Dining in the ATL: Young Augustine's

Last Saturday was a long day full of cat drama and yard work.  The kind of day that called for good food, good beer, and a respite from having to do anything else around the house.  We decided to venture to Young Augustine's, a new place, well, a reincarnation of an old place, having read earlier in the day that they serve really good pimento cheese.  You know how I feel about pimento cheese.

The food was great, but I am going to start my post by getting out of the one way the one and only issue I have with Young Augustine's:  the name [feel free to skip this small diversion and head to the next paragraph to read about the food].  There's really nothing wrong with the name but for some reason, I just can't keep it straight.  My mouth keeps saying 'Saint Augustine's', and I even typed the same a few times before going back to correct myself.  A certain classics major I know did point out that the name of the restaurant is quite witty and appropriate:  the young Augustine lived a life of hedonism and debauchery before the personal revelation that eventually led him to sainthood.  So, points to the owner for coming up with an interesting and layered name that I will never be able to remember.

Silliness about names aside, Young Augustine's was great!  Like it's predecessor, the Standard, Young Augustine's is a bar/pub/restaurant (now with no smoking!), but while the menu is somewhat close in content to standard pub offerings, there are some pleasant surprises and additions that really make it a standout.  We started, naturally, with the pimento cheese appetizer.  The plate came with a nicely sized scoop of the good stuff, some bread, and an assortment of interesting and perfectly pickled vegetables, including green tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and kimchi.   Yes, Korean fare, at a pub, I love it!  It was all very good (my savvy dining companion told me that the pimento cheese I make is better but I had no complaints), and for a $6 appetizer, the portions were quite generous.  For my entree I had the oyster po'boy ($8) and Mw had the pork vindaloo ($11, I think).  There is nothing in the world I like as much as fried oysters (well, fried clams), and fried mollusks on a menu are always greeted with great enthusiasm.  Happily, the po'boy met my enthusiasm----the oysters were breaded lightly and fried to perfection, and the addition of pickled cucumbers and capers gave the sandwich a nice crunch and tartness.  The only problem--the arugula was actually spinach; if the arugula had been arugula I'm sure the sandwich would have been out of this world good.  Speaking of out of this world good, Mw's pork vindaloo was awesome.  I have have helped myself to a few bites.  The vindaloo was perfectly spicy, and the pork was tender and falling apart like it had been slow-cooked for hours; this dish was delicious.

A few more reasons to like Young Augustine's include the beer list and the service.  First, the beer list...Although a bit oddly organized (for example, it wasn't always clear what brewery something came from), a solid list and very reasonable prices.  Definitely the kind of list that can bring you to a place just to try a few new and interesting beers.  Lastly, the service was outstanding.  Our waitresses were friendly, prompt, enthusiastic about the food, and got everything right.  I think Young Augustine's is going to make the short list of our regular haunts, it's that kind of place.

Dining in the ATL: Crawfish Shack

I rushed straight home from dinner to write this post because tomorrow the NY Times is writing about this place and I wanted to be ahead of the curve by getting there first.  True, I did not eat there first since someone had to fly here and back to get their story, but at least I can say that I ate at the Crawfish Shack before I heard about it in the NY Times.  It's all a matter of perspective, and at the moment mine is thrilled to be beating the NY Times to this.  Of course, everyone else in Atlanta has already written about this place, so in truth I'm not really ahead of anyone.  At all. 

I already had a blog post all ready to go for this evening, but that's going to have to wait until tomorrow.  The irony (well, not irony, but something) is that in the pre-prepared post I briefly discussed my love of fried mollusks, oysters and clams to be specific. Tonight's meal added another layer to that love, as I just finished some of the most delicious fried oysters of my entire life.  For $12, a dozen fried oysters, served with Cajun fries.  When I arrived at the restaurant the very same oysters that were on my plate were in the fish case; upon my order a dozen oysters were carefully selected and rushed to the back where they were shucked and fried.  That's made-to-order fresh. 

My dining companion, who is famous for her ability to find good eats all around Atlanta, had a fish and shrimp basket.  For $6.99, two catfish fillets, four jumbo shrimp, and two sides (red potatoes, corn).  I might have helped myself to bites of most of her meal, everything was great, and the catfish was fantastic, tender, fried to a crisp cornmeal batter perfection.  I'm a bit late for something at the moment or would go into my feelings on catfish, but let it suffice to say that I love catfish and have high expectations for this fish.  In addition to being a great meal, who can argue with the price?  We also shared hushpuppies ($1).  Usually I have a one-limit on hushpuppies--good in concept but rather boring, but I ate three.  They were crispy and the batter was made with onions and some spices that made them very interesting and tasty.

Lastly, since I really am running late to something at the moment [and hence this post is probably full of errors], can I just say how cute and adorable the owner is?  We happened to be served by him, and his enthusiasm for his food and his business is contagious.  He is clearly proud of the business he's built, he's proud to be a 'Grady Baby', and he's committed to serving fresh, high quality food.  I hope everyone I know in Atlanta will check this place out, with such a wonderful attitude I really hope the business is a success!

I wonder what the Times is going to say....?

