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!

Lately I’ve been working on refining my recipe for thịt heo nướng (Vietnamese grilled lemongrass pork), so when my friend Beth (@foodgodtess, NakedwithCooking.com) came by for Sunday dinner a few weeks ago, I decided that rather than just eat the stuff straight off the chaunr grill like I had been doing, we should class it up a bit and make bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwiches. Note that the French-style bread used for making bánh mì is called, appropriately enough – bánh mì).

You want to hack me off? I mean, really just irk the crap out of me? Give me a bad taco. Dry, overcooked, stringy meat. Lifeless corn tortillas with all the moisture of a Frito, but none of the taste. Aged limes that may well have been scavenged from a barback at Hooters.

You want to make me happy? Make me dream about tacos? Take me to Don Pepe’s. Juicy meats (barbacoa, cabeza, al pastor…), fresh corn tortillas and simple salsa picante. That’s all. I eat until I’m full, and then I want to go back for more. I can’t think of a better recommendation.

Pickled jalapenos, carrots and onions

Located in the parking lot of Pine Tree plaza – in the crapshack that formerly housed Chef Liu’s – they’ve cleaned it up and removed all traces of the former tenant (other than the directions to the bathroom, which are still in Chinese…). There’s a pretty comprehensive menu of burritos, tortas, salads, pollo asado, etc., but I’ve yet to try any of it. To me, at least, the tacos are that good.

I only wish they had an alcohol permit so you could get a nice Sol or Corona with your meal…

Don Pepe’s Taqueria
5215 Buford Highway Northwest
Doraville, GA 30340

I guess it’s time for my once a year, “one month in a single post” recap. July has been busy, especially with hosting the first Si Fang Cai (Secret Supper).  Nonetheless, I was able to get out and explore a little…

Black Tie Barbecue began offering lunch. If you’re in Midtown/Downtown or thereabouts on Fridays – go.

The 3rd Buford Highway Blogger’s “EatUp” took place at La Casona – great Colombian food, good conversation and aguardiente!

Smoked Spanish chorizo from the nice folks at The Spotted Trotter.

47lb burritos in the works from the guys at Bell Street Burritos (Sweet Auburn Urban Picnic).

Perhaps we can set up a badass, Highlander-style throwdown with all the paleta guys showing up around town?

I waited for the hype to die down (what, 8 months or so? So I’m lazy – big deal) and finally got myself to Grindhouse. Hype was deserved. Not my favorite burger, but good. I’ll definitely go back.

Tonkatsu ramen at Shoya. Nuff said.

I remembered why I used to go to Silver Skillet all the time (and why I shouldn’t go to Silver Skillet all the time).

I went back to Montaluce Vineyards for a tasting of their 2009 vintage – amazing wines coming from some genuinely nice people.

Quiet time in the kitchen at La Vigne.

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.

One of the more memorable “restaurant” meals I had in Hong Kong was at a si fang cai (Cantonese for “speakeasy”) – a private dinner club. The experience was intimate, memorable and best of all, unexpected.

Not long ago, I was chatting with Spencer from Black Tie BBQ about their “Secret Suppers“. (Side note, if you’re on Twitter, you need to be following @BlakeTieBBQ – Spencer is a master of the “right” way to use social media). Somehow, the conversation ended with Spencer convincing me that I, in fact, needed to conduct my own Secret Supper. Shortly thereafter, he announced it to the world on Twitter. I was committed – my own si fang cai…

Si Fang Cai will be an attempt to recreate some of that experience that I had in Hong Kong, but in my own way, and to share it with others.

The level of interest has been surprising – so much so that it would be hard to get that level of intimacy right out of the gate. The first event filled before I could even publicize the date. But don’t worry – a repeat will be happening soon (think early August – wink, wink). Details will be posted here and on Twitter soon (as well as photos from the first event)!

This is a free, informal gathering. We’re trying out Eventbrite to see if we can have a better handle on how many people will show up. Please SIGN UP HERE if you think you’ll attend – let me know if you have to cancel (I don’t make reservations, but it will help the restaurant out if I can let them know how many people will be there).

The Where

This time up: Colombian! We’re going to La Casona. The only downside I’ve found to this place is that they close kind of early (around 8PM). The upside is the food – a great introduction to Colombian if it’s your first time. La Casona also serves beer and aguardiente!

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 La Casona before (or you aren’t familiar with Colombian food, or you don’t speak Spanish), it may be a bit confusing/overwhelming. Don’t worry – the proprietors are friendly and some of us may be able to help – a bit.
2. Big one here – pay for your own food (BRING CASH!). I’m not providing food, etc. I’m just looking to meet 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! The restaurant accepts cards, but don’t make them run a bunch of small transactions. Just bring cash and make it easy on everyone.
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!

Atlanta wants food trucks. The city/state has made the process of starting a mobile food truck concession  pretty much impossible. Fortunately, there is a group that is looking to get the laws revised – The Atlanta Street Food Coalition. Their mission is pretty simple: “To campaign for safe, affordable, and legal access to street food in Atlanta, Georgia and the surrounding metro area”. Drop by their site and sign the petition to legalize street food in Atlanta.

On a related note, I was recently in Florida, and on a drive through Seaside, I found a burgeoning street food scene. The photos are up at Christiane Lauterbach’s Atlanta Food Carts blog – another great resource for info on street food in Atlanta.

Escabeche de Pescado

From the pictures, you’d be excused for thinking this was a Peruvian festival. This just happened to be my first time trying food from Machu Picchu in more than 15 years. I didn’t like in on my first visit. What I tried at the festival blew me away. The escabeche was by far my favorite, followed by the Peruvian tamale (surprising, given my obsession with papas a la Huancaina). Yes, there was a lot of food there, from many other countries – I was just too busy eating to take too many photos…

Papas a la Huancaina

Cuzco Maize

Peruvian Tamale

Macchu Pichu

Brazilian Sausage & Cuzco Maize

Puerto Rican Carnival Mask

Starts with an “m” – can’t remember – Los Andes Bakery

Flan – Los Andes Bakery

Ruh-roh, Shaggy – that ain’t what I ordered! (yes, I’ve mixed two cartoon idioms in one post…)

And so it went on my inaugural visit to Crazy Cuban. The bread is from Pan- American Bakery, according to the owner, but somewhere after this conversation something went off the rails. I ordered a Cuban sandwich. While taking the next customer’s order (who seemed to be a Cuban sandwich novice), I was asked what I thought about a Cuban with lettuce, tomato & jalapenos. “Not even close to acceptable,” was my reply.

So imagine my surprise to discover, upon opening my lunch, just this very thing… As I’d taken my sandwich to go, I really didn’t have much recourse beyond eating it. Now in its defense, it was a tasty sandwich – lots of léchon asado (roasted pork) & ham, and a strong taste of mojo criollo. But a Cuban sandwich, it was not. The bread was a little flakey, but the lettuce and tomato had rendered it soggy in the 5 minutes it took me to get from restaurant to where I was eating.

As it’s close to my office and affordable lunch options are limited, I will give them a chance to redeem themselves.

Crazy Cuban
290 14th Street
Atlanta, 30318
M-F 11AM – 3PM

[This post also appears on Naked with: Cooking]