Cheap Eat of the Week - Lunacy Black Market
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Lunacy Black Market (http://www.lunacyblackmarket.com) located on Mitchell Street downtown is not a restaurant I would have even known about had someone not sent me an article about it. It is in a very unassuming block that frankly smells a little too much like urine for me to spend any time there without a specific purpose. However, I was intrigued by the fact that the chef is Paul Luna of Eclipse de Luna (http://www.eclipsediluna.com) and Loca Luna (http://www.loca-luna.com) renown, and the promised inexpensive, delicious menu. So, I drug a visiting friend downtown one day recently for lunch and I must say it exceeded expectations despite the pungent odor on the street.
The Chow Down Atlanta blog (http://www.chowdownatlanta.com) that first tempted me mentioned that ingredients were sourced fresh at nearby Sweet Auburn Curb Market. You can tell. Reminiscent of another great cheap eat, Doc Chey’s Noodle House, they were serving a special appetizer made up of string green beans flash fried with some sort of delicious Asian ginger concoction. While Doc Chey’s and even P.F. Chang’s similar appetizers are quite good, the individual beans inside of the string pods were so fresh that they still held individual texture and crunch; the opposite of mush that clearly set the ingredients apart from competitors.
The lunch menu is mostly made up of sandwiches, salads and soups. In addition to the appetizer described above, we also sampled the chicken, spinach and goat cheese sandwich, balsamic pork sandwich, mozzarella and tomato sandwich and the very scrumptious cabbage salad with gorgonzola, toasted walnuts and vinaigrette. All fantastic. Very fresh, small plate portions and nothing over $3.50. My understanding is the dinner menu keeps items at a max of $5.00. I will definitely be checking that out soon.
My only real complaint relates to the interior. In an effort to strike a sparse casual lounge/tea room type atmosphere, much of the seating is not actually comfortable for enjoying a meal. The wait staff however, was very warm and hospitable and truly seemed concerned that we had a great dining experience.
Lunacy Black Market, 231 Mitchell Street, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Ashlee Heath, REALTOR
Posted in: Intown Living
Cheap Eat of the Week - Thaicoon and Sushi Bar
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
In my previous career, I traveled almost every week, often by myself. Quickly tiring of room service, I got comfortable eating in restaurants alone. While I occasionally would eat at a steakhouse or a French cafe’, I always felt the most comfortable dining alone at a sushi bar. And since sushi is normally not an inexpensive meal, I took full advantage of my previous employer’s expense account and feasted on sushi several times each month. Once I left their employ, sushi became less and less a staple in my life for shear budgetary reasons. Lately, I’ve also been left disappointed by some of my local sushi favorites regarding the quality and freshness of the fish. Well, I have a new favorite sushi restaurant.
On a recent Tuesday evening, craving sushi and unable to find a partner in crime, I did a quick search online for sushi deals in Atlanta on Tuesday nights. A few places popped up, but after reading reviews, I settled on Thaicoon and Sushi Bar (http://www.thaicoonsushiatlanta.com) at 1799 Briarcliff Road in the Kroger shopping center where Johnson Road meets Briarcliff Road. I walked in and asked for a solo-seat at the sushi bar. I was promptly seated and given a hot towel to clean my hands. The server gave me a regular menu that also features many Thai favorites, as well as a separate sushi nigiri and mini-roll menu on paper with a pencil to complete my order. The paper list constitutes their $1 sushi list for Monday and Tuesday nights. This was the list that I ordered from.
I had six pieces of nigiri, two 4-piece rolls and a Singha beer (Thai and my favorite) for a whopping $14.18 plus tip. That’s it. It was a lot of sushi. And the quality was incredible. For most people, tuna is their favorite. I love salmon. I actually don’t like cooked salmon much, but love it raw. I originally ordered 2 pieces of salmon nigiri and a 2 pieces of white tuna nigiri thinking I might order a couple more pieces of salmon. No sir. The salmon was great, but the white tuna was “butter”. Amazing. I had to have more.
I also ordered a J.B. Roll mini-roll that was salmon, cream cheese and scallion. Fantastic! But the biggest surprise was the shrimp tempura roll. I don’t even know why I ordered it. I don’t generally like shrimp tempura rolls, because it seems like they just throw some loose tempura in with the shrimp half the time and it isn’t very good. This was good quality shrimp, nicely tempura fried and served with complementary ingredients, including a sweet glaze on top. Again, normally not a sweet glaze sushi roll eater, but delicious! And all for less than $15. I will be going back soon… even if it is by myself.
