Parkside District (Lawrenceville, GA)

 909 Parkside Walk Lane, Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Parkside District is a fairly new "seafood and meat" restaurant in a Lawrenceville strip mall, just north of Atlanta. It is not really a pig out spot, and has a stylish interior, but as so many (Southern) American restaurants it has a menu with many pig out favorites, such as burgers, fried chicken, etc.

 

 

My wife and I get two traditional starters, which are presented with a bit of a fancy twist. The "Crispy Calamari" ($13.95) comes with fried jalapenos, a "green goddess drizzle", and a "thai basil marinara". They all taste terribly bland. We get the "General Paul's Wings" ($10.95) with "Sweet Hotlanta" sauce, which is a kind of zesty sweet and sour sauce, which actually works well. The wings are tasty, but not very special.

 

I have "The Double District" ($14.95), which are "duck fat-induced" 1/2 lb beef patties, bacon, red onion, sweet pickles, "roasted garlic aioli" on a brioche bun that comes with herb-seasoned fries. The patties are well-done (the waiter didn't ask how I wanted them) and the burger is fine, but nothing remarkable. I ask the fries without the herb-seasoning, which might have been a mistake, as these are pre-fab thick Burger King fries, tasteless (and I doubt the herb seasoning would have saved them). Given this experience, we decide not to have dessert here.

VERDICT: 78/100

Parkside District came highly rated online, which would not have been surprising had it been in a small town, but in the suburbs of Atlanta there is so much better food to find. It offer non-remarkable food in a nice setting.

The Old Salty Dog (Sarasota, FL)

1601 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, T: 941-388-4311

I saw The Old Salty Dog on Man v. Food, which mentioned merely the Old Salty Dog (see below). There are two locations (Siesta Key and City Island), both beautiful, this one overlooking the ocean. We set out at the deck, going through the surprisingly diverse menu. Clearly this is not a normal pig out spot.

For starters we ordered conch fritters ($9.99), which came with mango salsa and a sweet chili mango sauce, and a special, peeled shrimp, which came with an amazing coating. I wasn't too happy with the fritters (though they really are not my thing), but my wife devoured the shrimp and said they were the best she ever ate.

For entrees she ordered Chickpea & Edamame Salad ($9.99) with grilled shrimp (+$6.99), which was amazing. I went for the signature dish, and only real claim to pig out status, the Old Salty Dog ($7.99), a 1/4 pound hot dog batter and deep fried. I didn't use any of the many toppings Adam piled up, to ensure that I would have the authentic experience. I just put on some chopped onions, relish, ketchup and mustard. The dog was very crispy and tasted good, but not really exceptional. The fries looked good but were undercooked.

VERDICT: 87/100

The Old Salty Dog is not really a pig out spot; their signature dish is fun, but not a remarkable snack. As a seafood restaurant, however, The Old Salty Dog is a great place!

Coasters Seafood, Steaks & Spirits (Santee, SC)

9135 Old Hwy 6, Santee, SC 29142, T: 803-854-9955 (Exit 98 off I-95)

Coasters is not a classic pig out spot, specializing in seafood, steaks and spirits, but it nevertheless offers a good selection of fried foods. In addition to the subtle shark coming out of the roof, the restaurant goes with a kind of Hawaiian surf theme inside.

While Coasters has a full menu, with dishes ranging from burgers to seafood, I had chosen it because of the fact that it offers alligator tenders. Thus, I ordered the Alligator Basket with Fries, while my wife went for the Mixed Fried Seafood. The alligator tenders were lightly breaded and perfectly fried; some were a bit chewy, some were even more tender than chicken. They tasted delicious with the zesty Asian-style chili sauce. The thick fries were a bit undercooked. My wife really liked the soft and tasty fried scallops and shrimps, which came with a red horseradish sauce and a tartar sauce. The side of coleslaw was spicy and very tasty.

VERDICT: 86/100

Coasters is a good place for fried seafood and alligator. Rather than taking fries as a side, go for the coleslaw (if you like spicy!).