Roaster's Chicken

Both Malory and I grew up in Atlanta, and are Southerners at heart. Growing up here in the South, we have a constant craving for things deep-fried and “scattered, smothered, and covered” in butter. It has been a challenge for us to find a great country-cooking place ITP, but a few years ago, we stumbled upon Roasters and have been frequent visitors since we live so close. Located on Lenox Road (about a mile south/east of the Mall), Roasters serves up great rotisserie chicken with all the fixin's. Tucked away in a small shopping center, it provides a great family atmosphere for a good price. We are usually always seated promptly, the staff is very friendly, and the food is definitely filling.

After our complimentary basket of rolls and cornbread, we typically order sweet tea, and then try to decide on entrees on their massive menu. Their rotisserie chicken is definitely their specialty, so whether it's a sandwich, salad, or whole chicken, we usually get something involving their signature .  The entrees come with two sides- and they have many great options to choose from.

While I've tried a couple of their dishes, this time I went with the fried chicken (see photo above) with coleslaw and fried green tomatoes. Their fried green tomatoes are seasonal, so make sure to ask the waiter if they have them available.

Malory pretty much always orders the ¼ white rotisserie plate, which is great for the price. She also always gets the fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes with gravy (above).

Roasters is a great spot for lunch or dinner, and the location at Lenox has a nice outdoor patio. They have another location in Alpharetta (never tried it), but we enjoy sticking to our local joint. Go with an appetite, beware of counting calories and enjoy some country cookin'!

Atlanta Underground Market- Update!

Just received an email from Atlanta Underground Market with some important information if you're interested in attending.

To recap- The Atlanta Underground Market will be held on Saturday, February 25. The location is secret, and you must sign-up to receive instructions (will be emailed out 24 hours prior to the event)

Almost 1500 people and 40 vendors have signed up to participate in this event! The event will be held indoors, and it is a completely private event- each individual must sign up to attend. If you plan to bring a guest, please make sure they sign up beforehand. Each name and corresponding email address will be checked at the door.

There will be a $2 entrance fee, along with a $1 - $5 per plate cost from each vendor. So make sure to bring some cash!

There will be two remaining emails- one a week before the event (this weekend) and another a day before the event.

See you there!

Pour Wine Bar

We had meant to have a nice dinner at Kaleidoscope last week, and even got there early to ensure a table for six, but they had a last minute closing. They had lacquered the floors that day which weren't quite dry; plus the place wasn't airing out (smelled like a strong Sharpie... really it did- they let us in for about a minute and it was just too much to bear). So we hung our heads, after weeks of planning a trip to the newest, hottest restaurant in Brookhaven, and walked over to Verde for some tacos (not quite the same after you're craving duck fat french fries!)

Stacy & Chris and Maddy & Kyle joined us at Verde where we all enjoyed some $3 Tecates, $2 PBRs, and slightly overpriced gourmet tacos (word to the wise- if you get there early, you'll have to deal with a lot of families with little kiddies!). Stacy already did a great job posting about dinner, and with her newfound photo skills, check out her great blog post about Verde.

Since we had all had a long week of work, we decided to continue the evening at Pour Wine Bar & Market. The mood was very relaxed and chill inside- they have a unique interior with a gastro-pub feel.  Half of the space is the Wine Market (see photo above) and the other half is the Wine Bar. There was only one other small group in the bar- which was a welcome change to the slight chaos of Verde.

Pour has wine by the glass ($7-$13 a glass) and also serves tastings as well (called "Flights").  They have a 3 glass tasting (pick any wine off the menu) for $12 and a 6 glass tasting for $20. Most of us ordered the tastings, and with that (with 2 orders of the 6 glass tasting) you also receive a cheese and cracker platter. Check out all the glasses on our table (above)!

We definitely had a lot of fun tasting all the different wines- although it did take them awhile to pour them all. Even if you're not a big wine drinker- they also have some local and small brews available by the bottle. It was great trying it out with friends, and I would recommend this spot for after dinner drinks with a date (or before dinner while you're waiting for your table at Verde or Kaleidoscope), or with a small group of friends to just relax.

