The Brickery Grill & Bar (Sandy Springs, GA)

6125 Roswell Rd NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328, T: 404-843-8002
 

 

The Brickery Grill & Bar is a fancy bar and grill in a strip mall in a northern suburb of Atlanta. On this weekday lunchtime it is mainly filled with very old rich white people. It has a classic ‘American bistro’ menu: steaks, chicken, salads. It’s slogan is “casual dining…. serious food.” The Brickery comes highly recommended on internet.

As I am not that hungry, I get two starters. The basket of Handmade Onion Rings ($5.50) is cramped with fresh but very greasy onion rings, which taste bland and fatty. The chicken tenders ($6) are 5 rather small and chewy pieces of chicken coated in an unremarkable batter.

VERDICT: 67/100

The Brickery offers very mediocre food in a fancy setting.

Leon’s Full Service (Decatur, GA)

131 E Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA, T: 404-687-0500
 

 

 

Leon’s Full Service is a nice restaurant in downtown Decatur, which does great restaurant food with a bit of a Belgian twist. The inside is a mix of cottage bar and old-school diner, while they also have a nice patio. In addition to a full bar, Leon’s offers a full food menu, which features a couple of specials: charcuterie, cheese, frites, and “smalls” (e.g. cheddarwurst, chilled corn-chile soup, mussels).

We started with Bacon in a Glass ($5) with a side of Peanut Butter (+$0.50). While I loved the idea, the bacon was ok, but not special. The “Lug Nuts” ($3) are a variety of different nuts (including cashews and pecans) and their flavor changes daily. This day they were spicy. Definitely a good snack. We then ordered the Pub Frites ($6.50) come in a bucket and a choice of 2 of 14 dipping sauces. We chose black pepper mayonnaise, traditional mayonnaise and added goat cheese fondue. The fries are absolutely awesome: thick-cut, good potato taste, and fried crispy. Old-world good! The sauces are ok, but definitely not like real Belgian mayo!

For the real meal I had the burger ($11): grass-fed beef, house made 'catsup' and mustard, b & b pickles, and baby iceberg lettuce – as always, I opted out of the cheese (Tillamook cheddar in this case). While the beef was good, it was cooked a bit too long, and the burger overall was not remarkable.

VERDICT: 87/100

Leon’s is a great place to eat, but not a real pig out spot. The only thing that will bring me back again and again, however, are the Pub Frites!

Victory Sandwich Bar (Decatur, GA)

340 Church Street, Decatur, GA 30033, T: 404-377-9300
 

 

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Victory Sandwich bar is a kind of hipster bar/restaurant in downtown Decatur, which serves highly original and funky-named sandwiches (e.g. Han Cholo, Cool Chick, Beast on Yeast), sides, salads, and spiked drinks. The selection changes somewhat, as do the “snacks” (such as “hummus of the week” and “harvest soup”), but they have several staples. It has a minimally designed inside, although with a somewhat random ping pong table, and a smaller, but nice, outside.

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All sandwiches are just $4, the sides just $3.50 – but all are quite small. I have the Victory at Sea: white anchovis, frisee and lemon mayo on a crispy square white bun. I ordered it more out of curiosity, but it was actually delicious. The anchovies tasted not too salty because of the fresh lemony mayo. The side of coleslaw was fresh and tasty. M went more traditional and ordered The Hambo: prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, apple and reduced balsamic. She liked it, though was not overwhelmed, but she did love the side of pasta salad. Next time we will definitely try “The Beeter:” beet ‘pastrami,’ white kimchi and Thai pepper mayo.

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VERDICT: 89/100

I like both the concept and the food of the Victory Sandwich Bar. Small, affordable, fresh, original sandwiches and a changing selection of sides and salads. I just hope that they can stay in business at such an expensive location.

