Nak Dong Gang - Korean Duck Restaurant

How can you go wrong with a resto with "Dong" and "Gang" in it...

This new Korean Duck resto sits alone as it was ostracized in a new strip mall in upstate Buford Hwy with very little traffic. It's been empty the couple times I passed by here. Not much to grub except Cafe Maum, Four Seasons Bar and some wacky women's spa. The menu here is sparse and some entrees grazes the $50 mark.

Banchan - Decent variety of side dishes... Just lacking the usual flavors found at most Korean joints.

Fan Grilled Duck - I think I got Long Duck "Donged"... For $18, I coulda got a whole roasted duck at Ming's. All I got was a side salad sized plate of duck fat with the same amount of meat from a quail. Grilling it only made the meat tougher and the fat gooey. This was no sexy American girlfwend... Just a Lumberjack in disguise.

Duck Stew - I rather get "Gang" banged than order this again flavorless soup again. A few scraps of Daffy here and there. I know bones are a key part of making a great stew/soup but do you have to fill the hotpot with a concentration camp of yardbirds?

This meal was unremarkable. Will this ugly duckling mature into a graceful swan? I hope so... But as for now this homely fowl with be picking up the rear or taking it up the rear.
Now... Dong, where is my auto-mobile?

2.5 Stars.

Meh.

7130 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340

(770) 242-0201

Craftbar

Uncle Fester's new digs in Atlanta ain't too shabby... Oh wait, wrong show.

I was pleasantly surprised that burgaz and faux hawks were not part of the decorum here. It woulda been sad if I saw Walt Disney floating around in some giant stainless steel tank in the corner making frozen foie gras margaritas. Instead, this joint is all class without the stuffiness upstairs (not saying that Craft wasn't good, it was verra good). The bartenders are a riot, I recommend you sit at the bar. They are truly blue collar workers with class. Befriend them and you're set for the night. Befiend them and you're S.O.L. Choose wisely. Do or do not, there is no try.

Smaller menu to Craft upstairs but not lacking in quality or selection one bit. Ingredients fresh and preparation and execution were spot on. Just a couple tidbits to nibble on while we slammed down booze... Bourbon-glazed pork belly, yogurt, radish & kumquats and braised pork shoulder, tomato molasses, green olives & white beans. Jesus, no wonder my pouch is related to a marsupial. Feed me!

Now, go tell your fwends...

Word is bond... And to your mother.

Burp!

The Mansion on Peachtree
3376 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 995-7500

www.craftrestaurant.com

FLIP Burger

After I paid the bill... I Flipped my wallet upside down and all that was left were some dusty old lint.

This ain't cheap like Kystal's but if you order a sack full, be prepared to assume the position because it's like getting kicked in the nads. Hero worship is not a new thing to Blais and he knows how to work it. These 3.5 oz. burgaz are not really worth upwards of $10 for the semi dry Wimpy meatball stuffed between a pair of hard buns that glitzens like the ones found on an elliptical at your local gym. But hey, I'll gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburga today...

This joint is all about to see and be seen. The grub is just conversation. The decor itself is "cute" with a tad of trendiness on the side. The long bar is well thought out... Extra sitting/standing space to pile in the herds of sheep itching for a glance of the consulting chef and his ginormous tank of liquid sex on ice.

Sampling of...

Lamb Burga- The best of the bunch. The lamb was moist but it was so hard to bite through that bun which was made from Earth's upper crust.
Bun Mi Burga- For the price of this burga, you coulda got 5 wicked tasty banh mi's at Quoc Huong. Eh.
Pork Belly Burga- That Kraft single serving slice of cheese draped over that pinky size pork belly like Houdini and made it disappear! Even the server (greener than a side salad) didn't know which burga it was.
Sweet Tater Tots- Seems like it's inconsistent with these little guys. Sometimes gweezy and sometimes perfect. The bleu cheez foam was not too shabby... He needs to come up one for my bubble baths.
Nutella Shake- The burnt marshmallows is a nice gimmick but try sucking that burnt crud up that straw. For $7, is it too much to ask to include a spoon with the shakes?


Fwies- Nice and crispy. Great crust. Tastee.

2 glasses of wine (why no beer w/ da burgaz? b/c I felt like it.)

I hope it works out for them... But with all the burga joints already in town and 5 years too late with the gourmet burga scams that's commercialized in NYC... we can only wait and watch if they will FLOP, I know I won't be eating there every week, just Weight Watchers for me.

Developing...

1587 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA 30318

(404) 352-3547

www.flipburgerboutique.com/

Northern China Eatery

Hidden in the back side of this dump, reveals a real gem.

If you think Grand China has the best Chino food around, this place ain't for you. You will not find your greatest hits from Rice Box on this menu. This hole in da wall is the real deal. Decor is no frills but the grub is all thrills. Mebbe they are hidden for a reason, their focus is feeding the Ex-Pat's and not the Fat-Pat's that roam OTP strip malls looking for that $5.95 AYCE buffet.

Shanghai soup dumps - Just thick enough to hold the juices without breaking apart when you pick them up. Frank Ma once held the reins for this elusive juicy dump, but now just a study in moppishness... Like Chef Liu's old frozen buns.

