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Smokejack BBQ – Alpharetta

June 4, 2010 in Foodie Friday, Reviews with 0 Comments

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.

You’ve heard me use the term boutique barbecue, right? Well Smokejack was the restaurant that took my boutique barbecue virginity. It was a bit of an, um, uncomfortable experience at first. Up until that point, my ideal Q experience consisted of roadside shacks or decades-old family-run joints in dingy old buildings. Smokejack is none of these really, well except for the old building.

And it is that building and what they’ve done with it that impresses me the most about Smokejack. They are in the heart of downtown Alpharetta in a terrific old building. It is beautifully restored with brickwork and exposed beams. I think it’s rustic yet refined but not in a way that makes it feel fake or contrived. What they have accomplished with the look and feel of this restaurant is what I hope the future of dining in downtown Alpharetta looks like. During the day the atmosphere is that of the power lunch with downtown businessmen in suits entertaining clients. Happy hour is hopping at their inviting bar. Yet even with that, they offer perhaps one of the best kids eat free deals on Monday and Tuesday nights.

But let’s talk about barbecue. It is amazing how far away I’ve been and smelled their smokers. I’ve caught whiffs of the amazing hickory smoke from across downtown Alpharetta. It will put you in the mood, that’s for sure. Their pork comes pulled, which I kinda like. It is always tender and fairly lean. The outside meat, some call it bark, is very delicious. Tons of flavor in these little morsels of pork goodness. They seem to baste the meat in the kitchen before hitting the table. I’m not talking sauce at this point either. It is something I just don’t care for a lot, and tends to cover up what I believe is very good meat underneath.

They serve only a mustard-based sauce. The fact that they offer only one sauce doesn’t bother me really. I hate it when a Q joint dishes up half a dozen sauces. Makes me think they are trying to be all things to all tastes. Pick a sauce you think complements the meat and go with it. Smokejack does just that. Nevertheless I’m not crazy about the mustard sauce here. It is nothing like the South Carolina mustard I’ve experienced. It has more vinegar and tang than I’m accustomed to out of the Palmetto state. I suggest ordering it on the side and using it in very small quantities (like drops of it).

I’ve yet to find any side items at Smokejack that wow me. They are all made from scratch, except maybe the french fries. Really wish they would consider making hand-cut, skin-on fries. I also think the Brunswick stew should be listed as a side item and not all by its lonesome on the soup list. This is Georgia, and stew is a side!

I’ve tried some of the other menu items on the barbecue side of the menu including ribs and burnt ends. I’m by no means an expert on brisket so I won’t pass judgment here. But it is worth mentioning that they have burnt ends on the menu, something that Texas aficionados should take notice of.

All in all, Smokejack is a cool joint.The restaurant is beautiful and the service prompt and friendly. If you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to try it once. I tend to like their Q but find their sauce and heavy basting a little disagreeable. That’s probably more of a personal preference on my part though.

Emory Johns Creek Hospital

May 31, 2010 in Reviews with 0 Comments

“Oooh fuuudge.”

Only I didn’t say “fudge.” Yeah, I said it as the pain shot through me. It hurt. But more than the pain, it just didn’t look right. It was also Sunday, which meant I was bound for the emergency room. Which hospital did I choose? Emory Johns Creek. What happened? You’ll have to keep reading.

It has that medical school mystique right there in the name. “Emory”. I don’t know if it is true, but a hospital with a top university in the name seems to hold so much more credibility. I have nothing whatsoever to back that up, but it sounds good. It is kinda like sending your kid off to college. Do you want to tell the golf buddies that you sent junior to Emory University or North Paducah College? Same for medical stuff. “Yeah, I got my ingrown toenail removed at… Emory.” Oh la la!

But that’s not why I went there. Of course not.

My first experience at Emory Johns Creek was three years ago. My wife was pregnant with our second baby. Our first was born at Northside (what I call the baby factory). Emory had just opened and was in-network for our insurance. Not only was it closer to home, but they also sported a level 3 NICU. I don’t exactly know what that means, but 3 is better than 1 and 2. And, God forbid, if something were to happen to little Bubba, I’d want a level 3 NICU. Thankfully we didn’t need it.

