Category Archives: 4-nice!

2.67-meh, 3.5-much better than meh, 4-nice!, asian, chicken, dine in, East Asian, food, take out

Eastern Food Express

Eastern Food Express
Inside Nam Dae Mun
5138 Memorial Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
404-399-0245

Welcome back to the Memorial Drive OTP Food Blog with our first entry since “the covid”! Tracey, Tom, and Calvin are back on the road testing the victuals that line that much-maligned so-called highway of questionable cuisine. Many people poo-poo the provisions that are available on Memorial Drive East of the perimeter, so we continue our quest to quench the culinary thirst for good food on Highway 10-outside the perimeter. We each give our own review of the experience. Buon appetito!

Calvin, Tom, and Tracey

Calvin: Eastern Food Express is located in the new food court of Nam Dae Mun. So far it is the only restaurant in the new food court. Nam Dae Mun has recently undergone a facelift and is brightly lit, seems roomier, and played classic rock. It is always fun to peruse kitchen items because they carry so many useful tools.
Eastern Food Express, located near the wine and bakery areas, serves South Asian Indian cuisines. They have been open for three weeks and are still working out a few kinks, such as no ice and less than cold can drinks. But they were very nice, served dishes on paper, not styrofoam, and comped us a sour and spicy soup! The menu was clear and concise, the restaurant clean and we were given chopsticks and forks. I ordered the Famous Indian Style Goat Meat Curry that came with a plate of rice. Unfortunately, the Goat Meat Curry did not have a strong curry flavor but was seasoned with star anise and that added a light fennelish flavor. It had a rich, thin gravy and the meat was tender and tasted wonderful with the rice. The complimentary soup had a thin base with cabbage, carrots, and cilantro and was delicious and spicy! the price for the meal plus a can of diet Coke: $11.87. I give it a Meh! rating of 4, Nice!

Tracey: It was wonderful to continue our restaurant review mission of Memorial Drive after a 2-year hiatus. We landed at the Nam Dae Mun Farmer’s Market which has recently opened a small restaurant inside the doors near the bakery section. At first glance, it seemed like a typical Chinese food court option. There are prepared dishes ready to be scooped up if you want to grab a quick lunch to go or dine in.

But there is a very diverse menu that can be prepared for you as well consisting of gravy dishes, curry dishes, and various noodle dishes. I chose the Ginger  Shrimp Gravy. Served over rice, the brown gravy has a ginger base and is loaded with large shrimp, green peppers, and onions. Warm and spicy with just enough ginger to give it that extra zing. The portion size was perfect. The hot and sour soup was on point and better than most I have had at our nearby Pine Lake restaurants. I tasted my companions’ meals and found the Singapore Bihun to be on par with the Tin Drum dish.

The ambiance is lacking, but it’s convenient for a good lunch and then doing some shopping. I grabbed a 10-pound bag of extra-long basmati rice on the way out along with some fresh bakery pastries. If you are only visiting the Dekalb Farmer’s Market, you should really take the time to drop in at Nam Dae Mun and see what you can find. I also found the cutest measuring cup that measures milliliters, tsps, tbs, and ounces.

I would give this a 3.5 out of 5 on the meh scale. I will definitely return and most likely place an order to go after shopping. As always, my companions were pleasant, witty, and entertaining.

Tom: On the road again with Calvin and Tracey, in search of new dining opportunities along the Memorial Drive Corridor. The Tres Amigos visited Eastern Food Express, inside the Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market. As a virgin to this market, I was blown away by the breadth of offering. This place was spotless, and well stocked with a great variety of fruits and vegetables, grocery items, fresh fish and meat, and a bakery! 

Eventually, we did discover the food court and our destination, Eastern Food Express! I’m so glad we did.

The menu was great, with a nice sampling of dishes from a number of East Asian countries, including China, India, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Offerings included curries, noodles, and dishes with ginger or garlic-based gravies with beef, chicken, lamb, or shrimp, over rice.

