Food Explosion - 30th Birthday Style

So my sister's 30th birthday just passed, and considering what a special day that is -- she disagrees -- we celebrated in style.  Meaning, we ate a lot.  A LOT.  To be fair, the eating started pretty early, since our mom was going to paradise (California) and wanted to have a family dinner before she left.  

I'm not really going to talk about that meal, though, because we went to Shoya Izakaya and...I mean, a little short snippet will not really do justice the love and reverence I have for their food.  Serious.  So good.  Sashimi...yakisoba...crispy chicken skin...grilled sake onigiri (!!!!!!)....Mmmm.

But, back to the birthday festivities.  My sister chose to eat at Miller Union for her actual birthday, since both of us had never been before.  We decided to get the farm egg - highly recommended - and rabbit rillette for appetizers, the duck breast and quail for entrees, and the vanilla custard and blackberry pie for dessert.

It was all really good, and I particularly loved that they had blueberries in the duck breast dish and figs in the quail dish.  Typically, I'm not super down with fruits in my salty foods - that pineapple fried rice? Not for me. Hawaiian pizza? I'd rather just have the ham - but these entrees really worked.  The sweetness of the fruit wasn't overbearing, it was a nice complement to the meat.  My one complaint would be on the blackberry pie.  It was delicious, but they served it with some sort of citrus sorbet, and this really bothered me, because all I wanted was some vanilla ice cream to pile on top of the pie! 

Side note: whatever that chocolate cookie thing they had on the side of the custard...it's like crack.  And it's probably best I have no idea what it is.  

Then the weekend came, and the real food explosion happened.  As follows...

1. Parish

Oh, man.  Delicious brunch.  HEAVY brunch.  Between the three of us, we got the fried oysters and grits, the fried green tomato benedict, and the fried chicken benedict.  Also, my sister ordered a single bloody mary that was not even halfway finished (I haven't found a taste for them.  And it was pretty strong).  I don't usually steer towards ordering grits, but I liked theirs.  Lots of texture, and a nice balance for the fried oysters.  

2. Inman Perk

We stopped by here after brunch for some caffeine to help us wake up before heading to the World of Coke.  Great coffee, and they have Jake's ice cream!  I am still searching for that Panda-monium green tea flavor, though, haven't seen it since the actual Jake's stores were still open.

3. Einstein's 

No pictures of the food since the lighting is pretty dim.  But a simultaneous thumbs down/thumbs up for this place.  My sister had made a reservation for dinner here for a big group of her friends, which, as we learned upon arrival, was forgotten.  No reservation.  For a group of 20-some people in Midtown on a Saturday night. Horror! Luckily, they had room to seat us at a couple of different tables, and our waiter was really accommodating.  I remember that my beef was good, but not much else.  We did bring a Sweet Hut taro cake with us, and that was probably the highlight of my meal.  

4. Late night snacks

Yes, late night snacks.  Which included Steak and Shake (unavailable in Cali), swiss chard, rice, turkey and tomato pasta, and Sublime donuts.  Maybe some Sweet Hut pastries.  Three girls.  Yikes.

5. Jang Su Jang

This is one of the go-to places we take out-of-towners.  It's nice and there's something for everyone.  This meal ended up being our 4PM "lunch".  No need to reiterate how much I love this place.  I tried their bossam for the first time, and it was awesome - so meaty, but almost light and refreshing as well with the accompanying pickled radish and cabbage.  

6. VMA's Medley!

Anyone who knows my sister knows we were NOT missing out on that 'Nsync reunion on the VMAs!  Which meant watching TV for a couple of hours late at night.  Which means snacks.  Which means picking up food from Dan Moo Ji and beverages from Bambu.  WHICH equates the best ending to a weekend ever.  

Don't miss out on the tuna kimbap or the chicken wings from Dan Moo Ji.  I knoooow the tuna thing sounds weird. I know it does.  But it tastes awesome.  And they have the best pickled radish cubes and fish cake! As for Bambu....honestly any number you choose for the che will be good.  It will all have a medley of chewy, jello-ey, sweet, possibly fruit-y STUFF that you'll have no idea what it is, but it tastes good anyway.

So....yeah.  I'm still full.

Big appetite

Okay, I'll confess. You know those obnoxious friends on Facebook/Instagram that you decide to hide from your newsfeed because ALL THEY DO is post pictures of their meals. Like, do they do anything else in their lives besides eat?! How many meals are these people fitting into one day?! And no, dummy, that ginormous plate of food does NOT qualify as a snack.

Well, that obnoxious friend would be me. I am a terrible offender of the unspoken rule of not posting food pictures late at night as to avoid the dreaded case of midnight munchies for fellow Facebook-ers. Truth? I recently attended an alumni event for my sorority and the first five girls I talked to all greeted me with a "So I see SOMEONE'S been eating well...."

I really can't help it. I just have this unquenchable desire to share with the world the good food I come across -- and, on occasion, make! I apologize in advance. I am, really, shameless. 

I'm not meaning to start this blog as a review of different restaurants or anything like that. I'm writing this for people like me, people who love to read about other people's experiences stemming from a love of food (look, I can get LOST in an Anthony Bourdain book. His life? Like, get out. Can I be his best friend?) plus, I need an outlet so my Facebook friends don't just all abandon me. 

So let me start by talking about one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Atlanta. Now, it's my opinion that Atlanta has some of the best Korean food. I visited Korea back in 2009, and while I loved the food, I was mostly impressed because I realized that, Yeah...Atlanta has got it going on. Pigs feet? It's here. Fermented fish that tastes kinda like what I would expect nail polish to taste like? Yep. Live tentacles cut up so they squirm all the way down your throat? Haven't had em...but I know you can get them. Like, what?! Chinese food is still dealing with this General Tsao's chicken and eggroll epidemic (side note- not hating on American Chinese food. That stuff has gotten me through many a long night studying for finals. Ohhh MSG) 

But I digress. So Duluth is basically the Capitol of Korean food. It's difficult, always, to just pick one place to eat when I'm in the area. I usually end up at Iron Age - what's more appealing to a group of hungry, value-seeking Asians than the beautiful aroma of AYCE Korean BBQ?! But, what if I want tofu soup? Or maybe naengmyun? The thing I've noticed about most Korean restaurants is that they usually specialize in one thing. So if someone wants bibimbap, everybody's getting bibimbap. (Unless you are a silly girl who does not want bibimbap at the famous bibimbap place and decides she can handle fermented skate fish even though Andrew Zimmern can't, but honestly what does he know anyway? Trick can't appreciate durian.) 

But this is not the case at Jang Su Jang. This awesome place is located off Satellite Blvd, near Cho Won. EVERYTHING I've had at this place is good. And so filling. And tell me somewhere that does better banchan! Not. Possible. It's a little pricier than the typical tofu house, but it's nice inside, really nice! And the service is pretty terrific. Yes, it's super crowded on the weekends. It's a testament to the quality of the place. And their homemade noodles? Yum. The galbi here is meaty and tender and beautiful. I could go on and on, but maybe I should just get on to  adding the pictures....