Mediterranean Bakery & Sandwich

Do you guys want something healthy and cheap? Try coming to Mediterranean Bakery and Sandwich. Inside, it doesn't even look like a restaurant. It looks more like a store, with a restaurant attached to it. 

It's a one stop shop. You can shop for some delicious looking Middle Eastern baked goods at the bakery, get some Lebanese groceries, or eat lunch/dinner at their restaurant. Afterwards, you can smoke some hookah. 

One of my favorites here is not any of the dishes, it's the garlic spread. I love garlic, and the spread definitely had a strong, garlicy taste. Some people found it too strong; I found it to be perfect. If you love garlic, spread this stuff everywhere. 

The food is your standard Mediterranean affair. Although I think this is one of the better ones in Atlanta. They offer two versions of each dish: plate and sandwich. The sandwich is just a wrap. I would get the plate and make the "sandwich" myself with the pita they give you. Oh and of course, you need to smear some of that lovely garlic spread everywhere. 

Beef Shawarma plate

Peek a boo

Mediterranean Bakery and Sandwich has great healthy—or healthy looking—food for a decent price. I'm not a huge fan of Mediterranean food, but I still liked it. Mr. Kitty gives it 3.5 paws up.

Mediterranean Bakery and Sandwhich

3362 Chamblee Tucker Rd

Chamblee, GA 30341

(770) 220-0706

www.mediterranean-bakery.com

Eating Cantonese Cooked Meals at Canton Cooks

Canton Cooks has been in Atlanta forever. It is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Atlanta. Just like the name implies, it specializes in Cantonese cuisine. 

My other favorite Chinese restaurant, Peter Cheng's, is much different. Peter Cheng's is Sichuan food, where they use a ton of chili, peppers, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, and other stuff to burn a hole in your stomach. 

Cantonese cuisine, which Canton Cooks specializes in, doesn't overwhelm with strong flavors. The flavors try to be in harmony. Also, Cantonese cuisine has great seafood, but like good Chinese people, they cook pretty much anything that moves. 

One of my favorite soups, and Canton Cooks has several great soups, is the Crab Meat and Fish Maw Soup. If you don't like seafood, I suggest you not order it. It has a strong seafood taste. But I love seafood, and I think this soup taste delicious. To me, it should be renamed Crack Meat and Crack Maw Soup because of its addicting nature to me.

Crab Meat and Fish Maw Soup

The soup is great by itself, but you can add a splash of red vinegar to it to give it an additional depth of flavor. Overall, I find this soup very comforting. I try to get this when I go to any Cantonese restaurant.

Crab Meat and Fish Maw Soup with Red Vinegar 

Their Wor Sue Duck is great. It's like eating crispy fried chicken, but with duck instead of chicken. And who doesn't like fried chicken? Or fried anything for that matter. The best part: it's boneless. Sometimes I find it a hassle to eat duck with bone in it, not Wor Sue Duck. You can just shovel the meat in without worrying about biting into a bone.

Wor Sue Duck AKA Boneless Cantonese Fried Duck with Vegetables. 

Their steamed fish options are good too. I love fish, and I feel Canton Cooks cooks fishes well. They use fresh fish straight from the tank. But you can't mess up steamed fish for me. As long as it's fresh and cooked, I'll eat it anyway since I love fish.

Steamed Sole

There are other dishes I enjoy at Canton Cooks that are not pictured. There is Salt and Pepper Squid, which is a favorite among many people. It's probably one of their most popular dishes. It's just fried squid in salt and pepper, and it tastes good.

There's also Peking Spareribs, which my wife calls meat lollipops. It's very sugary pork. And of course, most carnivores love pork. The sweet glaze adds to the flavor.

Finally I would like to write about their service. Unlike Peter Cheng's, Canton Cooks does service right. They are friendly, attentive, and on point. They refill at the right time, they remove finished plates fast, and always available.

