One of the great things about Atlanta is Buford Highway. You can wonder in and out of strip malls filled with ethnic foods from around the world. Miles and miles of options.

I’ve been reading a lot about Gu’s Kitchen new location on Buford Highway and with the weather not the best for any outdoor activities, I decided to give it a try. When I arrived, there was a dragon festival commemorating the beginning of the Lunar New Year and it set the stage for the festive culinary events to follow.

To the left of the entrance are two coolers filled with water, one plain and the other, “lemon,” with lots of glasses stacked neatly to one side. I did not understand their purpose when I arrived, but would 15 minutes later, after a few bites of noodles. To the right of the entrance is your first stop, the combination ordering station and cashier. You receive a menu and an obligatory, “Is this your first time here?” questions. When I smiled, the cashier was great about making recommendations, I wanted to order a lot, but we agreed to keep it small, an order of six dumplings and the handmade, thick noodles. You then pay, go to your table and wait. The food arrived in about 5 minutes.

The dumplings are a must. You can choose from three fillings, pork, chicken or vegetables and pair it with one of the two sauces, I chose pork filling with the Zhong style, Gu’s award-winning famous sweet & spicy sauce.

They were perfect in every way. Words cannot describe the silkiness of the wrappers, soft, succulent and added just a touch of flavor. The pork filling was delicious, not too much, not too little, and added great flavor, not fighting with the other ingredients. The sauce/oil was a variety of spicy, ranging from a 4 to a 6 on my scale, depending on each bite. Overall, these were probably the best dumplings I have ever eaten.

The noodles are described on the menu as “Handmade thick chewy noodles with homemade sweet sauce and chili oil; sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. One of the most famous street foods in Chengdu.”

The noodles were thick and mounded in a bowl covered with a very similar spicy oil to the dumplings. I was a little concerned that they would be gummy, but I could not have been more wrong, they were soft and delicate throughout (I disagree with the “chewy” description). The sauce added the same level of spiciness as the dumplings, again, depending on the individual bite, it could range from moderate to noticeable kick of spiciness. In addition, the spiciness stays on the lips and mouth for a few minutes afterwards.

Overall, Gu’s kitchen should be a “must go to” on everyone’s list. I hate saying this since I need to also get back to try some of the other dishes.

I tried to buy some Q from Heirloom a few weeks ago but when I arrived, the parking lot was empty, I knew the bad news…sold out. The paper bag on the front door confirmed my fear. Today was different since I arrived mid-afternoon, there were both cars and motorcycles in the lot and a few people were gathered in front of the door.

You enter the market, grab a menu and work your way to the order/register. I ordered a 2-meat platter with two sides and chose the brisket and pulled pork for the meats, baked beans and Brunswick stew for the sides, and an order of the Korean sauce. All was placed in a Styrofoam clamshell along with some sliced pickles and a buttered and grilled bun.

Pulled Pork – This was the best of the order. They give a good mound of meat. I loved the texture, almost soft and delicate with great smokiness. When you added some of the special Korean sauce it was an international explosion of flavor on the palate.

Brisket – There were probably 4 nice slices in the order. I really wanted to love the brisket but it fell flat. While the meat absorbed a good deal of smokiness, the rub disappeared in the cooking process, I could see it, but it was almost non-present on first bite. The meat was greatly enhanced by the sauce, but without the sauce, it was not to my liking.

Make your own sandwich – I halved the roll and tried with the pork/sauce/pickle on one half and substituted the brisket on the other. The combination was really good with the spiciness of the sauce and the tanginess that the pickle complemented the other participants.

Brunswick Stew – I was skeptical when I ordered it, but it was excellent. Full of great flavors and chunks of meat.

Baked beans – A little too sweet for my taste, plus with a ton of meat scraps all over the kitchen, I would have preferred some chopped meats in the beans.

Overall, I was expecting a lot more from this acclaimed BBQ joint. While the pulled pork was outstanding and even better with the Korean sauce, the others fell a little flat. Given the proximity to B’s Cracklin, the stakes are higher for this part of Atlanta.

Go for the experience, stay for a few of the selections.