So the decision on where to have the baby was a no brainer, Emory! Our son was among the first born in the new hospital. The staff were just terrific. They were much more personable and friendly than what we found at Northside. I blame some of that on them just not being as busy. Northside delivers a gajillion babies every minute. It is easy to get lost in their shuffle. But the employees at Emory all seem to love what they are doing, from the MD’s down to the cafeteria workers.

So fast forward to a few months ago. Into the Emory ER I go with… a stubbed toe. I felt like an idiot but the thing was pointed sideways. I hobbled into the ER and signed in. My first impression was… this place still has that new hospital smell! Even after three years! It was beautiful inside. There was almost no wait before I was back to see the doctor. The ER doctor was funny, giving me crap for breaking my “wee wee wee all the way home toe.” I told him that if this medical thing he has doesn’t work out he could try standup.

I survived the broken toe, barely. Thought about playing it up, like a man cold, but I held off. I’ll get back to you on surviving baby number two. He’s a handful.

Emory Johns Creek is a winner. Nice hospital, not crowded at all, with super friendly staff. It is my first choice for most hospital needs. I say most because I’d take my kids straight to Children’s Healthcare at Scottish Rite of course. A good rule of thumb to follow… If they are still in the womb or on the verge of coming out… Emory. Once they are a tax deduction, CHOA.

I don’t always get sick, but when I do, I choose Emory Johns Creek. Stay healthy my friends.

River Tavern – Milton

May 6, 2010 in Foodie Friday, Reviews with 2 Comments

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

This is the forth restaurant to occupy this space in a two year stretch. If you’re keeping score at home, that’ll be Forster’s Grill, O’Keefe’s Gastropub, Mike’s 57 Grille and now River Tavern. I’m going out on a limb here, but I think the Tavern probably has what it takes to last. I’ve been impressed on my two visits.

River Tavern has been open for just eight days now. I guess you could call it a soft opening. They still don’t have a liquor license, so the “tavern” part is a work in progress. If you’re familiar with this space from one of the previous restaurants, you’ll see that they’ve made a few changes. The bar has moved and the restaurant is more open. The floor plan is simple but not very comfortable. I’m not sure if they are going for a minimalist type of decor or if a more inviting space is in the works.

The menu is like that of a gastropub. On the appetizer list you’ll find stuff like shrimp and grits, fried mac and cheese and even beef carpaccio. Their list of sandwiches includes a monte cristo and a shortrib sandwich. Entrees vary from meatloaf to trout and even a few steaks.

On my first visit I picked the grilled meatloaf. They use a combination of beef, pork and veal and lightly grill prior to serving. The portion size was generous when combined with the mashed potatoes and seasonal veggie. I wasn’t real hungry on this day but still managed to make it disappear. Very delicious stuff.

I’ve also tried a roast beef panini they offered as a lunch special. The beef was cut thick yet still tender and juicy. The mayo was advertised as having horseradish but didn’t taste of it. Overall it was a decent sandwich and was a better value for lunch.

The prices are a little steep and will probably keep me from visiting too frequently. They make up for that with an inventive menu from a talented young chef. This guy clearly knows what he’s doing. He also looks kinda like Kevin Gillespie.

I’m impressed with what I’ve seen at the River Tavern. As I said at the start, I think they’ve got what it takes to be successful. It will be interesting to see where they take this concept. Best of luck, guys!

River Tavern is on the corner of Highway 9 and Bethany Bend near Starbucks.

Alpharetta Florist Reviews – Part 2

May 4, 2010 in Reviews with 1 Comment

This is the final post of a two part review of florists in Alpharetta. If you haven’t already, please follow this link and read my first post.

A little more than a week ago I bought my wife seven arrangements of red roses as an anniversary gift. All seven came from different stores, two from full-service florists, some from grocery stores, big box retailers and Costco.

For the last week I’ve watched each arrangement and observed the roses themselves. The results have been surprising. Here’s what I found, starting with the full-service florists.

Florist at Windward

By far the best arrangement of the group. The blooms were not the largest but they held up the best. Nine days after purchase, they are still in the vase and looking decent.

