4005 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30345

(404) 728-1008

For some reason, I have been having a lot of cravings for bánh mì lately, and I know that as the weather continues to get colder, I’m going to start having my broth obsession again and will start trying to tear Atlanta apart for some phở that rivals the two favorite versions that I enjoy back home in New Orleans.  Ironically enough, I found myself on Buford Highway at lunch time in the perfect place to get a taste of both which will serve as a lead-in to my new side venture, The Quest for the Best.

The golden standard around here from my observations for bánh mì is Lee’s Bakery, so it’s only fitting that I start my quest there and branch out into the unknown beyond.  If you’re interested in Buford Highway or Vietnamese cuisine around here, I’m certain you’ve heard of it.  I’m sure it wouldn’t have taken me two years to get here if it weren’t for one personal issue I have with Buford Highway:  when you find a place you really love, it’s nearly impossible to bypass it and go somewhere else in that same shopping center.  It feels like a crime when you know that there’s something you love next door and you’re delving into the unknown.  I have passed Lee’s Bakery with barely a sideways glance on several occasions and beelined into Cơm simply to devour their outstanding whole grilled fish.  It’s one of my favorite things in the area, and it hopefully I can make it back for a review soon.  The problem is Cơm claimed that shopping center in my head.  Fortunately my resolve today was great, and I had bánh mì on the brain and was determined to give Lee’s a chance.  It makes far too much sense to go to Lee’s for lunch anyway as I soon discovered.  I think it may be possible for those two places to live harmoniously in the same shopping center and serve completely different cravings for me since they offer primarily different Vietnamese dishes which is the best thing I could ask for.

Half of the fun of a place like Lee’s is that in addition to getting some lunch to go or dine in, you have an interesting variety of baked goods, pastries, gelatinous desserts, drinks, and other goods on display for you to browse and potentially purchase and take home with you.  At first it didn’t seem like they had a whole lot of bread out for sale, but when I noticed a pile of garbage bags crammed full of loaves of crusty bread, I realized the quantity they were dealing with.

The next thing I noticed was that Lee’s offers a really good value for bánh mì.  The prices range from $2.50 for a to-go order and $3 to dine in.  I know this should be somewhat standard pricing, but for some reason, I’ve seen a lot of places selling their bánh mì for $5 or $6.  While that’s still reasonable considering the typical quality and filling nature of this type of sandwich, it’s a little annoying when you know that there are potentially better places for half the price.  If you’re catering for a group or need 5 sandwiches for any reason, I believe their deal is buy 5 get 1 free for carry out as well which I’ve heard of elsewhere, but is nice to see here.

Be sure to bring cash unless you think you’ll be spending over the $10 credit minimum!

a handy list of the sandwiches they have and their style of garnishes

They also offer some fruit smoothies with the option to add boba.  I was going to explore my love for avocado smoothies with boba here as well as I love pairing the decadently creamy, mildly sweet earthiness with the layers of crunch and tangy elements of bánh mì, but I got really distracted by the lunch combo that they had for $6.50 that features a half sandwich and a smaller serving of phở.

a handy list of their combo options

Nice, right?  It’s just nice not having to feel like you’re making a painful decision by feeling forced to choose between two things you love knowing that there isn’t nearly enough room in your belly for two.  It’s the best of both worlds, and it’s $6.50 if you dine in.  But how do these versions measure up in the world of bánh mì and phở?

1/2 bánh mì of the grilled pork variety

I’ve always felt that the quality and texture of the bread is one of the main factors in a good sandwich.  Lee’s bakery has a dry crust that isn’t too hard and flakes nicely under pressure.  The crust is thin enough that you can enjoy the chewy texture of the softer bread beneath in the same bite.  It’s a great standard for quality french bread, and I can see why it’s well regarded.

