Foodle

Got to try Walkers' for the first time, including the Gorgonzola burger that has everyone melting, some wonderful preps of seasonal veggies, vodka-battered onion rings, and cavatelli as chewy as tteokbokki. This was also the very last steak I tried in Dallas for our October issue of the magazine, which will be all about steaks...from good to well done. Less

Had a good meal at Colonial Kitchen & Bar at The Prado in Sandy Springs. It’s a Thai-forward menu, but with other options such as pho and what turned out to be one of my favorite incarnations of my Chinese-American staple, pepper steak.

My favorite dish was the wasabi dumplings. A couple next to us was celebrating their 30th anniversary, and I pretty much have to steal the wife’s quote: “It has so many complex flavors and you can taste all of them.”

My scallop dish was the least dynamic plate I had, but still sneaky-good flavor and high-quality seafood.

It’s somewhat surprising that I’m a huge lifetime fan of pepper steak, since green pepper is a fairly boring vegetable. But the yellow peppers here up the dish, and there’s more black pepper too. It’s slightly different from most versions I’ve had, but in a good way.

Mrs. Grub loves her lettuce rolls, and this one with chicken was among our favorites. Fellow lettuce-wrap fans: Does Sandy Springs have a better version?

Now to the bizarre.

Mrs. Grub had at least half of her pepper steak left and had every intention of taking it home. The busser starts piling dirty dishes over the pepper steak. I’m like, we want to take that home for leftovers. When we brought this bizarre assumption to the waiter, he seemed unfazed.

No human eats out more than I do, but I think this was a first.

I like that @colonialkitchenatlanta has some dishes many of my other Thai faves in Atlanta don’t. A screaming example was the tempura octopus—another sign it’s Thai-forward, not Thai-exclusive.

I won’t let the weird event interfere with giving this Sandy Springs restaurant a thumbs up. Go to Nextdoor for that kind of hissy fit.

Have you eaten at Colonial Kitchen & Bar in Sandy Springs? What did you order, and did the wasabi dumplings blow you away too?

And drop your favorite Thai or Vietnamese spot in Atlanta below. I’m always looking for the next one.

#AtlantaGrubber #ColonialKitchenAtlanta #SandySprings #SandySpringsGA #ThePrado #SandySpringsEats #AtlantaEats #AtlantaFood #ATLFoodie #ATLFood #ThaiFoodAtlanta #ThaiFood #VietnameseFood #AsianFusion #AtlantaRestaurants #AtlantaFoodie Less

There's no question: Nicky's Undefeated in Tucker serves a legit South Jersey cheesesteak and Italian hoagie. Their second location opens this weekend in Kennesaw. I finally made it back for a second visit — my first trip was only a day or two after they opened, so this gave them time to get their feet under them.

I keep telling you Liscio's is a better roll than Amoroso, and Nicky's Undefeated uses Liscio's. The bigger surprise is the meat portion — a true Philly/South Jersey amount. They also carry Cooper Sharp, which has become the top cheese choice for cheesesteaks this century.

Most Atlanta spots think an Italian hoagie means ham, pepperoni, and salami with a choice of cheese (for an Italian, that should be provolone). Nicky's does the real version — all of that, plus prosciutto and hot capicola. There are a few upscale Italian markets around town using imported meats, but nobody's loading up a hoagie with imported cold cuts and still charging a reasonable price.

The top hoagie shops in Philly mostly run Dietz & Watson. Head north into Jersey and Thumann's and Boar's Head start sneaking in too, especially once you hit the towns that call them "subs" instead of "hoagies." Nicky's uses D&W.
For legit cheesesteaks and hoagies together in metro Atlanta, only Fred's and pre-franchise Big Dave's are in the same league as @nickysundefeated. How would they stack up against my favorite NJ spots? Not top 5 — but they'd hold their own in any Jersey zip code.

For reference, NJ.com runs legit best-of lists, and their critic is a real foodie, not just a good writer. Of their ranked Garden State cheesesteaks, I've personally been to the spots ranked 1, 6, 7, 13, 16, 28, 35, 37, 39, and 45 — most of them more than once. Next visit I'm getting the roast pork; I've had some great versions in the Delaware Valley and I'm curious how this one compares.

