Hot Dish Review

Margaritas and patios just go together. When any new taqueria opens I am excited to give it a try, sipping margaritas outside while enjoying the heat of the Summer, and hopefully, some kickass tacos. So when I got the press release for Bad Dog Taqueria in May, that image came to mind. However, I was informed that they did not have their liquor license yet, so I gave ‘em a couple of months to work out that all-important kink.

Fast forward three months. Surely, they’d have tequila by now! But alas, government red tape had delayed the liquor license but we were welcome to bring our own beer or wine. I checked out the menu online and was sufficiently intrigued, so LC and I headed to Emory Village in Decatur, a solid six minutes from my place, with a cooler full of Corona Lights and salted lime wedges.

We scored rockstar parking on the street right in front. I was surprised that there were only two tables on the patio, so we stepped inside and said hello to owner Tracy who was working behind the counter of her brightly modern space. White plastic chairs provided a fresh contrast to the exposed brick walls and long bar made out of a thick slab of tree, bark and all.

I already knew I had to try We’ve got Seoul, a flour tortilla filled with Korean BBQ pork belly, kimchee slaw and salsa verde. I also had my eye on Evita, with grilled flank steak, crispy yucca, and chimichurri sauce, but the special, called Campenchano, quickly took its place. A corn tortilla filled with flank steak, chorizo, jalapeno-tomatillo sauce, red onion, and cilantro….could it be the taco of my dreams?

LC would predictably get their fish taco made with plantain encrusted (a.k.a. fried) tilapia, cilantro sauce, and slaw, while I tried the plantain encrusted chicken topped with lettuce, tomato, and jalapenos. LC also chose Yo Mama’s Taco, an old school hard corn shell with the traditional fillings of ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. No argument here.

And then there was the mac ‘n’ cheese taco, an off-menu creation of penne, cream sauce, and herbs. But first we had to start with chips, the trio of salsas, and guacamole. Sounds basic, but every component was an innovative take on the usual. Chips are made fresh daily from a variety of vegetables. Fire roasted tomato salsa was smoky hot, plantain pineapple serrano salsa was sweet with some heat, while the chunky salsa fresca had the biggest kick of the three.

Guacamole is made from grilled avocados, adding a smoky dimension to the appropriately chunky dip. Super thin chips made of yucca, plantain, and boniato were similar to potato chips and outshone the ones made of corn. I didn’t even realize there was queso available until I got home and took a closer look at the printed menu….apparently a new addition to the offerings.

Then the baskets of tacos arrived. There is little that can be done to make tacos look pretty in photos. We began sampling them, taking turns with chicken, fish, pork, and beef. I was expecting chunks of fatty pork belly with BBQ sauce in the We’ve got Seoul, but instead found tender, juicy shredded pork. It could have used more of the kimchee slaw, and for me and LC, preferably fiery hot kimchee.

Likewise, I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer perfection of Yo Mama’s Taco. All of the tortillas are made locally, which was evident in the thin and crispy corn shell. It didn’t get soggy because the ground beef was not at all greasy.

Continuing our tasting, LC and I agreed the fish taco was too fishy…our least favorite.

A knife and fork were required to conquer the pasta taco, a thin bread-like shell which I believe Tracy said was made with bread crumbs like one would sprinkle on top of a baked pasta dish…..at least that’s what LC understood. It was a great gimmick, one that I had already read about on another blog, but not something I would order again.

But the best was yet to come. The special was double wrapped in soft corn tortillas that were yellow, meaning made with yellow corn. I added a little guacamole and took a bite….OMG. The steak was fall-apart tender, and the tortillas tasted like corn!

Bad Dog Taqueria has come the closest to recreating the authentic tacos I fell in love with in Playa del Carmen….not a small accomplishment!

With a selection of tacos with quirky names and multi-cultural flavors, I was afraid the restaurant could suffer from an identity crisis. And, yes, I was initially disappointed by the lack of a real patio. However, Bad Dog won us over with its tasty tacos that manage to be creative without being contrived.

So fetch yourself some beers and go to Bad Dog. Sit. Stay. Enjoy!

1579 North Decatur Road 404-370-8822

Recently, I’ve found myself at quite a few business lunches. Eating is not the main focus, as the meal is often an extention of the actual meeting, peppered with plenty of negotiating disguised as playful banter.

