Ra Ra Ri, Kick em' in the Knee - Ri Ra Irish Pub

Ri Ra, while on my radar, wasn't exactly a point of interest. I associated it with Ra Sushi (same building) and thought it would be more about the crowd/image and less about the food. But thankfully, my mom had hit it up and let me know that their Fish and Chips offering was far superior than most other renditions that Atlanta bars and restaurants attempt. So Kins and I put it to the test and were pleasantly surprised.

Ri Ra is a chain (of only about 11) but really puts out some high quality bar fare. They restore old Irish bars and accouterments and ship them over here to be reassembled in their American locations. That part is pretty neat and it's pretty hard to tell the difference between what's new and old in the bar. Interestingly enough, they also have shipped over quite a few Irish workers/servers and on both of my visits, we had one. The crowd was more Buckheady, but tolerable. I would probably avoid it on a weekend night, however.
The fish and chips are really terrific. It's the perfect blend of salty and crunchy. On our first visit, one order came with two whopping Haddock (much prefer this to the more common Cod) fillets. The fish was served over a bed of their house chips, which are fresh cut and fried. Also included was a homemade roumelade. I liked every part of the meal and for the $14 ($2 up-charge for the house chips) price tag, it's a very generous serving. Most people could get two meals out of it. Unfortunately on our second visit, the order had been reduced to one fillet of Haddock. I believe they still will typically give two, but we will have to go back to make sure of this.

I also had the Ri Ra Burger and it was mediocre at best. It wasn't consistently cooked through, the peppercorn seasoning really didn't do much, and the bun was entirely too big and tough to chew through. Also on our first trip, we offered complementary soda bread with Guinness-infused butter. It was a nice touch. We weren't as luck on our second go-round and they completely forgot this little freebie.

From now on, when I hear or think of fish and chips, Ri Ra is my choice. Even if the price was slightly higher (take note $18 cod F&C from Shed at Glenwood), it would be worth it.

Patty Cake Patty Cake - Bakeshop

Atlanta is getting some serious bakeries and I'm beginning to value this trend much more than the burger epidemic that is running rampant in our fair city. The Concentrics Restaurant group has opened the Bakeshop in the former location of Goldstar Bakery in Midtown. This prime location is ideal for another bakery and Bakeshop (yes that is the name of it) is going to do quite well in this spot.

I stopped in this past weekend and picked up a couple of pastries and a breakfast item. The inside of the place reminds me of Parish's (another Concentrics endeavor) Marketplace, but with a more modern, less cozy feel. Like Parish, the communal tables are present and inviting newspapers are strewn about. There is a narrow spot to order your food, peruse the pastry case, and look at bread-lined shelves. I imagine it's going to be quite the clusterfuck when it gets crowded.

Bakeshop got one strike from me right away - there were no prices on the menu. I really don't get the point of this and I was afraid that I would be leaving with a much lighter billfold than when I entered. Fortunately, despite the yuppie digs, the bakeshop was moderately priced.

Croissants seem to be somewhat of a speciality at the Bakeshop and they offer three kinds (plain, chocolate, and almond) along with a ham & gruyere croissant sandwich. Kins likened the croissants to Alon's (I've never had one) and I certainly thought they looked the part.

The chocolate one that I devoured was light, flaky, and thankfully not as greasy as many I've encountered. The chocolate unfortunately was lying a little right of center. I can't say it slowed me down, but I definitely didn't get chocolate in every bite.

Additionally I ordered the Eggs al Forno and frankly, wasn't too pleased with them. Granted, I didn't exactly know what I was ordering, but the breakfast item consisted of a slice of sourdough smothered in cheese, onions, red peppers, parmesan, and two eggs (one poached and one hard boiled). While I didn't really know what I was getting into when I ordered them, the two types of eggs were the opposite of what I was expecting, and I became turned off by the open-faced sandwich. Additionally, the peppers and onions were very haphazardly clumped together on opposite ends of the sandwich respectively. While I was warned, this little egg concoction took 15 minutes to make. Why?! Thank goodness for the aforementioned newspapers.

So Bakeshop gets my praise for their pastries and thus far, my jeers on their breakfast. However, with items like apple stuffed french toast, fried egg with BBQ pork on ciabatta, and a milk chocolate (would prefer dark) hazelnut sponge cake, I'll surely be back. Cheers to Concentrics on their rapidly expanding empire.

By the way, for those of you without economy defying incomes, my total for all 3 items was 12 bucks. Not cheap, but certainly not terrible for one of Atlanta's better bakeries.

