L’Arte del Gelato (New York, NY)

Lincoln Center, Columbus Avenue & 63rs Street, New York, NY

L’Arte de Gelato is a gelato restaurant on Chelsea Market in New York, which also has a couple of carts in Manhattan (May to August/October). I visit the small cart at the plaza of Lincoln Center.

 

I get a piccola (small), which means a decent size cup with one flavor. I choose nocciola, which is a creamy flavorful hazelnut. Perhaps a tad too creamy and too few pieces of nut, but very good! The next day I go back and get another small, but this time with two flavors: pistachio and limone (lemon). The pistachio is very creamy and tasty, the lemon is fresh, but misses the zing of real Italian gelato.

VERDICT:  91/100

L’Arte del Gelato serves some of the best gelato I’ve had in the US.

Zack’s Hamburgers (Charlotte, NC)

4009 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28209-2616, T: 704-525-720

Zack’s Hamburgers is a Charlotte institution. It’s a beautiful old-school fast food place, which has hardly changed since they opened in, I assume, the 1950s. They serve the classics: burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, shakes, etc.

Obviously, I get the Zack’s Special ($5.25). It is very similar to the Big Mac, but much tastier and fresher. The fries are thin, but tasty too. I get a side of Onion Rings ($2.60), which are fresh and thinly battered, but sometimes more batter than onion. I dip them in homemade Tarter Sauce ($0.95), which is thick, fresh, and tasty. Afterward I go back to get a small banana milkshake ($2.59), which is fresh and not too sweet.

VERDICT: 86/100

Zack’s Hamburgers is among the best and most affordable, old-school fast food I've had in the US.

Daddy Joe’s BBQ & Grill (Gaffney, SC)

1400 West Floyd Baker Boulevard, Gaffney, SC 29341, T: 864-487-7427

Daddy Joe's BBQ & Grill is a shack-like structure in a classic restaurant/gas station strip of motorway. While it looks like a chain, it is not. It advertises that it has been featured in Southern Living.

I get a Combination Platter with ribs & chopped Pork ($13.15), which comes with hushpuppies and two sides. The chopped pork is soggy and quite gross, the BBQ slaw is absolutely gross, the wedge fries are ok but lukewarm, the ribs meaty but quite dry, and the hushpuppies taste like fish (probably fried in same oil as fish).

VERDICT: 61/100

If they are truly featured in Southern Loving, it must have been a really damaging review, as this was really poor.

Central Avenue (Anderson, SC)

150 E Shockley Ferry Rd, Anderson, SC 29624, T: 864-224-9028

Central Avenue is a tiny drive-thru, only a hut really, in a poor strip mall in Anderson, South Carolina. It serves burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, French fries, and cheese sticks. They are very slow!

I get a Slaw dog ($1.99), which comes with mustard, ketchup, chili, onion, and slaw. It’s all quite standard, but the slaw is quite tasty. The Hamburger ($1.79) is an old-school burger with mustard, ketchup, onion, lettuce and pickle.

VERDICT: 73/100

Central Avenue is a tiny drive-thru that serves old-school American fast food for a very decent price. Would always prefer it over McD, etc.

Cafe Sababa Mediterranean Grill (Dunwoody, GA)

4639 N Shallowford Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338, T: 678-705-8268

We stumbled upon Café Sababa by accident, as we were kind of lost and in need of Mediterranean food. It is a fairly small restaurant in an unassuming small strip mall with several ethnic restaurants. When we arrive, around 12.30 on a Wednesday, the place is packed. When we leave, a bit over half an hour later, it’s almost empty. But people still come in regularly to pick up take-out orders. The menu is a mix of a Greek, Jewish, and Lebanese dishes, including kabobs, schnitzels, salads, and shawarma. All the personnel, including the owner, are incredibly nice and helpful.

M. has the Sababa salad and the Falafel Platter. The Sababa Salad ($4.25) is their take on the Sopska Salad of the Balkans, and is deliciously fresh and tasty. The Falafel Platter ($10.50) included five small falafel, fresh but a bit too dry, delicious baba ganoush, good humus, and a delicious salad (Sababa without the feta). It comes with soft pita tips. I get the daily spcial, which is a highly recommended special lamb sandwich ($9.50): shaved lamb meat with caramelized onions and a Harissa-aioli sauce on a ciabatta roll. It is a big mess of deliciousness. The meat is very tender and doesn't have a too strong lamb taste. It comes with fries, which are prefab, but perfectly crispy.

VERDICT: 93/100 
Sababa is a little gem. A small gyros/shawarma place of very high standard. I wish they would move to Athens!

Flip Burger Boutique (Atlanta, GA)

664 NE Highland Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30306, T: 404-815-1127
 

Flip Burger Boutique is part of the hipster upscale burger explosion, but takes it a step higher, with a fairly fancy setting, and a full-service restaurant. It is the idea of top chef Richard Blais, which started with one location in Atlanta, Georgia, and now has two more locations in that city and one Birmingham, Alabama, location. I visit the Poncey-Highland location in Atlanta, which looks very smart. All ingredients are natural or organic and the menu is seasonal, always changing, and always including original haute cuisine burger options.

I start with the Merguez Corn Dog ($8), which comes with Harissa Mustard. It has the real merguez taste, which I haven’t had outside of Belgium and France, even though the sausage looks different. It tastes better as sausage than as corn dog, even though the corn batter is pretty light and tasty, as is the dip.

I follow-up with the Trio ($13): a sampler of three "miniatures burgers": RBQ, Butcher's Cut, and Fried Chicken. The RBQ is a (little) burger with pulled brisket, coleslaw, RBQ sauce, and smoked mayo. It is a delicious combination of burger and BBQ. The Butcher's Cut is a (little) burger that comes with caramelized onions, soy truffle vinaigrette, frisée, pickled shallots, and red wine jam. Well prepared, but has a bit too strong Asian taste to it – this could be different with the crumbled may tag blue cheese, which normally comes in it. Finally, the Fried Chicken is a (small) piece of Southern chicken fried beef, b+b pickles, and spicy dukes mayo. It is nicely battered and fried and has a spicy taste. Finally, I get some Housemade Potato Chips ($5), which comes with abita rootbeer onion dip – the chips are really thin, crispy, perfectly salted.

VERDICT: 90/100

Flip is very pricy, but also very tasty. It is a great place to take burger-loving friends for a nice dinner.

The New Moon Cafe (Aiken, SC)

116 Laurens St NW, Aiken, SC 29801, T: 803-643-7088
 

 

The New Moon Café has three locations: two in Augusta, Georgia, and one in Aiken, South Carolina. We visit the Aiken one, which is an adorable little cafe in the cute downtown. It has a small terrace in front, a relatively small quaint front room, and a larger extension in the back. Most customers this summer Sunday are related to USC Aiken: (retired) professors and students. It also seems a favorite spot for recreational cyclists. It has great coffee, breakfast, and lunch selections.

I choose the Lumberjack Breakfast ($6.29): a big heap of scrambled eggs, a sausage patty, and two big slices of toast. It is both delicious and filling, the perfect breakfast. M. has a large Breakfast Parfait ($3.99), which includes coconut, fresh granola, and berries. There is not too much yoghurt, but it tastes very sweet, but nice. We also get a Cinnamon Role with chai icing and a Peach Muffin ($2.09 each). The first was a bit dry, but not too sweet, the second very moist, but not with a very strong peach taste.

VERDICT: 86/100

The New Moon Café is a very nice breakfast place for such a small town. Great atmosphere, good food.