Tag Archives: lunch

restaurant reviews:: atlanta lunch spots

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I’ve been on a new restaurant kick lately, so I thought I’d share a little about a couple great lunch spots  I’ve visited recently around Atlanta.

Cafe Lapin::

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I met a girlfriend for lunch at Cafe Lapin last week, and I’m a new fan. It’s a little French country-style cafe in a rather unassuming location in the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center. The feel is sort of like being in someone’s home, with lamps and books and cute decorations everywhere.

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They have an impressive assortment of chicken salads, tuna and egg salads, other sandwiches, quiche, and more. We were laughing because the menu is very “Buckhead Betty” friendly. I chose the walnut chicken salad on a croissant (my fave way to eat chicken salad) with a side caesar salad. It was so yummy and fresh-tasting. The grilled pimiento cheese and bacon sammy sounded amazing, too… I’ll probably have to go back soon to try that one. They serve breakfast and dinner, too, so there are lots of opportunities to check it out.

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Bell Street Burritos::

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I’ve been wanting to visit Bell Street Burritos for some time now, thanks to my coworker who has a serious obsession with their food. We ate at the Inman Park/Old 4th Ward location a couple weeks ago, which is connected to Jake’s Ice Cream…. can’t beat burritos and ice cream. But I would take a quesadilla over a burrito any day, so that’s what I chose. The cheese dip was delicious, and all of our meals were devoured.

They serve dinner as well. That’s actually when we went, and it was SO filling, so I’d imagine I’d have leftovers if I ate there for lunch. I’m so excited that they’re opening a location on Peachtree (across the street from the old Cafe Intermezzo) so that I can go on my lunch break!

restaurant review:: chick-a-biddy

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Looking for a  cute little lunch spot in Midtown Atlanta? Chick-a-Biddy recently opened in Atlantic Station (right across from the movie theater), and it totally fits the bill for a workweek lunch outing. They serve mainly chicken, and they have very interesting sides. I had a hankering for some mac n cheese with my fried chicken, but I guess that’s a tad too Southern for what they’re going for here.

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The inside of the restaurant is so clean and bright, and I really enjoy the giant chickens on the wall.
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I chose the chicken tender basket, which came with 2 sides — I chose the watermelon/feta salad and fries. Both were really good. The salad was cold and refreshing, which was a nice counter to the hot and salty fries. Oh, and the chx tenders are hidden in that bowl under the fries, in case you were wondering. They also include a wasabi honey as a dipping sauce. Yum.
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If you have ever been to Yeah! Burger in Atlanta, you’ll recognize the metal trays and fun paper liners. Chick-a-Biddy was started by the same folks from said delicious burger joint, and I’m a definite fan of both.

restaurant review:: salad bar @ the loews hotel

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Ladies who lunch!

I started the week off with a lovely lunch in Midtown Atlanta. I met a few girlfriends who also work in the Midtown/Downtown area at the Loews Hotel on Monday to try out the salad bar  that the restaurant Eleven offers during lunch hours. We sat outside, and the weather was absolutely perfect — definitely didn’t feel like July in Georgia.

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For just $10, you can create your own salad from a variety of  lettuces, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, meat, and dressings. The meal also includes an assortment of fresh breads (including corn bread and individual ramekins of soft butter) and a dessert of the day. It’s not huge, but it’s certainly the nicest salad bar I’ve ever been to.

We started off with gigantic mixing bowls to go through the line with, which was sort of funny. I think we all made the mistake of filling our bowls too full, because we all had leftovers. The salad was delicious, the cornbread was sweet and buttery, and the dessert (flourless chocolate cake with some sort of cream center) was sinfully rich. They also brought out a bowl of what looked to be salty homemade potato chips, which I couldn’t stop eating. And one of my favorite parts was the iced tea presentation! It was served with a mini glass pitcher for refills as well as a flight of 4 different simple syrup sweeteners. So pretty!


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They have a regular lunch menu that includes options like the McDaddy Burger (double decker georgia beef patty, local cheddar, bacon, mushrooms, sunny side up egg) that also sound tasty, but I will definitely be back for the salad bar. I loved having an excuse to do something a little different for lunch during the work week with some lovely ladies!

restaurant review:: Bocado

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I’ve been hearing about the “incredible double stack cheeseburger” from Bocado for months now. My brother, who is quite the chef,  has claimed that it is probably the best burger in Atlanta. So naturally, I was dying to try it. We headed over to the Westside for lunch last week, and I now see what all the fuss was about…

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Simple syrup for iced tea. Good.
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Two patties, melty cheese, sesame seed bun, and pickles — simple, but so, so, so good. The fries were great, and you can order them with seasoning if you like.  That’s a side of housemade ranch for dipping, too.
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Bottom line — I will be back. Soon. You need to go.

restaurant review:: Lola’s Burrito Joint in Jacksonville, FL

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You already know that we went to Jacksonville, FL last weekend for a covert mission… to surprise our mom with a big party for her 60th birthday! We got into town on Friday and had to sneak out to dinner (while looking over our shoulders the whole time, as our mom was staying with our grandmother nearby). My cousin Alli suggested a great pizza place called Pele’s Woodfire over in Riverside. It was so yummy! But on to Lola’s…

We also had to entertain ourselves for lunch on Saturday in between setting up for the party in the morning, antique bar cart shopping, and picking up food for the party that afternoon. We happened upon another Riverside restaurant, Lola’s Burrito Joint. Our waitress said it’s only been open about 6 months. It’s very Day of the Dead-ish with motorcycle-riding skeletons hanging from the ceiling and more skeletons airbrushed onto car hoods hanging on the walls. They also have 50+ beers on tap. The menu was pretty overwhelming, but our waitress was very knowledgeable and explained every section and gave her personal favorites.

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There were so many choices…. I could have ordered 10 different things and been happy with any of them. Our waitress raved about the Mexican Street Corn, which is deep-fried (husk and all) and coated with fresh cilantro, Cotija cheese and Lola’s Adobo. Everyone but me got it as an appetizer, and it’s AMAZING!! Apparently customers call it “crack corn” and we all agreed that it is the perfect description. We also had the queso and chips, which I could have eaten for my meal… love some cheese dip!

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Here are some of our other faves from the menu::

Tiajuana 2-Steppers (Top-Shelf & Grilled… like a burrito, but pressed and crispy on the outside)
I got the Philly “Wizza” Steak (grilled peppers/onions/mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and covered with Jalapeño cheese sauce). It was good — the meat was a little hard to eat in a burrito. The cheese sauce was definitely my favorite part. My brother got the Havana Nights Better that a Cuban, and I think I may have liked it better than mine.

Senora Gloria’s Empanadas (Hand pressed and made to order)
I didn’t try these, but I was told they were the most AMAZING thing ever. 🙂

Ragun Cajun (seasoned gator, cabbage, diced tomatoes, cheese with Cajun Ranch sauce)
I didn’t try this either, but Craig liked it, as well as the other tacos he tried. I just thought it was fun that they had gator tacos, along with lamb and other interesting meats.

I also got a side of refried black beans – they were hot and cheesy and so good!

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All four of us raved about the food, especially that “crack corn.” I wish I’d gotten my own so I could have had more than a couple bites. But there’s always next time!