Rose of India

We pass by the Rose of India every day going to/coming home from work.  It's the small retro-looking restaurant in between Galla's Pizza and Greenwood's Creamery on Peachtree Rd... keep your eyes peeled, it's easily missed.  While there may not be any cars in the parking lot, don't be deterred... there's good Indian in there!

We decided to try it out last week, and when we walked in- we were the only ones in the whole restaurant.  We were greeted by a welcoming staff and sat in a clean dining room, although it was empty. In their defense, it was a cold Tuesday night, but while we sat by ourselves, they seemed to turn out endless to-go orders.  Either way, service was prompt and friendly (as it should be, us being the only ones to serve) and we quickly chose what we wanted to eat.

Having both had Indian cuisine before, we both wanted to try an array of dishes to see how they plated our favorites.  First, we were served Papadums (above), which is a typical Indian spiced flat bread as an appetizer.

We both decided to get the meat combo plate, which was sort of a sampler plate.  It came with Naan (although we had to get an extra order of Naan to satisfy our craving), rice and three dishes.  The three dishes were (clockwise from bottom) Lamb Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, and a Veggie Poneer.  All three satisfied our Indian craving, and we would definitely recommend this route for first time Indian go-ers.  It's a nice representation of some staple Indian dishes (although it's missing a good Tandoori) and Rose of India did them justice.  The combo plate also came with a rice pudding for desert that reminded me of my Grandma's tapioca pudding.  Interesting flavor and texture - I'd only order it a la carte if you're feeling adventurous.  While we enjoyed the food, we can't deny the atmosphere and cuisine of Panahar (even though Panahar is not Indian per se, it's Bangladeshi...).

We will definitely find ourselves back at Rose of India, most likely on Monday nights... when Panahar is closed.

Briarwood Park

While out and about on our usual weekend stroll, Malory and I decided to check out the "hidden" Briarwood Park. We stumbled upon this place a few months ago after noticing one of those brown road signs (that indicate landmarks, etc.) pointing to a 'Briarwood Park' down a very dark and lonely looking road. So we ventured there this past weeked, and walked pup the 1+ mile to go check out what this public park was all about. After visiting Lenox Park, we were interested to see what this one offered.

Briarwood is owned and operated by DeKalb County, and it is located off of Briarwood Road, near the intersection of Buford Highway. It's pretty tough to find- there is no main signage off of Briarwood, so keep a lookout for the brown directional signs. Briarwood has 18 acres, baseball fields, multi-use fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, recreation center, playground (photo below), picnic area, and walking trails (all per DeKalb County website). At first glance- I probably wouldn't go near the recreation center and swimming pool... it looked a little dark and dismal (pool was closed). Overall, the park is pretty small, heavily wooded, and spread out (not always the best idea in park layout).

We didn't notice any ball fields or multi-use designated fields- there was one large open area that they might consider as a field, but I'm not sure. There also really wasn't much of a walking trail- just a sidewalk next to the road through the park- maybe a half a mile long. The one thing that was hopping was the tennis courts (photo below). They are situated closer to Briarwood Road, and both courts were in use when we walked by. Note that they cannot be reserved, nor do they have lights, but there is an hour time limit when people are waiting.

Overall, I was a little disappointed in this park- we could have picked a bad day to check it out (it is winter), but it was still pretty sunny and about 50 degrees on a Saturday afternoon, and the place just seemed a little quiet for a park. I have also heard that DeKalb County is considering closing the rec center and pool to help save money (approx. $500,000!). I know we will be back at this park to utilize the tennis courts, but we will probably stick with Lenox Park for the walking trails.  Has anybody else had a better experience? 

Moe's Grand Opening: Free Burritos!

Moe's at Town Brookhaven has been open for a little more than a month, and tomorrow, Tuesday January 25th they are celebrating their Grand Opening. And in true Moe's style, they are offering free burritos all day (Thanks Ryan for the info)! Also as a bonus if you can't make it tonight, they will be offering their burritos for only $3 the remainder of the week (Wednesday 1/26 - Friday 1/28).  So be sure to drop by for your complimentary (or discounted) meal, and a little "Welcome to Moe's!"

In other Town Brookhaven news, Noche seems to be coming along, with an advertised Spring 2011 opening date. Can't wait for some tapas and mojitos! Publix, Signlesatl.com, and Marshalls are also planning Spring 2011 openings. Further down the line are CineBistro (eat/watch), LA Fitness, Honey Butter Boutique, Flying Biscuit, The Cup (cupcake bistro- yum!), Cafe at Pharr, Yoreka, T-Mobile, Optic Lens Wear, and Nail Talk & Tan. If history is any indication, its most likely that these places will be opening later than scheduled, but we can hope it'll be sooner!

Well keep you posted on the progress. Stay tuned!