NYC is not void of smoked fish options, so how do you choose. Other than go everywhere, there are some that are better than others. Since we have never been to Sadelles, it was a chance to check the box on the must-do list. We made a reservation for a cold Saturday morning and were seated within 5 minutes of our time.

The tables are designed to maximize the number of people that can be served, smallish but they use every square inch plus the air rights above. They place a “tower” that you have seen used for cold seafood or two-tiers of pizza in the middle, and they place your plates on them. They also give each diner their own plate.

The four of us started with a “Latke Royale with caviar.” This is an “order with your eyes wide open” since the price for one is $80 with the black caviar. The single palm sized latke is first topped with crème, then slices of smoked salmon, a good amount of black caviar and chives, dill and cucumber juliennes. One is plenty for four people to enjoy a sample, and enjoy we did. The combination of the components was unbelievable. One member of the party suggested a second but we all decided against since we had more food on its way.

Our table ordered the house smoked salmon, the smoked Scottish salmon and the sable. Here is where I have an issue with Sadelles. When you order three $24 smoked fish platter, limiting the diner to a single palm-sized bagel is an affront. For a table of four, please bring a half a dozen bagels.

The favorite was of the two salmons was the Scottish. This was perfectly smoked, delivered a healthy dose of salmon flavor and the texture was fantastic. The other two fishes were a distant second and third behind the Scottish. The house smoked salmon was barely smoked, if at all. I would best describe it a cold poached, there was no flavor other than cold salmon. While I did not like this one, one member of the table did, so it is a personal preference. The sable was not to my liking at all. This succulent fish was served much too salty, in fact I do not remember a saltier version anywhere. I would highly recommend tasting yours to see if it acceptable.

We also ordered the cheese blintzes. The wrappers were delicious, with a mild sweetness and the filling was luscious, albeit a little scant. Again, I am always surprised when the server and the kitchen are not “out of the box” thinkers with customers. We had a table of 4, they serve three blitzes to an order. Why not ask if the table would like four blintzes for an addition $5-7 dollars. A perfect win-win.

The bagels, although small, were delicious. They are made on site, in the middle of the restaurant and you can watch the process as you wait for your meal. I wish I had the option to enjoy more than one.

Service was spot on throughout the meal.

Overall, as much as I wanted to love Sadelles, but it just did not get all my love. The Scottish salmon and latke were spectacular, the cheese blintzes delicious, but the House-Smoked and sable were not in the same league.

B’s Cracklin’ has received accolades from Bon Appetit to Eater (full disclosure, I was a former Eater reviewer) and the pull of great BBQ was too much to resist. It was time to try what many on-line sites have called the best BBQ in Atlanta.

While driving west on Bolton a sign appeared telling me I was one mile from ground zero, and when I made the left turn onto Main Street I saw the unassuming building with the neon “OPEN” and the smokiness in the air told me I was about to have a great meal.

The parking is in the rear, picnic tables are assembled on the porch and you walk between two structures, each containing multiple smokers. This was once serious BBQ joint. The interior is completed with football logos, flags, shirts emblazoned with past SEC mega-games and a staff that can only be described as accommodating, friendly and proud to be part of B’s Cracklin’. There is enough seating for 50-60 patrons.

It was time to move onto the food; the menu was straightforward. It was a pretty easy decision what to order…I wanted to try everything that emerged from those smokers. The Sampler Plate let me do just that and contained chicken, ribs, and pulled pork, two sides and some corn bread, and for $4 you can add the brisket.

As you wait, you need to sit back, relax and have one of their beers or sweet tea (my choice) and enjoy conversation with your friends and family as it takes a while for the kitchen to assemble and deliver. Lots of orders between the in-house and numerous take-away orders. As I sat there watching an SEC football game, I sampled the three sauces on the table, a delicious tomato based which was sweet-tangy, a mustard based with just a hint of earthiness, and the spicy addition with vinegar. I would try each of these with the various meats.

My plate arrived, with a large mound of pulled pork, two ribs, two slices of brisket and a breast quarter of chicken. The mac & cheese and the baked beans (my two sides) arrived in very small plastic cups, not aligned with the large size of the meat portions.