This is the second time I’ve purchased flowers from these guys. Both times I’ve received above average service. The folks here are from somewhere in eastern Europe and speak with an accent that can be hard to understand. But they always help me out to the car with my flowers. You’ll also get a very sturdy car carrier for the roses. You could drive home like Bo and Luke Duke and that vase wouldn’t turn over.

Alpharetta Flower Market

This is the current name of the florist on Main Street in the heart of downtown Alpharetta. On first impression, these roses were the best. The blooms were the largest of the seven arrangements I purchased. Even the baby’s breath buds were big. Going on initial wow factor, these guys win. However, these roses started drooping after just a few days. At the end of a week, the entire dozen held their heads down in shame.

Costco

The biggest surprise of them all. Dollar for dollar, they were the cheapest. Seventeen bucks scored two dozen of these guys, cheaper than even Walmart. On top of that, they were large blooms. The stems came trimmed of thorns and were easy to arrange. They also lasted well into the second week. I’ve purchased flowers at Costco before and they never performed as well. Maybe we got lucky on this purchase. If you don’t mind arranging the roses in your own vase, this is the way to go.

Publix – Downtown Alpharetta

They have the nicest in-store flower shop of any grocery store. The arrangement I bought looked pretty good, with the best greenery of any of the store bought flowers. They were also the most expensive of the store bought. How did they perform? The roses never opened beyond their buds and drooped quickly. I was very disappointed overall.

Walmart and Target

Fair at best. Small roses with little to no greenery. They both lasted a little longer than Publix but not an entire week. Target’s roses lasted a bit longer. I don’t suggest either store.

Kroger

They sell 15 roses for about the price of a dozen. That’s a plus I guess. But these were the only flowers to actually lose petals during my experiment. All in all, a disappointment.

Final Thoughts

My wife seems to enjoy taking flowers and arranging them in her own vase. She doesn’t place a lot of value in the presentation of flowers from a florist. So going on that alone, Costco is the way to go. Flowers from a florist will cost you eight times more per stem. Not worth it in the long run.

However, if you can catch flowers in season, florists are the way to go. I’ve purchases roses from florists that are bigger than baseballs. That’s never going to happen at a store. I would love to see a florist adopt a social media strategy to alert customers when they receive a shipment of super premium blooms. Something similar to my social media advice to restaurants would probably work here. Take note, florists!

As much as I’d like to see the traditional florist stick around, stores like Costco are going to make that tough. They are likely to become my go-to spot for spur-of-the-moment flower purchases. Were I to pick a traditional florist in Alpharetta, the Florist on Windward would be my first choice.

Alpharetta Florist Reviews – Part 1

April 28, 2010 in Reviews with 0 Comments

This is the first post of a two part review of florists in Alpharetta.

You could blame the big box retailers I suppose. The independent florist in America is dying and that is a shame. I’m usually not one to go blaming Walmart for the troubles of the small businessman. I like Walmart… a lot. In the case of florists, I don’t think it is Walmart they have to blame.

In my view, florists today have two worries. The first is the drop shipment suppliers. These are the internet and phone flower sellers that basically Fedex a box of flowers to your “lucky” recipient. I’m not discussing these guys. You’re a schmuck if you even consider buying from these clowns.

Second, I think florists need to worry about grocery stores. While Walmart and Target do indeed sell flowers on the cheap, they are currently not clearing floor space for dedicated flower departments. There are some halfway decent flowers to be bought in grocery stores like Publix and Kroger. As a result of all this, Alpharetta has a paltry number of full service florists.

So that’s where my little exercise comes in. Can the flowers purchased at grocery stores and big box retailers stack up to a real-deal florist? Last weekend was my wedding anniversary. I thought this was the perfect time for such a comparison. Over the course of two days I bought seven arrangements of red roses and presented them to my beautiful bride. Two of them were obviously from florists while the others were store bought. I didn’t tell her anything else about them. I randomly numbered the arrangements so I could keep track.

We’re a few days into my little exercise so I don’t want to give final results. I’ll wait and see which flowers have longevity before posting my final review. So far the roses are holding up pretty well. I’m seeing some drooping from one of the expensive florists, which is disappointing.

This chart shows where I purchased the flowers and the after tax cost. Some arrangements had more than a dozen so I noted the quantity.

