Palookaville Fine Foods - Avondale Estates Georgia

You can find Palookaville Fine Foods at 17 S Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 right in the heart of downtown Avondale Estates (or at least what I think of as downtown). This fine establishment sits at the corner of N. Avondale Rd (turns into East College further West and Covington Hwy further East) and N. Clarendon Ave. You can park in the lot on the N. Clarendon Ave side or nearby either in lots or on the street. Do be careful as this area of town is infamous for the speed traps, especially during posted school zone times.

You may have heard of Jim Stacy via his show "Offbeat Eats" or maybe via his "Get Delicious" shows on PBS. I've known him for many years, either through friends or from his corn dog stand at the Starlight Drive-In Theater on Moreland. While I am a huge fan of the corn dog, I actually prefer a big sloppy Chicago style dog so after venturing to My Parent's Basement for a brewskie and kimcheese sandwich, I decided to head to Palookaville for something a bit more substantial (plus a boozy shake, of course).

The interior of Palookaville is made up of reclaimed wood and reused surfaces - it's quite warm and looks very lived-in. Along the walls are tons of kitsch and memorabilia, much of it echoing my own collecting interests so yes, I felt right at home indeed. I saddled up to the bar and engaged a rather overworked and hectic bartender. There are two menus available - one primarily made up of cocktails and the other primarily of food creations). There were quite a few delicious-sounding options including egg creams, cream sodas, parfaits, custom syrup sodas and shaketails - yum! I decided to go with a basic boozy shake made up of vanilla ice cream and Kraken rum (my old standby for Dark and Stormy's).

The food menu consists of the aforementioned Corndogs (with several options from beef to a veggie option made from Mt Olive pickle); Hot Dogs (referenced as Frankfurter Sandwiches), chopped salads, vegan or meat chili bowls, pork burgers, your typical topped fries and a mess of house sandwiches. 

With all this going on, I decided that I needed the Reuben - 1/2 LB of pastrami, sauerkraut and Swiss cooked with 1000 island dressing on rye with half sour. I'm happy to say that it was juicy, greasy and oh-so-good! I think this will be my go-to sandwich in future visits.

In a way, I wish I still lived in Clarkston as this is the ideal hangout for me (well, between Palookaville and My Parents' Basement most of my needs are covered). As it is, I think this is going to be a regular stop when I shop at the Dekalb Farmers Market.

-- John

(slightly shorter review posted to Yelp)

Galaxy Diner - Chamble - Henderson Mill and Chamblee Tucker Rds

You can find the Galaxy Diner at 3320 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30341 - the is the back side of the Embry Hills Shopping center anchored by Kroger so Galaxy faces Henderson Mill Rd.

I've been coming to the Galaxy Diner for many, many years - it's close to where I live and it seems to be a favorite spot on weekends from my Northcrest neighbors. The restaurant is clean and the service is very good, with a really knowledgeable and accommodating staff.

The menu is fairly extensive, with selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner with some specials. Although I've had better diner food, the Galaxy Diner more than makes up for any lack of quality through great, friendly service. I enjoy the combination breakfast meals with bacon, sausage, eggs and pancakes.

As I've said, I've only eaten breakfast at the Galaxy Diner so I don't have any opinion as to the other menu items. My favorite breakfast item is the combination "Super 8" which has most of what you'd want in a breakfast. Two eggs, two bacon strips, two sausage links and two pancakes - about as perfect to me for breakfast as you can find.

I also like the french toast - they hand dip Challah (aka egg) bread and serve three large pieces - a bit of syrup and you're good to go, especially with a side of bacon.

Eggs Florentine

I think that if you're looking for something for breakfast or brunch and you're in the area, the Galaxy Diner is a good spot as it's very consistent and reasonably priced. It's also a favorite for several local car clubs so weekends can be fun, especially for the kiddies. The lot does get a bit full but there's extra parking in the lots behind and to the right of the building. Sure it's not the same as going to Thumbs Up or the Flying Biscuit, but it's less pricey and certainly better than any Waffle House. Try it, you'll like it!

-- John

(shorter review also posted to Yelp)
 

Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill - Grayton Beach Florida

(also published to Yelp)
Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill is located at 37 Logan Ln, Grayton Beach, FL 32459 at the end of a line of buildings in a small shopping center. Parking is along the street or within a couple of small lots - the sign is a bit hard to see but worthwhile, especially during happy hour. 

I've been going to Hurricane's a couple of seasons now - last year we were told by some locals that it was a good spot for Oysters and a frequent location for local residents. This seems to be true as there weren't many of us tourists there in September 2014 (when I last visited) or September 2013. This is very much a bar with dark halls, spirits and beer taps. I could see it being my weekly after-work hangout.

I think the best time to go is early afternoon to take advantage of the happy hour. Oysters are also discounted during that time at about a buck apiece. The tables in the enclosed patio are picnic-style with holes for a bucket (to both hold and discard the free shelled peanuts, of course). Enjoy your goober-peas and kick back to a  nice ale - I'm a big fan of both the Bell's Two Hearted IPA and the Lagunitas IPA - on my last visit I had one of each. Some of the others with me enjoyed the margritas. 

The menu is fairly extensive with many seafood, sandwich and snaky options. I've heard that the fish tacos and wings were quite good. Of course, I come here for one thing only, the oysters.  These are seasonal (but for the most part they always have them) and locally caught. Last season they were really exceptional - very large and juicy. This season not-so-much and a bit on the smallish side.

Service tends to be exceptional with very attentive bartenders and servers. As with most of the local-to-30A restaurants and drinking establishments, they only take cash so make sure you bring enough for that 3rd round! I'll be coming back. 

-- John