New York » Amazing Foods and Restourant

My Maryland friends took me to dinner at 2 Amys, a very popular pizzeria in the District of Columbia. The decor is fairly simple and bright. The pizzas are somewhat rustic, more like what you would see in Italy than the New York variety. All our food was excellent.

I ordered a calzone because I saw one on the way in and the ricotta flowing out spoke to me. (They give their calzones some other fancy name, folded pizza as I recall, but a calzone is a calzone is a calzone.) I ordered one with meat and vegetables. The ricotta was just as luscious as I had anticipated. That red spot on the middle off the calzone is a thin slice of meat that was made crunchy in the baking. The texture was marvelous.

We tried a selection of desserts: cannoli (pretty light filling, very good), almond cake (great), and roasted pineapple ice cream (wow!).

The problem now faced by my friend Ankur is whether he can keep up the pace of excellent restaurant recommendations. Based on his recommenations so far, I've come to expect quality ideas. He can't just throw a hot dog at me and expect me to be satisfied. Can he keep it up? Or will he fold under the pressure? Time will tell...

Decatur Diner

Foods and Restourant Comments Off

Feb 252011

Category: Great local place or worth a drive if you are Greek diner deprived

Summary: Hoppin' atmosphere, open 24/7, very solid food

Decatur Diner has been open for a week or two now. Word seems to have spread fast. We got there just in time to get a table without waiting and the line started building as soon as we sat down. The entryway was packed with people the entire time we were there. We saw all sorts of people: students, families, senior citizens. The combination of the food and the atmosphere is what brings people in.

This is a classic New York Greek diner. Perhaps that's not too surprising considering the owner ran a restaurant in New York for 17 years, as he told me. The decorations on the walls, the neon signs, the huge cakes in the refrigerator case all spell diner. The waitstaff is friendly. Everything moves quickly here; you don't have to wait long to eat if you're hungry.

I went for the chicken parmigana (chicken parm to the cognoscenti). This is a classic diner dish and one of my all around favorite casual foods. It's an Italian-American dish, way too heavy for a classic Italian table but hearty enough to fortify a busy New Yorker. You can see from the photo that the plate is covered with food; you can't tell that it's a huge plate. I also received a soup and salad. The sauce was fairly light and tasty with a good balance of sweet and tomato tartness. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

I don't know of a New York-style diner in Atlanta that is of this quality. Diner food, of course, isn't fancy, so don't drive here if you are looking for artisanal cheeses and fine wines. But it's good food and a very fun atmosphere. If you like New York diners, I think this is a place you will want to try. If you're hungry it's a pretty good place, too.

Goldberg's Bagels

Foods and Restourant Comments Off

Jan 042011

Category: Chain of neighborhood restaurants

Summary: An honest deli experience

Circumstances led me to a late lunch/early dinner at Goldberg's Bagels. I originally was looking for a snack but I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and eat a little early. The best way to try more than one thing was the soup and sandwich combo. This is the chicken soup, my favorite part of the meal. It was rich, filled with meat and vegetables. I give it an A for presentation, too. As you can see, they also serve Dr. Brown's soda, a New York favorite that is not always easy to find here.

Although I was tempted by the reuben, I couldn't resist the hot pastrami. I tend to have reference dishes at certain types of restaurants---things I order on my first trip so that I can easily compare to other restaurants. The pastrami was definitely tasty. The pickle was fine but not my style; I prefer a pickle with more snap in both texture and acid.

Overall, I can't quite rank Goldberg's in the same class as some of the top NYC delis. But it is authentic and good. They have an extensive deli counter that seems to have everything you want. Overall, pretty good and much easier than getting on a plane.

Joey D's

Foods and Restourant Comments Off

Jul 202010

I've been curious about Joey D's since I moved here. It's near Perimeter Mall, so I drive by it regularly, and the thought of an Italian steak house is always tantalizing. This is part of a chain, not family owned, but I came away very satisfied nonetheless. The decor is steak house moderne---more light and air but still with the wood theme that we see in so many steak houses.

My salad was very enjoyable; I think it had some pignoli in it, among other items. I was a little surprised that they didn't have a wedge salad on the menu, though. My ribeye was great. It was a very nice cut, just enough char, and it was perfectly done. For dessert, I had their cheesecake which comes from Carnegie Deli in New York. Too many cheesecakes are gelatin-heavy but a proper cheesecake is very cheesy. This was a proper cheesecake---wonderful and big enough that I couldn't finish it.

Dominick's is in old downtown Lawrenceville, which has been very nicely restored. The restaurant is in a restored building with a decor that is modern but fits well with the original intent of the building.

The menu is fairly classic Italian-American. Dominick's is clearly trying to project the style of a family restaurant you might find in New York. By the standards of New York, Dominick's is OK. By Atlanta standards, it is very good. I had the veal saltimbocca; I scraped the plate clean. The tomato sauce on the pasta had a strong note of oregano, which was nice. I also had some spinach cooked with garlic. (All this was a half order, by the way, which was plenty for me.) I noticed that they had regular broccoli, not broccoli rabe, as you would find in an Italian restaurant in the Northeast. They also didn't give me any choice in pasta---it's spaghetti for everyone. For dessert, I had a cannoli, which was just stuffed as it should be and very good. The service was attentive but not overbearing, even on a busy night. Overall verdict---satisfying.

Amazing Foods and Restourant

Washington DC: 2 Amys

Decatur Diner

Goldberg's Bagels

Joey D's

Lawrenceville: Dominick's

Foods and restourant

Links

Amazing Foods and Restourant

Washington DC: 2 Amys

Decatur Diner

Goldberg's Bagels

Joey D's

Lawrenceville: Dominick's

Foods and restourant

Links

Labels