Bottom line: Nicky's Undefeated is legit, and it's the best Philly phood in metro Atlanta right now.

Have you made it to the Tucker location yet, or are you waiting on the Kennesaw opening this weekend? And which are you ordering first — the cheesesteak or the hoagie? Drop your take below.

#NickysUndefeated #TuckerGA #Kenn Less

Got multiple reports and messages all saying the same thing: the new Coastal 38 in East Roswell is really good, and almost nobody knows about it yet. Mrs. Grubber and I checked it out ourselves, and we agree — it's a winner. Time to make sure Atlanta hears about this one. 🦀

@coastal38restaurant just opened at Connexion at Holcomb Bridge (1570 Holcomb Bridge Rd) in East Roswell, sharing the center with Bask Steakhouse, From the Earth, and Chef Wu, in the former Cylantros spot. Quick clarification before anyone gets confused: Coastal 38 has zero connection to the unmitigated disaster that was Coastal Bar, Grill & Chill, about four miles west on Holcomb Bridge — which has since closed. Similar name, nothing else in common, so don't let it scare you off.

Turns out two of my favorite crab cakes in the area are now just a few doors apart. Bask, already known for its steaks, quietly crushes it with seafood too, crab cakes included. Coastal 38's jumbo lump crab cake was finely ground with a bit of filler, which actually gave it some extra flavor, and it came out nicely crisp without going overboard. Anyone else compared the two yet?

The she crab soup was excellent. Don't let the photo fool you, there's plenty of crab in the bowl. It's not as rich or thick as a Charleston-style she crab soup, and it doesn't have that classic orange roe color or a heavy sherry presence. If you're used to the Charleston version, go in expecting something a little different. It's still a great bowl of soup on its own terms. Have any Charleston transplants tried it yet? Curious how it stacks up for you.

The menu calls the sauce on the chicken and shrimp pasta "silky," and that's accurate. The "island vibes" description had us bracing for heat, but it's mild, not spicy-hot, just full of flavor. The sauce runs thinner than a classic Italian-American version, but it was very tasty.

My Landlubber wife went with the chicken breast and gave a special shoutout to the mashed potatoes. Mrs. Grub also recognized some other diners in the room. They'd only made it through apps by the time we left, but they were already raving too.

Heck yes, time to spread the word. This one is worth the drive fro Less

This is another Sound Bite. No music. No voiceover. Just a few moments exactly as they happened.

This evening came from the collaboration between the three Michelin-starred Trèsind Studio and local hero 1004 Gourmet in Dubai. One of the things I enjoyed most wasn’t simply the food, but watching one of the world’s most accomplished Indian restaurants step outside its usual format.

Korean ingredients, familiar techniques, a room full of chefs and industry people and a kitchen that looked like it was genuinely enjoying the freedom to experiment.

And the kitchen wasn’t the only one enjoying it. This dinner reminded me of season four of Trèsind Studio back when they introduced a fun-filled menu in the wake of the Covid pandemic. You could feel the shackles of formality being loosened, allowing the team to just have fun, but in that way that fine dining chefs allow themselves.

Sound can capture things photographs never quite manage. Conversations fading into the background. It puts you back in the room.

I wrote about why I think Trèsind Studio should do more evenings like this in Amused Bouche. Checkout my Substack for more. Less

Like Shakespeare, I’ve coined a new phrase to use when describing deviled eggs, which are the world’s most perfect food … The “custardy mustardy part” refers to that heavenly yolk center, which here is topped with caviar because hell, it’s been a month.

I rate Long Island’s caviar delights from least to most delicious in my latest @newsdayfeedme article, out today. This one is from @shands.general and while it’s not my number one pick, I freaking loooooved it.

link in bio Less

Looking for a night out in Morristown and need a new restaurant to try? Town Bar + Kitchen is the perfect spot 🔥 So many courses here with great food and drinks and the vibes are even better 🤤🍹😎 Bookmark this place and save it for the next time you’re in Morristown and click the bio link for more on Town Bar + Kitchen‼️

#morristownnj #townbarandkitchen #morristowneats #foodreview #foodcontent Less