Pizzeria Vesuvius Erupts into the Atlanta Pizza War

After getting word of a new pizza spot right around the corner from me, I immediately set out to try the joint tonight. Frankly the restaurant business is tough enough, but with a current pizza war (trailing only the burger war in growing restaurant numbers) going on in Atlanta, opening another pizza restaurant is a ballsy endeavor. Especially with pizza perfectionists, Antico Pizza, on the scene.

Vesuvius is located on Edgewood Avenue in the spot that formerly housed The Bureau. It's only been open for a week and isn't quite a well-oiled machine quite yet. In fact, they don’t even have a sign up. Right now, it's really just a long bar and about 8 or so 4-top tables. Additionally, they're only accepting cash for the time being. Vesuvius is still building some extra seating and while they are delivering (free), they are still setting up their radius.

I spoke with the pizzaiola for a bit while admiring their wood burning oven. He said that this oven is most similar to that of Sotto Sotto, and they run it at about 600 degrees normally and sometimes hit about 800 degrees for the larger pies. This blistering heat machine was made in Milan but was actually purchased from Shorty's when they updated their current one. The oven really creates a nice texture to the pie, both charred and roasted well. Additionally, it only took about 3 minutes for my pizzas to cook.

Pizzeria Vesuvias makes quite a bit of the less traditional, specialty pies so I opted for two of those. The Mauna Loa is their take on a Hawaiian – consisting of pineapple, applewood-smoked bacon, house-smoked ham, fresh tomato sauce, and mozzarella. This pizza is just OK. None of the ingredients’ flavor shows up distinctly and each bite leaves you longing for a stronger profile. Also, while the ham and bacon was plentiful, the pineapple was kept to a minimum only allowing for maybe one or two pieces per slice.The second pie was the Fuji. Consisting of roast pork, hoisin, cabbage, caramelized onion, chili flake, and scallion this pie was a winner. The pork was wonderfully tender and all of the other ingredients played off one another in a manner that doesn’t happen often on even the most creative of pizzas.

The crusts have a wonderful crispy, charred exterior but plenty of interior chew and pull to them. All of this I have to attribute to their beautiful oven. While the texture is perfect, the dough doesn’t have very much flavor. I feel like a little bit of salt could go a long way and really make their dough craveable.

Collectively, I really enjoyed the Vesuvias’s offerings and the price is right too. A medium pie runs around 10 or 11 bucks while a large will set you back 15 dollars - a very fair price for a very decent pizza. This is not Neapolitan pizza so there is no point in comparing it to Antico. OK I will, it’s not as good. But I’m glad it’s in the neighborhood as it gives me a very quick and tasty reason not to head back to Hemphill.

Bocadon't - Bocado

I stopped in to Bocado for lunch after some hype surrounding their burger. Located across from Octane on the Westside, Bocado looks relatively upscale in an area that is undergoing a very brisk and popular revival. The interior of the restaurant is pretty, although moderately generic and Swedish-furniture-company inspired.

Service was just awkward. Our waitress just lingered around our table while we were mid-conversation or even after we had ordered and had nothing else to say to her. Later, she even tried to strike up a conversation (twice) which became an even more awkward mess. Ugh.

The burger is a complete rip on the H&F Burger and they do a pretty good job at replicating that juicy bugger. They use the same fatty mix of meat (some brisket is even in there), the same bun (made by H&F), and same ingredients (American cheese and bread and butter pickles) sans grilled onions. However, the burger isn't as good.

The patties aren't the same size, so I left not as disgustingly full as I have from Holeman and Finch. I also really missed those grilled onions. You can't help but feel strange ordering another restaurant's creation. Down to the bun... Lastly, I found not one, but two large pieces of gristle in my burger.

My main qualm with the Bocado burger was the fact that it doesn't come with fries. At $9.25, this is not a cheap burger and I can't even think of a sit-down restaurant that doesn't include fries with their burger. The garlic fries that I ordered were good, but at $3.75 they netted my meal into a price range that's unacceptable for lunch. Another bit of weirdness - I had to ask for ketchup which wasn't served with the burger.

Frankly the menu, which is scattered with fancy-ish sandwiches is overpriced. Additionally, they express their cents in fractions on the menu which is annoyingly confusing at first glance.

All in all, my meal - A burger, an order of fries, and a water came out to nearly $18 with tax and tip. Lower your prices Bocado and I'll be back, but not a moment sooner.

Jigga Wha? Jigga Q? Community Q Barbecue

It’s unfortunate that among all of the numerous barbecue joints inside the perimeter, there aren’t very many worth going to. Sadly, when asked for BBQ recommendations by others, I’m hesitant to even mention my favorite ITP que spot, Fox Brothers. While I really do enjoy their food, the quality of preparation is so spotty that you never no quite what you’re going to get when entering the Dekalb Avenue eatery. Finally, there is a new kid on the block: Community Q BBQ.

