Roots in Alpharetta

Several years ago I stumbled into the Chamblee location of Pig-N-Chik. It was almost by accident, more of… “Hey, there’s a Q joint, let’s try it!” I was impressed on that one and only visit. It was enough to get me excited when this location opened in Alpharetta about two and a half years ago. At that time, decent Q was something we simply didn’t have here. I had high expectations.

Fast forward to 2010… The barbecue scene is picking up a bit in Alpharetta and Pig-N-Chik has become just ho-hum by my book. It’s just hard for me to get real excited about this place. I neither like it nor dislike it really. For stripmall Q it isn’t bad. They have one of these glorified ovens/smokers, not a pit. You can see it attached to the back of the building, visible from the CVS drive thru. Yet unlike a lot of other stripmall joints, they do a decent job with it. Their meat has some smokey flavor around the outside. It could use a lot more.

They serve a very thick pulled pork here. The strands are massive, several bites worth in some cases. The outside meat is done well with the right amount of chew. There is a faint smoke ring present. The inside meat is moist but lacks a lot of barbecue flavor. If you’re feeling up for it, I’d suggest ordering only outside meat, which I think they will do here.

My biggest complaint about their pulled pork is that it is almost always fatty. Every single time I’ve ordered it I find pretty big hunks of fat. Not good eats! They either need to trim their butts a little or pick that stuff out before serving.

I enjoyed my sides on my visit this week. The fried okra was fresh out of the fryer, golden brown and delicious. They disappeared quickly. The stew was also decent with big hunks of pork, a lot of veggies and a peppery kick.

Their location is a bit hard to find as it isn’t visible from Windward. You’ll have to drive back behind the CVS drugstore to find them. It really is a bad spot for a restaurant, similar to Maryland’s Crab House. Nevertheless, Pig-N-Chik has managed to survive here a few years.

Something else to note about this area… The east end of Windward is mostly office parks. The dozen or so restaurants that exist here do the vast majority of their business to cubicle dwellers like myself. Many places are closed at nights and weekends. Those that do stay open don’t do a lot of business. Pig-N-Chik stays open, but I would caution against going here at off-peak times. Barbecue is best enjoyed when the restaurant is serving a lot of it. If you’re serious about trying Pig-N-Chik, I suggest going during the week for lunch.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

This Sunday is the annual homemade ice cream event in Roswell. First let’s get the details out of the way…

What: 6th Annual Miss Mary’s Ice Cream Crankin’. A fundraiser to benefit The Drake House.

Where: The Roswell Square

When: Sunday August 29 from 2:00 to 4:00

Cost: $5 per person, $15 per family

I don’t normally post events and stuff to-do on my blog. But I really like this unique festival. Here’s a list of reasons why you need to go to this on Sunday…

The Ice Cream - The traditional ice cream shop is disappearing around here, replaced with trendy frozen yogurt. Yuck! And forget about finding homemade stuff. This event is just about your only chance to try real-deal, authentic homemade ice cream. You can sample a bunch of varieties too. You’ll find some truly outstanding ice cream here.

Only Five Bucks! – This is a terrific value. Getting a single scoop of premium stuff will cost you about this much. For the same price you can eat enough to give yourself a tummy ache.

Get There Early - My suggestion is to arrive early, before it starts. 1:45 would be a good idea. Get parked and purchase your ticket early. Based on my experience, the ice cream runs out quickly. In about an hour the good stuff is gone. Anything left after that is mostly melted.

The Drake House - I knew some folks involved with the early creation of the Drake House several years ago. They offer transitional housing for families in need in North Fulton. When I first learned of the Drake House, I doubted the need for such a facility in this affluent area. Boy was I wrong. They provide a much needed service, especially in this economy. This ice cream event is their main fund raising event. Your five bucks is going to a great cause. I’d consider giving more.

My wife and I have make ice cream for this event in the past and our church has a tent there every year. It is an awesome event, in a cool location and for a good cause.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

I’m always on the prowl for new barbecue. You’ve gotta look beyond the stripmall to find the hidden gem. Case in point is this article I wrote about a church BBQ fundraiser a few months back. It is also how I discovered Q at this joint on McFarland, a place I didn’t plan to review this summer.