It’s hard to go wrong with Vietnamese grilled pork in general in my opinion.  I’ve yet to have a version that I find unsatisfying even though there are variants that are better than others. Fish sauce, garlic, lemongrass, citrus juices, and whatever else happen to be in the particular marinade used just work so harmoniously with pork.  When I tried it on its own, this was about par for the grilled Vietnamese pork course.  If I felt like being picky, I’d say that I prefer the meat to be a little tangier and perhaps it was a little bit too salty, but it worked out perfectly fine in the context of this sandwich lending its salty umami and slightly chewy texture into the mix.

loads of fresh garnishes

Lee’s Bakery uses the standard garnishing elements on their sandwich.  The mayo/butter combo is nice and adds the right amount of creaminess and tangy butter richness without being overwhelming.  The daikon/carrot pickling was standard and fresh and in good quantity.  The slices of jalapeno were large but didn’t overwhelm while adding a nice undertone of heat that persisted gently throughout the sandwich.  Fresh sprigs of cilantro added another element of clean, herbal flavor to the overall composition.

What really worked for me was the combination of the elements was really spot on.  There was just enough of each thing that you generally got to experience a blissful balance of salty, chewy, crispy, tangy, and creamy in every bite.  And the price?  Who can argue with the price?  It’s the kind of sandwich that makes you feel like a fool for ever spending $5 Subway footlong or buying any fast food combo for the same price.  You could walk out of here with 2 large delicious sandwiches for the same price with much fresher, more interesting, and dynamic ingredients.

phở tái nạm & garnish plate
the flank steak (nạm) is fortunately hiding underneath which is good since I’m supposed to be reviewing phở tái anyway

This bowl of phở was a nice size as in I didn’t feel like I was gluttonously lamenting the last spoonfuls while clearly not knowing when to quit.  Obviously it was smaller than usual given the nature of the combo, but that was fine by me.  I wish more places offered smaller bowls of phở so I can happily have some comforting broth so I can satisfy multiple cravings.

The first taste of broth was the most important, and…wow!  Color me impressed.  One of my two favorites I always went back to was the broth of Hoa Hởng 9 (Nine Roses) just outside of New Orleans because it’s so heavy on the aromatics, and this might have been even moreso.  It’s probably not to everyone’s tastes as it could be overwhelming to some, but I happen to like that style a lot.  You could smell the spices used to make the broth (especially the star anise) when the bowl was placed in front of you, and the color of the broth leans a bit amber in color.   It’s fun and flavorful although perhaps a little more difficult to pick up on the meat flavor of the stock.  There’s a nice spattering of fat on the top which I always like to see.  The broth itself was also very clean, and there was no residue once I reached the bottom of the bowl.

This wasn’t phở tai as it had flank steak in it, so I’m going to ignore that part of the meat and focus on the fact that the rare steak aspect was sliced thicker than usual and the slices all around felt more ample.  Fortunately, it still retained a lot of tenderness, and I was pleased with that component

The noodles were still a little clumped together, but I wonder if this has something to do with the size of the bowl and the lessened quantity of broth.  The noodles were still nice and soft and happily flicked broth on their journey into my mouth as brothy noodles like to do.

The garnishes in the soup were simple and included green onions, thinly sliced white onions, and cilantro.  The garnishes on the side were ample and fresh and consisted of a wedge of lime, rolls of culantro, very fresh and crisp bean sprouts, and thai basil.  The basil did show some signs of light bruising and spots, but it didn’t affect the flavor or texture at all.  After assessing and enjoying the broth on its own for a while, I dug into the garnishes and dripped some sriracha on the surface.  The combination worked really well because the broth was so aromatic on its own that it still managed to shine through in the right amounts under a large quantity of additional toppings.  I was especially pleased with how well the bean sprouts held onto their watery crisp in the broth too.  Fresh garnishes can really help a phở, and in this case, it pushed it over the edge for me.

Final Verdict:

I was really pleased with my first visit to Lee’s Bakery, and I can say that it managed to live up to the hype that it’s received.    As I’ve mentioned several times, the prices are great, and the wait was short around 1pm on a weekday.  If I lived closer, I’d be in there very frequently.  For now, as the first entry in the Quest for the Best, it’s going to set the standard for the other bánh mì and phở from here on out.  I’m curious to see how others hold up.

