUps. A few pics from the Chinatown Food Court last week. Stay tuned for information on more upcoming Eatups.

These are the little bastards responsible – Sichuan peppercorns (Chinese prickly ash).

The dish in question is a Sichuan version of  niu ruo mein (noodles with braised beef soup). While the dish is spicy (cellphone cameras aren’t always the best, but yeah, it’s that red…), it’s not because of the Sichuan peppercorns. They actually have kind of a floral taste. What they do to your mouth is another story – they numb it and open up the flavor profile of the chilies in the dish, resulting in a major character trait of Sichuan food – má là (má = numbing, là = spicy).

Chong Qing Hot Pot has been opened by the former owners of the location in the Chinatown Food Court, in the Doraville Plaza Shopping Center.

Liang and Gina, the owners of Chong Qing Hot Pot in the Chinatown Food Court have asked that I clarify some of the confusion here. The two restaurants (the one on Buford Highway, which I’m speaking about here and the one in the Food Court in Chinatown) are not related.

The digs here are definitely fancier (appears to have had a former life as a Korean restaurant). The menu, while still extensive, is a bit easier to manage – it comes in menu form with English descriptions.

Chong Qing Hot Pot
5766 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30340

We visited the food court at Chinatown Square a little less than a year ago for the first Buford Highway Blogger’s EatUp. Despite horrific weather and the proximity to the holidays, we still had a nice turnout. Now it’s time to do it again. Atlanta’s Chinatown is a minor heaven if you like “real” Chinese food, and even if you don’t – there’s a place that sells all the fried rice and chicken wings you can handle.

This isn’t limited to just food bloggers – we’ve got some devoted followers and food fanatics that hang out with us online and you’re welcome too.

This is a free, informal gathering. Please SIGN UP HERE if you think you’ll attend – let me know if you have to cancel (there aren’t any reservations here – it’s a food court, but it will help to know how many people will be there).

The When

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
7PM – til they kick us out

The Where

Chinatown Food Court
5385 New Peachtree Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341

The Fine Print

The is an open social gathering. There is very little planning, no management and no control. The meeting place is public – the environment is what it is. When I did the first dinner I posted a few rules (some people told me they were pretty harsh), but they were intended to minimize the discomfort of meeting strangers in a strange environment. They don’t all apply here, and I’ve softened them for this “eat up” but some are common sense.

1. Have an open mind and be willing to explore. If you haven’t been to the Chinatown Food Court before (or you aren’t familiar with traditional Chinese food), it may be a bit confusing – some menus are only written in Hanzi. Don’t worry – the vendors are friendly and some of us may be able to help – a bit.
2. Big one here – pay for your own food (BRING CASH!). None of the vendors accept cards of any type. Also, I’m not providing food, etc. I’m just meeting people with some common ground! This event is Dutch. My previous rule was: “If you show up and forget to bring cash – you work it out with the owners/cops – I don’t know you.” You know, as a group we’d probably help you out, but don’t put your new friends in that position… BRING CASH!
3. Please – no whining. If you like the place and the food (and I hope you do), great. Even better – write about it. If you hate it – enjoy the company and help me pick out a different place for the next one!

I’m not sure who had more fun at the first Si Fang Cai (Secret Supper) – me or the guests. The menu was based (mostly) on Asian hawker food – or “street” food.

The weather cooperated, allowing for drinks and cooking outdoors, before moving inside for an intimate dinner peppered with great conversation.

Hawker Menu

Cocktail
Basil Watermelon Caiparinha *

1st Course
Bulgogi Wan-ja with Tamarind Ssamjang (Korea)
Butabara Kushiyaki – Shio & Tare (Japan)
Xinjiang Chuanr (China)

2nd Course
Dan Dan Mein (China)

3rd Course
Gado Gado (Indonesia)

4th Course
Gang Ga-ree (Thailand)

Dessert
Turon w/Macapuno Fozen Custard (Philippines)

Beverages
Cha Yen (Thailand)

Beer
Tsingtao (China)
Chang, Singha (Thailand)
Kingfisher (India)
Kierin (Japan)

* The basil-watermelon caipirinha is from No Recipes.

Niu ruo mein – Ocean Garden, Chinatown Food Court

Sliced fish in chili oil – Delicious Kabob

Torta al Pastor – El Pastor

Deli Manjoo – Buford Highway Farmers Market

Galbi & Mandoo – Cho Sun Ok

Pollo a la brasa – Pollo el Rey

Cha chiang mien – Manchunhong

Obnoxious and inflammatory invective, embarrassing and awkward displays, generally rude and unacceptable behaviour, fist fights – all of the wonderful things I had hoped for – failed to materialize…

Rather, a pleasant evening of conversation and Chinese food. So very disappointed. (You guys are great! Already thinking about doing it again in January.)

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