So I’m driving down McFarland one day and notice blue smoke billowing from smoker attached to a pickup truck. Next I see the signs. Dottie’s Delight? Barbecue? I was scratching my head. I tried this place once, years ago, for breakfast. I wasn’t impressed. It was basically a lunch counter for construction guys with marginal breakfast options. It was also next to a sketchy looking “massage parlor”. I didn’t go back… until yesterday.

It seems they are in the midst of a transformation, from Dottie’s to something called Bad Wolf BBQ and Pancake House. The to-go menu I swiped says the grand re-opening is in September sometime. But in the meantime, Q has already taken over the lunch menu. I found pulled pork, brisket, ribs and chicken. Humm, sounds like a KCBS barbecue contest. I settled in on a quarter rack of ribs and pulled pork combo. Went with stew as a side item, available at an up-charge (boo).

The pulled pork looked great. The size of the strands of meat was about right, not too thick and a perfect size for a sandwich. It had an impressive smoke ring and a tiny bit of bark. It was moist and somewhat smokey but not overpowering. It could have been more tender but still decent. It worked great with the slices of white bread.

The ribs are baby backs. I was told that my rack just came out of the smoker. They come without sauce but with just a dusting of extra dry rub. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were dry rub ribs, just had a few shakes for extra flavor. Nevertheless I thought they were very good. They were the perfect in tenderness. Fall off the bone is too tender by my book. These were soft yet had enough body to cling to the ribs ever so slightly. They were smokey and delicious. Just be warned, if you want a glaze or caramelized crust on your ribs you won’t find it here.

They have four sauces on the table. That’s way too much in my opinion. As I remember they had a mustard style, western North Carolina style and two Kansas City sauces. I thought the pulled pork went well with the KC style sauce, especially on the bread. The ribs didn’t need any at all.

The Brunswick Stew is very thick with limas and potatoes I think. There are some pretty large hunks of meat in it, but had a tartness that I didn’t care for a lot. The Q easily outshines the stew here.

On my way out I chatted with the pitmaster on his way to the smoker. He’s just a good old boy from South Carolina cooking what he loves. He seemed genuinely interested in what I thought if his barbecue. We talked some about his smoker and fuel (hickory and oak logs). It was just refreshing to eat Q from and honest to goodness pit smoker and not a Southern Pride electric oven.

Dottie’s/Bad Wolf surprised me. Don’t expect anything fancy here. It still has that lunch counter feel with NASCAR pictures on the wall. Do expect barbecue using traditional cooking methods. You just don’t see this stuff anymore in the affluent burbs.

Dottie’s Delight is located at 765 McFarland Parkway near the intersection of Union Hill Road. It is across the street from BB’s Bagels.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

I’m constantly trolling the interwebs and roads of Alpharetta looking for changes to our restaurant scene. From time to time as warranted I’ll post an update here on my blog. Here’s what I’ve found recently. If you know of any other new or recently closed restaurants, leave a comment or e-mail me at lee@rootsinalpharetta.com . I also love to review new restaurants. If you’re the owner or manager of a new joint and would like to be reviewed on my blog, drop me a note.

Logan Farms – Alpharetta – Closed

This was a hidden little restaurant on Windward that offered cajun food and a lot of other random stuff. I kinda liked these guys but others didn’t apparently. They are going out of business and have been running a clearance sale on all their frozen food stuffs.

Claw Daddy – Cumming

They opened up in the old Bad Bob’s BBQ space on Highway 9 near Bethelview/141. The menu is mostly fried seafood and cajun items like gumbo. They also have breakfast. I went one day this week for lunch and wasn’t impressed. Let’s just say they have a lot of new restaurant jitters to work through. To be fair I won’t ding them any more than that.