My only real complaint is that a few hours later, I did feel as if I had consumed too much salt from lunch.  I’m wondering if the broth had cooked down a lot intensifying its flavor and salt level.  It tasted good at the time for sure, but the salt content was likely higher than the already salty norm.  It’s worth noting at the very least.

Vegetarian note:

Something else I discovered while I was there was that they serve some elusive vegan phở with tofu and vegetables.  I’ve heard of this sort of thing, but I’ve yet to encounter it.  I’m extremely curious as to how well the aromatics work without a good meat based stock.  Expect a vegetarian perspective on this experiment.

A five-year-old desire line cuts diagonally across the empty lot next to the Garson Drive parking deck at Lindbergh City Center

Desire Lines – also known as “intention lines, ” “paths of desire” or “desire paths” – are the paths worn into grass (or sometimes, snow) by pedestrians in places where sidewalks are unavailable or found to be inconvenient.

One of Atlanta’s most extensive collections of desire lines runs along both sides of Buford Highway, but college campuses, office parks and areas adjacent to transit stations are also prime locations for DIY pedestrian paths.

Pedestrians on the south end of Oak Valley Road, near Lenox Station, utilize the established desire lines or walk in the street where there's no sidewalk.

http://www.littleszechuanchefkongs.com/

I was prompted to check this place out due to the Scoutmob deal that’s going on through November 17, 2011.  It’s nice to see a few of the places on Buford Highway opening themselves up to Scoutmob, and it certainly gives me an incentive to single a few places out among the masses.  This place, however, was possibly a little thrown by the amount of Scoutmobbers there and had a cash only policy for Scoutmob as well as were selective about what items were 50% off–I believe it is just entrees.  Be aware of these restrictions if you go and use the deal there.

The menu showed a variety of more traditional dishes as well as more Americanized ones.  The somewhat mixed crowd seemed to mostly be ordering from the Americanized side the night that I went, but of course I went straight for the more authentic side of the menu.

Once we finally got some service, we were served a cold bean sprout and pickled radish appetizer and some hot tea.

I immediately took to the refreshing lightly pickled vegetables side of the little dish and was left less inspired by the more much more mildy flavor of the bean sprouts.  I did find, however, that they tasted rather nice in one bite and worked well together that way, so I managed to gobble up the greater part of these two small dishes while we began what ended up being a bit of a wait for more service and our food.

My companion was interested in my experiencing Dan Dan Mien for the first time as it was something that he enjoyed in his travels, so we started with Dan Dan Mien (Spicy Sesame Noodle) and Shredded Pork w/Szechuan Cabbage Soup.

The soup had a light, rather mild broth with a slight drizzle of nice fat on the top.  I swear by those little oily droplets on top, and they were there and added a layer of richness to the clean broth below. The chewy bits of earthy mushrooms and bright clean notes of the greens within were nice, and the pork was mildy chewy, but it all worked out nicely.  It wasn’t anything especially out of the ordinary or exciting, but it was a nice and simple soup.

The Dan Dan Mien on the other hand was a bit puzzling to me. As soon as this dish was stirred by my dinner companion who recommended it, he knew that it was not the authentic style he was hoping for and released a few choice words to express his dismay.  Basically, this read simply as spaghetti in pasty peanuty/sesame sauce for the most part with the bits of spinach and scallions becoming entirely lost in the mix.  I saw the presence of pepper flakes, but failed to pick up on any real heat, and if there were any Szechuan peppercorns in there, they were entirely lost on me as well.  I found myself enjoying it in an odd sort of way possibly because I had grown rather hungry at this point, but it seemed Americanized, unremarkable, and generally reminiscent of something you’d get prepackaged at Trader Joe’s.  The leftovers were kind of good for breakfast especially the way the peanuty sauce thickened when cold, and I’m sure this would taste great after a night of drinking, but that wasn’t what I came here to experience.  After some research on the matter, I can see how what we had was different than what he experienced in China, and even Wikipedia notes the standard Americanized substitutions.

