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Tag: Atlanta (page 3 of 3)

Broadway Cafe

The ScoutMob coupon is allowing me to sample new places in and around the city. Last weekend, four of us trooped to Broadway Cafe. No fancy dining place this is but the food was fairly nice, I thought! I would probably go there a second time if it wasn’t a tad far… 🙁 Should mention that this is a Kosher restaurant (one of the few in the city?) – probably that explains the many Jewish families with little ones present that evening.

To start off, we ordered a plate of Potato Chips. These folks don’t have a website; so I cannot verify the exact name of the dish. Anyhow, we got a huge plate of Sweet Potato home style fries. We asked them to get us a bowl of ketchup as a dip. Nice fries, and it was good that we had friends with us. It would have been impossible for P and I to finish them. I recall thinking that it would have been nice had they sliced the sweet potatoes thin and roasted them. Delicious and healthier(?).

We also got a plate of roasted vegetables and hummus with pita bread wedges. Now that I look at the picture, the hummus looks more like cream cheese! Seriously trying to recall – what DID we get? In any case, it was fairly decent tasting. I do remember that the pita wedges were like LEATHER. So tough that it was difficult biting into them.

The above is a collage of all the dishes we ordered. Thai Stir-fry with Vegetables and Tofu (top left), Pad Thai (bottom left), Roasted Vegetable Pizza with Mushrooms and Feta, and Lasagna. S had ordered the Thai Stir-fry and he specifically asked our server if they used Tofu or gluten. Now this was a new topic for me. I learned that many places mention tofu but use gluten instead. I suppose, when they say gluten, they actually mean texturized soy protein, generally understood to be a far more processed substance than tofu (soy bean curd). S said that it was an ingredient that he always found challenging to digest. Anyway, his dish was far too liquid-y, he said. It was more a soup consistency, he thought. I didn’t sneak a taste, so no comments.

P ordered the Pad Thai. It was fairly nice but unremarkable. The flavors were mild and the vegetables tasted fresh and crunchy. My husband ordered the pizza. It came on a flat bread base with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and a pesto spread. I liked it but he thought it was just okay. As for me, I ordered the Vegetable Lasagna. Very uncharacteristic for me because I am not a fan of this dish. It always seems as if the sourness of tomato dominates the flavors, and what remains is the stringy baked cheese that turns cold too soon, and the doughy taste and texture of lasagna sheets. Let me just say, this was not the worst Vegetable Lasagna I have eaten. But I don’t think I will order this for a while. It doesn’t seem like a dish I will ever have a taste for. Unless may be I sample it in Italy?

Skipped dessert, went home and played Taboo… good fun with good friends. As for Broadway Cafe, I would go there again if I was in that part of town. Not sure if I’d make the drive for the kind of food we ate that night. Or maybe I would!

Broadway Cafe
2157 Briarcliff Rd
Atlanta, GA 30329

404-329-0888

Lunch @ Cafe Momo

Lunch today came from Cafe Momo. A busy cafeteria nestled inside Peachtree Center, this place has a bunch of vegetarian options, as I discovered today.

I sauntered through the aisles checking out the warm/cold salads, pastas, meats, greens, etc. before going up to the made-to-order items menu.

Was almost going to get a Roasted Veggie Quesadilla before I changed my mind and ordered a meatless sandwich on multi-grain bread. It contains fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil and spinach with sun-dried tomato spread. I also asked the guy to throw some honey-mustard on top.

End result? Pretty tasty, actually. The mozzarella was not very soft (I really wonder how fresh is “fresh”) and the tomatoes lacked the fresh juiciness that I have been raving about on the last few posts. However, the basil and spinach added a nice chewiness to the sandwich. Also, the sun-dried tomato spread was a great sweet-sour combination that provided the perfect foil to the mozzarella. If the sandwich could have been recreated with fresh seasonal ingredients, it would have been a total killer.

Oh, I asked for the sandwich to be toasted. I like those burnt grill marks plus I am not the biggest fan of cold sandwiches. All in all, a decent lunch.

Super-Secret Underground Food Truck Extravaganza

Last evening, we went to a fun event to support a campaign to bring street food to Atlanta.

Food Truck Extravaganza, Souper Jenny

Food Truck Extravaganza, Souper Jenny

There are a couple of notable food vendors in the city. Specifically street vendors, I mean. Yumbii is one of them. It has its own Twitter handle that announces the truck location of the day. The cuisine is Korean BBQ flavored tacos, burritos, etc. Not many options for vegetarians although you can get burrits/tacos stuffed with tofu. The other vendor popular around town is The King of Pops. These guys sell hand-crafted popsicles in the most unique flavor combinations. Ever heard of Arnold Palmer, Pear Cardamom, Watermelon Peppercorn pops? The King of Pops is a hit in Atlanta and of course, they have their highly popular Twitter following as well. What a perfect name for the business, awesome.

Yesterday’s event included Korean BBQ tacos, The King of Pops’s hand-crafted popsicles, cupcakes and ice cream, delicacies from New Orleans… so what did we eat?