I was happy to choose the Singapore Bihun with chicken. Bihun is a rice-based vermicelli style noodle, very thin and delicate. These noodles absorb the flavors of the vegetables and meats with which they are cooked.  My dish contained onions, bell peppers, scallions, bean sprouts, and chicken.  Everything was cooked to perfection. I was excited to wield my chopsticks as I dove into the full plate of light Anders fluffy noodles with chicken and vegetables. I ordered the non-spicy version because, when trying someplace new I like to start with a baseline and work my way up on the heat. I will definitely be back to step it up to the next level.

As Calvin noted, we were surprised with a complimentary offering of soup. It was savory, light broth, almost sour but not quite, and full of vegetables. Delicious!

I will save some room next time to try some of the Fried Rice and Dumplings. 

Eastern Food Express gets a 2.75 on the “meh” scale. It’s a great place to have lunch while exploring the fabulous Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market!

4-nice!, delivery, dine in, seafood, take out

Prime Seafood

Prime Seafood
6049 Memorial Dr.
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
(678) 974-5000
Mon. – Sat. 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sun. 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM

A review by the erstwhile duo Tom Ramsey & Calvin Burgamy.

Calvin:
A few days ago Tom Ramsey asked me how my food blog was going. I had to admit it had been lying dormant for quite some time. In the course of a few minutes Tom revitalized the blog with the idea of both of us visiting Duckanoo on Memorial Dr. It was decided we would have lunch there but on the appointed day I happened to look at their schedule and they didn’t open til 5pm. Turns out they are kind of a sports bar which stays open til 2am. Maybe its more than sports bar/restaurant but that will have to wait until another day. Tom suggested one the seafood restaurants on Memorial Dr. so we decided on Prime Seafood. It has only been open 9 months.
So off we went. Walking in the first thing we noticed was that it is very clean and neat. It is mostly takeout but has 4 or 5 tables if you want to eat in. The woman behind the counter is cheery and friendly and told us about their fresh seafood. However, we were there to eat lunch. Looking over the menu I opted for the fried shrimp with french fries…the basics. Tom was more adventurous and ordered gumbo, corn, a crab cake, and hush puppies.

Man, I really enjoyed my fried shrimp! Lightly battered with a bit of pepper these 12 decapod crustaceans were crunchy, firm, with a crisp texture, and I relished every bite. My only complaint is they gave me too many french fries. The horror! So they are easy to get to, have good food, and the prices are reasonable. Using the highly scientific “Meh” rating system I give my fried shrimp a “4”-Nice!

Tom:
As Calvin has already noted, we two, semi-retired gray beards neglected to check the Duckanoo website for hours of operation until 30 minutes prior to our intended lunch. Aren’t all things supposed to be open when we need them? A philosophical discussion for another day.
I have been considering trying out Prime Seafood for the last few weeks, and now thanks to the inconvenience of the Duckanoo hours of operation, the perfect opportunity was at hand.
It was easy to find, on Memorial Drive just east of Hairston. The signage is visible from Memorial Drive and they offer plenty of free parking. The place is spotless, and would easily pass a white glove rest!
I have a few measures of my own for rating seafood joints. Working within Calvin’s “meh” scale, I consider those special items that for me make difference between average and superior. Those items are gumbo, hush puppies and crab cakes.
The gumbo here was good, with lots of shrimp, sausage, crabmeat and okra. It was fresh and homemade, but the roux was a bit bland and creamy for my taste. Still quite good, though.
The cornbread hush puppies were off the charts fantastic! Fresh, crispy outside but tender inside with great texture and fresh corn kernels, too.
The crab cakes, like the hush puppies, were crispy outside and moist and tender inside. Very little in the way of fillers here, just enough to hold it together. The nice woman behind the counter told me it was greater than 65% crab meat. I would concur! A great choice.
The corn on the cob was great, done just right and slathered in your choice melted garlic butter or Cajun butter. I chose the garlic butter and was not disappointed!
Some other menu items to come back and try are the low country boil and soft shell crabs, fried or steamed shrimp.
I would agree with Calvin, this is a 4 out of 5, Nice!
They also have a raw seafood market that looks great, and they offer all the typical grocery staples needed for a nice seafood dinner. You will find rice and beans, dirty rice and jambalaya mixes, starters for making roux, gumbo or soup. Cocktail and tartar sauces by the jar.
A place I’ll be beck to visit soon.

