Caribbean Fiesta - North Point Pky - Alpharetta Georgia

You can find Caribbean Fiesta at 4000 N Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30022 - this is one of those cut-through streets that parallels 400 to the east so you can travel from Mansell Rd and Windward Pky. Parking is out front - the restaurant is on the end of a row of brick storefronts.

I've eaten at this location a few times in the past, back in the later 2000s when I had an office near the mall. I've also eaten at the now defunct location on Holcomb Bridge when I worked near Technology Park. I loved that location - mostly because of the big Asian dude behind the counter with the islander accent - cracked me up every time I visited.

I was on the way to Jekyll Brewing for a mid-week tour with my friend Kymber W (meeting other friends) when she asked me if I was hungry (hint for "I'm hungry bitch, pull over so I can eat"). I asked what she was in the mood for and she said "Jamaican!" and I remembered this location of Caribbean Fiesta - so glad she said something as it's been a while. For this and the other location, you can order a few items off the menu or from the steam tables - tonight they had several items that were interesting.

The interior is bright with a row of booths and tables in the middle. The line of steam tables is to the back and there's a knee wall separating the customer line from the rest of the dining room. The place is quite cheery as these places go - you take a look at what's offered and the people behind the counter load up a to-go container.

I ordered the jerk chicken, rice and peas, and cabbage - this is one of my standard ordering combinations. If they had jerk chicken on skewers (something of a specialty at the other location) I would have went for that - the seasoning permeates throughout the meat and is something special. I thought this was damn good jerk. The sides were also good and piping hot.

Kymber ordered the Ox Tails, rice and peas, and the green beans. I tried the tails and beans and it was all delicious - the Ox Tails are very rich and filling - not something I can eat everyday. She also ordered some fried pie or empanada thingy for later.

The people here were really cool to us and allowed us to geek out over the food - that's a nice change from the usual bored attitude you often get at fast casual restaurants. In all this was a good precursor to many "tastings" of beer at Jekyll - I'd recommend this combo to anyone looking for a simple outing.

-- John
(also posted to Yelp)

Persis Biryani Indian Grill - Alpharetta Atlanta Georgia

You can find Persis Biryani Indian Grill at 631 N Main Street, GA 30009 in a small strip mall between Winthrope Chase Dr and Henderson Parkway/Cogburn Rd. Persis occupies the end on the left - there's plenty of parking out front and to the side.

I met with some friends for lunch to try out Persis as the latest in Biryani restaurants to hit Atlanta. Biryani is a style of cooking where meats and/or veggies are cooked in the rice so the flavors combine for something new and unique. I tell my friends that it's the Indian version of fried rice (it's not) so they'll have more of an idea of what they're getting. Previously I've had Biryani both while visiting India and in local restaurants like Biwarshi Biryani Pointe (which was fairly good when they opened and a bit disappointing now).

As you enter Persis the first thing you'll notice is the super clean, modernist style of the interior complete with Eames-style Eiffel Tower based shell chairs. Whoever did the interior design needs to be commended, this is one of the most beautiful Indian restaurants I've ever had pleasure to visit - it's just stunning in its clean lines and simple design. There are three rows of banquets with nice bench seating, tables towards the front and a bar-area towards the rear. There's also the obligatory Bollywood music videos playing at the back above the bar. The tables all have a very nice place mat with real cloth napkins. The next thing I noticed was the 100 Health Score - something you very rarely see - kudos to Persis for achieving this lofty rating!

The lunch menu is fairly sample - choose an Entree from: Vegetable korma, Paneer Tikka Masala, Aloo Gobi, Butter Chicken, Chicken Chetinad or Egg Curry. Next choose an Appetizer from: Onion Pakora, Gobi Manchurian, Chicken Manchurian or Chili Chicken. Alternatively, select one of the Persis-Dum-Biryani: Chicken, Veg or Egg. Sides are also available including Cup of Dal, Desi Salad, Naan and/or Raitha. The prices are all very reasonable for lunch, $7.99-8.99 and a buck or two for the sides.

We tried to order as many items as possible and ended up with a table of delicious food. We were served a slightly spicy tomato-based soup; Paneer Tikka Masala with Chili Chicken app; Chicken Chetinad with Chili Chicken app; a Chicken Biryani and an Egg Biryani, finishing off with Keer and Ras Malai for dessert. We also ordered a couple of sides of naan. I thought all the food very good although the soup was a bit too "canned" tasting to me. All the chicken dishes were exceptional. I'm not too sure about egg biryani - it doesn't seem to adapt the flavors like the meat-versions do (I don't even bother with the veg-version as very little of the flavors seem to meld with the rice). The biryanis in general were good but I think the spice level at Biwarshi is a little better - perhaps due tot he whole seeds used there.

In all I think this is a fine addition to the Indian food scene in Atlanta and will be returning one evening with a group to try their regular menu. If you're in the area and interested in Indian food this is a great choice.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)
 

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe - Alpharetta Georgia

You can find this location of Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe at 5306-B Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30004 - this is the center space along a shopping center near the Windward Home Depot. Parking is along the front and in the lot between buildings - there are several choices for food in the same shopping center including Nahm Thai and the very good Paradise Biryani Pointe. The exterior and interior are a bit modernist with classic European-Mediterranean hints. There's a row representing the beer selection on the counter where you order.