Got a Korean BBQ taco with stir-fried tofu from Yumbii. The tofu came nestled with lettuce and a spicy-sweet sauce (reminded me of Sriracha) in a crisp tortilla. P liked it a lot. I think it was strictly okay. Really, this could be one awesome vegetarian taco but it fell short. The vegetarian palette of flavors has much variety and this little taco felt very limited. Check out any Indian street food stall and you will see what I mean. A taco isn’t too different from a Frankie, a snack that is an integral part of the Mumbai street food scene. The variety of spices, fillings, seasonings and sauces available is mindboggling. I suppose this Korean BBQ tofu taco should be counted as a decent start.

Korean BBQ Taco with Stir-fried Tofu

Korean BBQ Taco with Stir-fried Tofu

Curry Cone

Curry Cone

Obviously we had to sample every vegetarian dish that was on display. Next up was a curry cone. Imagine a waffle cone filled with a samosa filling, topped with chopped cilantro and mint yogurt. Tall promise but the end result didn’t quite deliver. The samosa filling was cold (!!!) and lacked salt. Not just a little salt but a lot of salt. Plus it wasn’t even a mint yogurt topping, more a drizzle, an after thought! Full disclosure, the waffle cone contained eggs, I am mostly sure, but I went ahead and got it anyway.

Then came a quesadilla with a sweet potato and pickled okra filling… Excellent, I liked it! An innovative blend of flavors and textures, in my opinion.

Quesadilla with Sweet Potato and Pickled Okra

Quesadilla with Sweet Potato and Pickled Okra

I absolutely had to get a scoop of ice cream from Westside Creamery. It’s been a long time that I have wanted to sample ice cream from these guys. So I ordered a scoop of salted butter caramel.

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, Westside Creamery

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, Westside Creamery

Disappointing.

I went back and asked if salt was a topping or if the ice cream had salt infused in it. Turns out that it is the latter or else I would have asked for some extra salt! This was simply regular sweet caramel flavored ice cream, reminiscent of the Malai Kulfi  you can buy at many Indian restaurants. Nice it was but nothing like what salted butter caramel ice cream should taste like.

I also went and got myself a chocolate-mint cupcake. The frosting was delicious but the cupcake was so-so. Probably I am not a cupcake person.

Chocolate-Mint Cupcake

Chocolate-Mint Cupcake

Since The King of Pops was around, we got ourselves a Cucumber Jalapeno and a Raspberry Lime popsicle each.

FTruck13

Cucumber Jalapeno Popsicle

Raspberry Lime Popsicle

Raspberry Lime Popsicle

P liked the green one. He thought that it was an excellent combination of cool, sweet and spicy. Jalapeno added a spicy kick to the pop. However, I couldn’t discern the sweetness that P was talking about. I liked the red Raspberry Lime a lot better. Sweet and slightly tart, this is a perfect summery combo. Each pop cost us $2.50. Rather high for a popsicle, you think? But they are hand-crafted, heavenly tasting and large-sized.

All in all, a cool event with a hip crowd, decent food, great weather. I am not talking about cross-contamination issues with street food at this point. Some things you pretty much always turn a blind eye to… whether it be street food in Mumbai or Atlanta.

Cafe Sunflower, Buckhead

Cafe Sunflower is one of my favorite eating places in the city. Here is a place where a vegetarian can eat in peace with no fear of any meat cross-contamination. Did I mention that I love the decor of this place? Vibrant colors, lovely lamps, cosy ambience and lovely food – I should also mention that I love their business cards too! Minor detail but it was so attractive (think shades of orange-saffron, clean font in basic colors) that I couldn’t help mentioning it.

I have been to Cafe Sunflower a bunch of times, and the last time we went happened to be the eve of Dad’s birthday. What did we order?

We got the Fried Green Tomatoes and Jamaican Limbo Plantains. The tomatoes were nice and crispy. I loved the Jamaican plantains that came with a black bean dip. If not for the dip, it could have passed off as Pazham Pori, a popular snack from Kerala. One bite and I am transported to an earlier age of summer vacations to Kerala, cups and cups of coffee from vendors, gorging on spicy cucumber salad from railway stations in Andhra Pradesh, and finally alighting at Thrissur station, so happy to be home!

Mom wanted Dad to have a taste of dumplings and so we also placed an order for Steamed Dumplings. They were fairly decent – as good as dumplings could possibly be, I guess!

For the entrees, we ordered Orzo Eggplant Lasagna, Fajitas, and Walnut Crusted Tofu Cutlet. The portions were generous and the spread looked fantastic! I have to mention that these folks do such a wonderful job of plating the food. Yeah, watching Top Chef has developed my food vocabulary quite a bit… 🙂 I have ordered the Walnut Crusted Tofu Cutlet before and it’s one of my favorites. The tofu-walnut combination has a nutty flavor but be prepared to share – the dish fills you up. The collard greens served as part of the dish didn’t really register for me neither did the bean sprouts.

The Fajitas featured grilled garden soy steak with other accompaniments. I wish it were more flavored but again, put together with the peppers, tofu, salsa, etc. it was quite good.

About the Orzo Eggplant Lasagna, it isn’t my most favorite dish in the world. But it is an interesting combination of ingredients – ricotta, red pepper, eggplant, roasted asparagus (yum!) – definitely worth a try.

Since it was Dad’s birthday the next day, we got a slice of the vegan chocolate raspberry mouse cake. Generous slice, absolutely melt-in-the-mouth delicious, fabulous combo of raspberry-chocolate. I think this could work with orange and strawberry also.

Next time I go, I’ll take my Canon Rebel for the pics.