-T-

Oh! Is it too late for my input? The Highlander Pub (@ Monroe and Virginia) is open later than any other place I can think of (other than WH and The Majestic) and their food is goooooooooooooooood. Pitchers of perfect tater tots - yum.

MF Sushi is a happy, sublime restaurant. I love it, and rate it higher than Soto, even. The sushi can be described as Inspired Classic, and the lush decor makes Soto feel downright clinical. I highly recommend MF Sushi.

For late-night cheap eats, you can't miss with Camellia Grill. It's where St. Charles meets Carrollton, and the streetcar stops right in front of it. Crabby Jack's, owned by the fellow who owns Jacques-Omo's, is a great po' boy shop but it's a bit off the beaten path. There are always a lot of locals at Frankie & Johnny's on Annunciation and Tchopitoulas (I think. It's at somewhere and Tchopitoulas).

I've found "Knife & Fork," Christiane Lauterbach's newsletter, to be a great resource for both reviews and industry updates. Unfortulately, there's no website... but it's great. My husband try to have a really nice dinner out at least twice a month - many of these have been covered, but here goes: Canoe. We live in Vinings, so we love the proximity and consider it to be our Neighborhood Restaurant. Their food is fresh and consistent (which isn't always a bad thing) and they have an outstanding brunch. We had a Canou brunch streak going fo about eight Sundays in a row, at one point. Bacchanalia. If dinner is intimidating, go for the lunch. It's much easier on the wallet and it's a similar experience. Seegers. It was a true experience, but we won't be going back there. We're not ones to squirm at a high bill, but $500 for two people is a bit much - and we didn't even do the tasting menu! MF Sushi. I love Soto, and all, but it has the atmosphere of an operating room. MF is sublime and I've never been there (or to Nam, the Brothers Kinjo's latest venture) and not had the owner personally come to my table to make sure everything is perfect. Tamarind. Blows Thai Chili off the map. Fritti. Yuuuuuuum. I'm going there tomorrow night, in fact. Sotto Sotto. Their pasta is just so good. (Speaking of, I read somewhere that Bacchanalia gets their pasta from Via Elisa. Anyone else heard that?) Oh...Maria. R.I.P., and only the Oh...Maria! from a couple of years ago - not the past year before it closed. Aria. I'm torn on Aria. We had several wonderful experiences there, but the last one was just sorry, and it's too bad. They can be amazing when they want to be. One Midtown Kitchen. I won't go there until they take reservations past 6. Souper Jenny. I can't help it. I love that place. Joel. I would kill to eat their grits every day. Go there if only for the grits. Seriously. Nava. I know, it's Buckhead Life and all, but they do Southwestern really well. Pano's and Paul's. I know - again with the Buckhead life. That place is much hipper than the hipsters believe - at 27 and 32, we're usually the youngest couple there - but it's hardly Johnny's Hideaway. They do an outstanding job - I've never had a meal there that wasn't perfect. Jake's. It's just ice cream, but damn. It's good ice cream. Euclid Avenue Yacht Club / The Highlander. It's like a showdown. EAYC has boiled peanuts, TH has pitchers of perfect tater tots. Both can vouch for the best bar food in Atlanta. Fabiano's. It's owned by the Highlander people. They have the best Italian sandwiches in the city, they make their own mozzarella, and they have a solid Italian meat selection.

If you're cooking anything Asian, I've always had good luck with the Hoa Binh supermarket on Buford Highway. I am in search of a goot Mexican/Latin market. I live in Vinings and I've seen several promising ones on South Cobb - but when my mother was in town she checked them out and found them lacking. We were spoiled living in Texas for ten year, I guess. We may have the DFM, but we don't have Fiesta. I need to be educated in the Harry's appeal. I know that they have everything, but honestly, while I could navigate the DFM with my eyes closed and find everything I need without having to backtrack, Harry's (at least the one up I-75) is a mystery to me. It is impossible to find anything, there is no rhyme or reason to the flow of the store, they'll have the same product in eight different places, but never the same brand... I truly wish it would become a WF where at least it might be a bid more orderly. I'm sure that if I took the time to get to know it, I'd learn to love the nonsensical layout - but for now, I'll stick to the DFM, Kroger, and WF.

Aah, the DFM. When I lived in Decatur and Va-Hi, I did all my grocery shopping there. I'm in Vinings, also, but I willingly make the trek to Scottdale to stock up for dinner parties. You can't beat the produce prices and the seafood department, and once you learn the lay of the land in the grocery department, shopping there is a breeze. That cannot, however, be said for the Harry's in Marietta. I wish they'd turn that place into a full-on Whole Foods, already, because navigating it is a nightmare. And yes, the owner of the DFM is a kook. A colleague of mine was his attorney several years ago - he kept getting into trouble when he made his employees join his religion.