Deep in the Heart OR Dining in Austin, Texas: Ruby's and Trudy's

Food and otherwise, it has been a nostalgic week, with a quick trip to Austin, Texas for a conference.  I went to college in Austin but hadn't been back in TEN years.  Although a lot of things have changed (like the Drag is now almost all corporate/franchises and is almost actually boring), many of my favorite restaurants are still there and I was able to find a bit of time for a few 'old memories' dishes and beverages.

The site of my first meal, only an hour after I arrived, was Ruby's BBQ.  There are a lot of really good barbecue restaurants in Austin, but I hold a special place in my heart for Ruby's because they catered my college graduation party oh-so-many years ago.   I kept the meal fairly small as I knew more food was on my horizon--a brisket sandwich (with coleslaw on it) and potato salad.  Happily, it was all as good as I remembered, and nothing about the very-Austin grungy interior had changed the slightest bit (if things haven't changed much I can almost delude myself into thinking that it wasn't quite so long ago that I graduated from college).  The BBQ sauce, was, however, different than my recollection, with a more vinegar/Tabasco flavor.  Quite delicious. 

I hold an even more special place in my heart for Trudy's, as Trudy's was the first place I ever ate in Austin, way back when I was in high school and went to visit, and Trudy's was also the location of a rather raucous Millennium New Year's Eve party back in 1999-2000.  Those of you who were also there [might] remember.  In addition to the amazing Tex-Mex cuisine, Trudy's serves up the famous 'Mexican Martini,' a potent combination of I-don't-know-what (like a margarita served 'up' but better and comes with olives) that is utterly drinkable and so intoxicating that there is a 2 per-person limit.  As good as I remembered.   Trudy's also serves a fantastic queso dip made with guacamole mixed in (Queso Especial).  Also as good as I remembered.  For my entree I tried something I had never tried before, the Stuffed Avocado--a fried avocado stuffed with spicy chicken and cheese and covered in Suiza sauce (sour cream/green chili).  Once I put thoughts of cholesterol out of my mind, I was nothing but totally enamored with this dish.  Wow, amazing, one of those dishes I will crave until the next time I can get to Austin to get another fix.

In addition to my two old favorites, I also tried a new place that is my friend A's favorite place, Maria Maria.  Generally not being one for chain restaurants and always suspicious when celebrities in a totally different line of work decide to open a restaurant (Carlos Santana in this case), I was a bit [internally] skeptical about dining at Maria Maria (there was also the fact that I had an endless mental list of restaurants to revisit). But I trust A and since she only moved to Austin recently I wanted to see 'her' Austin (and, she'd patiently driven me around to a variety of old haunts, therefore it was the least I could do to let her pick a restaurant).  So, I was quite pleasantly surprised that Maria Maria was quite good.  The salsa was fantastic (the kind that makes the chips just a vehicle), the quesadilla appetizer was great, and the vegetarian enchiladas very solid. (I was kind of full from all of the salsa by the time I got to the enchiladas.  And, while tasty, I thought the enchiladas needed something to bring them together a bit more; each vegetable inside was nicely done but the filling as a whole didn't quite seem to mesh).  Lastly, the margaritas were tart and eminently drinkable, a huge compliment from me as I ordinarily find margaritas too sweet for more than a sip or two.   For a fancier and a bit pricier Mexican meal, Maria Maria was a great choice.

It was great to be back in Austin, I didn't realize how much I'd missed it.  Good city, good food, cute bats, and the bluebonnets were in bloom. 

Dining in the ATL: Kang Nam (the puffer fish place)

The name of this place is just Kang Nam, but I call it the puffer fish place because there is a big puffer fish on the sign.  Also, because I can never remember the actual name of the place, I find it easiest to refer to it as the puffer fish place.  Everyone I dine there with always knows exactly where I am talking about; we all call it the puffer fish place.  And every time I call it the puffer fish place I remember the episode of the Simpsons where Homer accidentally eats puffer fish and has only a few hours to live.

Kang Nam is a Japanese Korean restaurant or a Korean Japanese restaurant, or something like that.  In essence, you can get sushi as well as Korean food.  I've never ventured too far into the menu, as I am so completely taken by the lunch special Bento boxes (pictured above) that I never want to order anything else.  The lunch boxes are in the range of $8.95-10.95, depending on what meat you have (pictured on the lower right-hand side of box are the Korean spare ribs, I've also had bulgolgi).  At that price it's slightly at the high end of the range for Buford highway dining, but look at all of that food.  From the top left going clockwise the box contains:  salad, tempura shrimp and vegetables, some unknown fried cheese (this portion of the box always varies and is always delicious), the main course (in addition to the ones I've tried, they also have fish and chicken), rice, and half a California roll.  Not pictured (well, barely) are all of the fun Korean appetizers--kim chi, fried corn, and a few other things I can't remember, and the green tea ice cream that comes at the end of the meal.  Definitely a good value, and very good food.  Plus, I derive such enjoyment out of the Bento box format and the sense of adventure that comes from not exactly knowing what is in a few of the wells.  Food with intrigue.

This post is going to be short as the weather is beautiful and I want to get out into the garden for awhile.  Soon I plan to have post after post about the bounty from the garden.  It's taking a bit of work to get there and blogging is suffering as a result, but we're getting closer.