A couple weeks ago, I got a craving for Mexican food. Not the kind of Mexican food someone who grew up with an abuela who’d spend three days making massive batches of mole should crave. I wanted Texican, if you will. I figured the craving was fleeting — something I could snuff out with a little queso dip, maybe some nachos. Nope. Instead it turned into a four-day, ITP shame spiral.

I’ve always managed to avoid Taqueria del Sol (2165 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-321-1118) because we live so close to Buford Highway. This time, my craving and proximity conspired against me. We happened upon the restaurant during one of its lulls, although a line of 20 quickly formed behind us. I get what owner Eddie Hernandez has done by muting Mexican flavors, adding booze and up-charging the hell out of the menu. While I think the salsas are excellent, the taco fillings were so intensely overseasoned (read: salty) that I couldn’t get past two bites. The cheese enchilada wrapped in a corn tortilla and smothered in pork chili verde, however, was an excellent pile of gooey, sinful goodness.

The next night, we found ourselves at Big Tex Cantina (308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-377-3939) late in the evening. Despite the fact that it opened so recently (or, perhaps, because it opened so recently) the wait at Big Tex — even at 8:45 — was around 30 minutes. Not much to review, but the menu and vibe are dramatically different from the owners’ other restaurant, Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q. Look for a Texas-inspired poutine dish using the brothers’ stepmom’s red chili sauce recipe, a fully vegetarian version of stacked enchiladas topped with a fried egg, and flour (or corn) tortilla based tacos made with brisket from Fox Brothers.

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My sister’s birthday for which we went to BLT Steak and had a perfect meal…except for our bossy (read: asshole) waiter and the outrageously stupid $3/person cake cutting fee for our 12 person party. Shit. I’ll cut my own damn cake for that money. The fees cost more than the cake! Our not so nice waiter made sure to tell us the pastry chef HATES it when people bring their own cakes. I am sure there is a reason restaurants charge a cake-cutting fee, but I think it is a person’s right to have their favorite birthday cake be it for nostalgia or any other reason. I still like the restaurant, but the cake situation and the waiter’s odd brand of service (e.g. telling people they couldn’t get up and mingle after they ordered because it would confuse the runners) turned me off at this restaurant I have loved since it opened.

A more low-key celebration–if you don’t count the raunchy stripper we surprised her with–was my friend Beth’s birthday. We had lots of pink bubbly, Bocado burgers taken to go (they held up amazingly well on the drive) by our friend who happens to be the chef’s fiance, and this gorgeous cake her friend ordered from Metrotainment Bakery.

There was, of course, Thanksgiving at my parent’s house in Colorado. I made a 25 lb. bird, pumpkin pies from REAL PUMPKINS (it really does make the difference) and dear old dad made his amazing turkey and mole tortas with the leftover turkey. All of those occasions were super fun, but my favorite of them all? Moon and I’s one-year anniversary. Crazy. Since we were heading out of town for Thanksgiving, we decided to have a staycation at The Mansion on Peachtree here in Atlanta. Choosing a special occasion place was super hard because every nice restaurant has closed and you CANNOT convince me that Bacchanalia is good. I simply don’t think much of the restaurant. Deal with it. So, we went with convenience and booked a night at Craft because Moon had never been. Unfortunately, Craft is closing its doors in February due to an alleged lease dispute with The Mansion. So, get there while you can. Since we were in celebration mode, Moon splurged on some pricey Rose champagne (what was the name again, Moonie?).

We sat in bed and sipped away until it was time to get ready for dinner and admired our view.

Dinner at Craft was great, but there was a point when Moon leaned over and said: “I just realized this is how you cook at home! You use all the same ingredients from local farmers. There really are no more nice restaurants left in Atlanta.” Duh, Moonie. Sad, but duh. Note to self: attempt Craft’s roasted bananas and butter pecan ice cream at home very soon.

My favorite part of the whole staycation–except my dreamy facial in the spa and my time with my husband–was breakfast room service. I don’t know why, but I am kind of obsessed with room service breakfast. It was included in our rate and I’d been studying the menu since we arrived. Our dog wasn’t with us, but I love the little doggie section of the menu:

I went with poached eggs and bacon.