Yonah Burger (Gainesville, GA)

1191 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30501, T: 770-534-1991

 

Yonah Burger has two locations in North Georgia: one in Cleveland and one in Gainesville (they clearly like towns with bigger brothers in other states). They have been in business since 1968, and have the same motto as Wendy’s: “never frozen.” I don’t think they have invested one dollar in the interior since opening. They do breakfasts, lunch and dinner, serving the usual for a fast food restaurant (e.g. burgers, chicken tenders, hot dogs, milkshakes). Their original twist seems to be the fried (!) pies.

M. gets the Turkey Burger ($5.95) and I get the Double Hamburger ($4.45); both come “all the way” (i.e. with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard and mayo) as well as with slaw and pickles (which come “upon request”). Both burgers are big and filling. The taste of this old-fashioned burger is old-fashioned but fresh and quite juicy – in fact, the turkey burger is one thick and quite juicy patty.

VERDICT: 73/100

Yonah Burger is a nice alternative to the national fast food chains, offering a bit fresher and more old-fashioned burger.

Connie's Ice Cream Parlor (Dahlonega, GA)

18 N Park St, Dahlonega, GA 30533, T: 706-864-1382
 

 

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Connie’s Ice Cream Parlor is a small, old-school snack bar and ice cream parlor just off the main square of the town. It serves snacks for the many tourists that visit the cute town center. On the menu are paninis, sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, nachos, various homemade pies, and Mayfield ice cream.

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We get two sugar cones with one (big) scoop each ($2.57). The Extreme Moose Track is chocolate ice cream with fudge filled chocolate cups. It is very creamy and has a deep chocolate taste. The Praline Pecan is a combination of vanilla ice cream, pecans, caramel, and pralines. It is very creamy and sweet.

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VERDICT: 82/100

Connie’s serves pretty good ice cream, (but) very creamy and quite sweet.

Bodensee Restaurant (Helen, GA)

64 Munich Strasse, Helen, GA 30545, T: 706-878-1026
 

  Helen is a small town in North Georgia that has traditionally had a large German population and has become a popular tourist attraction for its faux German style, stores and restaurants. Many of these restaurants are pure tourist traps: very kitschy and with poor overpriced food. Bodensee Restaurant gets good ratings online and turns out to be not that kitschy. Today it is busy because of the start of the Christmas Market, one of the main events in Helen. The waitresses are not in a very good mood. 

We order from the lunch menu. I get the Currywurst ($7.50), which come with fries. The sausage is good, thick with solid consistency, and drenched in a (bit too) string sweet curry sauce. Even the fries are authentic: as so often in Germany, they are the frozen, crinkle cut kind, deep fried crispy but a bit too dry. M. gets the Hungarian Gulash ($7.50), a beef stew with big chunks of potato. It has a good taste, but is a bit weaker than real (German-style) Hungarian Gulash. The side of warm red cabbage was delicious.

VERDICT: 86/100

Unlike several other German restaurants in Helen, Bodensee is definitely not just a tourist trap, serving very acceptable German food.

Douceur de France (Marietta, GA)

277 South Marietta Parkway SW, Marietta, GA 30064, T: 770-425-5050

1173 Alpharetta St., Roswell, GA 30075, T: 770-650-1173

Douceurde France is a posh French restaurant that specializes in sandwiches, crepes, salads, breads, and pastries. They have two locations, both in rich suburbs of Atlanta. I visit the Marietta location, where I hear a couple of people that work there speak French: a good sign!

My main interest is not lunch, however. I am there for some good bread and some original French pastries. The selection is impressive and the presentation makes me feel like I am in a truly French place.

I get one Almond Croissant ($2.50), which is quite chunky, very crispy, and simply delishes (not too sweet, not too nutty). The Pain au Chocolat ($2.05) is a bit chewy, and has an odd kind of salty taste to the dough, but the chocolate is very tasty and not overdone. Finally, the Beignet ($0.75) is small, but absolutely delicious. So fresh, flaky, sugary, and still not too sweet.

VERDICT: 93/100

Douceur de France serves some of the best French pastries in the United States. Moreover, unlike many of its competitors, they are quite affordable.