What’s this? There is a Chinese restaurant around the corner called Fortune Cookie? They deliver? They have 4 stars with about 80 something reviews on Yelp? We decided to take a chance. Now, Fortune Cookie is what I call slutty Chinese. Why slutty you may ask? Because it is Americanized Chinese. You know the type – sweet sauces, fried spring rolls, lo mein, etc. The kind of stuff we grew up eating before we were introduced to Tasty China and Danny Ting’s deft hand. We ordered our childhood standards – orange beef, lo mein, egg foo young, beef and broccoli, spring rolls and some other stuff. Would yo believe me if I tell you it was good? Like, we couldn’t stop talking about how good it was and were already plotting our next order as we stood around the kitchen counter devouring the mix of dishes we packed into our enormous bowls. Yeah, some things could be a tad less sweet or saucy, but we can deal for a little convenience and comfort food. We have a Chinese restaurant that delivers and is good. Color me complete. Scroll down to see my awesomely bad pictures of the dishes.

Beef and broccoli

Egg foo young

Veggie lo mein

Orange beef

Sticky rice.

Shrimp stuffed eggplant.

Shrimp stuffed peppers.

Shrimp rice noodle (yes, more shrimp).

Beef balls.

Shrimp and chive dumplings.

The restaurant had posters everywhere advertising dungeness crab everywhere and Moon just can’t resist it. So, we got ginger and scallion forgetting what a pain this dish is to eat.

The flavor and freshness, however, was spot on.

The only other dish we ordered off the menu: Chinese broccoli with garlic.

Excellent.

Verdict: Bliss approved dim-sum served every day (if memory serves me correctly – call ahead because I am deep in pregnancy stupidity). Get there now and go often because Chinese chefs are notoriously wayward.

I brought the chicken home to Moon and, luckily, he hadn’t eaten. I expected him to eat a couple of pieces (he’s a manorexic), but he couldn’t stop. According to him, it is “the best Korean fried chicken I have eaten in Atlanta. The hot sauce is flavorful and complex.” He also added that he liked that there were lots of boneless pieces making it easier to eat. I had some a few hours later and it was still crunchy and juicy thanks to the box design. Excellent flavor on the crust too. It was also crunchy the next day and the next. Props for the Coke and other goodies in the box. We consider it a destination. So should you.

Reopening a restaurant with a new owner and chef while keeping the same name, look, and style of cuisine is a risky proposition no matter where you fall on the dining spectrum. That’s exactly what the owner of the “new” Cafe 101 (5412 Buford Highway, Doraville, 770-458-8399) has done. Once the darling of critics and food lovers alike, the old Cafe 101 — whose reviews still grace the restaurant’s entrance — received a less-than-stellar health inspection score and, after months of decreased quality, closed. The new Cafe 101 is led by a Taiwanese chef/owner who hails from Los Angeles. Though much of the menu seems familiar — including the handful of Szechuan dishes — this incarnation’s energy has clearly been renewed.

The smaller plates hold the most interest. One such dish, the Taiwanese-style fried chicken, is virtuously greaseless with bite-sized pieces of white- and dark-meat chicken encased in a batter as light as tempura and fried to a beautiful crisp. A little dish of ground chili with the tiniest hint of smoke arrives alongside the chicken to scatter on for a little heat. Add it in increments or you’ll be coughing for a good five minutes. Pork wontons swimming in a sour-and-spicy bowl of sauce are tender, fresh-tasting and remain intact when plucked from the small bowl with chopsticks. Less successful or desirable dishes like the “green pea cake” — a gelatinous white substance made, chilled and formed into cubes, then draped in a spicy sauce — sound interesting enough, but fall flat.

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I’ve never really understood how Vietnamese could be anyone’s favorite Asian cuisine. Sure, I always loved the standards — cha gio (fried spring rolls), bun, pho and green papaya salad — but, given the choice, I’d rather eat Korean or Japanese. That all changed the minute I experienced the expertly prepared wonders featured on Nam Phuong’s enormous 12-page menu. Beyond the nuoc cham (fish sauce-based dipping sauce), are more specialties and textures than I could have imagined. The only downside was the Norcross location, so you can imagine my recent excitement when I learned that another Nam Phuong was opening on Buford Highway.

