Foodle

The best dish at @wana.yook , set in a restored, century-old colonial house in Bangkok, is their play on khao kriap pak moh: a street snack built around an unusually delicate method, in which a thin rice-flour batter is spread directly onto a taut cloth stretched over a pot of simmering water and cooked à la minute, producing gossamer, gently tacky skins without the density of boiled rice dough or the bounce of tapioca-heavy wrappers.

The easy route, and one many chefs would take, would be to tuck caviar inside and present it as some elevated byproduct of their worldly escapades. The chef @chaleekader , blessedly, isn’t so slavish to these Eurocentric ideas of luxury. He loosens the dumpling’s moorings, swapping minced pork for sweet crab and fried garlic for a floral, mildly tart broth of coconut and mangosteen, split with a Vietnamese coriander oil called Rau ram. It’s a dish that will haunt you, as do several other dishes on Kader’s menu.

To understand Kader’s philosophy is to know that the stark transition from delicate, elemental dishes to fiery soups and lancing curries is structurally Thai, even if the pork has become crab; the curry a foam; or a communal relish set contracted into a single plate. These dishes will all eventually coalesce into a narrative that works. Yes, my favorites among them appeared earlier in the menu. Notably, Kader’s miniaturized ode to Khao soi, where the texture of fried noodles cedes to a tartlette; as well as his ‘daily relish,’ a terrine flanked by paper-thin claws of soft-shell crab, propped like the wings of a Viking helmet, and set in a sauce dotted with deeply aromatic makrut-leaf oil.

But the khao gaeng deserves its due, too. We greedily expanded it with all nine kub-khao dishes: curries, stir-fries, salads and grilled beef arranged around rice. Best among them was yum phra ram doen dong, its pork jowl carrying the plushness of coconut-rich braised meat even after the coconut had disappeared. I preferred the first half of our meal, but very little rice survived the second. Thanks VP and GW for paving the way. A meal to remember. Less

Before the first bite at @vea_hk , there are warnings.

Dinner will take three hours, there will be coriander, and raw shellfish will appear. A server works through these disclaimers and asides, landing somewhere between hospitality and a preflight announcement, as Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” drifts through the room and cooks move through the open kitchen. Then comes the treasure box: fish maw as broad as a small stingray and a 28-head abalone, brandished as supplements at prices (breathtakingly) commensurate with their rarity. By then, the point has more or less been made, even if very little food has arrived.

For nearly a decade, the chef Vicky Cheng has given ingredients prized in Chinese cooking the treatment French kitchens reserve for their own trophies. At Wing, one floor below, he begins with Chinese cooking and opens outward. At VEA, the direction is reversed. Here is caviar and truffle, certainly, along with Périgueux, bisque, velouté and beurre blanc; there’s also preserved turnip, sea cucumber, fish maw, angelica root.

VEA is best when there’s a bit of discord; when luxury, as in caviar, is paired with vegetal accents like Taiwanese water bamboo, lily bulb and coconut; or when the sauce that gilds Pyrenees lamb is tinctured with just enough angelica root that it stops short of Auntie’s dispensary. Better still was crisp-skinned, mi-cuit flounder with a broth approaching velouté — and, crucially, bitterness. Then came the vaunted sea cucumber, slippery and gelatinous — a texture that French haute cuisine might ordinarily seek in a quenelle — over a sauce that follows the logic of an Américaine, whatever crab or lobster is best that day reduced into something indecently rich. A steamed bun follows for a scarpetta that felt deeply satisfying.

Missteps are rare. Kombu-aging intensified a prawn’s sweetness but left it mealy, while the kiwi pushed its sweetness too far. A bok-choy beignet arrived lukewarm and oily. And two pastries — one carrying asparagus, another carrots — were soggy. VEA has become extraordinarily good at making potentially difficult things easy to love. I occasionally wished it made me work a little harder. Less

If @wingrestaurant_hk has a dish that threatens to become its shorthand, as the chaud-froid egg has for L’Arpège, it’s the spring roll. Yes it sounds reductive until you realize it is, in fact, a vehicle for sea cucumber, which lies cocooned inside a wrapper so swollen and brittle that it splinters beneath a cleaver, giving way to something trembling and uncloyingly rich. At sister restaurant Vea, the chef Vicky Cheng crisps the sea cucumber itself and cushions it in French saucing; here, the crispness migrates outward.

This distinction took me longer than one dinner to understand, which is why I’ve waited a year and three seasonal menus to write about Wing. Chinese restaurants can be tricky to judge from a single visit, and this one asks you to embrace the philosophy of a Hong Kong-born, Canadian-raised, French-trained chef who learned much of Chinese cuisine’s professional grammar later in his career. You should. While many of these flourishes show (well) at Wing, just as compelling were dishes with less spectacle: sweet peas against dried bamboo and salted pork; or asparagus resonant with green Sichuan pepper.

