Pete's Polar Parlor & Dog House

Tucked away in this dumpy Publix strip mall off Shallowford hides this relatively new hot dog joint. I came by after the shooting range because zombie control is quite taxing and I was famished. I wasn't in the mood for brains after that session, but I was craving some dogs. I really don't know what to think of this place. They look as confused as I was when I asked them about their "infamous" fried chicken dog. I had my heart and pouch set on it but they looked at me like I had my cock and balls out of my pants taking a breather. Some old broad (I assume one of the owners) finally stepped up to the plate and said they don't do the fried chicken dog anymore. You fucking suck. But I kept my cool and ordered my second favorite dog... The Chicago Dawg. Little did I know, they don't use the classic Vienna Beef hot dog. What. Da. Fuck. Yo.

No Vienna Beef frank in this Chi-dawg... They used the weak Red Hot which had this disgusting color to it like it has been sitting in tepid water for days. My buddy who got two regular Red Hots had this bright pinkish color to it that looked 100x healthier than mine. I don't like Red Hot boiled, I prefer it grilled because there is no snap to the casing. They told me they coulda grilled if I asked for it... Ok, thanks for the heads up after the fact. That's like Popeyes asking me if I want the chicken fried. This Chi-dawg had all the fixin's of a real one except the dog inside it... If you don't know the history of Red Hots, it was a family member from Vienna Beef that stole the recipe and went out on his own. He also claims that Red Hot had generations of traditions which is Vienna's history. So, I have a fraction of resentment for this dog. Bottomline: It was a weak Chi-dawg at the end of the day. The fries were garbage.

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. This wasn't bad. At least it wasn't some nasty dye they add in to make it blue or some shit, it actually had bits of blueberry in it. I tried a couple other flavors and they were decent.

I don't know what to tell ya... It's a sweet mom & pop shop but the hot dogs were forgettable but their ice cream were acceptable. Been there, ate that. I won't be back, but good luck, though! Here's a tip, get rid of the shitty hot dogs and stick with just the ice creams. Don't serve shit that you won't eat yourself in your own shop.

*Sigh*

No Rating.

2566 Shallowford Road Northeast #110
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 982-0505
http://petespolarparlor.com/Petes_Polar_Parlor/Welcome.html

The Colonnade

Everyone loves the institution that Atlanta calls the place where grays and gays come to play... And that place is the Colonnade. Country cooking that will pack your colon with all the manmeat you can handle and then give you seconds. It makes many people here happier than a pig in shit. This place is like the Johnny's Hideaway on Cheshire, except it's ran by his semi-closeted brother. I love this place because it's full of drama, it's like a soap opera, filled with a cast of lively people and others that have one foot in the grave. I don't know if the elderly should really be eating all this fatty foods. But hey, I rather die with a full belly than a clean pair of underpants... Because when you die, you lose all bodily functions anyways. All that thought into putting on a clean pair of underpants everyday would have been wasted. Nevermind that, let's get this shit going already...

You gotta start off with a couple of really badly concocted 70's cocktails at the side lounge with the fake library wall paper, it's a must. A little booze always helps to lubricate your innards for what's to come... It's not a gay thing, I swear. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Cheekan Livers. Still the best in town. Finding giant crispy livers that aren't rubbery are hard to come by these days. Half portion is more than enough. I have never attempted to order the full portion... That would be just sick and perverted. The crust on these offal tidbits is outstanding. Flaky, crispy and seasoned nicely. It is total crack. I like to stuff my cheeks with them and pretend I'm a chipmunk... Or a chick you find next door. They might actually be cheaper than this app. Damn, I love Cheshire Bridge.

Southern Fried Cheekan. I must admit, they weren't as good as they used to be. It seemed like they fried off a shitload of them and let them sit under heat lamps. Could it be just tonight because it was National Fried Chicken Day? Mebbe, mebbe not... You would think they would fried one of the their most popular classic dishes the same way all the time no matter what. This chicken deserved the same crust/batter that they fried the livers in because that shit is really good. This visit the chicken skin/crust was already falling off the meat before you even take the first bite. Ok, not that it was a bad fried chicken, it just didn't live up to the past visits which the chicken/skin/crust combo was real solid. Would I come back again for the cheekan? Fuck yeah.

