I know what y'all are saying... Where the fuck has the corpulent slob been lately? Has the great glutton gone riding into the sunset of the big toilet in the sky? No motherfuckers, I have been mass consuming vittles at the same rate a blackhole eats up planets, stars and galaxies. I am so fucking obese these days... I am the size of a bully boy. Whales laugh and spit out gallons of plankton at the sight of me. The amount of posts I have to write up are backed up like my bowels... It's almost surreal on how many places I have been to in the last month or two. Between the eating, IBS and crying myself to sleep, I barely have time to write up the Pouch's recent adventures... But I can't let my one reader down. I have sworn an oath to report all that's fit to eat and shit... Let's take a first look at one of the newer concepts from Concentrics...
Anyone remember Nexto... Prolly not, but their name was so fitting. Right after you ate their ramen, you will be saying, NEXT! The space was built out nicely but their "Japanese" inspired menu was extremely pedestrian and lacked excitement. The joint didn't last long, they gave some bullshit excuse about how they're turning it into an private event space or some shit like that... But we all know what that means, no one went back a second time. The place was not getting any traction, not even with the local "celebrity" chef consultant as the face of the place. Then the space went dark for quite awhile, until Concentrics came up with a new concept... A simple menu with no specific cuisine, just a mix of fusion dishes. Yeah, yeah, we all know what fusion means... Usually, a broad mix of different cuisines and the liberal use of the word "inspired by". The menu consists of influences from popular Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Southern, North East dishes that seems so generic and boring but the menu actually read well. This sounds weird but I'm kinda curious about this joint because Concentrics restos have never gotten me excited in the past, they were all so pedestrian and made for the masses. The interior and the layout hasn't changed much since they already spent the money on building it out for Nexto. It still has that dark cavernous feel to it but it doesn't feel cold... This location could be such a kickass club/lounge space. Ok, enough of the gabbing and start feeding already, Pouch... Do what you do best and consume in mass quantities.
Bourbon #1. I'm usually not impressed with the house cocktail menus... Bartenders these days are always trying to be innovative and breaking the mold which there is nothing wrong with that... But I'm old school and a purist when it comes to cocktails. But this brown juice concoction sounded good with tamarind, lemon and ginger... And it was pretty tasty.
Florida Red Snapper Tartare, red onions, cilantro, leche de tigre, $14. Visually, it doesn't look that appetizing but the ceviche style marinade of the leche de tigre really brings out the flavors of the snapper. It had a nice firm bite to it and the fried rice paper gave it an Asian spin to it.
Crispy Brussels Sprouts, spicy Thai sauce, lime, $8. C'mon, Pouch, brussels sprouts are so played out these days... I don't give a shit, I still like it like the cheesy Spider Roll that I can't stop ordering at sushi joints. The sprouts look like they were a bit over-charred but it didn't taste like burnt rubber at all. It had a hint of spiciness, nothing Thai hot as advertised but the acidity from lime helped bring out a bit more flavor. It was a good dish, nothing offensive about it.
Blue Crab Mango Salad, blue crab, jicama, green papaya, charred green beans, jerk vinaigrette, $12. When I see papaya salad on a menu, it's guaranteed that it will be on my table. The presentation was nice, it had height to it and vibrant colors. They were not chintzy on the crab meat which was a nice surprise. The papaya and jicama played well together but entire dish was very under-seasoned. The jerk vinaigrette did nothing to maximize the ingredients' flavor. The dish overall wasn't bad, I kinda enjoyed but I would have enjoyed it even more if it was seasoned properly.
Roasted Mushroom Empanada, black garlic aioli, $9. I knew I was gonna get ripped on this $9 empanada but I didn't care, this empanada had me at roasted shrooms and black garlic aioli. It was a normal sized empanada which would had cost about $3 or less at any Mexi joint on Buford Hwy but this was off the beltline and you're gonna pay a premium for it. The crust was crispy and flaky, the roasted shrooms inside was flavorful and tasted pretty good... But the black garlic aioli was kind of a let down, it wasn't as flavorful as it sounds. Barely any garlicky flavor, if it was this would made the empanada worthy of the $9 price tag. Still a tasty bite to try once.
Comfort Farms Rabbit Patty Melt, double stack, brioche, shoe string fries, $17. I was really curious about the New England Clam Chowder Carbonara... It looked like such a Frankenstein dish, I mean who fucking does that? It also kinda made sense in a Bizarro world kinda way but it looked way too rich and fatty which is the last thing I need these days. So, I settled for this rabbit burger thinger with fries because that wouldn't be fatty at all. I was pretty surprised on how tasty this rabbit burger was... Yes, it was greasy as hell but I really enjoyed it. And I ate all the fries as well... Yeah, how's that diet working out for you, Pouch?
I was not expecting much from this fusion menu but it really surprised me with how well their execution of the ingredients in each dish was. Each dish didn't take long to come out and it all seemed to be made to order as well. The one dish that kinda insulted me was the Blue Crab Fried Rice for $26, are you fucking kidding me, bro? Fried rice is like the cheapest dish ever and tossing some crab in it doesn't make it worth 10 times the amount of some day old re-fried rice. I saw it at the next table and the portion of the fried rice was a bit light, they toss an omelette on top of the rice to give more heft and volume for the theatrics of it. I wasn't gonna fall for this banana in the tailpipe trick but the whities were ordering this dish left and right. I was also interested in the Maine Jonah Crab Roll but then the memories of the crab roll at Cousins Maine Lobster made me rethink my decision before I got scammed for a $19 bland canned crab roll again. Then again, they may surprise me with the crab roll... Ok, I'll get it next time. Yes, the probability of a next time at this joint is pretty high. But the Maine Lobster Frites is just too over the top for me at $36... I just can't tell if it's a whole lobster or a half with two claws to trick you. It looked so saucy and heavy with the giant pile of fries that takes up 2/3 of the plate.
The service was really good, my server knew his shit and was attentive and on point... Which makes the whole experience even better. It's like a Jedi mind trick to make you over look the mistakes... The service has a strong influence over the weak pouched. I have to give credit when credit is due... This visit was very pleasant, the vibe was cozy without feeling confined and the food was more than acceptable and playful. This resto may be the best concept Concentrics has came up with in a long time. I would go back with more people to try more things but all my friends are either imaginary or incarcerated... Y'all know what I'll be doing tonight...Crying myself to sleep... Again.
828 Ralph McGill Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30306
https://www.bullyboyatl.com/
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