However, it is rather intriguing to analyze who orders what and how they eat it. It is somewhat of an experiment in nutrition knowledge and dining etiquette when out with a group that are strangers on a personal level. Who knew my manager was allergic to shellfish? (note to self), or that the guy I email twenty times a day is a vegetarian? And there’s always one poor guy that holds his fork like he’s gripping the handle of a shovel.

A group of us, some from Universal Orlando and the rest from my office, recently had lunch at Marlow’s Tavern. There are now seven locations and I couldn’t tell you which one it was….perhaps Duluth or Vinings? The only table large enough to accommodate our group of eight was on the patio, where we sat in the sweltering heat with an occasional breeze to cool us off. Each of us went through a pitcher of drinks, from iced tea to Coke.

LC always takes charge with the ordering of appetizers for the table. This time he selected asparagus fries and the shrimp flatbread, which I was considering for my entree. Asparagus fries are just what you’d expect, a silly excuse to fry another innocent vegetable, tricking the average person into thinking they are eating healthy.

On the other hand, the flatbread was crisp and light, topped with a little melted cheese, spinach, chopped tomatoes and shrimp….a great option for a light lunch.

A few guys ordered chicken paninis, there was one fish sandwich special, and two orders of shrimp and grits. Servings are enormous, perfect for your typical fat suburban Americans, which seems to be the restaurant’s target market. Described as tavern fare with an upscale twist, the shrimp and grits is a good example, served with two white cheddar grits cakes atop a bed of spinach (there’s that healthy vegetable serving!), then topped with shrimp and doused with a creamy sauce beure blanc. I wish I had taken a photo, this massive meal could sink a ship!

My colleague/boyfriend LC (yes, I am officially insane) and I both ordered the “infamous” fish tacos, in an effort to eat light. I would have ordered a salad but the best option was the steak and blue cheese, similar to the lunch I had with this same group the day before at Ted’s Montana Grill (post coming soon).

Having had a horrific version of them at Sunset Cove the week before, there was little chance that these could be worse. Just because you serve a meat with flour tortillas does not make it automatically a taco.

However, just like salad doesn’t mean low-calorie, fish isn’t always healthy. Although the huge pieces of tilapia were grilled and blackened (loads of sodium), not fried, they were encased in a fried flour shell, accented with romaine, black bean and corn salsa, and a big dollop of smoked chili cream. I requested avocado and cheese for my tacos, after all, what are tacos without cheese? And a small salad as my side, which was topped with feta cheese. LC ordered the jalapeno corn grits as his side.

We both enjoyed the tacos but I still can’t figure out why they are called “infamous”.

While TC was in town, her Dad and I took her to lunch. TC doesn’t like any kind of seafood, or tomatoes, or peppers, or “weird” cheese…..not much of anything, really. I guess that’s standard for an eleven year old.

Always trying to eat healthy, especially at lunch, I’m on the picky side as well. So LC wisely chose Seasons 52 near Perimeter Mall.

It was nearly 1:30pm on a Friday and the restaurant was still busy. Seated in a comfy booth in the bar area, the three of us ordered iced tea and soda, and talked about the activities planned for the week.

LC was starving, as usual, so we started off with the pork taco flatbread special, topped with tomatoes, peppers, and goat cheese. It was tasty. As you may have guessed, TC picked off most everything, leaving the thin cracker-like crust almost bare.

The little chick ordered the chicken sandwich with a side salad, while I tried to decide between the fish tacos LC had at the Seasons 52 in Orlando and the buffalo chili. I ended up with both, as LC ordered the chili, allowing me to try it.

His chili was good and spicy, full of beans and chunks of bison. A small corn cake added some heartiness. I was not impressed with the appearance of the salads. The menu says organic mixed greens so I assumed they would serve dark leafy field greens but they were mostly romaine. Coming in at 320 calories, chili and salad was a great choice, with less than 1000 mg. of sodium.

I was pleased with my tacos, three small soft whole wheat tortillas filled with spicy grilled tilapia, and a scant bit of slaw, drizzled with chipotle cream. What the menu calls guacamole is more of an avocado sauce. The flavor was delicious, although I would have liked more of the crispy slaw. My tacos were 420 calories, considerably lighter than those found at most Mexican restaurants. The 1150 mg. of sodium is somewhat startling, however.