Rio Neuvo – Alpharetta

They are building out a space on North Point formally occupied by Famous Dave’s BBQ, formally occupied by Houlihans (seeing a trend here?). I don’t know anything about these guys. Not sure if it will be another ubiquitous Mexican joint (Speedy Gonzalez type menu) or something more fancy like Pure Taqueria. We’ll see once they open.

Tilted Kilt – Roswell

They’ve got a location in Johns Creek and a few other spots in metro Atlanta. Looks like they are building out in the old Lobster Trap location on Holcomb Bridge Road. If you like chain Irish pub food and the bare exposed midriff sections of attractive ladies, then this place might be for you.

Venus Cuisine – Johns Creek

They opened in the space formally occupied by Hachi Hachi Japanese on Johns Bridge. I don’t know much about them except they they offer Mediterranean food.

Joe’s Crab Shack – Alpharetta – Closed

I have nothing to say here!

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

I have a strong aversion to franchise barbecue. It is a prejudice I’ve created in my mind based on years of bad experiences. Right out of the gate a franchise Q joint has a high hurdle to overcome to please me. It took a few visits for me to come to this conclusion, but I think Jim ‘N Nicks is probably the best franchise barbecue in the northern burbs. Note that I said the best franchise joint. They keep some sorry company in this category.

Jim ‘N Nicks is has an outparcel location at The Avenue Forsyth. I’ve made fun of cheesy barbecue restaurant decor in my past reviews. Jim ‘N Nicks won’t be spared from my ridicule here. They’ve got their fair share of folksy pictures and other fake knick knacks all over the place. I started to doubt the cords of wood outside the restaurant. Are they for show as well?

Thankfully the answer is no. The barbecue here has a solid core of hickory smoke flavor. I tend to like heavy smoke in my pork. If you’re put off by that, Jim ‘N Nicks might not be for you. Their menu has pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chicken and probably some other Q I’m forgetting. The pulled pork is not really my favorite. It is often over-tender to the point of being mushy. They would do a lot better to cook it less. Otherwise it is beautiful with a nice smoke ring. They sauce it in the kitchen, which I don’t care for.

The baby back ribs are probably my favorite here. Again they have a solid smokey flavor with a decent rub and sauce that’s caramelized on the meat. It is flavorful, tender with texture. My only complaint here one of presentation. On my last two visits the ribs were up-side-down on the plate when they come out. I mean the membrane/convex side is up. It looks rather sorry given how tasty they are. Flip them over guys!

The non-barbecue side of the menu is very good at Jim ‘N Nicks. Many folks rave about the little biscuits they bring before the meal. I’m not a huge fan but they are decent. The chicken fingers are amazingly good, hand battered and worthy of trying as an entree. The fried cat fish is also delicious. Most of the side items are made from scratch. Brunswick stew is available as a side… at an upcharge. Boo!

All in all, Jim ‘N Nicks is decent stuff. The prices are expensive, on par with the boutique barbecue joints down in Alpharetta. I don’t think the quality of their food justifies the price though. Others must disagree with me because this place is always packed. It is worthy of a splurge from time to time though!

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

There is a certain type of restaurant that attracts the country club ladies. These are the older gals with a lot of disposable income that can drop a 20 spot on lunch everyday. I don’t know what these ladies do, maybe meet their scrapbooking friends or something. I like to poke fun at these gals but I’ll say this; they have exceptional taste in restaurants. Pay attention to where they eat, it is bound to be good. I find them at places like Never Enough Thyme and other higher end sandwich joints. I wasn’t surprised to see them here at 52 Bistro either.

52 Bistro opened recently in the old Slice Cafe spot in downtown Alpharetta. Their address, as you might guess, is 52 Main Street yet they can be hard to spot from the road. I find it best to approach the restaurant from Church Street, a small side street off Main. The owners of 52 Bistro also run the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub in Crabapple.

Awwe, isn’t their building adorable? It is a small little house nestled among trees. In front is a koi fish pond. They are not on the menu. The first floor is a little cramped with a small bar, hostess table, kitchen, dessert display and a few tables. Upstairs, where we sat, looks like a sanctuary of an old church. You’re under the high loft ceiling with two stained glass windows to add color. Off the upstairs is the treetop veranda. I don’t suggest this in the summertime but it is beautiful up there. All in all, this little house turned restaurant is cute, fresh, inviting… and probably several other words that realtors might use.