- Ashlee Heath, REALTOR
Posted in: Intown Living
Cheap Eat of the Week - Taqueria los Rayos
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I discovered Taqueria los Rayos a while back, but thankfully, not while I worked near its Clairmont Road location, or I would have been feasting there daily. Recently, I introduced one of my former co-workers, who still works nearby, to this authentic Mexican taqueria and he too was impressed with the fresh, flavorful ingredients and inexpensive options. In general when visiting a restaurant featuring ethnic cuisine, I consider it a good sign when the number of patrons of that particular ethnicity, outweigh the number of any other patrons. This has always been the case on my many visits to Taqueria los Rayos.
For lunch, I had my standby ‘al pastor tacos’ (2), and decided to try the chicken taco this time as well. Previously, I had tried the brisket and chorizo and decided that the al pastor was my favorite. While still a good contender, I’m in love with the chicken taco now. The tacos are served in wonderfully fresh corn tortillas, and I top mine with the green tomatillo sauce. They also have red tomatillo sauce, but the green is by far the best. My lunch companion had the al pastor burrito special, which was served in a wheat tortilla and loaded with fresh ingredients including several avocado slices. I was a little envious.
When we first arrived, we ordered chips and salsa, because we were starving. Sadly, the chips and salsa were not delivered to the table until our meal was delivered. So, remember to ask for them to come before the meal if you go that route. However, honestly the salsa is the only disappointing thing I’ve tried on the menu so far. I’d forgo it altogether and just focus on the tacos, burritos, etc. I think next time I am going to try their ceviche.
Tacos are $1.75 -to- $1.95, and nothing on the menu is over $9. The menu is in Spanish with English translations, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. My understanding is that they are open to the wee hours of the morning on weekends, if you should find yourself searching for a relatively healthy alternative to Waffle House. I’ve been multiple times, and I don’t plan to stop going anytime soon.
Taqueria los Rayos, 3473 Clairmont Rd. NE, Atlanta
- Ashlee Heath, REALTOR
Posted in: Intown Living
Dealing With STRESS
Friday, June 04, 2010
First of all - a little stress is good… It does motivate us to get out of bed and go to work.
However - when you feel “stressed out”, you perceive the demands on you outweigh your perceived capabilities.
Along with the emotional toll, prolonged stress can drastically affect your physical health. Preoccupation with responsibilities often leads to erratic eating habits and not enough exercise, resulting in weight problems, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels.
Stress can also cause ‘burnout’, a condition marked by emotional exhaustion, and negative or cynical attitudes toward others (and yourself). Stress can lead to depression, which, in turn, has been linked to heart disease and stroke, obesity and eating disorders, diabetes, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, some forms of cancer, accidents, and in extreme cases, even suicide. In addition, chronic depression reduces your immunity to other illnesses.
Stress can cause you to lack emotion, or be slow to react/think, and/or be argumentative. And these ‘issues’ can run off friends, family and clients.
So what can you do when you think you may be stressing?
First, give yourself a break. Nobody is perfect. While we strive to do everything in our power to do the best we can in order to protect ourselves, our friends, family, and our clients, mistakes will happen. So do not expect perfection every time.
Take a mind break. Even 10 minutes of meditation/prayer will refresh your mental outlook. Try this:
Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Start with your feet… flex/relax Then move up to your calves… flex/relax. Then go to your thighs… flex/relax. Your butt… flex/relax. Your abs… flex/relax. Fists… flex/relax. Forearms… flex/relax. Biceps… flex/relax. Shoulders… flex/relax. Face… contort/relax.
Each time you relax, say to yourself - “Let it go”.
Take a physical break. A brief walk works wonders.
Talk about it with me or anyone else you trust who will keep your private matters private.
Eat, good, balanced meals, and take vitamins and other supplements. Remember, your immune system is stressed to the max when you are stressed. Help it fight stress!
Stop with the negative self-talk. Increase the positive self-talk! (Damn, I’m good! I know so much more than other people I compete against. Therefore I AM better than everyone else!) REMEMBER - What we say to ourselves [repeatedly] will lead to reality!
And finally———-
Exercise. Exercise. Exercise.
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living
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