TC’s sandwich, served on Mediterranean flatbread, was bigger than her head. She picked around on it, not sure of how to tackle the massive thing, finally tearing it in half. She finally managed to take a few bites, plus some salad drowned in dressing.

When the tiny dessert tray arrived, TC got the chocolatiest of the lot. LC took a new one based on the famous Italian filled cookie, the cannoli. It was a mini parfait of light vanilla mascarpone filling with baby chocolate chips and a crisp rolled cookie. I tried one delicious bite but abstained from having my own. At over 300 calories on average, the mini indulgences are lower in calories than the real thing because of their small size, not because they are made with less sugar or fat. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the sweets.

I really like Seasons 52. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the food, although higher in sodium than I would approve of, is made with care out of fresh, organic ingredients whenever possible.

After spending a day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando riding roller coasters like two hyperactive teenagers, LC and I made an early evening of it, getting plenty of rest in preparation for our long drive home the next day.

Before we hit the highway, we had a lovely lunch with a couple of LC’s business associates at Seasons 52. It had been a long while since I dined at the health-conscious chain’s Atlanta location next to Perimeter Mall, so it would be interesting to dine here, at the restaurant’s original spot. I used to make a habit of getting their steak and blue cheese flatbread to go a few years back…..sorta like a guilt-free pizza.

We chose a table on the patio overlooking the lake, with a view of our resort on the other side, and ordered unsweetened iced tea all around. Our dining companions ordered cedar plank salmon and caramelized sea scallops, while LC chose the blackened fish tacos. It was the duck chopped salad for me….quelle surprise!

CK enjoyed his salmon, served with carrots, asparagus, and red bliss potatoes. LK gave me one of her succulent scallops and a bite of the accompanying pearl pasta….very tasty.

There were three fish tacos on LC’s plate, each wrapped in a small soft whole wheat tortilla. Low-fat taco toppings and some crisp lettuce were cool and refreshing against the spicy grilled fish. Nice flavor.

On my very first visit to Seasons 52, I ordered a duck salad. It was lunch, and it was pretty good. I remember the portion size being noticeably smaller than typical restaurant plates, thereby controlling calories. So I couldn’t resist the Maple Leaf Farms duck chop salad, with jicama , grilled pineapple, toasted almonds and a sesame dressing. The chopped ingredients were served in a clear cylinder which our server removed upon presenting my plate. Clever and somewhat over the top.

My duck wasn’t extremely tender but it was nicely seasoned with Asian spices. Crisp slices of jicama, crunchy nuts, and tart pineapple provided plenty of texture and flavor contrasts. I would have guessed the salad to have around 325 calories. Since Seasons 52 puts all the nutritional info on their website, my curiousity couldn’t be contained, so I looked it up. I was surprised to discover it had 440 calories, and a little dismayed that it contained 1338 grams of sodium….yikes! Another frightening statistic, 35 grams of sugar….what what?

Nonetheless, I couldn’t put my fork down until my plate was cleaned. The four of us found ourselves helpless when confronted with the restaurant’s signature “mini indulgences”, tiny parfait versions of classic desserts.

We each had a different sweet treat; key lime pie and lemon mousse for our friends, pecan pie with vanilla mousse for LC, and mocha macchiato for me. Coffee and chocolate combos always lure me in. Just a tiny, innocent dessert, right? OMG, imagine my shock and horror to discover this mini indulgence was loaded with 42 grams of sugar and 370 calories! Deceptive? Not really. Considering there are 500-800 calories in a single slice of regular pecan pie, their mini version comes in considerably lighter at just 320. Naturally, I chose the most fattening of all the minis on offer.

Although we started early, our lunch went on for quite some time, full of witty conversation. Gallons of iced tea later, LC and I made our way to the interstate, headed back to the big city.

Now I’m sorta craving one of those flatbreads.

7700 Sand Lake Rd. 407-354-5212

When the limo arrived B and I were still rushing around getting ready for the concert. It didn’t surprise me that LC was in it. Crap, no champagne. We took a few beers for the road and proceeded to the Cooper compound, chatting and laughing all the way!