4-nice!, asian, cater, chinese, dine in, hamburger, North American, take out

Red Chili Cafe

Address: 5653 Memorial Dr, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Phone: (404) 698-3158
Menu: redchilicafe1.com
Order: chownow.com
Hours:
Monday- Thursday: 11:30am-10:30pm
Friday – 11:30am-11:00 pm
Saturday-12:00 pm-11:00pm
Sunday: 12:00pm-10:30 pm
click on images for larger view

I’m a day late and a dollar short on this review. By now I believe everyone has already found out about this little gem on the corner of Hambrick and Memorial. I’ve heard from several people that they really enjoyed Red Chili Cafe. (see also reader reviews, click here) We have now been there 3 or 4 times and I’m just now getting around to writing a review.
Let’s just check the positives right off the bat:
1. The owners are friendly and will be more than glad to chat with you about the food, the Christmas decorations, or the time of day.
2. The place, a former Wendy’s, is clean, neat, spacious, and nicely decorated.
3. The music is good. I’ve heard jazz, classical, and pop.
4. Alcohol…yippeee!
5. Plenty of free parking
6. Bus drivers eat free (just kidding)
7. The food is good!

Zha Jiang Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles

Since going there my wife Tina and I have had the Hibachi Chicken Bowl w/Sweet & Spicy Sauce, Chicken Fried Rice, Veggie Fried Rice, Cajun Fried Rice, Dan Dan Noodles, and Zha Jiang Noodles.  We have really enjoyed each meal with my one exception the Zha Jiang Noodles (see photos, click on them, enjoy them) and that, I believe, was just a matter of personal taste. The noodles were excellent but I did not care for the hoisin, a thick pungent fermented soybean sauce. Tina loves to experiment and I said “What the heckinger. Give me something I haven’t had!” So I encourage someone to try it and let me know what you think. Tina had the Dan Dan Noodles which is a nice spicy dish with meat sauce and the same egg noodles I had.  I had a bite and it was delicious and Tina liked it as well.  Plus we had a great time discussing the dishes with the owner, John. He encourages us to try his burger and steak and he is adding Salt & Pepper Calamari to the menu soon. Because John is so nice and excited about his menu offerings we will definitely try these items in the near future.
The other three or four times (had to be four since we’ve tried so many dishes) we’ve been there have all been good culinary and social experiences. It’s just around the corner, the prices are very reasonable, and people are friendly. If you are a bus driver, let me know if they let you eat free!  Rating: 4-nice! (see rating system)

4-nice!, cater, dine in, eggs, food, Mexican, Salvadoran, sandwiches, take out, total digression

Rositas Taqueria y Pupuseria

img_5551









Rosita’s Salvadoran Cafe
4121 Stone Mountain Hwy (78) Lilburn, GA 30047
770-979-2900
Facebook
10am-6:30pm Mon-Sat

Rosita’s Cafe! Technically Rosita’s is not on Memorial Drive. (For new readers my area of reviews is supposed to be Memorial Drive from I-285 to the Stone Mountain/Memorial Drive intersection). However if you keep going on Memorial, it will merge into 78 and if you imagine real hard you will see that it is an extension of Memorial Drive so keep going until you get to Home Depot. Memorial Drive, for you history buffs, is state road 10 (SR10) and runs concurrently with 78 all the way to Athens and Augusta. But once again I am divagating. Let me merge back onto the main point–Rosita’s Cafe.img_5553
Rosita’s is a small family run Salvadoran restaurant and grocery. It has 3 or 4 tables up front along with typical tourist items like purses, bracelets, and calendars for sale and a  grocery in the back. The cafe is comfortable, clean, and cozy. We’ve been there two times (and will be going back many times)  and the same 3 women and young boy have been there each time
img_5557They do dine in, take out, and cater as well.