Let’s get to the food. We started with the seafood risotto fritter appetizers. These were like little baseballs of deep fried seafood goodness. They were cooked perfect, golden brown and delicious. On first impression I thought these would be better with more spice. Then the chili glaze taste started to hit me. Yum.

I ordered a Cuban sandwich, which I tried at Taste of Alpharetta a few months back. They use real roast pork (not deli pork meat), long strips of pickle and bread with the right crunch to it. I don’t want to get in trouble with Cuban foodie purists, so read this next part carefully. Is it an authentic Cuban sandwich? No. Is it the closest you’re going to get to authentic in Alpharetta? Probably. Is it delicious? Definitely!

The rest of the menu contains stuff like flatbreads, sandwiches, a little bit of seafood and lamb. It isn’t a deep menu, but there is enough there to keep me interested for a few more trips.

52 Bistro is a winner. I like the neat little house turned restaurant, friendly and attentive staff, and terrific food. Cubicle dwelling IT folks like yours truly might feel a little out of place among the snooty ladies. It’s totally worth it though.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

Let’s get the positives out of the way first. One Star Ranch is the most authentic-looking barbecue restaurant in Alpharetta. I like to ding Q joints on fake decor that comes across as cheesy. One Star has its share of bling on the walls. Old license plates, rattle snake skins, etc. If you pulled it all off the walls and hung it up in a strip mall space it would look contrived. But given One Star’s dive joint location, I find it completely believable. Maybe that’s a double standard I have. I just really enjoy the look and feel of this restaurant. I also like that they have live blues music from time to time.

But, (and this is a big BUT), the quality of the barbecue here is seriously lacking. I used to kinda like this place years ago, before the barbecue scene in town got competitive. Or put another way, I liked them before Smokejack and ‘Cue considerably raised the bar. I last visited One Star about three years ago. The ribs at that time were fatty and tough. I vowed never to return. I felt they needed another shot before writing a serious review.

On my last visit I stuck with chopped pork with a few sides. The pork comes out a course, thick chop with an average amount of outside meat. They will sauce it in the kitchen so I asked for it on the side. Their sauce, served warm, is a heavy ketchup base that I don’t really care for. The Q itself was a little on the chewy side and lacked flavor. The outside meat has promise, but several bites tasted of soot from the smoker. I struggled to eat half of it. Very disappointing.

For sides I picked stew and jalapeno corn bread. I’ve enjoyed the bread in the past, which has a little kick. On this night it was dry and tasted like it had been reheated. The stew wasn’t bad, the only part of my meal I enjoyed. I’ve heard folks rave about the tub of onion rings. I’ve never had them, might be worth a try.

Maybe judging these guys on pork alone isn’t fair. But to this barbecue fan (with North Carolina roots and Memphis taste buds), One Star doesn’t do it for me. If you’re from Texas and want a feel for a Q joint in that genre, One Star might work. The rest of the menu, with brisket, sausage and beef ribs, round out the Texas feel. I’d come back for a beer and some blues music, but skip the barbecue.

Wanna chew the fat on local barbecue? Leave a comment, email me at lee@rootsinalpharetta.com or catch me on twitter at http://twitter.com/rootsalpharetta.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

If you’re looking for my every Friday article on food and dining… it isn’t here! I’m fortunate to have been offered a guest post on the blog Atlanta with Kid. My article is about eating out with your toddler in Alpharetta. Please swing on over and check it out. Amy’s blog has some terrific ideas for things to do with your kids, many of which are free. Also check out her other blog, The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

I vividly remember my first visit to ‘Cue about a year ago. This random barbecue joint opens up shop with no fanfare in a space that had proven to be unlucky to restaurants. It didn’t take me long to figure out that they were a boutique barbecue shop. But slowly I started to notice some familiar things. The racks of fresh bread, hand-cut fries, course chopped Q, delicious stew. It all reminded me of something. Then I started seeing faces that looked familiar including the owner of the joint. It all came together for me then… this is Swallow at the Hollow!