I also love how Canton Cooks is open until 2 AM. They have always saved me when I get late night cravings. The only bad thing about Canton Cooks is that they're closed on Wednesdays. So keep that in mind when you have cravings for some Cantonese food. Mr. Kitty gives Canton Cooks 4.5 paws up.

Canton Cooks
5984 Roswell Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 250-0515

Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt Any Gud?

After eating at Heirloom BBQ, how could I like any other BBQ place? I was ready to write this place off—until I got there. I saw this joynt's external decorations and saw that I had to go in and try it out. I think it's that pig that did it for me. Or maybe the sign. 

Nice Pig

Daddy D'z is your good old Atlanta BBQ place. They've been in Atlanta for a while, and they're located right in the heart of Atlanta.

I like the atmosphere. It has a barebones and traditional feel. Flies fly around everywhere, trying to get at your food. There is a covered patio section and a smaller indoor section. There are fans going to keep us cool. The service is slow. But I thought all of that added to the atmosphere. I don't see any of that as a negative. Okay, maybe the flies did annoy me, but everything else fit the ambiance.

Their food don't look pretty. They just throw some food on top of a paper plate. Then they jam the utensils into the food. They obviously don't give any attention to the plating. But again, I think that adds to the overall feel of the restaurant. I don't see that as a negative either.

Greens, Yam, Corn Bread, and Pulled Pork

Brunswick Stew, Corn Bread, Pulled Pork, and Green Beans.

I liked the food. Of course, It can't beat Heirloom, but no BBQ can touch Heirloom right now for me. However, Daddy D'z pork tasted very tender and juicy, the corn bread tasted good, and the sides were on point. They also give you some nice, sugary sweet tea.

The service, like I mentioned, seems slow but friendly. I like the food, the service, and the atmosphere. If you're not in a rush, you should come here on a lazy afternoon and enjoy some good BBQ. Mr. Kitty gives it 4 paws up.

Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt
264 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 222-0206
www.daddydz.com

Holy Taco—Is It Heavenly?

You can tell by its name, it's not your traditional Mexican taqueria. Otherwise it would be called El Taqueria Santa or something. It's also located in East Atlanta, and like the other restaurants there, Holy Taco brings their own interesting variations of the taco—complete with tattoos and all.

When you order the tacos, you can choose either corn or flour tortilla. They are suppose to be soft tacos, but I think they toast their tortillas too much. I had mine with corn, and they toasted it so much it was almost crunchy. So it made the texture something in between hard and soft taco. It made the taco tough to chew and made it hard to eat.

Their fillings have interesting flavor combinations. My favorite is the chicken hearts. Besides your  traditional onions and cilantros, you can get combinations of carrots, radish, or onions. They also love to stuff their tacos full of fillings. I do like their generosity in stuffing the tacos, but sometimes it turns messy when you eat it.

Some people don't like their chips. I actually like them. They are greasy, but I think that's what makes them taste good. Try the with the queso dip. Es muy bueno. 

They have other items other than tacos, but I haven't tried them. I like tacos, unless they're from crappy Mexican restaurants like Los Bravos or Taco Bell. If you give me good tortilla and good fillings, I usually like them. Holy Taco, even though they're not traditional tacos, taste decent to me. I don't think they're amazing, but they're good enough for a repeat visit. Mr. Kitty gives it 4 paws up.

Holy Taco

1314 Glenwood Ave SE

Atlanta, GA 30316

(404) 230-6177

www.holy-taco.com

Hot Dogs at Costco.

I found the best deal for hot dogs in Atlanta. You can find them at Costco. For the price, you cannot get a better hot dog anywhere.

First they use a decent sausage for their hot dogs. They use Kirkland brand sausages. You can choose from beef hot dogs or polish sausage. These are not your dinky, school cafeteria sized hot dogs. They are very meaty and satisfying. They fill the bun well. They also have decent flavor. Also, Costco boils the sausage, not grill it. But that's okay.