Flowers Purchased

Florist / Store	Cost	Number of Flowers
Publix - Downtown Alpharetta	$16.04	12
Alpharetta Flower Market - Downtown Alpharetta	$69.55	12
Costco - Windward	$17.11	24
Kroger - Windward	$13.90	15
Target - Hwy 9 Milton	$10.69	12
Walmart - Windward	$10.70	12
Windward Florist	$69.55	12

The Value of the Florist

It is all about the presentation. The two arrangements from florists I purchased both came in heavy vases with red ribbons tied to them. The roses themselves were slightly larger than store bought and the stems were longer and thicker. The extra greenery was nice with white contrast from baby’s breath. While some store bought flowers will contain extra greenery, it usually isn’t much. Store bought flowers come in these cheap plastic bags and look terrible.

I appreciate the service I get out of a real florist. In my next post I’ll get into some of the extras I received at Alpharetta’s florists. If you are a regular buyer of flowers, it pays to get to know your florist. Each flower has a season. Knowing when that is and getting hints from your florist will result in bigger and more beautiful flowers that last longer. Is it worth paying four or five times the cost? Stay tuned and I’ll let you know what I think.

The Joneses – My Review

April 26, 2010 in Affluence, Reviews, The Joneses with 2 Comments

I finally got to see Alpharetta’s new movie, The Joneses. Being somewhat rootless, it is hard for the wife and me to find a sitter and get away for a movie without the kids. But alas we did yesterday. All in all, I was disappointed in the flick. Here’s what I thought…

Showings

As of a week after the release, there is only one theater in all of Alpharetta and Cumming that is showing the movie. I was shocked. The UA/Regal North Point is it. That should have been a sign.

Alpharetta Sightings

If you’re going just for sights of our little suburb, you’ll be disappointed. I think most of the twenty or so people in our showing were there for that reason. Every single person stayed for the closing credits. How often does that happen? There are not many Alpharetta sights to see. Never do you see them cruising down North Point or Windward. For a complete list of Alpharetta area filming locations, see this post.

Review of the Movie

So how did I like the movie? In a word, I thought it sucked. With such a broad topic (consumerism in the burbs), they could have gone in many directions. They seemed focused on this fake family and not so much on the neighbors and their attempts to keep up. The plot developed slowly until the point where their imaginary world started to unravel. At that point the writers tried to touch on way too many topics in a short time, such as teen drinking, infidelity, consumer debt, foreclosures, closeted homosexuality, etc. I’m not a film critic by any means but it all left a lot to be desired. The writing sucked and wasn’t funny or dramatic. The camera work was marginal and inexperienced.

I suppose I expected a lot more. It was more about the fake family living together and the awkward situations that created. There was some romantic tension between David Duchovny and Demi Moore who were essentially co-workers, yet living together as husband and wife. That part of the movie was alright. But if you’re looking for a well-written and dramatic commentary on runaway consumerism, you won’t find it with this movie.

Save your money and skip this movie. I predict it’ll be on cable television shortly… just without the Amber Heard topless scene (yes, she gets neekid in this one).

Reviewing the Review Websites

April 9, 2010 in Foodie Friday, Reviews with 1 Comment

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

I’ve come to rely on a few online restaurant review websites. As web 2.0 and social media continue to grow, the influence of the online review portals multiplies. Here is my take on those that have the biggest footprint in the Alpharetta area. Each of these places have their own uniqueness so try several and see what you like best.

urbanspoon.com

Growing very fast. As someone who writes reviews, I don’t care for them much. On the site you give a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Such a binary opinion isn’t very granular. But what I’ve found is that after a restaurant gets dozens or hundreds of these binary reviews, urbanspoon tends to get it right. The truly outstanding joints percolate to the top.

Urbanspoon is very good at integrating external blog content into their site. There are not a great deal of food bloggers in the northern burbs, something I hinted at recently. But nevertheless, they can direct you to cool content elsewhere. I’ve also found that they are more likely to be the first site to have reviews of brand new restaurants.

yelp.com

By far my favorite. Yelp mixes social media with online reviews. I’d say the functionality leans more towards the reviews and less towards social media. But you can have friends and vote on your favorite reviews. Yelp tends to be bigger in the cities where they have a paid community manager on the ground (of which Atlanta is one of them). The average yelp users also tends to be younger, a Gen-Y type person.