Mandarin Pork Pie - Consider it a Chinese version of a calzone. Pan fwied and filled with two layers of pork separated by a thin layer of dough. This is some piece of pie.

Combo Noodle - This might sound like crap in a bowl... Oh, it's anything but that, there's no girls or cups involved here. Soft delicate noodles with thinly shredded cucumber and carrots married with a savory sauce of tofu, meat, fungus and other little goodies.

They do magic with the dough, whether pan fwied, boiled or steamed. The menu might be limited but the tastes and flavors are unlimited. I will prolly order the soup dumps every time but the Hot Pots are definitely up next.

Not too shabby for a first impression... Especially, that I just back from a trip to Hong Kong eating everything in sight.

Developing.

5141 Buford Highway
Doraville, GA 30340
(770) 458-2282

Cho Won Buffet

If you're a man and you like meat... Stop by here for some unlimited man meat. Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our mouths, so don't pack more meat than you can handle on that tiny plate because you might not be able to swallow that load.

Bypass all the filler on the hot side... It's craptastically bland. Everything was either tepid or cold, sitting on them steam tables for God knows how long only made matters worse. The sushi assortment, sliced so thinly, was not even chum grade. Meh.

You come here for the meat and panchan items. The secret is to eat a little at a time. Dumping a crap load of meat on the bbq will just make everything dry and rubbery. But I don't think those pigs cared at the next table as they piled on the meat as if was an Autodoner. Stick with the beef and pork, as the chicken took a while to cook through, by then it looks like plastic. I don't know if I like them cutting and cooking up my food... What am I, 5 years old? Are you gonna friggin feed me and wipe my ass too? Just get away from me with your hot pink lip gloss and phony shit eating grin so I can actually eat.

Little signs are posted everywhere warning not to waste food or else you will be charged extra... It might as well say "You go home now, fat boy, you eat everyting, no more food for you!"

Thank you... Come again!

Burp.

3635 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096

(770) 476-0458

The Original El Taco

Yay to Fro-Mo's and No Mo' to "Truck Stop" sliders... Gracias El Jeffe for leaving those nasty tasting chicken muffins in Durango. This dumb down Mexi-joint is perfect for the pedestrians in this area. Although the food is fresh and decent quality, it just isn't that adventurous. It's notches higher than those oven mitt Mexi-chains but your average Joe ain't gonna want a tongue or cojones de toro taco either. They want to do the safety dance while dining "Mexican".

Queso Royale - Who cut this cheez? It was a little on the watery side but acceptable. The corn chips smell like my dog's paws.

Shrimp Ceviche is rather chincy for the price. But if they threw in a few saltines on the side... Say what, it's suppose to come with them? And is this really a ceviche?

Fried Tilapia taco is exactly what it is... A fwied fish taco. Smelled alright and it went down fine.

Pork Carnitas taco is not bad, just keep that tortilla wrapped up because it ain't pretty inside.

Crispy Pork Belly taco is the best of the bunch. Put pork belly in a blender and I'll still drink the hell outta it.

Fried Chicken taco looks like the fish taco except that it tasted like chicken. Wrap a tortilla around a Popeyes spicy leg, now that would be a sight to behold.

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas were surprisingly good. It looked like hamster vomit but tasted like chicken heaven. Verra tastee.

Chili Cheese Enchiladas look like a hatchet wound from a 70's porn flick but it's passable. I guess it's better than a dirty Tex-Mex Sanchez.

This joint is fun to grab a bite and booze with a bunch of rowdy fwends... But I wouldn't call it a dining destination, Mexican food to me is all about a dare. That damn wheel from hell can get real annoying real fast. Limit yourself to 4 Fro-Mo's tops, after the 5th one, Whiskey Richard may set in. Don't say you weren't warned.

OLE!

1186 N. Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 873-4656

www.eltaco-atlanta.com/

Crawfish Shack Seafood

I spied the word "Crawfish"... And did a hockey stop in the middle of Buford Highway. WTF is a Cajun joint doing in the middle of Chambodia? Mebbe the Vietnamese owners wanted to be the first to catch the wave of Viet-Cajun mudbug nosheries that's popping up everywhere in California.

This place has no menu, just some tiny chalkboard with chicken scratch on it. No po'boys, jambalaya, red beans and rice, gumbo or etouffee... Just mudbugs, shrimp, catfish, tilapia and oysters along with a bunch of Zatarain's products and Asian drinks.

What surprised me was how tastee it was. The mudbugs were fat, juicy and flavorful. The boil seasoning was spot on... I could bathe in it. The fried catfish and jumbo shrimp were on point too. The catfish's cornmeal crust had just the right amount of seasoning and flaky and tender iniside. The fried jumbo shrimp were light and crispy. Basically no batter and all flavor. I ate it tail and all. Yum. The crinkle cut fwies were the brown bag garden variety but they were super crispy at least.

If they they get po'boys on the menu with that tastee jumbo shrimp matched with the right crusty bread, this could be a winner. Until then... They only get 3 stars for the very limited menu.

Developing...

4773 Buford Hwy
Ste 170
Atlanta, GA 30341

(404) 929-6789