Canyons Burger Company

Good burger choices in Atlanta are a-plenty.  From the cheapest chains like Five Guys to the higher end "gourmet" burgers from Holeman & Finch, Bocado, and Flip Burger, the styles and variations are endless.  We definitely haven't tried them all (but are slowly getting there).  Either way, the flood of burgers to the market has made us a little wary about what differentiates one joint from the next. 

Canyons Burger Company is a local burger franchise (although they just opened up a location in Montana) that came from Woodstock and has a location in the Cherokee Plaza shopping center (map) in Brookhaven.  This is a extremely convenient location for us considering it is a short, 5 min walk from our house... so needless to say, we have frequented it a bit for take-out and dine-in. 

Upon arrival, you are greeted with a updated space and an "outdoor" theme.  There are bikes, kayaks, and pictures of the vast wilderness on the wall.  A crunchy, outdoor hippie's paradise... without the granola.  Choose at the counter between one of their signature burgers or build your own.  They also offer the choice of regular fries or sweet potato (my favorite).  Typically, I go with cheese, mustard, coleslaw, lettuce and onions (below).  They do have additional menu items including stuff for the kids and the leaf eaters.  Check out the whole menu here.

While their burgers are fresh and made to order, we often find something missing with their formula.  Whether its the higher prices (usually spend around $10 per person for burger, fries & drink) or the bugers that we just don't find all that satisfying, something usually excludes Canyons from our take-out list.  We'll always go there when we don't feel like getting in the car, but if were striving for a better burger for the price, we'll venture to Farm Burger in Decatur or even Five Guys in Chamblee. 

Where is your favorite place to get take out burgers in Brookhaven or beyond?

Atlanta Underground Market

I recently received an email from UrbanDaddy discussing a secret farmers market that is coming to Atlanta this month called Atlanta Underground Market. A gathering of over 40 "drool-worthy" food vendors in an undisclosed location, is now taking reservations for its inaugural event on Saturday, February 26 from 6-9pm. Sign up to receive further instructions on where exactly the location will be. Directions will be massively emailed out exactly 24 hours before the market starts. All we know is the market will be held somewhere in downtown Atlanta. Sounds exciting!

Check out more from the website.

CityDog Market

We had such a gorgeous weekend in Brookhaven, and Cory, Jasper and I spent most of it outside. After a week of dreary rain and cold weather, Jasper went a little stir crazy running through the mud and puddles on Saturday. He needed a bath, badly.

I was out of puppy shampoo, so I decided to head on out to CityDog Market off of Peachtree near Town Brookhaven (Can't miss the sign out front! See Map). I have been in here just a handful of times- mainly to pick up GT wear for Jasper. It's a little on the high-end and pricey side of pet products, but everything is all natural/organic and great quality.  After walking in- I was immediately helped by a friendly associate (not sales-y, just helpful!) and picked out a GREAT shampoo (Buddy Wash, I highly recommend!), brush, and some treats (since Jasper isn't a huge fan of baths...).  Everything was all natural, and made with no by-products, crazy chemicals, or toxins.

For those of you with larger (or really dirty) dogs, CityDog Market also has self-service dog "showers" (see photo below). Specially designed to make it easy to wash your dog- its $18 for 30 minutes and you can use their awesome shampoos, conditioners, brushes, towels, and dryers! In case you have a perfectly clean pooch (or no puppy at all...) they also have obedience classes, pet wellness seminars, and pet adoptions.

I spent a little time talking with Renee (store owner) while I was checking out. She was very helpful and knowledgeable, and even threw in a sample bag of treats for Jasper.

I really enjoyed my short visit to CityDog Market, and now that I know they sell the Blue Buffalo food- I don't ever have to go to a pet chain store again! The only downside to the place is that its the SEC puppy fan club home...

Chick-fil-A Chamblee, Now Open!

The Chick-fil-A in Chamblee, off of Peachtree/Chamblee Dunwoody is now open! The restaurant underwent some massive interior/exterior renovations for about 6-8 weeks. The restaurant looks great, and I'll be sure to snap a photo next time I'm there to try the new Spicy Chicken Biscuit!