I went home and googled like mad, thinking this must surely be the second location of my favorite Roswell Q joint. Not so much. Turns out that Swallow’s former chef, Paul Doster, went out on his own. Thankfully he brought the best of what I remember from his days in Roswell. If you’re familiar with Swallow at the Hollow then you’ll know what to expect at ‘Cue. The barbecue is very similar. Many of the side items are as well. The Brunswick stew is a tad different but very similar. Everything is made from scratch, even the pickles.

But let’s talk about the barbecue… They cook shoulders and serve as a course chop. There is always a good mix of outside meat with the inside stuff. Noticeable smoke ring? Yep. Tender and moist? Check. Decent sauce that doesn’t overpower? Stick to the vinegar and pepper stuff and you’ll be alright.

I’ve had the ribs a few times but find them to be inconsistent. When they are on, look out! Very good stuff, tender yet with some body (fall-off-the-bone is over tender in my book). But I’ve had racks here that are fatty and unappetizing.

Don’t like ribs or pork barbecue? Shame on you! ‘Cue also has brisket, chicken, and sausage in addition to off-the-wall stuff like barbecue pizza and nachos.

I mentioned that the sides are all homemade. It is tough to go wrong with anything. I enjoy dipping the bread into stew. I’d also suggest trying their seasonal veggie of the day. Almost always a winner.

Can you tell I’m a fan of this place? Of all the Q joints I will review this summer, ‘Cue is by far my favorite. Nevertheless I think they have some things to improve upon. Those would be…

- Often I find the outside brown portion of my chopped pork to be overdone. It can sometimes be the consistency of very crisp bacon. It should be chewy but not crunch. They also don’t apply a rub to their pork (if they do, it isn’t much). In my opinion they are losing the chance to add a big flavor profile to their barbecue.

- Their restaurant is small. There’s no other way to put it. ‘Cue is very popular right now and is literally bursting at the seams. This tiny strip mall can’t handle it. Parking and finding a seat are tough. They’ve gotta get out of this piece of real estate pronto.

- Decor. To be fair, I can’t knock places like Dickey’s on fake Q joint decor and not do the same for ‘Cue. It is a little hokey.

So there you have it. ‘Cue is a winner. Disagree with me? I’m always up for a barbecue debate. Leave me a comment or shoot me an email at lee@rootsinalpharetta.com

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

Thankfully I don’t have any closed restaurants to report.

Mambo Jambo – Windward

Ask and you shall receive. Months ago I wrote about our lack of good Cuban food. That’s all changing. This will be the second Latin/Cuban restaurant to open since then. Mambo Jambo is building out in the space formally occupied by Mad Italian behind Sushi Nami. I haven’t been able to learn much about these guys. They have a restaurant in south Florida that seems to be a higher end joint. Perhaps they are going for the expense account patrons from the Windward office parks. I’m also confused with the name, considering that “Mambo’s Cafe” is not far away and would be a direct competitor. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to these guys.

Scoops – Crabapple

When I was a kid we had this stuff called “ice cream”. It was kinda like the frozen yogurt you kids get to eat today. Ok, everyone knows ice cream. I’m just a little bummed that quality ice cream parlors are closing in favor of the frozen yogurt franchise concept de jour. So I’m excited to see this joint open in Crabapple. I haven’t been yet, but it seems to be a classic parlor with the addition of chocolate truffles and cupcakes and such. The reviews I’ve read thus far have been mixed.

Yate’s Sports Pub – Johns Creek

They are opening in the space formally occupied by American Ale House on Jones Bridge and Old Alabama. I don’t know much about them otherwise.

Tilted Kilt – Perimeter

It’s like an Irish Hooters. Girls with big, um, personalities… serving Guinness and shepard’s pie. I’ve never been to their original Johns Creek location. But our fellow cubicle dwellers to the south will enjoy their new location at the perimeter.