Yelp’s presence in Alpharetta was pretty thin a few years ago. Today they are much larger. I find the reviews to be well written and funny. If you’re reading reviews of a restaurant, I suggest sorting by the “useful” tag and go from there.

Citysearch

Losing ground in my opinion. For a long time they were just about the only game in town for Alpharetta reviews. That all has changed. They still have a lot of local reviews but I find that they are not as deep and well written as yelp. Still worth looking at.

Others

I don’t know of any other sites that have a large presence here. Higher end review sites like Zagat and Gayot simply lack depth in Alpharetta. Yahoo and Google are a decent alternative, and of course they integrate well with other features on those sites. Google probably wins on the sheer number of reviews, but I find them to be almost complete devoid of detail. You’ll find reviews like “I like this restaurant. They kick ass.”

Things to look out for… Watch out for shill reviews from business owners or their acquaintances. In general you want to trust reviews from people who have reviewed a LOT of other local restaurants. If a reviewer isn’t active on the website, I wouldn’t rely on them much. Yelp does a great job here. They will simply hide reviews like this. This practice is getting them into some hot water, but it keeps the integrity of the review process in check. I appreciate that and I think general users of the site do too. Other websites are not as proactive so it is up to you to filter these shill reviews on your own.

Most of these sites have feature-rich apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Yelp and Urbanspoon have some very cool mobile apps, with neat location-aware technology.

Blogs in Alpharetta

March 27, 2010 in Reviews, Suburban Life with 2 Comments

One of the reasons I started blogging was because of the lack of decent blog content in Alpharetta. I suppose all the relos here are too busy to write about their rootless lives. But nevertheless, there are a few terrific blogs in this area. Here are the ones I like. I’ll also add them to my newly created blogroll.

Live in Alpharetta – Bob Strader

Hands down the best blog in Alpharetta. Yeah, Bob is a realtor. You might expect his blog entries to look like… “I just listed this fabulous four bedroom house with wall-to-wall carpet and central air conditioning…” Unlike a lot of professionals who have a blog, his isn’t a shameless shill for his business. You can tell he puts time and effort into coming up with useful and timely content. Yeah some of it is about real estate in general, but in this market I appreciate his perspective.

Every marketing book out these days will tell you to create a blog about your business. This blog is a case study on how to do that the right way. Kudos Bob.

Northside Food

One of the better food blogs that is specific to this area. She reviews a lot of restaurants, especially in the Roswell area. I really should eat out down that way more often. She’s also got some great content on local farmer’s markets and stuff like that.

Atlanta With Kid Travel Blog

The mom behind this blog is Amy. She occupies the fabric covered box adjacent to mine in cubicle land. She also encouraged me to start my blog, so I’m grateful. Her blog has some great ideas for things to do with the kids here in the northern burbs. She’s got some terrific suggestions, many of which are free or inexpensive.

Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

Okay, this isn’t exactly a blog about Alpharetta. But the author of this blog lives here and attends North Point Community Church. Reading his blog gives me a lot of insight into life in an evangelical mega church. Jon is a funny and gifted writer. His stuff about metrosexual worship leaders cracks me up.

Live Apartment Fire – Doug Richards

I don’t think my wife likes watching the evening news with me. Why? Because I’m always making fun of how poorly produced and ridiculously stupid local news reporting can be. Thankfully I’m not alone in my scorn. Doug Richards is a 20 year veteran of Atlanta television reporting. His blog pokes fun at this business, from the inside! Very funny stuff.

View from the Cop – Steve Rose

Okay, this is part of the AJC. Can you really call it a blog? I suppose so. Steve Rose works for the Sandy Springs police department. I never get tired of reading about stupid criminals, especially when they are in my neck of the woods.

Big Creek Greenway – Forsyth

March 15, 2010 in Reviews, Suburban Life with 1 Comment

I lead what some would call a “sedentary lifestyle”. My days usually involve sitting in a fabric covered box looking at a computer, followed by unwinding on the couch watching the tube. But you might be surprised that I’ve actually explored both greenways. Yes indeed it is true. I’ve walked literally hundreds of feet on the greenway before turning back to the parking lot. So I’m sure that qualifies me to write about it, right?