El Señor Taco

We found ourselves (or maybe just myself) craving Mexican food again one Saturday, and we decided to venture down Buford Highway to a new spot: El Señor Taco. There has been a lot of buzz going on lately about El Señor Taco and their amazing fish tacos,  and we decided to go check it out.  Located just north of the intersection of BuHi and Clairmont, it's nestled in the back of a packed shopping center (same shopping center as Lee's Bakery and a Chevron Gas Station).  We wandered inside to a clean, bright, and packed dining room complete with a fresh salsa bar, flat-screen TVs and an ordering counter.

I knew the first thing to order was fish tacos, and I had also heard good things about the Baja nachos, so I ordered one of those as well.  English was minimal so make sure you know what you want (maybe brush up on your Spanish!), or utilize the large picture menu. After we ordered at the counter, we waited a bit (maybe 15 min) for our food, which was fine - they were busy and it looked like one of the fryers was on the fritz. Either way, when the food came out, it looked (and tasted) great.

My fish tacos were incredible.  Lightly breaded, hot out of the fryer and mixed with fresh slaw and cilantro.  I topped it with some avacado and cilantro salsa verde from the salsa bar which added a perfect creamy kick.

Malory ordered the taco plate, which came with rice and beans ($5.95).  She also ordered a carnitas (smoked pulled pork) taco which she said was good... maybe even better than El Rey del Taco (she claims).  She didn't give me a bite so I can't confirm...

I was too busy admiring the Baja Nachos.  While two fish tacos were plenty, I had to get this to try it.  I've been dying for a good nacho dish (even though this isn't really Mexican, more Tex-Mex) with fresh tortilla chips and fresh Mexican melting cheese.  This was it, by far.  The combination of lettuce, beans, tomatoes, melted cheese atop a bed of fried, thick tortilla chips will keep me going back here time and time again.

This place has satisfied my craving for fresh, Baja-style Mexican.  I'm itching to get back there and hope you get out to try it, too.

Library 2011 Wine Tasting Dates

Cory and I have enjoyed attending a few of the monthly Library Wine Tasting events last year. While we were hanging out at Library Coffee Co last week, we noticed the 2011 wine dates and themes posted and thought I would share so you can get them on your calendars!

Also- please note that due to weather, last week's Blind Tasting has been moved to tomorrow (Tuesday, January 18).

• Wednesday, February 9 (Cabernet Cage Match)
• Wednesday, March 9 (Northwest Tasting: Washington, Idaho, Oregon)
• Wednesday, April 13 (Argentina vs. Australia) 
• Wednesday, May 11 (Pinot Noir Cage Match)
• Wednesday, June 15 (Summer Sippers: light crisp whites, dry roses, refreshing reds)
• Wednesday, July 13 (Red, White, & Blue Wines)
• Wednesday, August 10 (Wines with Age)
• Wednesday, September 14 (Tailgating Favorites)

The Tastings are typically the second Wednesday of every month from 7:00pm - 9:00pm (ish) and are $20 a person. You'll get anywhere from 6 to 7 tastings of some great wine, and also 3 appetizers throughout the event.  My only advice is to get there early- tables fill up fast, and if you have a group of 4+ you probably all want to sit at the same table!

Enjoy! See you there.

Lenox Park

The snowmageddon in Atlanta kept us holed up in our house for almost all of this week. We kept busy most of the time working from home, but after 3 days indoors, we needed to stretch our legs a little. Cory and I walk a lot around our neighborhood and Brookhaven, and a few months ago we "found" a great little pocket park: Lenox Park. Located in between North Druid and Roxboro Road off of Lenox Park Boulevard, its about 1+ mile for us to get there.  So to get some exercise this week, we took an icy hike over there.

Sandwiched between the office buildings, apartment complexes, and residential neighborhoods, Lenox Park boasts over 22 acres of green space including 2 miles of running/walking trails with a creek feeding a decent sized lake (See Park Map). While we didn't see much green this time around, there is plenty of grassy areas for games or picnics and benches to relax on.  

We enjoyed our walk through the park- it's like our own little gem in the middle of the city.  We've always seen people around running, walking, and (now) sledding, but for the most part it's pretty quiet. All the park is really missing is a nice dog park. If you're visiting from further away, I'm not really sure where you would park as we have always just walked there.  The park is owned and maintained privately (not a City or County Park) by the Lenox Park Homeowner's Association. 

Make sure you go check it out!  We will definitely be around here more in the Spring and Summer when it's a little more green out.

Atlanta Peachtree Road Race

All this crazy winter weather has given me a little cabin fever, and right smack in the middle of training for our half marathon, I'm getting stir-crazy.

I just received an email from the Atlanta Track Club regarding the annual Fourth of July Peachtree Road Race.  With an online registration process last year, and slots filling up within 4 hours, 2011 registration is switching to a online lottery system to be more "fair".

