Pouchito Treats

The pouch is like a pet. It's a big responsibility. I have to clothe it, pet it, walk it, snuggle it and most importantly, feed it. That's the best part of having a pouch for a pet. So, I like to surprise it with treats like my dog from time to time. It gets all giddy like a schoolgirl. It is sooo precious. I would Instagram it if I could find a way to swallow my camera... But it takes like a day or two to pass it, by then the moment is over. But what I can do is take pictures of the treats before pouchito snarfs up the vittles within seconds. 

Campagnolo.

Smoked Tomato Bisque. Basil creme. Velvety and a bit smokey. Not a bad bowl.

Campagnolo Burger. Mortadella, pepperoni, provolone, pickled onion, garlic bread bun, 420 battered onion rings. Ok, y'all know how I dislike giant onion rings... While they were crispy on the outside, once you cut into them they were all grease. When will restos realize they are just not good and stop making these useless giant onion rings. Go with normal sizes that you can actually bite into and not full of grease. The burger looked decent, nice dome on the bun but it was just not jiving with me on these dime a dozen signature burgers. It just had too many opposing flavors, the pickled onion may had been the culprit.

Brussel Sprouts Panini. Spicy anchovy aioli, fontina, prosciutto. This was a pretty tasty panini, it had pressed grilled marks but I don't think it was plugged in because it had no evidence of any browning on the bread. What a trip... Am I dreaming?


Octopus Bar.

Ramen with Dirty Broth. After eating a dozen dishes at Gunshow, the pouch was still empty. The only way to fill it up was with some noodle soup. The noodles were about average and the dirty broth was kinda interesting. A little spicy at best but the other ingredients made up for it. A very decent attempt on a playful ramen bowl, don't expect anything less from this joint.

Kimchi Chicken Rice Bowl. The chicken was pretty awesome, crispy thin skin and the meat itself had this perfect bite and texture to it. The kimchi was more decorative than a headliner. A nice little rice bowl for them late night cravings.

Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Still a very good dish even if they have downsized the portion but not the price. People who orders this and doesn't eat the heads will be laughed at and escorted out.


Kimball House.

Oysters. Get there on weekdays and you can get almost all of the oysters for half price or less. The best selection of oysters in Atlanta, no contest. Check it: Mermaid Cove, Gigamoto, Blue Pool, Hama Hama, Block B, Sunset Beach, Naked Cowboy, Hollywood, Rappahannock, Barcat, Rocky Nook, Moonstone. Damn good, yo.

Cheese Sticks. It's cute but it's not all that's cracked up to be like everyone says. A gimmick to try once and then stick with the oysters and the rest of the menu. Maybe I just don't get what all the fuss is about with these things.

Chorizo. I liked the poached egg but the rest of the dish seemed thrown together without much thought. I still ate it all, I don't like to waste food... If you could believe that bullshit.


Paper Plane.

Clams. A tad bit salty but does it matter when you have a properly made cocktail in your hand..


Villians.

Hans Gruber. Crispy pork schnitzel hero was over fried and chewy, thrown together haphazardly and the Hail Nero kale salad was missing a few ingredients. Ver are my detonators? 

Nick The Pig. This Cuban sando had the elements of a real Cubano but the execution failed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a Cuban either, bread was not pressed enough and the construction of it was sloppy. The fried chicken livers were good but not Colonnade great, though.

Random Task. Not very spicy, a little too sweet but still decent wings. Price to portion ratio wasn't any added value. Not rushing to get these again, though.


1 Kept.

Monkfish. Cooked spot on for the monkyfish but the semi tomato concasse was a little too much compared to the portion of the fish. A little starch in this dish would have balanced it out better.

Venison. Who knew they would have Bambi here... Me rikey. The venison and demi glace was spot on, the fried spaetzle was just ok, but it was a good vehicle to soak up the meat juice.

Waygu. It ain't from Japan but it was damn tasty overall. Only jab is that they plated this like that awful steak frites I had at Buckhead Bottle Bar in the days of yore, the limp fries on top of the thin meatflap... Oh, that dump was the worst, I might have to Yelp about it. But no worries here, I just shoo'd the fwies off to the side and we were in business. Meat is good.


Bookhouse.

Chicharrones. Came out crackling and poppin' hot. For $5, this is a very generous portion of some damn awesome fried pig skin. Airy, crispy and melts in your mouth on contact... Fuck M&M's. Ok, maybe not the peanut ones.


Escorpión.

Pork Tamale. A very decent tamale for an intown swanky-ish joint. Pork was flavorful and they use a decent masa harina which was pretty spot on in texture and moisture.

Empanada De Pollo. I thought it was dessert for a second with all that crap on top. But underneath that mess was a tiny empanada. Not much flavor but it was edible.


Hong Kong Harbor.

Beef Belly Wonton Noodle Soup. This is one of the best dishes on the menu. No one ever orders it but if you're in the know, you'll be in for a treat. The belly is super tender, the tendons are massive chunks, wontons are porky and shrimpy, the noodles are springy and the broth is crazy flavorful. So damn good.

Beef Chowfun. For intown convenience, you won't lack any good chowfun. It's always pretty decent and consistent here.

String Beans with Garlic and Pork Bits. Needed more garlic but this is always a great dish.

Spicy Braised Wings. Fat, juicy, semi-spicy, sweet, crispy wings... It brings back memories when I was living on Boulevard. Just needs an order of skrimp flied lice to soak up all that HFCS brown sauce.


Mama Niki's.

Mama's Veggie 'Za and Gyro. I was lazy and feeling like a fat girl so I got the veggie pie... Like that was gonna matter. I had 2 slices of this very mediocre and college-y tasting pizza and felt like I was eating healthy until I inhaled that gyro up in the right hand corner... I became a fat girl, again. No boys will ever ask me out, again. Boo, pass the other half.

Popeyes.

When the pouchito is a good boy, it deserves a very special treat... Nothing says I love you than a box of Pops with a handful of Cajun Sparkle ghetto umami. Is it bad to eat 10 pieces within 15 minzies? I don't think so, I call that a healthy appetite. (10 piece special for $9.99 til the end of the year. Get you some!)

You can sprinkle that sparkle on anything... Even on cuy al horno. That sparkle is like crackle.


Until next time... Sientate Pouchito, sientate. Squirt.