The sides were more disappointing than the chicken. Fried okra, rice & giblet gravy, collards, brussels sprouts, mac & cheese, green beans were all pretty lackluster and unseasoned. The giblet gravy looked and tasted like it came from a bag or a cup that the entire staff dittled in it... 5 line cooks and a cup. But let's face it, no one comes here for the sides... Well, when I say no one, I meant me. I always order the same 2 dishes every time I come here (ok, I have tried a few other dishes but they were forgettable) and that is what you see above... Stick with the mac & cheese as the side, they're your best bet.

This place will never go out of style or out of business. It is always packed and the food is decent... Always packed, in more ways than one. Pump pump squirt.

1.5 Stars.

1879 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 874-5642
http://colonnadeatl.com/

MacIntosh

The chef here is named Jeremiah Bacon... Yeah, I said Bacon. Hell, you gotta love this place already. The space is modern with lots of wood all around. The cuisine is modern southern or southern nouveau... Yeah, well, who isn't doing a modern spin on southern cuisine these days. But the real question is- who can actually make it work? Charleston has become a great little culinary town. They have access to a bevy of local ingredients, land and water. So, naturally, you would expect most restos to have the best and freshest on their menus.

The menu here is not extensive (which is a good sign) but if you look at all the ingredients in each dish, it is quite complex. It's quality. Let's see what they can do with it...

Sweetbreads, Thackeray Farm's Grilled Okra, Housemade Bacon & Sultana Jam, Smoked Sungold Puree. I love sweetbreads and I will eat it any way it's prepared. This one was battered and deep fried. It might have been in the fryer a little too long since the sweetbread was a bit tougher than I would have liked. A tender sweetbread is what most prefer but overall this was still a decent version.

Tempura Fried Kennerty Farms Squash Blossom, Burden Creek Goat Cheese, Greens, Petite Squash, Pecans, Peach Vinaigrette. A classic prep of the squash blossom but it kinda looks like the fried sweetbread doesn't it? It threw me off for a second until I cut that bad boy in half. It's a cute dish and tasty, too.

Pork Ravioli, SC Creamed Corn Puree, Tomatillo, Charred Corn and Onion, Basil. Puffy pillows of pork inside pasta, you can't get any better than that. There's a lot going on in this dish, a lot of moving parts that strangely worked well together.

"The Mac" 8oz. House Ground Burger, Aged Cheddar, Nueske's Bacon, Pecorino Truffle Frites.
Half brisket, half sirloin mix... Oh yeah, that's my kinda burger. Perfect medium rare and juicy, a very good burger but the thin cut fries were just aight even with the overdone truffle oil.

Crispy Duck Leg, Ambrose Farms Warm Early Summer Greens, Anson Mills Farro Piccolo, Peanuts, Charred Sweet Onion Vinaigrette. Oh, it's crispy alright... Just a well prepared duck leg with a nice thin crispy skin and flavorful tender thigh. A tasty earthy dish.

7oz. Grilled Deckle, Romesco, Roasted Caper Berries, Warm Fingerling Potato and Kale Salad. Ok, some hungry people got to it before I had a chance to snap a pic but you can tell from what's left that the deckle was cooked beautifully and tender to the bite. Love deckle when it's cooked properly because it is possibly be the best cut since the filet.

Bone Marrow Bread Pudding. Great bread pudding but needed more bone marrow!

Summer Succotash, Sweet 100's, Okra, Field Peas, Palmetto Sweet Onions. Fresh ingredients but still just a veggie mix... Needed some seasoning.

This is a great neighborhood joint... Very good cocktail program, well made drinks, great service, well educated on the menu, and the execution on the dishes were good. All that equals to a resto that works well and will last a long time. Definitely a keeper.

PS- the Cocktail Club upstairs is not part of the MacIntosh.. But a must for after dinner cocktails. 