A quick stroll around the grounds of the compound just made me want to hang out there all afternoon but we were on a tight schedule. Bad Company at Chastain at 8pm.

The three of us, the Coopers, and their friend W got in the limo and sped off for a quick dinner at Meehan’s in Sandy Springs. On my last visit I only had Guinness. This time we would eat a proper meal.

It was hot outside. B ordered a Corona with salt and lime…..sounded so good me and LC got on the same train. Refreshing! Our server brought out a big bag of salt and vinegar chips for snacking.

B followed JC’s lead as they each tried the tuna tostada appetizer. Personally, I never order tuna, but I found one of her chips on my plate. A thick slice of seared tuna and a generous layer of guacamole decorated a tortilla chip. Only about eight of the chips rested on a bed of lettuce, drizzled with sriracha cream sauce. I took a bite….so good! I would order this. Seriously.

I believe W had a reuben and DC ordered the fish ‘n’ chips, but I wouldn’t bet on that.

Me and LC split an order of fish tacos and a grilled chicken BLT. Grilled fish, lettuce, and some salsa and sour cream were folded into three flour tortillas. Tex-Mex just isn’t right without guacamole and jalapenos so I was left a tad bit disappointed, but he loved ‘em.

Much better was the sandwich. Several of my favorite words came together on its menu description….bacon, avocado, smoked gouda, chipotle mayo. With the option of sweet potato fries as a side, I was sold! We didn’t care for the submarine-type roll it came on, would have been better on toasted wheat.

Only complaint about the fries, there was no dipping sauce. This dilemma always reminds me of Heaping Bowl ‘n’ Brew, the ground-breaking restaurant that opened in East Atlanta probably eighteen years ago. Theirs was my first experience with sweet potato fries….crisp shoestrings, sprinkled with cayenne and black pepper, served with a sweet and spicy cranberry dipping sauce. The best!

Meehan’s food is not gourmet but it is definitely several notches above standard bar-fare. I would gladly return and try the tortilla soup or one of their specialty burgers like the Farmstead Burger made with bison or the turkey burger with smoked gouda (again!), and cranberry-Vidalia marmalade (maybe they should serve that as the dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries!).

No time for dessert, we jumped in the limo and headed to Chastain where JC put our a plate of plums, grapes, cheddar cheese and red and white wine.

B and I had a great evening thanks to all the Coopers!

Each time B and I ventured out from the resort we passed by O Mole Mio. Ranked #43 in Cabo on tripadvisor.com, there were some good reviews on their tacos. Plus, the place was decked out in Mexican art like ornate silver crosses, colorful pottery, and most prominently, Catrinas, skeleton figurines in a variety of colorful costumes used to decorate homes during the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

It sounds gruesome but it is, in fact, a time for families to remember those that have passed and honor the spirits of the dead.

I was really hoping to find authentic Mexican food on this trip but it was becoming increasingly evident that most of the establishments, especially on the main street, cater to tourists. O Mole Mio is one of them. Their specialty is mole, the complex Mexican sauce traditionally made with chocolate and spices. Not a fan of mole, I did not succumb to the temptation to order it anyway as I often do (it’s made with chocolate people!).

B and I arrived early and took a table by an open window. Two seconds later she was shopping. Did I mention all of the artwork in the restaurant was for sale? We ordered margaritas and continued shopping, pondering our selections while sipping the salty tart cocktails.

The chips, like everywhere in Cabo, were extra thick, served with the standard pico de gallo and requested habenero salsa. We ordered two fish tacos and one beef to share. Can’t go to Cabo without having fish tacos! Kids with bowls of mini bobble-head animals came to the window as we waited for our food. B and I had already bought several of these by the marina and proceeded to add to our collection.

Our super-friendly server brought out our tacos. Grilled fish was enveloped by soft corn tortillas, a mound of guacamole on the side. Good but not outstanding. The beef was flavorful, but again, the tortillas couldn’t compare to the ones in Playa del Carmen.

B purchased a couple of silver crosses and a hand-painted vase. I found a really cool Madonna made of metal and paper on wood and couldn’t leave without a Catrina dressed in an aqua gown carrying a yellow purse.