One of the many dishes served is the pupusa which is a very simple ethnic Salvadoran dish. It is usually a  thick corn tortilla stuffed with a variety of ingredients, such as shredded cheese and pork.  You can see in the photo that they serve a variety of Salvadoran and Mexican dishes. At our first visit back in April we had  lunch and the other day we had breakfast to gird our loins before going to Home img_5549










Depot for household necessities like a hard hat, ear plugs, a screw driver, and  safety glasses for a light day of cleaning and buffing the silverware.
The gist of the matter is that our food was simple, delicious, inexpensive, and thoroughly enjoyable and  in the company of the friendly family owners.  Breakfast was Mexican Tipico (fried eggs, beans, rice, and salsa verde) and Salvadoran Tipico (scrambled eggs, beans, and avocado).  Rosita’s has red and green salsa at the tables and the red salsa was so good we asked for  a container to take  home. The red salsa is made with roasted tomatoes and is thin so it can be used as a sauce.img_3948










So the next time you need sheetrock, a five gallon bucket, or a couple of nails go to the Home Depot on Hwy 78 and pop into Rosita’s.  You will be glad you did, they will be glad you did, and we will be glad you did. Win/win/win. Rating: 4-nice!

4-nice!, breakfast, chicken, dine in, southern

Good Times Country Cookin’

Good Times Country Cookin’
449 N. Indian Creek, Clarkston, GA
404-292-4711
facebook
click on photos for larger view

“Ain’t no cookin’ like country cookin’.” Bubber

My diet has been better than usual lately.  I’ve been laying off sugar, trying to eat right, and getting a little exercise.  But then comes the call of duty of my OTP Memorial Drive Food world wide inter web site. Sometimes a man has  gotta do what he has to do.

click for larger photo

I was asked by a neighbor (if you read this please remind me who you are, por favor!) if I had eaten at Good Times. I had not. It is not quite on Memorial Drive.  I’m never sure where the exact boundaries are that I’m supposed to be reviewing. Does a restaurant have to be sitting right on Memorial Drive and outside the perimeter.   So I thought about it  and figured — close enough for for government work.  Is it so wrong?
Tina, my wife who has been reluctant to accompany me to some of  the more gastronomically questionable restaurants, came along. I think the rational, reasonable part of her brain was affected because she  was groggy from  a cold. But I was very glad she went.
Good Times is right at the intersection of Rockbridge and Memorial but actually on Indian Creek if that makes any sense.  It is decorated with bright yellow signs with a smiling emoji.  Once inside Tina asked an elder Clarkston citizen who was eating what Good Times used to be and was told, “Donnies” and the img_5195small exit sign confirmed it. I think it was something img_5196before Donnie’s because it looks kinda like a Wendy’s or McDonald’s design. Maybe an Arby’s or the Hamburger Wagon.
Any-who it is now Good Times Country Cookin’. Why Good Times? We got a hint by the pictures on the bulletin board.  Photos of the actors and actresses from “Good Times.”   And a very neat bulletin board it was. All the pictures, signs (This restaurant only uses 0% trans fat frying oil for your health), and menus neatly pinned to the cork.  The proprietor is Korean and the women who worked there Burmese. So do the math: Good Times + Korea + Burma + Clarkston + southern food = this is probably going to be good.img_5188
And the cookin’ was country. It is cafeteria style that serves turkey, sweet potato dressing, fried fish, fried pork chops, rice,  mashed potatoes, collards, broccoli, and corn muffins. At the end of line are chopped onions and lemon wedges. Asking price for meat and 2? $6.54 with tea! Looks like a good deal but is it?
Yes. I had the fried pork chops, mashed potatoes/gravy, collards,

Paramedic tells Tina he eats here often.
Paramedic tells Tina he eats here often.