Located on Clairmont road in North Decatur, Community Q is pretty unassuming. As of right now they don’t even have a sign up for their storefront, just a banner. It was opening night, but I was literally the only customer inside. The interior space of the restaurant is typical of most BBQ spots, casual and comfortable. Low key. And, like any good Q spot, it actually smells like barbecue. You place your order at the counter and at least tonight, they have it ready for you in roughly three minutes. The two guys working there both kept up the friendly chit chat the entire time I was there and kept awkwardness at a minimum. I appreciate that.

Kins and I both ordered a rib combo plate and at $14.75, it’s a bargain. You have the option to get St. Louis cut pork ribs or beef short ribs. We both went by way of St. Louis. The meat is served with two sauces – a sweeter one and a vinegar one. The sweet is excellent but the vinegar was just too runny and I couldn't even get it to hang on to the meat. The rest of the items we ordered are as follows:

1. St. Louis Ribs – These were pretty excellent. While smoke-infused flavor wasn’t readily apparent, the ribs were still flavorful and extremely tender. Additionally the cut of meat was superb and lacked the large amounts of fat that can normally be found in most St. Louis ribs.

2. Pulled pork – This was just average. It was tender, but too dry. Nice smoke ring on it and again just the right combination of fat, bark, and lean meat in the serving. The sauce made any of its shortcomings magically disappear.

3. Brisket – This was the crowning achievement of Community Q. I would probably say it’s the best barbecued brisket I’ve ever had. Just perfect - it’s flavorful, smokey, and tender with the perfect amount of bite. Honestly, it’s incredible.

4. Mac and Cheese – This was incredible. While it doesn’t top Carver’s for me it’s up there on my list. The first thing I immediately noticed was the cream cheese base. It’s strong, but not overpowering. There’s definitely some cheddar and possibly American in this also, so it still looks orange and yellow like most mac and cheese. Additionally, they use much larger than average macaroni noodles.

5. Brunswick stew – Pretty standard fare. There’s pork, corn, tomatoes and broth. It’s on the medium side of thickness and consistency, but the flavor just doesn’t draw you in.

6. Fries – By themselves, these are just above average fries, however the seasoning is out of this world. It’s similar to a dry rub for BBQ, with sugar being the standout ingredient. They need to bottle this seasoning and sell it as it will improve most any french fry among other things. It was difficult to determine whether or not they were fresh cut or frozen, but I'm leaning toward fresh cut.

It’s pretty apparent that I really enjoyed the food here. To top it off, Community is ITP and economical. When asked where I would get barbecue in Atlanta, I now have a second alternative to suggest. Hopefully, if they keep their consistency up and improve their minor shortcomings, they can move up to my favorite spot.

DOA, I mean DBA Barbecue

I had been to DBA before and had no real desire to come back. The food and service was below average and their constant shilling on Yelp.com was taken to an entirely preposterous level. I was content that my assessment of them wasn't just an off night.

Not too long ago however, I got word of some new staff and smoking techniques being employed in the kitchen. Foodiebuddha essentially dispelled these new additions from being any sort of improvement in his review of DBA. So again, I had no desire to return. Then I received this somewhat shilly email the other day:

They asked to be featured.

I had to do a little promoting myself, right?

Not one thing has changed.

So, I went back with my BBQ brethren, Xerxes, and we re-tried DBA. It's important to remember DBA, if you're going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. And you didn't. Again.

Right off the bat our server and makeshift host was just... intense. He was very quick and jolty and even when ordering our drinks or telling us about the specials, it was slightly discomforting. Fortunately, he was training a new girl who took care of us for most of the remainder of our visit, but I was still a little off-put from "Cokey McCokerson."

Cokey immediately told us they had an appetizer special, fried jalapeños, and that they were only a dollar, so we ordered them. These were OK. The batter was pretty tasty, but eventually the spice started to get to us when we had downed about 75% of the order. We didn't finish these.

For the main, I ordered a two meat plate ($15) with pulled pork, brisket, the grilled cream corn, and fried corn (I know, two corn sides... but how often can you get fried corn on the cob). Xerxes went the two meat route also and got baby backs (an extra $2), pulled pork, onion rings, and fried corn.

DOA. Our plates were Dead. On. Arrival. The plates were lacking (tons of empty space) and the portions were meager. In addition to the lack of food, my brisket was more like briquette. Seriously it looked just like briket. It was black and solid as a rock. With enough force, you could actually chip the plate with this "meat."

My plate - They could have put two more helpings of meat on here and it still wouldn't have been full.