After that came the standard litmus test for me at a place such as this:  Yu Xiang Qie Zi (Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce) and Chuan Wei Nu Rou (Szechuan Beef).

The eggplant dish was about par with what I’ve had on Buford Highway with the exception that I thought it wasn’t quite as melt-in-your-mouth cooked down deliciousness as I expect when I have this dish.  The sweetness was there, but only mildly, so that was pleasant for me.  There was just enough kick of heat to be enjoyable, and it had a subtly nearly buttery-reminiscent richness within the vinegared sauce.  I do wish this were served with pork because I think the savory of the meat would really balance the flavors as a whole, but I still found this version generally satisfying.  It certainly wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it was passable.

As soon as the Szechuan beef landed on the table and I leaned over to observe it, I could immediately smell the Szechuan peppercorn and knew that I was finally going to get what I came for.  The mala beef served over cabbage with onion really quelled a craving within me.  The beef slices were more tender than I’ve experienced in the past and the heat level had a nice build to it throughout the course of the meal and paired magically with the tingly numbing heat of the Szechuan peppercorns.  It’s the sort of thing you should order when you come here for certain, and it is downright craveable.  I found the cabbage to be cooked well also as it was neither too crunchy nor too soft and served as a nice resting place for the succulent meat.

I started experimenting by eating a slice of beef with a piece of eggplant, and the balance I was hoping for with the eggplant dish was achieved this way and was really sort of divine.  I’d recommend this combination.

Final verdict:

This place was pretty tasty at times and lackluster at others.  I would certainly come back for their beef dish again, but there are certainly many other places that have won me over at first pass more easily.  It’s worth a shot for now especially if you use your Scoutmob deal here, but I wonder how hit and miss the rest of the menu will be.  I’ll likely be back at some point, but there are so many other places I’d rather revisit or new places I’d rather try instead.

In my haste to take advantage of a 50% discount I ended up at a little spot called Little Szechuan on Buford Highway in Atlanta, GA.  The spot has a nice website that brags about all the awards that they have received, even a video where they got some 11Alive cover on Atlanta news.  Hence, I was shocked and appalled by what happened to me.  Strike one, was immediate when I entered the door by a far away hello from a lady that pointed to a booth.  Strike two came closely thereafter because it took 10-15 before someone came over to say hello.  Everything I heard about Little Szechuan was personal service, friendly, kind, and even to the degree that I would feel right at home, but I obviously wasn’t invited.  Strike three was the fact that during my entire visit my waitress only visited my table twice.  Once to refill my drink near the end and the other was to drop off the check and bring a to-go box.

I would like to add that during my visit there were only 4 total tables occupied including mine.  My waitress was extremely inattentive.  More than just the fact that the service was deplorable is that it was a sad occasion.  What made it so sad was that I really liked the food. Furthermore, I will probably never return to get to meet the owner, proprietor, or the chef that I heard so much about.  This is by far going to go down as a cold read from Fahrenheit247, but this time it is well deserved.

-V

Fish market is popular.

Look closely--Budweiser and Bud Light with CLAMATO! O King of Beers--what have you done! (and do you really need TWO versions of this?)

We have pretty high standards for farmers markets–having shopped at Atlanta’s largest farmer’s market–Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market for decades.  This place was obviously a former big-box store but it had been renovated.  It has a huge selection and has more of a grocery store feel. It’s nicely lit, items are well displayed, it was busy and it had a good vibe.  Also, they take credit cards–which doesn’t seem like a big deal until you are at the cash or check only DeKalb Farmer’s Market and realize those twenties you have in your wallet are actually ones.  Checkout was relatively quick.