3 Stars.

479 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 789-4299
http://www.themacintoshcharleston.com/

McCrady's

Anyone who has heard of Sean Brock knows this dump... McCrady's, the place that started it all for him. He has became a familiar face in the culinary world and done it all without being on some TV game show. Being a celebrity chef is a gift and a curse. They are hardly ever at their restaurants cooking anymore, which made them semi famous in the first place. They're always traveling around making guest appearances or what not. Quality and execution can suck a big dick unless they have an amazing crew in place that shares the same vision and passion for putting out good food. Can the curse be true here at McCrady's that has diseased so many other celebrity restos? No one likes to eat at a diseased restaurant, especially me. Let's go see if I will need some shots afterwards... I guess it all depends on what kinda shots. If it's liquor, then the answer would be yes... God, I'm such a fucking alchie.

Looks like an alley where hookers hangout... I'm in.

Blurry Gas Lamp... Like my vision after a few bourbons.

Purdy Bar... Where I got my blurry vision on. The space is really nice, I like it a lot because it has real history behind it.

Chilled Pea Soup. Velvety, flavorful and had a nice consistency. Nice summer soup. Some evidence of liquid nitro was used in it... Enough of that shit, already, puh-leez.

Beef Tartare. Nice color on the tartare and that yellow tube is an egg yolk. Good stuff.

Hog Snapper. The fish was cooked perfectly... Which means it was really good. Skin was thin and crispy, the fish was tender and moist. Loved this dish... Except the foam. 86 it and it'll be a perfect dish.

Grilled Shrimp & Carolina Gold Rice. The shrimp was nice and flavorful (I hope so) but the rest of the dish was so-so, even with the wonderful Carolina Gold rice. It was a well executed dish but prolly the least exciting of the night.

Trio of Lamb. Rack, belly and terrine. As you see by the color it was cook spot on. Another home run for me on this dish.

Duck Breast & Confit. Another tasty dish but a little chintzy on the breast portion. But it was cooked beautifully. Coulda used another slice or three. Confit was nice but a little dry, not really my definition of confit. Still a good dish, though.

Chocolate & Mushroom. Strange dessert, so I ordered it anyways. It actually came out decent and I'm not a dessert person.

Peach Cobbler. Totally a different take of this southern classic. Trying to be mistor fancy pants but it also worked. Damn you.

Mignardises. Oh, isn't it cute they put after-dinner food stuff treats on a piece of rock... I gobbled them up in 2 bites.


Ok, I tried to find faults with this higher end casual resto like I do with most places of this caliber... But I really couldn't except for my Sazerac that came with a nice fruit fly doing the backstroke in it. They did the right thing though, took it away and made another right away. It was a decent Sazerac but the Old Fashioned and Side Cars I had after that were kinda weak. I went with the flow since the food made up for it and didn't mention it. But the server did notice and took it another step further and took a couple of drinks off the bill at the end. That's what make this resto different than most on this level... They actually notice and care about their customers. Great service, good food and a place that you can come to on a weekly basis. Also, a good value for your money on the prix fixe or chef tasting. Now, if they can work on the cocktails...  

Definitely on my list on the next visit.

Burp.

3.5 Stars.

2 Unity Alley
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 577-0025
http://mccradysrestaurant.com/

Dixie Supply Bakery & Cafe

This local hole in the wall may not look all that but when 8AM rolls around on a Sunday... You will be waiting in a line that stretches around the block. This place is tiny, the kitchen is double the size of the dining room and the kitchen can barely fit 3 cooks in the back.

How can this dump be so popular? The food coming out of that tiny kitchen can't be that good... Because we all know that only good food comes out of fancy giant kitchens. Let's check it out anyways for shits and giggles.

Ran in to get a quick bite, if it sucks, there's always other places around the corner.

A lot of goodies in the case and the racks in the back.

Tomato pie, sweet potato cornbread. First of all, WTF is a tomato pie doing here in the South? The ones in NY are the real deals... But why do I want one here so bad? I heard this was the place to get it and so I did... This thing was pretty damn good. The tomatoes were semi dried and stacked on top of mozzarella and a thin dough crust. This was tasty as shit but oh so bad for you... Kinda. The cornbread was a little dry, wasn't all that. But that tomato pie... Want one again.

