Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

Atlanta Nomming: Thumbs up Diner

2 Mar

The idea of another diner after the previous night was not thrilling… but Vicki assured me that the place we were going to meet Mark (my best friend from growing up) and his girlfriend, Sara, was well worth it.  And then we found ourselves trying to talk a homeless man into not stealing our car prior to heading into the Thumbs Up Diner.

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The menu was HUGE!

 

I was informed that the hot chocolate was good.  And I just loved the cup it came in.

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Though it really “got me” when I started sipping.

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And then sipped some more. How cute!

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I was advised to try The Heap, which is seasoned potatoes topped with cheddar/jack cheese and topped with 2 eggs of any style.  You could then add various things to The Heap and it all came served in a cast iron skillet.  Nom Nom Nom.

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The skillet made everything nice and crispy where it touched the pan (like Dol Sot Bim Bim Bop in Korean restaurants)

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They really are quite customizable while having the same basic dish.

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I got veggies and smoked turkey in mine.  It was SO good.  I crave this now, a month later.

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Sara went healthy and got the egg white omelete

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And then the waiter brought us a pancake… that no one ordered… but we got to keep anyway.  Mark said it was famous because it tasted more like a cake than a pancake.  That is exactly true.  Very sweet.  Too sweet for me, but if you like your pancakes sweet, this is a special one.

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I WANTED so badly to be able to finish my Heap.  It was so damn good that leaving even a bite seemed cruel.  But when it came down to it, there was so much food that I didn’t even come close.

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Overall, the Thumbs Up Diner gets my thumbs up for their Heap.  It was perfect comfort food.  Everything I could want, and will want again, over and over and over again.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

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Atlanta Nomming: Serpas

25 Feb

After completing some client meetings (and a great client lunch at JCT Kitchen & Bar, which unfortunately I didn’t photograph to avoid the uncomfortable situation of whipping out the camera in front of clients I am meeting for the first time), I met up with my college roommate, Vicki, for dinner.  She was excited to bring me to Serpas, as it was one of the best meals she had in Atlanta.  Their tag line is “True Food” and it focuses on approachable, fresh food that is made with care and attention.

The space was a cotton storage facility originally and they did a great job customizing the space so it was big, well designed, and yet not overly noisy.

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Their menu changes daily:

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I wanted to order almost this entire menu!

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We started with the tuna tartare.

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The eggplant hushpuppies.

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And I narrowed down my app choice to crispy pork rillette.  Delish!

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Orders included the stuffed chicken breast…

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The jumbo sea scallops…

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The veal porterhouse…

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And I chose the braised beef short rib.  It was supposed to come with chile creamed spinach and whipped potatoes, but I got the sweet potato puree instead.  This fell apart and had amazing flavor.  The sweet potatoes went SO well with the meat that I’m surprised this wasn’t the normal combo.

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Unfortunately, there wasn’t much food sharing… but it was scarfed down so fast that I know people enjoyed it.  I wish I had room for dessert to test it out, but I can say that my short ribs were good enough to want to go back in a heartbeat.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

 

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Atlanta Nomming: Flip Burger Boutique

23 Feb

I went to Atlanta for work and managed to plan my trip for the week of the most epic snow storm that ever hit Atlanta.  I don’t think I truly understood how bad ice can be in a place that doesn’t usually get it, however, I got out of the train station and was literally trapped.  I couldn’t get down the stairs because it was a ramp of ice.  I wound up climbing through a snow bank.  The entire city shut down amidst warnings on the news to not leave home.  Many of my meetings were cancelled at the last minute, which was a bummer.

It did give me a chance to get to know our Atlanta Sales Rep a bit better, however, and she was kind enough to take me to Richard Blais’ Flip Burger.  (And my Top Chef Sluttiness continues!)

Richard Blais is known on Top Chef for creating edible feats of science.  He uses the techniques of Molecular Gastronomy and is known for being the master of the liquid hydrogen tank on Top Chef.  I think a lot of his artistry gets lost on the show, however, opening up a refined concept centered around burgers and milkshakes worked very well for him.

The menu changes, so this was the offering we had:

 

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Notice the liquid nitrogen milkshakes?  How could I NOT try one of those.


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As for the space, I LOVED it.  It’s long cafeteria style tables with a nifty mural painted on the back and TVs that were framed by old fashioned wooden frames.  Too cool.

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Then the shakes came… Kristen got the Rice Krispy shake, which tasted like liquid rice krispy treats and even had a few on top.

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I went with the nutella and burnt marshmallow shake.  This was sensational.

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The marshmallows tasted just like the best part of camping.

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We split some parmesan zucchini fries.  These were good, but missing some zucchini oomph.

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We also split the pork belly macaroni and cheese.  The pork belly was very good, and I LOVES me some pork belly, however, I think I would have preferred a crispier pork product on this one.  I also thought the little round macaroni was a weird choice.  It just didn’t come together for me.

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Kristen ordered the Korean BBQ burger, which sounded great except it had kimchi on it.  She really enjoyed it.

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My burger was other-wordly.  Usually I would say that most burgers are burgers… and how good could a burger be?  Turns out I like my burgers amped up with special toppings.  It was the Black Diamond Burger with black diamond prime brisket rib eye and short rib x2, roasted mushrooms, onion, brie, and horseradish mayo.  (I went with the smoked mayo instead).  WOW!  A $17 burger CAN be worth it.

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Overall, I was really impressed with this place.  I recommend you stick to the burgers and shakes and skip the sides, however, I’m glad I tried it all.  It was one of the best burgers I have ever had.

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10


 

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