There’s a fantastic selection of produce–both organic and not. Once you get beyond the produce, items are arranged by country, continent, or ethnic group.  I’m not a fan of this since I would like to see all the jars of peppers together rather than spread them over three continents.  But, based on a quick look at the diversity of their shoppers, I’m guessing this appeals to families that just want to go the the West African or Russian sections and get on with the shopping.  We only covered about a third of the market before we gave into mental exhaustion.  There are sections of products we didn’t even get near to.  And we barely skimmed the meat and fish (yes, live fish) section.  The meat department had unusual items you just don’t see–ox blood by the gallon, entire frozen hogs heads,  pints of “premium” pigs brains (as opposed to the “regular” pigs brains?), and chitterlings.

There’s plenty more here to explore.  Overall, the prices were competitive and it’s a good-looking market.

You call them Little Debbies and Twinkies, but in the "Hispanic" aisle, they are Pinguinos (penguins) and Submarinos (submarines). I like these names better.

TWO kinds of dandylions. And at $1.49 per bunch.

Russian Ice Cream Section

Russian Ice Cream selection

Buford Highway Farmers Market

8:00 am – 10:00pm
770-455-0770

http://aofwc.com/index.aspx

A test taste between the Mexican Peri-Peri Peppadrops (very good) and the South African Peppadews (sublime).

An ATL best kept secret, this Vegetarian Chinese spot on the corner of Buford Highway & Chamblee-Tucker Road is one of the finest veggie spots around, hands down!

You can check out their menu online.

Pickled Cabbage & Carrot (Their complimentary appetizer.)

Crispy Fried "Taro" Dumplings. You MUST have these.

Veggie Beef in Chili & Bean Sauce with Rice Noodles, Shitake Mushroom, Bell Pepper, Carrot & Onion

Crispy Fried Orange Veggie Beef w/ Broccoli & Ornage Zest - GET OUTTA HERE!

Click for train schedule

The Doraville MARTA Station is the very last stop on the gold line, near 285 and Buford Highway at 6000 New Peachtree Road (see map).

What’s Nearby
The area is a mix of industrial and commercial buildings.  Next to the station is the Doraville City Hall and public library.  A block away is Buford Highway where there are a couple restaurants, including Waffle House, and a block beyond that is the Comfort Inn and Conference Center Northeast.

Directions
To get to the station, you must board a train northbound that is marked “Doraville”.  You can get on a Doraville train at any point from the Airport Station to Lindbergh.  Make sure you look for a train that is labeled “Doraville”.

If you are coming from the North Springs/red line in the north, go south to Lindbergh Station, exit, and wait for the next Doraville train.

Parking
There is free daily parking and long-term parking for $8/day.

Commute Times
It takes 40 minutes to get to/from the airport and 24 minutes to get to/from the Five Points station.

Reviews and Tips
   

More Information
Doraville Station Train Schedule
MARTA Schedules to the Atlanta Airport
Using Google Maps for MARTA Directions
Interstate Exits for MARTA Stations
Long-term MARTA Parking

ikura, ikura, galora

oh how a lil uni can change a dish

I’ve covered parts of my trio in the past (think Would You Eat This? and Dreaming About), so here is the big picture:

salty ikura with creamy uni, sour umeboshi flavored jellyfish, spicy wasabi raw octopus

Lauren ordered a couple of rolls and I helped eat them:

spicy tuna

I'm special tonight!

blow torching

After tonight, I will most likely decrease my frequency of visits to Sushi House Hayakawa – if only to up the anticipation/appreciation ante.

Sushi House Hayakawa
5979 Buford Hwy. Red & Green Steakhouse Shopping Center A-10
Atlanta, GA 30340

http://www.atlantasushibar.com/

When visiting Sushi House Hayakawa, I have been riskier in my ordering. I’ve tried new things; ordered what was freshly flown in from Japan. Simply put, I’ve been sky diving sushi style.

Take the dish in the photo above. Can you tell what it is? No? Take a closer look.

what am I?

Need a bit more light?