Let’s start with what might be the best smoked meat I have ever eaten. The Brisket is life-changing for a carnivore. It was absolutely perfect. It was incredibly moist and the smokiness was just enough to tingle the palate. And then the seasoning kicked in and a huge smile cam across my face. There is no need for any sauce for these slices of heaven. It was a perfect 10+.

The other BBQ-nirvana were the ribs. The meat pulled easily from the bone, was succulent, smoky and beautifully seasoned. There is no need for sauce, if you are a traditionalist, but if you want even more flavor the sauces were fantastic accompaniments for the ribs. I have to give the ribs a perfect 10+.

The next stop was the pulled pork. As I looked at my mound I was a little concerned that the bark to meat ratio was a little too bark-heavy, and after one bite that concern was confirmed. The deep rich, crispiness and seasoning of the exterior was a little overwhelming to the succulent interior. The smokiness was great and some may think it was a little too smoky. Again, I added each of the sauces and each added a different profile, I really liked each. The meat was not quite in the league as the brisket and ribs and I can only give the pork an 8.

I am always concerned with how chicken handles smoke and was really impressed with the wings, they were delicious. Then I sliced into the breast itself and I knew this was not in the same league as the other meats. While the white meat was able to absorbed a moderate level of smoke, it was borderline dry, not to my liking. I would have to give the wings a 10, but the breast itself as an underwhelming 4.

Sides are always important with BBQ and baked beans have to be great. B’s Cracklin’s baked beans are spectacular. Great flavor and a few little tidbits of meat added a nice touch. Another 10. The Mac & Cheese was creamy and delicious. Almost as perfect as the beans and I would give them a 9. The cornbread was more a cornbread pancake, it was good, not great.

Overall, this is a fantastic BBQ place serving a variety of smoked meats. The brisket was phenomenal, the ribs perfection and the wings and baked beans were outstanding. The pulled pork needs a re-do and if I were to order the chicken I would definitely opt for the thigh quarter over the breast.

I heard so much about Bacchanalia that we decided to spend my birthday. On a Monday evening we drove what felt like to the middle of nowhere and then pulled into the parking lot. The building was a star oasis in the middle of the desert and the name Star Provisions was apt. The rear of this building houses Bacchanalia.

The room is light, airy and large tables throughout the back of the space. A long bar occupies the front. With only two tables occupied I was surprised that the hostess sat us right next to the front door and the hostess station. This was not a gracious welcoming. We asked for a much quieter table in the main part of the room.

The menu is fixed at $95 for four courses (there are many more served with all of the mini-tastings from the kitchen). My wife chose the Nantucket Scallops to start and the NY Strip for her entrée, plus the Turtle for dessert. I chose the Foie Gras…wait the server interrupted and told me the foie gras for the evening was a pate, not a piece of foie gras as stated on the menu. I asked if they could prepare as a piece as the menu stated and he checked with the kitchen. “They can but there will be a $15 supplement before it is a large piece of foie.” My antenna should have gone full 100% “upsell” but I stayed with that option, it was my birthday. For my entrée I ordered the Rohan Duck Breast.

Prior to the receipt of the first course, we received and enjoyed several nibbles. When the appetizers arrived the first item I noticed was the “large piece” of foie was smaller than my thumb, probably less than half an ounce, yes, less than half an ounce. And it was very seared on the exterior, very close to burnt. It was pretty good, not excellent and absolutely not justified in charging $15 more for an item that was EXACTLY as described on the menu.

Moving to the entrée, the evening reached deliciousness. The duck breast was phenomenal, albeit also on the smallish side. In this case the size was absolutely acceptable and the flavors were perfect. The honey and lavender were great complements. This is highly recommended.

Dessert continued the winning streak with the Apple Tart and the Turtle. The tart was delicious and the turtle was excellent.

Service was excellent but forced. Everything was “my favorite.” Even with our mentioning a food allergy, a dish arrived with that ingredient prominent in the presentation.

I think Bacchanalia is an excellent choice for a special, relaxed evening. The supplement for the dish exactly described on the menu is bad, telling me the reason for the surcharge was the large size of the foie and then the miniscule size set a bad tone. I would say that 75% of me loves the place and 25% of me place “emperor’s new clothes” status.