and a corn muffin. Tina had fried fish, broccoli (which was steamed and crunchy!), sweet potato dressing, and a roll (more on this roll later).
I report to you that this is fine comfort food and you deserve to drive over to Good Times Country Cookin’ and indulge yourself especially if you have had a hard day and people have  been less than kind or  you happen to feel   physically, emotionally, or intellectually a little pewley (sp?).   Plus Good Times  serve such big portions that you will  have comfort food at your next meal (unless you are totally out of control and right on, no judgement in that). They gave me two pieces of pork chops and Tina three fried fish.  The crust on the pork chop was crispy, crunchy, and tasty like Mee Maw or Big Big or Nana served upimg_5193 back in the day way back yonder and over there in them somewhat fictitious good ol’ days . Yum. And the collards? They are good and cooked with little or no meat. Tina’s fish was delicious but I liked my fried poke chop better. She got the best side dish  with the sweet potato dressing which she topped with chopped onion.  So we were stepping in high cotton. But my friend I will tell you straight out the glass was 99.5% full. The roll was  straight out of a Costco package blah kinda of thing. It’s a little img_5190unkind to even mention it except I do have my reviewer credo that I must live by:  semper nasopharyngialibus non punchibus — always never get punched in the nose.  No wait, that is my comedy credo.  My reviewer credo: semper dicere verum — always try to tell the truth. Just remember Good Times Country Cookin’ — 99.5%  delicious. I gotta give Good Times Country Cookin‘  rating of 4-nice! (rating system explained)  I’ll be back for breakfast and then dinner again. But I’m spacing out my visits because of my diet. Hopefully I will have this eating  extravaganza worked off in a few days and then bring it on bang a gong!

4-nice!, dine in, food, take out

Angie’s Place

Address: 6007 Memorial Dr, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Phone:(404) 549-3428
Hours:  6AM–9PM
Menu: angiesplaceatl.com
click on photos for larger view

My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor. Phyllis Diller

angie menueAngie’s Place, Homestyle Chicken and Fixins (no decorative apostrophe) is located at one of the least friendly driving locations along Memorial Drive. It is at the corner of Memorial and Hairston within the Exxon gas station.  Relatively easy to get in from Hairston but difficult (note: difficult as in first world IMG_4570difficult) to get  out and back to Hairston.    We fast food (and slow food) consumers want to slip in and slip out of our  food joints without hassle but Memorial Drive OTP makes the easy in and easy out challenging. You gotta work a little harder on Memorial Drive to take care of  your business. But I meander.

A good fried chicken should be crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside,  and tasty all over, right?  And guess what? Angie’s chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and IMG_4576tasty all over. I ordered 2 pieces, dark, with potato wedges and  cole slaw (2 pieces dark, 2 sides, $6.99).  Horror of horrors they were out  of slaw.  Crestfallen, I reluctantly ordered the green beans.  I say reluctantly  because  I’m not a big fan of the  green bean. The only other choice was mashed potatoes and I wasn’t going to do wedges and mashed potatoes.  I had to wait a minute because Angie’s did not pre cook the chicken when I was there.   I took the  time to read the bulletin board that was in the dining area. There was a review from a  newspaper that was good. There was the latest food inspection report–a 96 score! I have never seen a food inspection report so IMG_4567prominently displayed. Also displayed was a document certifying that the chicken served was halal or permissable.   I also noted the accent paint was pleasantly purple and was coordinated  with the colors on their web site.

Once my take out was ready I took it home.  What else was I going to do with it?  The chicken  smelled very good and it was good!  When I opened the container I had three pieces of chicken instead of two.  The two piece order contained a thigh, a leg, and a wing. It also had a good portion of potato wedges, the green beans, and a biscuit.  This fried chicken was like your favorite Aunt Eudora’s (or Aunt Flannery’s) best chicken ever.  Basic good fried chicken.  The potato wedges were fried but not greasy and lightly browned and a little crunchy on the outside. I just loved them taters.  The biscuit was quite tasty although I suspect it was not home made.    The green beans were overcooked.  Again I had wanted the cole slaw but Angie was  sold out of slaw. I will go back for the full chicken/slaw treatment and do an addendum to this review.  But for the record, go there, get the chicken.  I give Angie’s Chicken and Fixins a 4-nice!   Rating system explained.   So live a little and take the extra time  getting in and  out of there. Try the slaw and let me know what you think. Cheers!