bites around atlanta

Here are some of the many things I've been eating around town... (sorry for the crappy iPhone pics)

Farm 255
Butcher's Block - if you happen to be at the Farm while visiting Athens and this is still around (menu is constantly changing) - try this. The pork belly is ridiculously tender and creamy, sausage under a bed of sauerkraut is kickin and the grilled casatillo is tasty as well.

Han Il Kwan
Yukgaejang - often overlooked for Han Il Kwan's Korean BBQ, is their yukgaejang (a spicy, beef soup). One of the many Korean dishes you'll miss out on if you only follow the mainstream stuff (ie. bulgogi, galbi, bibimbap, etc...)

Haru Ichiban
Tonkotsu Ramen - it's halfway between my house and school so Haru makes for a perfect lunch stop. I like their shio ramen as well but I can't resist a creamy tonkotsu with tender pork slices swimming amongst ramen noodles. Don't forget to order the pork takana rice with your noodles as well!

Waffle House
Cheesy Eggs + Waffle - no, this isn't a typo. WH's cheesy eggs are good - I don't even care about the fake butter they use because it's that awesome. Their waffles (although hit or miss depending on the location) are tasty as well. No, I was not hung over or drunk while eating these. Who said I'm a food snob?

The Shed at Glenwood
Sheep's Milk Yogurt and Carrot Cake - words don't do justice to this thick, creamy yogurt accompanied by dates, crunchy things (pecans?) and sweetened with honey. Just do order it. Might as well get a carrot cake on top of the yogurt - go big or go home right? The cake's worth the extra 10 minutes on the treadmill. Word.

 

Sodeulnyuk

AYCE Korean BBQ - that's all you can eat Korean BBQ for either $9.99 or $14.99! $9.99 scores you chadolbaegi (thinly sliced beef brisket) and ssamgyupsal (pork belly) and the pricier option gets you fresh, unmarinated, boneless galbi. Dish out the extra $5 and get the galbi. Go now while it's not at the peak of its popularity because as a lot Korean restaurants go - quality suffers as business picks up. Wait...why am I sharing this then??

Gorditas la Rancherita
Sope, Flautas, Chilaquiles (Rojo) - it's cheap, servings are generous and it's tasty. My favorite are the sope, flautas and the chilaquiles but other dishes are worth trying as well. If you don't have the appetite to try a lot of things, get the chicken sope. It's awesome.

Mini Hot Pot 2
Braised Pork Belly (Lunch Special) - braised for 6 hours, only available at lunch and only 1 pot of these are made per day. Incredibly tender - it melts, in, your, mouth. It even has a fried egg with it - how can you resist? Go early and grab their $4.99 special.

Steinbeck's
Chinese Breakfast and Buttermilk Fried Chicken - good Chinese at an Irish pub? Yes. Slices of tender, braised pork belly on top of fluffy rice seasoned with soy sauce. If that's not good enough, you get a sunny side egg to take it over the top. Their buttermilk fried chicken is also very good and it's on top of buttery grits which will ultimately be garnished with fried chicken skin. Take your statin and go now!!


Actual cooking and more food stuff later this week.

PS. Thanks to C for taking some of these pictures + bonuses. < /end>

chicken parmesan sliders

Hi!

I'm still around. Finished my 11 finals (e-le-ven) and I'm done with fake MD Rx. school for about 3 months.

I've been eating out a lot and cooking a lot of fast/easy/old favorites - not blog worthy stuff to dedicate an entire post on. That is...unless how to make fried rice and simple stir frys got really popular the 3 weeks I was away.

One of the few things I like to do during the read-straight-off-the-slide classes is think of lunch/dinner ideas on the Epicurious app. While browsing under the "I Can Barely Cook" section (it's true + I'm lazy) I chose this particular recipe for that night's dinner. It's not that sliders are difficult to make...but it does take somewhat of an effort to make. Definitely worked against my attempt to be completely lazy.

Unlike the original recipe, I used butterflied and quartered chicken breasts instead of the ground chicken. Was I going to go through the trouble of setting up 3 different stations to bread the chicken? Hell no. I just combined bread crumbs, salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese together and coated each piece of chicken breast before frying. Weeknight meals are supposed to be easy right?

I promise the blog won't be neglected over the summer. Stay tuned okay? You can always follow me on Twitter to see what I'm eating around town or listen to other random foodbits!

Chicken Parmesan Sliders

Adapted from Bon Appétit, March 2010

Ingredients:

- 3 chicken breasts, butterflied and quartered (12 pieces in total)

- 24 slices of French bread, toasted

- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

- 1 cup of breadcrumbs

- 4 tablespoons of minced basil + 12 big basil leaves for later

- 3/4 cup of marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)

- 4 ounces of mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

- 12 radicchio leaves

1) Prep the chicken, slice the French bread, slice the mozzarella cheese into 12 slices, wash and tear off the radicchio/basil leaves. Set aside until needed. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Combine the breadcrumbs, minced basil, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix until evenly distributed. Set aside.

3) Add the marinara sauce to a small saucepan and warm over low heat until you need it.

4) Coat each piece of chicken breast in the breadcrumb mixture. Once all of the chicken breasts have been coated, add olive oil to a nonstick pan over medium/medium-high heat and fry for about 3 minutes on the first side until golden. (Work in batches!!) Flip over to the second side and top with a slice of the mozzarella cheese. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 more minutes until the chicken's done. Remove to a plate while you finish the rest of the chicken.

5) Meanwhile, brush the French bread slices with a little olive oil and throw those suckers into the preheated oven. Toast for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

6) Assemble! Slice of toast, radicchio + basil leaf, piece of chicken with melted cheese, marinara sauce and another slice of toast.

7) Eat :)

It's easy, kids like it (well...my 12 year old brother does) and look at all the veggies - tomatoes, radicchio, basil and bread!! ;)

*Disclaimer - I fully understand that bread and tomato sauce doesn't count as vegetables in the normal food pyramid.