You can dress the dog up with mustard, ketchup, onions, and relish. They don't have fancier toppings such as sports peppers, chili, foie gras, or whatever. But the toppings they give you is enough to make a great dog.

It's also cheap. It only costs $1.50 for a hot dog and a 20oz drink. You even get free refills. At other places, this would be at least twice the cost. But not at Costco. In fact, they haven't increased the price since they introduced the hot dog—in 1984.

One of my favorite hot dogs in Atlanta

The hot dog and drink can fill you up. But if you're like me, you would need something extra. You can order an extra dog, but I don't like to do that. You have to buy the drink with the dog. You can't get the dog separately. That's okay, it only cost $1.50 anyway. But one of my favorite companions to the hot dog is the pizza.

My favorite combo for a meal at Costco. All for less than $5. 

The pizza isn't the best pizza in the world. But it is gigantic and also cheap. The hot dog, drink, and slice of pizza combo comes out under $5. This is probably the best deal you can get anywhere. I don't know where else you can eat like a king, where the food taste decent, and where you won't have to pay over $5. Only at Costco. The only downside? Well, you need a membership to go in. If you're not a member, try to tag along with a friend or family member who has one. Mr. Kitty gives it 5 paws up just for the great value.

Costco

2900 Cumberland Mall
Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 431-1702
www.costco.com

Mini Hot Pot Part 2

It's been a while since I had Mini Hot Pot. I used to go to the Buford Highway location a lot. The people there seemed to work hard, especially on the weekends. Well, I guess they weren't working hard enough since one of the owners decided to open up a second location in Duluth. Somehow, they seem to manage both locations. 

The Duluth location is much bigger than the Buford Hwy one. It is almost 2-3 times the size. Their sauce bar looks bigger too, providing a lot more choices. 

Speaking of sauces, you have to make a good sauce to enjoy hot pot. I like mine with a good kick. When you try hot pot, try mixing a variety of ingredients to make your sauce. Don't be afraid to mix 4-5 things together and see how it tastes. Don't just use one sauce, it won't taste good.  Usually, if you look like you don't have a clue, one of the waitresses will come and show you how to make a decent sauce. 

Also, if you make the right sauce, you wouldn't need to pay extra for the spicy tablet for the broth. The spice from the sauce should be enough to flavor your hotpot. 

My sauce

Mini Hotpot offers a ton of combos that you can order with your hot pot. They include stuff like the Meat combo, Land and Sea combo, and others. They even have a crab combo where a live crab is brought out! Don't worry though, the rest of the meat combos are the dead animals we all know and love. It's just a variation of beef, pork, lamb, and various sea foods.

All your combos come with the hot pot platter pictured below. It has all the essentials to dress up your hotpot. Make sure to add the noodles last, or it'll absorb all the broth, and the noodles will become overcooked.


Vegetarians shouldn't worry either, they have a vegetarian option too. They even give you a special hot pot platter where they substitute the meat, such as the hotdogs; fish cakes; etc., with vegetable options.

Standard plate that comes with all orders.

Besides the meat combos, you can order sides of extra stuff. They have stuff you can't get with the combos like Fuzhou Fish balls. And they have the old favorites like squid, inoki mushrooms, extra meat, and so on.

The Broth

Land and Sea Combo

Mini Hotpot is great for hangovers, cold weathers, and colds. Some people complain about the price, as it's a bit high, but I don't mind. Some people also complain that they have to cook their own food. Well, if you don't like to cook your own food, then I suggest not coming here. Maybe my cooking skills are good or something because my hotpot always turn out pretty good. 

They also have a good selection of smoothies and bubble tea. Their bubble teas aren't too bad either. I like this place. It is a great, comforting place for me. Mr. Kitty gives this place 4 paws up.

Mini HotPot 2

2174 Pleasant Hill Rd. Suite 101

Duluth, GA 30096

(678) 417-8888