In order to get your name in the hat, you will need to sign up for the lottery anytime from 5am on Tuesday, March 15th to 11:59pm Thursday, March 24th. You will find out by email Tuesday, March 29th if you were selected. You can register a group up to 10 people. Capacity for this year's race has also been increased from 55,000 to 60,000 (wow!). Already the largest 10k in the world, this event will bring racers, runners, and walkers throughout the world.

Cory and I enjoy running this race every year (see 2009 photo above), and hopefully we can get registered again this year! It's a great event for Brookhaven-ers because you can walk to the start at Lenox Mall (.5 mile+)  and hitch a ride back on MARTA.

DeKalb County: State of the County

This morning I attended the DeKalb County 2011 State of the County Address made by DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis (photo below). This event, sponsored by DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and Council for Quality Growth, was held at the enormous Thalia Carlos Hellenic Community Center off of Clairmont Road. At 7am this morning, I wasn't quite prepared to deal with the hundreds of people that ended up attending this program but the breakfast and coffee helped.

There were a lot of politicians and elected officials from both DeKalb County and throughout the state. The event felt very political, however, I did learn of a few large impacts that will affect DeKalb County residents and business owners. I won't go into too much detail as the event was a little over 2 hours, but here are the hot button topics that I took away:

• DeKalb County saw a $12.8 million decrease in revenue in 2010
• The County has been mandated to perform $38 million in 2011 ($1.3 billion over 8 years) of infrastructure repairs
• Current County reserves are only at $9 million (County operates at $45 million spending a month-yikes!)
• 2011 goals for the County: increase reserves, job creation, government efficiency, public safety, and senior services (of course...).
• Property owners will see a tax increase of 2.32 mils (in addition to the 16% Water and Sewer rate hike)
• Addition of a new police precinct in the northern end of the county
• Construction of several new senior centers (funded fully by federal stimulus)

Again, I don't want to get into too much detail- I have about 5 pages of notes that I took during the event, but I really don't want to bore you! Just note that our county is living "paycheck to paycheck" (from Ellis' speech), and taxpayers will most likely have to foot the bill. Be sure to enjoy this years tax refund checks, as they will likely get smaller next year.  And remember, "no celebratory gunfire"!  Post a comment if you want some more info or email us at brookhavenreview@gmail.com!

It's a New Year

Cory and I are currently training for our first ever half marathon (eek!). We are training for the Publix Georgia (previously ING) Half on Sunday, March 20th. We've gotten through the first week of training ok, but we really need to stick to our schedule a little better. Hopefully now that the holidays are over, it will be a little easier.

Yesterday was our 4+ mile run through the gorgeous, 101 year old Capital City Country Club. This is a great Brookhaven neighborhood for running, walking, or biking long distances. There's sidewalks, shade, and a lot of options for short or long workouts.

If part of your New Years Resolution was to exercise more, or run a half or full marathon, sign up now for the Publix Georgia Race. If you sign up by the end of February, you can get $5 off the half, or $10 off the full with the promo code 50DC11MAR (for the full) or 50DC11HALF (for the half). If you're not much for running long distances, they also have a fun 5k race or you can volunteer at the race as well.

Hopefully, we'll see you out there!

Haven

We found ourselves celebrating the birth of Jesus a couple nights ago and wanted to go out for a nice dinner.  And with Kaleidoscope's opening status unknown at the time (fyi- its now open!), we decided to hit one of our favorites in the area, Haven.  Haven is in the Village Place development and is a staple restaurant for Brookhaven.  We have been a couple times and have even seen Executive Chef Steven Herman at Field of Greens serving up farm to fork dishes.  While they have a great inside space, they have an even better outdoor patio to sit at when the weather is nice.

We started with some hay.  Potato Hay, that is (above).  It is a plate stacked high with shoe-string fried potato sticks drizzled in truffle oil.  We found it very unique take on a fried potato dish and was fun to eat.  Although, it was a massive plate that was more than enough for the two of us.  

Malory ordered the chicken and dumplings (above) based on the recommendation from our waiter.  It was a roasted chicken breast atop homemade herb dumplings and local oyster mushrooms - a great take on a southern comfort food.

I ordered the C.A.B. (Certified Angus Beef) tenderloin.  It came grilled accompanied by a twice baked shortrib potato, horseradish butter, and mustard greens (above).  The meat was perfectly cooked (medium rare) and the greens were a nice bitter complement.  The potato was a bit greasy but had a great flavor.  

Haven is a great neighborhood restaurant.  Maybe a little pricey to visit often ($20-$30 entrées), but the menu offered many other great dishes we will have to go back and try.  They also have a great wine selection and with no beers on tap (yet, hint hint) there are plenty of good wines to complement a good steak.  We've always had a great dining experience there (maybe not such a great bar scene) and will continue to visit in the future.  Go check it out.