After several stalkerish drive-bys, I found that the second Nam Phuong Restaurant (4051 Buford Highway, 404-633-2400. www.namphuongatlanta.com) had opened just across the street from Fiesta Plaza, smack-dab in the middle of Buford Highway’s unofficial Little Vietnam. The new, impeccably clean location greets you with a shiny new sign, leather-bound menus, and servers who operate with the same sense of professionalism and pride as the original — the mark of owners Tieng and David Nguyen’s extreme attention to detail.

And I’m happy to report that the food is even better here. After years of many sad cha gio, I’ve finally found a version worthy of the indulgence. Instead of being tough and greasy, these spring rolls are light and flaky with juicy ground-pork interiors. Within the menu’s “street food” section are specialties not often found in our many pho parlors, including immense crepes (banh xeo) made with rice flour, water and turmeric powder, then fried and filled with shrimp, slices of roast pork and mounds of bean sprouts.

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A few years ago, Korea-based fried chicken joints blew up in Atlanta. Seriously, it seemed a new one opened every month. As the trend died, many closed, but BBQ Chicken (3473 Old Norcross Road, Duluth, 678-417-6464, www.bbqchickenatl.com) has managed to hang in there. BBQ Chicken (aka Chicken & Beer) — no relation to the Ludacris album Chicken N Beer — is a Korean megachain with 1,900 restaurants scattered throughout China, Japan, Spain, the U.S., Vietnam, Australia, Mongolia, Malaysia and Singapore. Despite its ubiquity, BBQ Chicken doesn’t feel like a fast-food restaurant. And considering the house specialty is fried chicken, it seems downright swanky.

The BBQ in the name stands for “best of the best quality chicken.” It’s a lofty claim, and they have it plastered everywhere, including an enormous poster featuring an attractive Korean superstar giving her endorsement. Korean culture is obsessed with health and wellness, so BBQ’s chicken is fried in 100 percent olive oil because of the purported health benefits. Its website also makes the far-fetched claim that it uses “special sauces and spices developed by our food scientists that cannot be found at any other restaurant or cuisine.”

Because Korean fried chicken (or K.F.C.) is fried twice to achieve a greaseless crust with scores of crunchy nooks and crannies, it can take a good 20 minutes or so to make it to your table. The wait is arguably worth it. The interior is super juicy and fresh-tasting, although the olive oil imparts a unique taste to the original olive chicken that’s more Italy than Korea. Opting for a flavoring mutes any of the residual olive notes. The sweet and spicy chicken has a respectable amount of heat and enough stickiness to make it pleasantly sloppy. Just eat it quickly because the sauce can make it soggy. The wings — especially the über-crunchy and hardcore-spicy “wings of fire” — are more consistent.

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We went to the newly opened Raku Ramen + Tonkatsu, which is located next to the Super H Mart on Pleasant Hill. Being a ramen-otaku, I was super excited to eat there (especially considered the lovefest happening on other Atlanta food blogs), but our meal fell incredibly short of my expectations. Scattered service–like my husband’s ramen just never arriving.

Weak and watery broths across the board.

My ramen.

Moon junior’s ramen.

Thick tonkatsu with no flavor.

The dumplings were the only redeeming part of our entire meal. I’m sad to report that, as of today, this is not a destination. I was actually so dissatisfied with my meal that I went to Dan Moo Ji afterwards to grab some spicy rice cakes. Win.

We visited Kaleidoscope Bistro after reading a very favorable review by Christiane Lauterbach, the only person whose advice I follow when it comes to restaurants. Seriously, the woman is a goddess. I was especially intrigued by her mention of the incredible burger (big surprise). Before the burger, a little ambiance.

Berkshire pork rinds. Good form.

Really good chicken wings made with Springer Mountain Chicken and a homemade sauce that was kick-ass. I love the smattering of blue cheese just applied directly to the wings. Only downside was finding a few wings to be very undercooked.

