sarapi55

I got to go to Les Halles back in May when I was visiting the city. We went for a late lunch that Thursday. I was generally pleased with everything, except the service. Apparently it was a shift turnover and our waiter left halfway through the meal, without saying anything to us and it took the new server 15 minutes to come find us. I had the boudin, which was rockin'; first time I'd had it and really liked it (second time I had was badly hungover, so less so then). Served with mashed potatoes and cooked apples. Yum. Oh, and a couple beers. Was a good lunch, and I was so worried I would be disappointed, but I wasn't. The best part was seeing tony walk in at the end of the meal, chit chat with another employee, then leave. Lordy. Yes. The whole reason I came, and I got to admire from afar. Was great.

Grew up a Kroger girl here in Atlanta, and that habit has been hard to break. I moved up to Vinings a couple months ago and was horrified by the K-Roger on 41, horrified! But the Publix around the corner on one of those Cumberland roads is quite good, one of the best chain groceries I've been to. I still make the trek over to Dekalb Farmer's mkt and Whole Foods, and am loving Harry's up on Roswell Rd., though I'm not allowed to go there often because I'll just stand there awestruck in the wine section and then buy like I don't have to pay rent. Avoid Save-Rite like the plague, and have never ventured to one of those membership places.

I love Fifth Group Restaurants, the ones I've been to at least. Food Studio and South City Kitchen are good, and the food at Sala is good, though the decor is terrifying. I don't get what the deal is with Flying Biscuit. A friend of mine loved it and dragged me there too many damn times, when I'd much rather settle in for a Sunday morning hangover breakfast at Awful Waffle. As for the Varsity, that's an Atlanta experience, but certainly not an Atlanta Food Experience. I'd take tourists there, but only if they don't mind eating crap and getting harangued by the staff. Stupid Yella Jackets. Great sashimi at MF SushiBar and at Hashigushi (which is in Marietta, but there's now a Hashigushi, Jr. at Lenox). There are good cheap eats to be found downtown, but you have to know where to go. Thai Gourmet is popular; I don't know how authentically Thai it is, but it's fresh and well made. And there's tons of stuff in West Midtown I've been wanting to try. hopefully going to Pangea for lunch sometime soon, will report back. I always feel bad for yankees coming to visit or moving here, always taken aback by the blue laws. But C/W Spencer should have been able to come by a drink on Sunday, as long as it was after 12 pm. That's when the Baptists get out of church, you see;-) And on Sunday night, I know of no better place to go than American Pie....heh, right.

I'm with davethomas, I'm printing this list off and seeing what new things I can horrify my friends with over the next few months. I don't get out to the Market as much as I'd like these days, being stuck in Vinings. But used to live nicely situated between DFM and the Whole Foods on Ponce and it made grocery shopping so easy. I'm not too sold on DFM's cheese and cured meats, I've found Whole Food products much tastier, but you can't beat the produce and the meat at the Market. Also, on Sweet Auburn, it's a great place for being right in the city, but most of the produce people there only seem to stock staples, I couldn't find basil or scallions last time I went over there. Having a party this Saturday, so I know I'll be heading out to Scottdale first thing for supplies.

After reading about Bourdain trying durian in Vietnam? Thailand? (I forget now where), I tried a durian shake at a Vietnamese place last year. I wasn’t repulsed, but wasn’t able to finish it either. The taste and smell reminded me of amoxicillin, the ‘bubble gum’ flavored antibiotic from when I was a kid. The chunks of the fruit seemed to have that slick texture canned fruit has, so I wondered if it had been preserved in some way. I wanted to ask more from our waiter, but communication was difficult. Has anyone heard of canned durian? Or preserved in other ways? Or is that texture just how the fruit is? I imagine I need to just buy a durian at the farmer’s market and give it a shot, but it’s a very formidable and scary prospect. One day…..

I've read Dining Out, and most of the reviewers in there claimed to have waited anywhere from 6 weeks to a few months for the first meal at a new restaurant. Plus, there would be multiple meals before any review was published or stars were awarded. For those of you in the business, does this sound pretty accurate?