I visited La Cazuela in downtown Lawrenceville. As you can see, it's in an old building on the main square, a very picturesque location that I really enjoyed. They seem to be a small chain with several locations, including Buford Highway.
I decided to try the grilled chile poblano, a green chile split open, stuffed with shredded chicken and cheese and then grilled. I was expecting a little more cheese, but perhaps that's my ignorance, and this preparation was better for my health. The salsa was smooth, not chunky, and unfortunately I am a chunky salsa bigot. Overall, the food was competent, the service pleasant.
Category: Worth a drive Summary: Excellent shellfish boils, not to mention surprisingly low prices
I've heard very good things about Crawfish Shack on Buford Highway for awhile but I hadn't managed to get there. A dinner with my friends Sudeshna and Saibal turned out to be the right opportunity. Be forewarned---this place is very difficult to see from Buford Highway. The sign is totally invisible from the northbound side of the road, which is the side that it's on. All I can say is drive slowly and have a passenger look out---it's in a newish strip mall.
The place itself is simple but bright and cheery. You order at the counter and eat at big picnic tables, but the decor is new and fresh. When I asked our server for a refresher course on how to eat a crawfish, he went back to the kitchen, got a demonstration crawfish, and gave us a wonderful demo. (You pull the front part of the shell up as if lifting the hood of a car, then pull off the tail. To get at the tail meat, you break off the tip of the tail and then work off the rest of the shell.)
This, believe it or not, is the combo for one, which was plenty to feed 2 1/2 people. The bowl is 10 inches in diameter, so this is a lot of seafood, not to mention some potatoes and corn thrown in for good measure. Although they have fried food, we opted for boiled/steamed. The boil, or spices put into the water, is spicy. It imparts a wonderful flavor but isn't overpowering; there is just a limit to how much pepper you can get into a piece of food by boiling. The crawfish were the spiciest; we weren't sure whether they absorb more spice or are just cooked in a different way. We all agreed that the crawfish was the best, partly due to the spiciness of the boil but also because of the inherent tastiness of these little creatures.
Crawfish is also a great social dinner. Like fondue and some other dishes, it's impossible to eat quickly. The slow pace gives you plenty of time to talk and actually enjoy your dinner rather than just stuffing it down so you can get back to the TV.
My overall reaction is wow. I'm already thinking of who else I can invite to join me for a crawfish dinner.
El Rey del Taco is, as you might expect, on Buford Highway. It's a nice family restaurant, although the World Cup pregame was turned up a little loud. Given that they are the king of tacos, I had to try a mixed beef-pork taco and a chorizo taco. I also tried a pork tortas, something that I usually don't get. Everything was good in a homey sort of way. The chorizo taco was my favorite; the roast pork on the tortas was also very tasty. The beans, which didn't get into the picture, were the real hit of the meal. They were savory and had a nice kick of heat. I did find the meal to be a little more expensive than I expected.
Pho Bac is on Buford Highway in the same shopping center as Little Hot Pot. It's a pretty big Vietnamese noodle shop. Like most of these places, it's all business, no atmosphere. I had the brisket soup. The broth was quite hearty. The side salad includes a leaf that doesn't look like mint but certainly tastes minty; I wish I knew what it was called. I'm still not sure exactly how to rank the various pho spots in town, but I did enjoy Pho Bac. And, in general, I think that pho makes a great lunch---well balanced but not too heavy
I don't think I've reported on this market before...Buford Highway Farmers Market is on Buford Highway just north of I-285. International Market would be a more appropriate name. It is, in my opinion, the best of the international markets. It is in a huge space and can accommodate a lot of different items. The aisles are helpfully labeled by ethnicity, as is fairly common practice around here (and yes, there is an American aisle). The produce section is outstanding; of course, I don't know how to use many of the items, but I've never had any problem finding anything I want. I didn't realize until this trip how extensive their fish section is---many Asian markets don't carry salmon for some reason but BHFM does. They even have some sushi-grade fish. They also have an extensive appliance section.
