Joe Duffy

🌙🐶 Though it’s only four days old, we had to check out @moondogpubandgrub! Not because it has “Grub” in the name, but because it’s basically my wife’s dream menu. As you know, Mrs. Grub 🥒 orders fried pickles everywhere. BreakingNews 📰 These are her new favorites in metro Atlanta! I liked them too. 👍

🔔 Reminder: I’m a Madison, WI dad, so I know great cheese curds 🧀. They’re rare in Atlanta, but these are Wisconsin-level quality! Not quite up to my favorites back in Badger Country 🦡, but arguably the best near ATL. Also, the house-cut fries 🍟 were a standout.

The club sandwich 🥪 with house-made turkey was good, but I’d have loved traditional mayo and cheddar cheese 🧀 to elevate it. Fun thought: the turkey and bread reminded me of a Hot Brown. 🦃🍞 I’d consider making a Mornay sauce and turning it into a signature Hot Brown to make Moondog really stand out! 👌 Wings were solid too. 🍗

🍺 Didn’t drink this time, but they have 20 beers on tap (well, 19 + Red Hare root beer 🍻🦧). They’ve got some great breweries like Wicked Weed and Wild Leap—nice lineup! 🍻🎉

Angel, our waitress, was super friendly 😇. Very promising first visit, especially considering how new this spot is. With my wife’s new favorite fried pickles, you know we’ll be back! 🥒❤️

#BestOfChamblee
#ChambleeEats
#ChambleeFoodies
#ChambleeRestaurants
#ExploreChamblee
#ChambleeFoodScene
#ChambleeDining
#BrookhavenEats
#DunwoodyDining
#DoravilleFoodies
#AtlantaEats
#PerimeterEats
#NorthATLRestaurants
#FoodieAdventuresATL
#ATLFoodie
#ChambleeFoodiesUnite
#HiddenGemsChamblee
#ChambleeBrunchSpots
#ChambleeDinnerHotspots
#BestOfATL
#SupportLocalATL
#ChambleeBites
#ATLRestaurantGuide
#DiscoverChambleeEats
#ChambleeFoodLovers Less

When Mrs. Grubber and I said in this new phase of our life 🌟, we’re hitting #Decatur and Atlanta more often 🏙️, we weren’t shucking and jiving! 💃 @halsthesteakhouse 🥩✨. Normally love a fattier cut, but always hear about the bone-in filet 🦴 at Hal’s—so I crushed a 16oz Pittsburgh rare 🔥, perfectly executed 👌. 🦞 Lobster Lebeaux and 🍮 crème brûlée made sensational bookends. One of the best meals of the year! 🎉

So lucky to live close to Bask Steakhouse 🥂, but the apps and sides are different at both 🍽️, and like I said, Hal’s is famed for a part of the cow I don’t order as much 🐄. Ah, the memories of heading to Buckhead on a Saturday night 🏙️, spending $40 💸 and thinking I dropped a load 😂.

Of course, Hal’s has that old-school feel 🕰️. Not a fan of mood-lighting 🌙, and not that I ate at fancy restaurants in the 60s 🍸, but I watched a few episodes of The Rockford Files 🎥, so I love the throwback atmosphere 🎶. It’s noisy in there 🔊, but that’s part of the charm! ✨

#AtlantaDining #AtlantaEats #Steakhouses #Hal'sSteakhouse #DateNightAtlanta #BuckheadRestaurants #BuckheadEats #DecaturEats #BigCityDining #RoswellRestaurants #AlpharettaEats #JohnsCreekDining #MariettaFoodie #SandySpringsEats #ChambleeEats #BrookhavenRestaurants #DunwoodyDining #MidtownAtlantaRestaurants

AtlantaGrubber.com Insta food brought to you in part by a generous grant from OffshoreInsiders.com, home of the best vetted sportsbooks and sports picks! Less

🌟CasiCielo #OaxacaDelight

@casicieloatl offers seriously delicious high-end Oaxaca Mexican food right in the heart of Sandy Springs. 🌮✨ Started with a mezcal flight, then dove into the Tiradito, featuring Hamachi in a flavorful but subtle squid ink. 🐟🖤 Finished with charcoal prawns, bursting with that irresistible char-grilled taste. 🍤🔥