Croissant with bacon, egg & cheese. Sounds like a simple enough of a breakfast sandwich right? Yeah, but this fresh baked croissant was sick and stuffed like a fat fuck with a bunch of goodies. Now, this is a friggin breakfast sandwich. So guud.

Fuck me, the locals know what the fuck they're talking about. The joint ain't pretty but your mouth and pouch don't give a shit about that, only what they put out. Love this dump. Have to hit this place again next time through town. Heard their burger and fried chicken was da shiznit too. We'll see about that but I won't doubt it.
3 Stars.

62 State Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 722-5650
http://www.dixiecafecharleston.com/

Hominy Grill

Heard some good stuff about this place from the locals... There was one item on the menu that sealed the deal for me. Read on and you will know what that item is... So friggin good. Still thinking about it a week later. Let's just say, Chick-fil-a can lick their fucking balls. Yeah, boooyyyeeeee...

Mom, I'm home!

Big nasty biscuit w/ fried chicken breast, cheddar and sausage gravy. This Goddamn thing is killing me. That Rosebud/Family Dog shit ain't got nothing on this. As if a rather large super crispy and juicy fried chicken breast stuffed between a fluffy biscuit wasn't enough... They doused half of this beast with the most amazing sausage gravy. It was unbelievably savory. It was like eating a unicorn bathing in a rainbow jus. I could eat this everyday.

High-rise biscuit with sausage gravy. Had to order one without the fried cheekan just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Nope, I wasn't dreaming... Eating this was like a unicorn giving me a golden shower of sausage gravy. Pure bliss.

 Home fries. Taters!

Stop teasing me, you cocksucker!

This will be my first stop next time I come into town... That big nasty can cum all over me anytime. I swallow.

3 Stars.

207 Rutledge Avenue
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 937-0930
http://hominygrill.com/

Husk Restaurant

You can't come to Charleston and not hit up the 2 most super hyped up restos in the land, Sean Brock's Husk and McCrady's. Of course, I had to visit both but there's no way I could do two dinners, so I decided to do one lunch and other dinner. Husk got the luck of the draw and lunch it was.

One great thing about this town is that it's a walking town. Everything is close to one another. This is dangerous for me because there are so many places to eat. This 2 level house restaurant is pretty cool, love the location and right next door is the Husk Bar in a garage sized shack, too bad they don't open til 5PM.

Decor inside is modern but casual.. And very open too so no one is sitting on top of each other. But enough of the chit-chat... Let's get to the food.

 Purdy menu.

 Bread & Butter.

“Kentuckyaki” Pig Ear Lettuce Wraps with Marinated Vegetables and Cilantro. Great texture between the crispy fried pig ears and marinated veggies. Fun dish with Asian influences.

Edisto Island Heirloom Tomatoes with TX Olive Oil, Bourbon Smoked Salt and Pepper. Ithought the GA heirloom tomatoes were good but these blew them out of the water. It must be the water here because these were some of the best tomatoes I have eaten. So good.

Chilled Corn Soup with Poached Shrimp, Pickled Baby Corn and HUSK Mascarpone. With a name like Husk, this corn soup better be fucking outrageous... And it was. Creamy, rich, flavorful and velvety. It was so smooth and add in the texture of the pickled corn kernels... Da-Ang, bro! Also, loved how they served it in a wooden bowl. I felt pretty like Goldilocks.

SC Shrimp and Grits with Field Peas, Roasted Onion, Sweet Corn and HUSK Sausage Poached Celeste Albers Egg. I make fun of my friend for eating shrimp & grits like everyday when she's here at her beach house during the summer months... But I had to tried it at least once when I'm in town. I'm glad I did, this was da bomb. It wasn't your ordinary S&G, there were so many other components in here that made it an amazing dish, the poached egg did it for me.

This local celeb has been traveling and making appearances all over the place and he didn't even go on Top Chef for 4 years... He did it by actually cooking in a kitchen night after night. Imagine that, he got to the top by hard work and putting out good food. This must be some type of fluke.

The food is good here and they seem like they care about what they put out too... And it shows in every dish. Next time, I'm doing dinner here.

3 Stars.

76 Queen St.
Charleston, SC
843.577.2500
http://huskrestaurant.com/