The coffee was nice and strong, but who I am kidding? Any room service to me is awesome.

My friend Jason Molinari, who runs the Cured Meats blog, has been extolling Costco’s benefits to me for quite some time. I’ve never believed him, because, let’s face it, I can be a bit of a food snob. However, the new Brookhaven location prompted me to go check things out. I went straight for the meat because Jason had told me to do so. I found packages of 3 prime NY Strips for $30. After a heavy salting and high temperature sear in a cast-iron pan, they were magical. So, I went back and bought this 4 lb. ham for $17. The holidays came a little early here at the Zyman-Pontrelli household.

Did it up with some honeyed sweet potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts.

Pure holiday heaven on a Tuesday no less! Hams are so easy to prepare…

I then proceeded to get disgustingly sick for two weeks. I made it out of the house a couple of times, but there was really nothing blog-worthy except for my big bowl of comforting ramen and other snackies at Shoya with some friends one rainy and cold Thursday night. Carnage:

My last (semi)notable meal was at Floataway Cafe while Moon’s folks were in town. They aren’t really into ethnic food so wanted to take them somewhere that felt special, but still served a menu that appealed to a variety of tastes. Moon’s mom got the steak frites and wow. That wood-grilled hanger steak was nothing short of seductive. Kind of craving it now. I had a simple salad and some ricotta and veal meatballs.

My dish was a little watery, but everyone else’s tasted great. I guess I just ordered wrong. I will go back because it is so close to our house and I’ve got a hankering for that steak.

Believe it or not, I’m still a bit under the weather. However, I’ve been getting in lots of time at JeJu Sauna, which is helping tremendously. In fact, I’ve written a piece on JeJu’s food and other offerings for Creative Loafing. Look for it, a first look at The Local Three, and another post or two next week.

Courtesy of Collin C. Chappelle

When FLIP Burger Boutique (3655 Roswell Road, 404-549-3298) opened its first location on Atlanta’s Westside, crowds were eager to get a taste of chef Richard Blais’ cooking, especially since he’d achieved national recognition thanks to a stint on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef.” Foie gras liquid nitrogen milk shakes, steak tartare burgers, and other unorthodox creations wooed customers looking for fun with a hopeful side of celebrity. I was a fan of the first FLIP. Delightfully weird burgers. Fun music. Framed flat-screen TVs. Booze. What more could you ask for?

Fast-forward two years, and Blais is back on Bravo and has the beginnings of a weird burger kingdom. After opening a second location in Birmingham, Ala., the third location popped up in Buckhead in mid-October with chef Jason McClure (a longtime member of Blais’ crew) at the executive helm.

If you can snag a parking spot (it has taken me up to 30 minutes), you’ll find a carbon copy of the original, except slightly larger and somehow less cool as a result. A shockingly loud wall of electro-hipster sound greets you at the door where the intensely chipper hostess will inevitably tell you there’s a wait (unless you get there on the early side of lunch or dinner service). Scanning the tables yields a bit of truth about the restaurant: Go ahead and serve all the creative burgers you want, people are just going to order the simplest thing on the menu. I’ve strayed from the apparent norm and, after three visits, have eaten my way through most of the menu’s many selections.

More often than not, the fried sides — vodka-battered onion rings, fried pickles and eggplant fries — taste more of leaden fried bread than whatever ingredient lies beneath. I have had one order (out of three) of crispy and fluffy hand-cut french fries. Intensely sour Brussels sprouts arrive soggy with barely any hints of green. The wedge salad is an inherently beautiful dish, but the blue cheese dressing draping the iceberg, tomato, and Benton’s bacon tower is woefully watery and lacks punch.

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Cherry

I happened upon Gigi’s Cupcakes last week after lunch at the newly opened FLIP location and a Halloween shopping spree at Party City, which is the most awesome party supply store EVER. I really shouldn’t be allowed in there because I always buy way too much stuff. Cupcakes are a dime a dozen in Atlanta and I was a little turned off that Gigi’s is a chain. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the cupcakes were tasty, fresh and packed with more delectable buttercream frosting than any cupcake fiend could ever ask for.