I dine out—like, a lot. 🍽️😋 I know great food, even if I'm not up to date on the latest in political correctness. Morgan is one of the best waitstaff, servers, waitrons… whatever the least offensive term is in 2024. 😉👍 Can't say enough good things about her! She knows the menu inside and out, including the mezcal. And she's always cheerful and pleasant. 😊💯

Oh, it's perfect for special occasions! 🎉🎂 I think at least half a dozen people were celebrating their birthdays when I visited. The place was packed, as it should be! 👥🎊 Yeah, I’d say run, don’t walk. 🏃‍♂️💨 #FoodieHeaven #MezcalMagic #CelebrateHere #sandyspringsga #SandySprings #SandySpringsEats #Dunwoody #BestOfAtlanta Less

Finally made it to @boccalupoatl which is overwhelmingly thought of as the best Italian food in the metro. 🍝 My daughter mocks me because I say I could go to 15 different Italian restaurants and order 15 different entrees. Wife of course, well, you know what she gets. 😄 Shoot, easily raise that number to 20…25.

Now that being said, with appetizer, I often go polar opposite of what I just preached, at least on my first trip. I love my balls, plus it’s a rare app Mrs. Grub will also try. 🍝 A16 meatballs with beef and pork were excellent. It had a nice kick. In no way a shot, just heaping praise in my wife’s fave Il Giallo, as Jamie Adams’ restaurant still has my fave balls, but these are good.

Sweet and sour octopus and sorpresine with lump crab stole the show. 🦑🦀 The latter pasta has well-synthesized ingredients complementing each other in taste and texture.
It’s a top-shelf place for sure. Bride did like her fried chicken parm, but the aforesaid restaurant was not displaced as her fave.

Outstanding service. Well-organized teamwork overload. Management deserves high praise on how efficient it was. I may have had a house old-fashioned or three. 🥃 The fact I like it a lot more than red-sauce Mrs. Grubber is no surprise. But I was quite happy at Atlanta’s most honored Italian eatery in Inman Park on Edgewood Avenue. 🌟

#BoccaLupo #ItalianFood #InmanPark #EdgewoodAvenue #AtlantaEats #FoodieAdventures #SweetAndSourOctopus #Sorpresine #LumpCrab #Meatballs #FriedChickenParm #TopShelfService 🍝🇮🇹🌟 Less

🔥 BEST BARBECUE IN VIRGINIA? 🚗 I-85 & I-95 ROADFOOD ALERT 🔥

On the way to my parents' house, I tried the “Best Barbecue in America” according to Southern Living. On the way back, I stopped by their two-time winner for “Best Butt in the South” 🥇—Saucy's Bar.B.Q in Petersburg, VA 🐖. Tried pork, chicken, and brisket sliders—all delicious with the perfect sauce! 😋

For appetizers, the “famous” fries 🍟 were a must-try, definitely tasted like they were house-made. Didn’t indulge in the 🍻 craft beers since I had a long drive ahead, but they had 12 on tap! I recognized less than half, so I’m sure they’re mostly local—a great sign and tough to pass up.

A solid stop for #roadfood right where I-85 ends (or begins) and meets I-95 🚦. I literally exited one and re-entered on the other!

#Petersburg #PetersburgVA #i85roadfood #i95roadfood Less

One of the top contenders for the Best of South Jersey cheesesteaks is @gouldsburgers in Haddonfield, NJ. After a certified cheesesteak expert personally recommended it to me, I knew it had to be my next stop! 📍

They cut the meat smaller and finer than most, so you get cheese in every bite. It's no wonder they receive so much praise, especially impressive since their signature item is a burger! 🍔 The insider also raved about their onion rings, and while they were good, I was expecting the best of the best. 🧅🔔

The owners are busy with three different restaurants. One of them, Crumb, has three locations, including one in Philly. It's a sandwich haven with homemade prime roast beef and Heritage pork sandwiches. 🥪

Haddonfield is their home base, where they recently opened an Italian restaurant that's already creating a buzz. Plus, downtown Haddonfield is totally walkable and charming! 🚶‍♂️🏘️ #FoodieFinds #SouthJerseyEats Less

#LewisBarbecue in #CharlestonSC has earned some serious accolades, like being named the “Best Barbecue in America” by Southern Living! 🏆🍖 After years of sizzling success in the Lowcountry, they finally opened their second spot in #GreenvilleSC. 🎉