The meat:
The pulled pork wasn't dry like my first visit, but it was mushy. Overcooked and not nearly smokey or seasoned enough. The briquette, I mean brisket, was pathetic. I had a tough time cutting through it with a knife and the entire thing literally crunched in my mouth. And not potato chip crunch. I'm talking gravel. Frankly if I were the server, I would have taken it back upon seeing it. Xerxes said the ribs (4 bones) showed some improvement but he was hardly blown away by them. Also, like our first visit, none of the meat came out even warm. Seriously, is that too much to ask for?

My hockey puck of briquette.

The sauces:
Table-side are 3 sauces: Sweet, Hot, and Mustard. The Sweet and Hot taste exactly the same and are of a pretty watery consistency. They rely heavily on Carolina vinegary flavor, but just don't quite achieve any sort of great BBQ taste. The mustard sauce is pretty good if you like that sort of thing but in the end, just tastes like some high quality mustard.

The sides:
While I'm afraid DBA cannot be saved, the sides truly are their saving grace . On my first visit, I had some of the best sweet potato fries I'd ever had. This time I really enjoyed both of my sides again. The creamed corn isn't creamed, but features charred corn kernels mixed with some sort of sweet cream sauce. It was darned good, but served luke warm. The fried corn is just battered and fried so you can't really screw that up, but it's only half a cob. Corn costs next to nothing. Why can't you guys serve the whole cob?! Xerxes onion rings were on point too - some of the better ones I've had anywhere.

Xerxes' plate and regal O-rings.

Seriously DBA, spend some more time on perfecting your food, and less time on your PR marketing machine. Shilling reviews as much as you have really loses you credibility among many of the influencing members of the market you're trying to pull. Emailing different blogs and Yelp members is OK but you gotta have something to back up your (false) claims of awesomeness.

“Neither man or nation can exist without a sublime idea.” - Sublime Doughnuts

From the box.

I don't really like doughnuts. Most of the time, they're too sweet or just not a great balance of flavor or texture. Frankly, the only doughnuts that I've ever loved are the Super Doughnuts of my yesteryouth public school lunch rooms. Seriously, I could eat these like many people eat Krispy Kreme. I had previously mentioned Sublime in my Cypress Street review, and I will now delve into the specialities of their nondescript storefront bordering Georgia Tech.

Sublime Doughnuts are special. They're boutique doughnuts. Little hand crafted nuggets of pastry. There are unique flavors and perfect preparation at Sublime that you just cannot get anywhere else. The dough is light, fluffy, and usually the doughnuts aren't on the overly sweet side. Thanks to Xerxes, I got a Groupon for half a dozen and hit them up on Saturday. Sadly they didn't have any of the chocolate-based doughnuts that I was jonesin' for. They have a deep dark fudge that I enjoy and a new black and tan (chocolate doughnut, Dulce de Leche icing) that I was looking forward to trying. Neither were in stock. Actually for a Saturday morning at 8 a.m., I found their selection to be lacking.
The six I got were:
1. Raspberry Heart (Kin's favorite) - It's a powdered doughnut with raspberry preserves. I'm not a huge fruit dessert fan, so I've never tried this one, but Kins would swear by it.

2. A-Town Cream - Again, I'm not a doughnut fan, so I'd never had a cream filled doughnut. I was hopping for a more whipped/butter cream filling but this was too sweet for me. However, I have to imagine for most doughnut eaters, it's not that sweet at all. The doughnut is A-shaped and has dark chocolate icing.

3. Caramel Apple Fritter - This one is a winner for me. The first day, I dubbed it too sweet, but the next afternoon, I killed it. Really nice flavor combination, just not a fan of all the glaze.

4. Reese's Cup - By far my favorite of what we ordered. It's just a plain doughnut with milk chocolate icing and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup crumbles. The center hole is merely hollowed out slightly, not cut off, and filled with peanut butter cream.

5. Dulce de Leche - It's a plain doughnut with caramel icing. There was too much icing on this one, but it's a pretty decent doughnut.

6. Smores - This doughnut looks awesome. It's robed in chocolate icing with graham cracker crumbs dusting the entire surface. The center, like the Reese's Cup, is filled with marshmallow cream and dusted with cocoa powder. I love how this doughnut looked and tasted, but it didn't really convey smores to me.
Atlanta, is lucky to have such a great doughnut shop and I encourage all locals and visitors to visit and keep this place churning out the good stuff. Their doughnuts are not only unique in flavor and texture, but also sheer variety. In a world filled with overrated cupcake-like trends, Sublime stands out for their unique, hand-crafted product.

All their sign says is Doughnuts.

BTW- the title quote is from Dostoyevsky