Moon commented that the cupcakes weren’t exactly gourmet, but more of a mom’s version–if your mom happens to decorate her cupcakes really really well. I can’t say these are destination worthy and would be equally hard-pressed to choose them over Little Cake Bakery, which is right across the street. However, I wouldn’t be upset if someone brought me a box. Check them out the next time you are in the hood and let us know what you think.

Midnight Magic

Boston cream pie

Taka Sushi Café (385 Pharr Road, 404-869-2802, www.takasushiatlanta.com) is a curious restaurant. People either love it or hate it, and I speak as someone who wasn’t initially impressed with the Buckhead Japanese restaurant. When I moved back to Atlanta from San Francisco — long before I blogged or wrote professionally about food — my parents suggested I eat at Taka. I didn’t like it. However, my family urged me to return with them to give it another shot. I was so glad I did. While I was living in California, my family had formed a good relationship with the chef. As a result, my visit with them was infinitely better. While dining there, we encountered many more obscure dishes and new flavor combinations than I had on my solo visit. Now, Taka is a place I go to eat alone at the bar, the food I crave when I’m under the weather (the fresh ginger and honey tea will change your life), and a restaurant I visit when I want to eat clean, interesting food.

Taka, like many neighborhood Japanese restaurants, is the sort of place where your experience varies depending on how much interaction you have with the chef. It seems unfair that you can’t just duck into a corner unnoticed, but you will have a considerably better experience if you engage the people who make your food. It’s a matter of appreciation for appreciation; recognition for recognition.

Taka recently started offering lunch service, which means I can feed my addiction to all things Japanese during lunchtime — a notoriously hard hour to find clean Japanese food, especially in Buckhead.

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The Spotted Trotter Charcuterie (www.thespottedtrotter.com) is the latest mobile purveyor to hit the streets of Atlanta. Owner Kevin Ouzts’ passion for charcuterie is evident in the array of impeccable cured and processed meats he sells every Saturday morning at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Ouzts has an impressive resume with stints under chefs Shaun Doty and Linton Hopkins while studying at Le Cordon Bleu. After graduation — and a trip to the Slow Food International Terra Madre Conference in Torino, Italy, as a delegate chef — Ouzts worked his way up the line to sous chef at Restaurant Eugene. He also completed an educational externship at the famed French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., under the venerable chef Thomas Keller, and worked at chef Taylor Boetticher’s popular Fatted Calf.

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You know you are a glutton when you eat a lobster roll for breakfast. That’s just what I did at the Peachtree Road Farmers’ Market a couple of weekends ago. Souper Jenny was selling them herself. I don’t remember how much it cost, but I do remember it was scrumptious. The lobster meat was super fresh, there was just enough mayo, and I adored the pop of fresh tarragon. The bun was soft and fresh, but it could have been a tad softer. She should use those amazing hot dog buns H&F Bread Co. sells at the same market. That would be a match made in heaven.

FOOD GROUP: A charming petite crêperie, sandwicherie and more.

MEAL PLAN: Before settling in Atlanta, French natives Michel and Rose-Marie Knopfler had three award-winning French restaurants in Hong Kong. However, the 1998 financial crisis and resulting business closures prompted the Knopflers to let their leases end and sell their interest in the restaurants. Rose-Marie often visited Atlanta for seminars and met friends who urged her to move her family here and open a French restaurant. The Knopflers started small with catering and deliveries, but soon decided to branch out into a little storefront selling crêpes and other French specialties.

Le Triskell French Crêperie

3833 Roswell Road (inside the Tuxedo Atrium). 404-814-8208. www.creperieletriskell.com.

OUTTA SIGHT: Le Triskell is the epitome of a hidden restaurant. It’s tucked inside the Tuxedo Atrium, a small building housing a mishmash of businesses, including a dentist, a salon and a tiny health club. If you have time on your hands, enjoy a meal at one of the bistro tables inside the sunlit atrium and amuse yourself with the steady stream of people that filters in. It’s theater of the living at its best.

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