Or maybe not. Please take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

Forsyth County now has a greenway! It is a lot like Alpharetta’s version. It follows the same creek. It is about the same width. There are lots of trees and nature and stuff. A mere trace of rain will make it flood. There are mosquitoes. And both make me huff and puff. I need more of this (the huffing and puffing part).

Here are some differences I noted between the two. The Forsyth side seems to have more raised wood deck surfaces that Alpharetta. It seems that the creek is more spread out here and not confined so much to its banks. That isn’t a huge deal unless you are in roller blades. We went with our neighbors a few weeks ago and they seemed to struggle a bit with this.

Forsyth’s greenway also has more road crossings. By this I mean the greenway doesn’t follow the creek under road bridges, you have to cross the street yourself. Alpharett’a trail does this at Kimball Bridge road but no where else as far as I know. Might want to keep this in mind if you have young kids.

Forsyth’s trail is still in its early phases and will be longer than Alpharetta’s upon completion. The next phase is still in the planning stages and may not follow the creek. The trail will probably head north towards Sawnee Mountain, which would create a bit of a climb. That’s something not seen elsewhere on the trails.

Alpharetta seems to have better facilities at the trailheads. I’ve yet to see decent parking lots or bathrooms on the Forsyth side. Hopefully that is in the works.

Will the trails ever connect? Everyone says they eventually will. I think the tough part is on Alpharetta’s side. They have longer to go to reach the county line. They would also have to cross a portion of Windward’s golf course (or go around it). I’m not sure how that would work.

www.bigcreekgreenway.com is a cool website/blog with information on both segments of the trail. It’s one stop shopping for maps and such without having to bounce between Alpharetta and Forsyth’s websites.

Cheeky Taqueria at Avenue Forsyth

March 12, 2010 in Foodie Friday, Reviews with 18 Comments

Thanks for finding my blog, Roots in Alpharetta. If you’re interested in food and dining in and around Alpharetta, check out my weekly feature called Foodie Friday.

Contrived

Adjective – obviously planned, artificial

That’s our word of the day, and it was the first word I thought of after setting foot inside Cheeky. Taquerias are popping up everywhere, and most are not true taco shacks. To Cheeky’s credit, they are going for that taco shack feel. But you don’t take a brand spanking new strip mall space and pretend it is a shack. Ask anyone who’s been to Jim and Nicks if they thought it truly felt like a down home barbecue place. All the folksy pictures and faux farm implements on the wall don’t change the fact that you’re in a STRIP MALL! So the fake garage doors at Cheeky were not fooling me, nor were the menus printed on wood.

My other first impression was that management was over-training the staff. They opened on Monday. I was there on Tuesday. Two employees asked me if this was my first visit. Duh! If you’ve been to Chepes Mexican, it is kinda like that. The employees are almost too friendly, to the point of smothering you with their helpfulness.

But even with these annoyances, I kinda liked Cheeky’s. For lunch I tried the trio of tacos. They use fresh ingredients and combine them in creative ways. I found my tacos to be a good mix of spice, heat and sweetness from things like pineapple salsa. They also had contrasting textures. The sliced pork in one taco was soft, delicate and flavorful. The shrimp tacos were pretty good, but could use a few more of the critters. The crab croquette tacos (a signature item) were just fair, I wasn’t impressed. The beans (both refried and charro) left a lot to be desired.

I really liked Cheeky’s bar. They feature tables with self-serve beer taps. You’ll also find TVs in the bar that measure how much beer of each brand has been served that night. If you are competitive in nature, this might be dangerous. But it is a concept I’ve yet to see in the northern burbs. Their margaritas also looked pretty good.

All in all, I think Cheeky might be a winner. They are in a prime location at the Avenue, right across from Barnes and Noble. It is certainly not like your run-of-the-mill ubiquitous Mexican restaurant, pushing entrees called “Speedy Gonzales”. Is it in the same league as Pure Taqueria or CANS Taqueria? No way, Jose.

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