My burger, which was honestly just okay. The meat tasted kind of like a hotel room service burger and was underseasoned. Definitely not splurge-worthy like Bocado or Five Guys. Yeah, I said Five Guys. Fries were kind of meh–definitely frozen.

Moon’s fish and chips, which he declared excellent.

Verdict: Not a destination, but I can see it why the restaurant appeals to people. It’s quirky spot with a nice patio and an interesting–although almost weirdly 90′s–menu. Can’t say I’ll be back though.

I’ve also been to Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand a few times recently, but I am holding my tongue for my review, which will come out in Creative Loafing eventually.

In other news, according to the Georgia Asian Times, Nam Phuong (one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants) is slated to open a second Atlanta Location on Buford Highway sometime in April. Moon also spotted a new Thai restaurant called Thai Pointe on BuHi, which we will be visiting as soon as they have had time to settle in.

A lot of my colleagues and friends have different opinions on whether or not they like this restaurant. Others are fascinated or annoyed by Cheng’s movements and alliances. I honestly don’t care if he intends to open another restaurant in cities x, y, or z. If Tasty China was any indication of how he could train a staff and maintain a certain level of highly acceptable quality, who cares if he’s in Virginia?

On this particular Saturday, Cheng was making the rounds and cooking in the kitchen. I was permitted to go back and get a few snapshots of him doing his thing after we ate our meal. He had no idea who I was and probably didn’t care, which only made me love him more.

Now, on to what we ate. I found every dish to be exceptional–even the lo mein that one of our less adventurous companions ordered. The crystal shrimp, which is not pictured, was a perfect mil counterpoint for the more spicy dishes.

My favorite dish of the day:

The hot and numbing tofu rolls.

Litmus dish: dry-fried eggplant. More crunchy than I’ve had in the past, but still a flavor bomb of deliciousness.

Sauteed pumpkin.

Shan City chicken: definitely different than it has been in the past. Less bready, more chewy. Super spicy. Awesome.

Chicken with ginger. A dish I found myself going back to for more and more due to its balance of mild heat, sharp ginger pop, and tender pieces of white meat.

Verdict: Another stellar Szechuan restaurant for our seemingly saturated city. Service is excellent. However, the price point may be a barrier for some. There’s always the original Tasty China if that’s the case.

The walls of room number No. 13 at Song Do Korean BBQ (3616 Satellite Blvd., Duluth, 770-497-9799) are covered in mirrors, creating that mesmerizing effect that you’re in a room with hundreds of people rather than the 15 the space actually accommodates. The long table has four sunken charcoal grills and two massive exhaust fans so the room doesn’t become too smoky. Like many Korean barbecue restaurants, Song Do offers all-you-can-eat barbecue, but its offerings are competitively priced, more varied and rounded out. At some barbecue restaurants, you just get a little salad, a couple of plates of banchan (side dishes) and some soup. Song Do ups the ante with a self-serve bar stocked with 14 bins overflowing with an ever-changing assortment of banchan. Basically, come hungry.Song Do’s premise is simple: Choose from one of four all-you-can-eat options named after precious gems and metals (the Ruby, Silver, Gold or Diamond). The base package, the Ruby, comes with pork belly, beef brisket, pork neck and Korean “fire meat” bulgogi. It costs just $12.99, and it’s an even better deal at lunch when it’s priced at $9.99. As you move upward on the price scale, the meat options increase. The most expensive, the Diamond, costs $24.99 and includes short rib “ma po style,” rib-eye steak, flap steak, short rib meat, pork neck, pork belly and beef intestine. Keep in mind that at most Korean barbecue joints, just one kind of meat can cost upward of $20.

After settling on a package, you can hit the banchan bar. The quality of the banchan is a mixed bag depending on what you choose. Spicy pickled cucumbers were crunchy and delightful, and the chili-laced bean sprouts tasted incredibly fresh. The chunks of daikon radish, however, were overmarinated and soft around the edges like they’d been sitting around for a while. If our party of 13 was an indication of how much banchan is consumed, the restaurant goes through a lot — freshness shouldn’t be an issue.

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