I had little expectation regarding this restaurant chain - it was offered up as a choice by extended family and i had basically heard nothing about it previously. From what I could gather online, it sounded much like Zoe's Kitchen and in fact is very similar, with more of a Greek slant to the food, and perhaps a bit less stress on the healthiness of the cuisine (but this is Mediterranean so it's a bit of a non sequitur). This is a fast-casual restaurant where you order at the counter and you're presented with your choices once prepared. One standout is the beer selection, which includes some craft that you don't usually see in places like this including several from Monday Night Brewing and the exceptional locally produced Hop Dang Diggity by Alpharetta's own Jekyll Brewing.

The menu is fairly basic with your typical Greek favorites - for appetizers we ordered the Hummus and the Mezedes Platter (which included Hummus and Dips with Dolmades and pita).

For dinner the two standouts were the Chargrilled Lamb Feast (which had beautiful chunks of seasoned lamb at the bargain price of $12.49) and the vegetarian Grilled Veggie Plate - I could easily have felt vary satisfied with the latter but was very glad to order the former.

In all the entire experience was exceptional - from the ambiance to the service, top notch. If you get a chance to experience Taziki's make sure you do.

-- John

 (also posted to Yelp)
 

Jekyll Brewing - Alpharetta Georgia

You can find Jekyll Brewing at 2855 Marconi Dr Ste 3500 Alpharetta 30005 - this is near the big McKesson complex off of Windward Pkwy right off 400. The building itself looks rather unlikely for a brewery - it's one of those industrial business parks that usually hold call-centers or office and warehouse business. Parking is in the lot out front - it's usually quite busy on the weekends but the rest of the businesses are closed so there's plenty of parking. Note that there are several doors that are marked with the Jekyll logo and only one opens into their reception area.

Once inside you'll find a large room with bags of grains on the far end and a short counter to pay, pick up tickets and get your beer poured. The day's selection will be posted on the wall behind - their standards are pretty much always in stock and there's usually one or two rotating brews. You'll get a string of tickets and a Jekyll Brewing pint mason jar providing a bit of uniqueness and fun you won't see at other breweries. Towards the short stage (they apparently have live music at times but not on the day that I visited) there are other things to do including a ping-pong table.

I had heard of Jekyll as I'm fairly active on KickStarter and other crowdfunding sites but I really had no expectations (and didn't contribute) but do remember that there were quite successful. It's obvious that the people who started Jekyll love beer - one taste of the deliciously hoppy Hop Dang Diggity will convert you for sure if you're into IPAs. I fell in love with that one the first time I tried it on draft (at the Pig 'n Chick in Chamblee if you're wondering) so I was quite excited about visiting this brewery and sampling the other wares. My first impression before stepping inside was to question what was going on - the office-park just didn't seem like the right place for a brewery. However, once inside and touring the facilities I've been totally converted and love-love this place!

Before I talk about what I sampled, the people here are super friendly with no attitude and great at serving visitors. You can tell that what they do is a labor of love, that like I said previously they love beer, and that they really want to know the people that also love their products. Second, the pours here are quite generous and you can tell by the way they watch your reaction at first sip, they enjoy the looks of pleasure - I can say from personal experience that the reaction is worth it's weight in gold to craft brewers and there's plenty of smiling, happy faces here. Third, we met several people here and struck up conversations so this wasn't your typical douchey hipster crowd - I found it refreshing to find people who love beer that didn't have the attitude I've experienced at other, similar establishments intown. I also liked this tour - some unexpected things going on and the space is much larger than it appears from the front. Make sure you take time to do this.

On to the beer -

* Hop Dang Diggity - they call this a "Southern IPA" but I think of it more of an over-hopped IPA. You'll definitely get a super hit of hops that will remind you of pine - or weed (the smoking kind), in fact some of my friends think this is as close to drinking Maryjane as you can get. Delicious with a balance of sweet and citrus that any fan of hops will love.

* Cooter Brown - "American Brown Ale" and like most brown ales, a bit on the sweeter side. I love the feel of this one on the sides of the mouth, lots of caramel and malt. I liked this but a bit too sweet for me - I found most of the females I talked to really enjoyed it.

* Hoot'n Holler'n - double IPA and an investment (two tickets) that's well worth it. I liked this one quite a bit but I felt the alcohol slightly overpowering. I prefer the alcohol hit to be hidden a bit more - a couple of these had my head swimming a bit (was given some extra tickets)...

I pretty much stuck with the Hop Dang Diggity or the Hoot'n Holler'n but did sample the JR Series Pale Ale which was good but with the Dang Diggity I'm not sure why you would drink it. I also sipped the Big Creek Kolsch and the Southern Session but neither were "my thang" so I didn't do more than taste. In all, this brewery was quite a lot of fun and the beer way above average with some fantastic examples. It is a bit far out but if you combine it with a tour of Cherry Street (in Canton) and Hop Alley Brew Pub you can stay quite buzzed all day (moderating with food in between, of course). Finish up by hitting Zest in Roswell so you can sit on the patio and yell at passers-by and make a real event of it. On the day we visited we left and did a mini-crawl of Roswell and hit a few places. More on that at a later post.

-- John

(also posted on Yelp)