While Greenville might not snag Atlanta Grubber’s "Best in the US" title, it's still pretty darn tasty. 😋 It's all about that Texas barbecue vibe in the Palmetto State! 🌴 Strong road food, just off I-85, and definitely good enough to make me want try the original. Oh, and since Texas Monthly’s #1 outside Texas is also in Charleston, Mrs. Grubber and I might just need to plan a trip. ✈️ Don’t fret, I'll indulge in plenty of she-crab soup too! 🦀

Their creamy potato salad with Duke’s mayo is one of the best I’ve had in a while. 🥔😍 At around 2:25, the spacious restaurant, with lots of outdoor seating, was buzzing with people. It’s clear they’re a local favorite! ❤️ #BarbecueLove #FoodieAdventure Less

📸 Consider this pic more of a placeholder! Still working my way around the menu at @big_easybbq in Hickory Flat, and let me tell you, they’ve pulled it off doing very well with different cuisines. 🔥 Top 10 BBQ in the metro, and their Cajun dishes are 👏 also 👏 praiseworthy.

The chicken sandwich poboy? Solid. But for a few reasons, we brought home some meals to enjoy later. After about half a dozen meals here, I’ve found the star 🌟 — my favorite meatloaf in the metro. It’s a Cajun meatloaf with ground beef and andouille sausage, smoked for an hour, then baked to perfection 🤤 Possibly my fave since Digger’s Friday special way back in the day. It’s run, don’t walk, worthy!

Only miss so far? The mac ‘n’ cheese 🧀 Despite five cheeses, it’s just… bland. Skip it; the other sides are on point! Also, Mrs. Grubber has spoken: their fried pickles are easily top 5! 🥒

But for sure, I’ve got a new meatloaf fave, hands down! 🙌

#CantonGAEats
#HollySpringsEats
#WoodstockGAFood
#AtlantaBarbecue
#CherokeeCountyDining
#NorthGAEats
#MetroAtlantaBBQ
#LocalEatsGA
#GeorgiaBBQ
#FoodiesOfCherokee #hickoryflatga #hickoryflat Less

Finally made it to North China Eatery. 🥟 Wife always does and I kinda went white other than dumplings. Of course, it’s the dumplings everyone talks about. Thus, I got beef with carrot, pork and shrimp with chives, and lamb. Definitely very good, though Lao Wei Dao remains my favorite.

As recently as three years ago, I would have gotten cumin lamb as a main dish. Went with a very good black pepper beef. The biggest difference between this dish at real Chinese restaurants and American pepper steak is, as the name says, the authentic is much heavier with black pepper in the sauce. Hunan Garden’s Taiwanese black pepper beef tops Canton Cook’s (Marietta, not Sandy Springs) American version as my fave, but this is good.

Wife and I liked it, and her chicken fried rice is better than most. Man, they were busy even when we left at 2:30ish, both eat-in and take-out. I’ll probably get cumin lamb next time. The fact they have a lot of stuff for Americans plus my college-aged daughter loves her dumplings means I can come back with other members of the Grubber family. It’s on Buford Highway, right near the Doraville and Chamblee borders.

#NorthChinaEatery #BufordHighwayEats #Dumplings #BlackPepperBeef #CuminLamb #ChineseFood #FoodieAdventures #ATLFood #DoravilleEats 🥡🍲🥢 Less

🍗 BEST CHICKEN SANDWICHES IN ATLANTA? 🥪

Previously hit up @pepitazoatl in #DuluthGA for the pepito, and tried the pollo guana at their #BuHi spot in #Doraville. 🔥 Both were super tasty! The chicken, grilled cheese, garlic sauce, ketchup, bacon, and LTO combo makes it a top 3 🥉 chicken sandwich on Buford Highway! 😋 As I mentioned from the OG location, the fries are solid, but what really takes them up a notch are the sauces—both quantity and quality! 🍟👌 #AtlantaEats #ChickenSandwich #BufordHighwayEats #BestSandwiches #DoravilleEats #DuluthEats #CheapEats #LateNightEats #BestSandwichesInDoraville #LateNightDining #BufordHighway #CheapEatsAtlanta #ATLFoodie Less