The dishes that do announce themselves are no less memorable too: gently-smoked, intensely-aromatic sugarcane pigeon; dry-aged crispy chicken honed through over 80 trials; a crystal century egg glowing amber over springy Okinawan peanut jimami tofu; and steamed tilefish prepared traditionally but whose scales are pelted with hot oil, shielding its silky flesh with a crisp skin that somehow refuses to soften. Does everything reward that scrutiny? Though the oft-served king crab with cheung fun has its pleasures (sweet crab, richer sauce, appealingly chewy rice rolls), it reveals nearly everything it has to say in the first bite.

No matter: three meals in, I’m less interested in whether Cheng is “reinventing” Chinese food than in his instinct for where to intervene. It’s why sea cucumber can be transformed without smoothing away what makes it difficult; why choy sum can carry as much weight as lacquered pigeon; why now, more than ever, Wing has become one of the Hong Kong restaurants I measure others against. Thank you to those who paved the way. Less

Absolutely nobody was more excited about @roswelljunction/ than your Atlanta Grubber. And absolutely nobody had been more gravely disappointed about RJ (the food hall in Roswell, GA) than your Atlanta Grubber. There was one, and only one, standout place: Bertolozzi's. And the dude got out of dodge as fast as he could, moving to the Chastain Park area. In fact, I want to try the Italian beef he added to the new menu. I think I know what's for dinner.

Roswell Junction has been open 21 months, and in addition to Bertolozzi's, also gone are Shawarma Shack, Mad Dad Philly's (sic), Cleaver & Co., and Across the Coast. I never made it to the Across, and like I said, excluding the short-lived Bertolozzi's, which is elite, good riddance to the rest of them. I guess I'm not the only one who was gravely underwhelmed by Roswell Junction.

Always the optimistic, I'm like let me try the @lemoineslouisianacuisine Cajun place. They were closed! No, not permanently, they just were not open for lunch. Oy, how about Marcello's? It never ends. I'm standing in front of the guy who is at the cash register. He's playing on his phone, completely ignoring me. Finally, I ask are you open? He begrudgingly takes my order.

The Italian sandwich was $15. Little meat, small sandwich. Quality was…edible, I suppose. Again, excluding Bertolozzi's, has anyone had a good meal past or present at Roswell Junction? Open less than two years, only two original occupants remain. Two, after 21 months.

Has your Roswell Junction experience been any better? Tell me who's still worth the trip (if anyone) in the comments below.
#RoswellJunction #RoswellGA #AtlantaFoodHall #AtlantaEats #ATLFoodie #ChastainPark #AtlantaGrubber #ATLRestaurants Less

Bertolozi's Pizzeria in Chastain is my new favorite spot for Chicago-style Italian beef in Atlanta.

We already liked them for the tavern-style, cracker-thin Chicago pizza, back when owner Danny Huber had a cup of coffee as a vendor at Roswell Junction. He's since moved out to the Buckhead/Sandy Springs area — a loss for that side of town, but a net gain overall, since that's when the Italian beef showed up on the menu.

And it's legit. I've had Mr. Beef and Portillo's in Chitown, plus one more spot I'm blanking on the name of, and another Portillo's location out in Carbondale — so this isn't a casual comparison.

I ended up taking a second photo a few bites in because there was way more meat in that sandwich than it looked like at first glance. Danny makes the round in-house — no shortcuts — and the roll holds up. Any displaced Chicagoland folks living around Atlanta need this on their radar.

I always say the fastest way to start a food fight is to bring up pizza or barbecue, because everybody's married to a style. But I'll say it anyway: this beef is a notch better than Bobby G's. Now I just need to get back to AJ’s Pizza in Roswell.

Mrs. and Middle Grubber already said they're happy to go back for more 'za, and I'm eyeing the meatball sandwich next. I love pizza in every style, but Italian beef might be what I cherish most these days, mostly because it's so hard to find done right around here. Atlanta finally has a real, legit one.

Have you tried the Italian beef at @bertolozi_pizzeria yet? And where else are you all finding solid Chicago-style food around Atlanta — beef, dogs, or otherwise? Drop your spots below. 👇

#AtlantaEats #AtlantaFoodie #ItalianBeef #ChicagoStyleItalianBeef #TavernStylePizza #ChastainPark #BuckheadEats #SandySpringsGA #AtlantaPizza #AtlantaGrubber 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

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

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

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

After spending a month with my dog as she recovers from a total hip replacement, I was finally able to go out to Bon Delire for lunch. They offer an amazing three-course lunch for $36. The menu on my visit included choice of a salad Lyonnaise or mushroom fricasse, either salmon with lentils or steak frites for main course and soft serve ice cream for dessert. Less