Ah, there it is – Raw Octopus in a Wasabi sauce! I have been wanting to eat raw octopus ever since I saw Anthony Bourdain and David Chang chomp on live octopus in Queens on a recent episode of No Reservations. The staff stared at me and asked me questions like “have you ever eaten raw octopus before?” and “are you sure you want that – the texture is ‘different’?”. This led me to believe I was embarking on a dangerous adventure; one that may end badly (god forbid I leave that night with disdain towards the lovely octopus).

When the small bowl arrived, it looked harmless enough. I noticed the octopus was cut into small pieces, most likely to avoid any chewiness. I took a small piece, let it explore around my mouth, and swallowed. The texture – I loved! The taste on the other hand was of an extremely strongly wasabi, so much so that I could not even get all of the octo down. I couldn’t taste much other than horseradish at full blown strength. I want to try raw octopus again – but this time I will ask Hayakawa to go easy on the wasabi.

Anyone else want to eat this?

Sushi House Hayakawa
5979 Buford Hwy. Red & Green Steakhouse Shopping Center A-10
Atlanta, GA 30340

http://www.atlantasushibar.com/

Explained best via photographs:

tableside cooker

onions and dill join the party

waiter brings over a pan of marinated fish and gets to work

squeezing in fresh lime juice

needs a lot of lime

time for herbs and veggies

stir it all around

necessary elements to create the wraps

dip the paper into water

put lettuce, fresh herbs, cucumbers, apples onto rice paper

throw on some noodles

and the cooked fish

We also added peanuts and super spicy chilis.

Let’s get rolling:

time to eat!

As you can see, this dish is uber interactive and a lot of fun with a group (or with people who are food nerds, i.e. ME!)

Chateau de Saigon
4300 Buford Hwy NE
Suite 218
Atlanta, GA 30345
ph: 404.929.0034

http://www.chateaudesaigon.com/

Of course, I had to get the tofu:

must snap a

photo before

diving in

It was just as delightful as I remembered: crunchy outer layer with a silky smooth innard, topped with a nice bit a heat.

My friend, Lindsey combined her Jewish roots with traditional soup and ordered the Pho with brisket:

meat - check, broth - check, noodles - check

It came with the expected herbs, sprouts, and flavor enhancers:

add-ons

I caught her picking some of the white fat off the meat, but I believe she enjoyed the broth.
Meredith (of the home-made blintzes fame) had a salad and noodle entree:

Goi Xoai Tao Tom Thit – Shrimp (no pork) Apple Mange Salad with mint leaves, fried onions, crushed peanuts. The salad was only ok – it does not live up to C’om’s version but it is passable.

noodles, where are you?

hiding

I ordered the Seafood Clay Pot or Hai San Tay Cam:

covered with herbs

bff

I had a love affair with my favorite bite:

meant to be together forever

just me and you

ahhh, life is good

The main event of the meal was Lauren’s order of La Vong Sizzling Fish. There’s a lot of ground to cover so it’s coming up next………

massive

the mixed fruit variety:

more manageable

OR both (if you can’t decide and you want a little bit of both and you are not willing to sacrifice one for the other and you are counting on your dining companions to help out):

get ready to climb Mount Everest

Cafe 101 does not allow customization in their shaved ice creations, but they make sure you leave full……of ice.

Café 101
5412 Buford Hwy
Doraville, GA 30340
770-458-8883

http://www.cafe101atlanta.com/

pillowy clouds of yum

Ñaäu Huû Xaû ÔÙt or Spicy Lemon Grass Tofu was a plate of lightly fried tofu with spicy lemon grass topping. Chateau Saigon uses the softer variety of tofu, where the consistency is almost of a cheese and the innards melt in your mouth. While I licked the plate and have been thinking about this dish for the past week, the soft cubes were not loved by all. So I ask you…..would you eat this?

Chateau de Saigon
4300 Buford Hwy NE #218
Atlanta, GA 30341
http://www.chateaudesaigon.com