Barbecue Street - Kennesaw Georgia

You can find Barbecue Street at 3895 Cherokee St NW, Kennesaw GA 30144 - in the Kroger Shopping Center at the corner of Cherokee St and Jiles Rd not too far from Shiloh Rd.  Facing the shopping center from the St (Kroger will be on your left), the restaurant is about in the middle of the row of buildings. There's plenty of parking out front.

The dining room is cute with a homey-woody interior and stamped-metal ceilings. It has this wood-both thing going on to the left, I'm guessing to make it look more like a "street" from the name. There's a scattering of tables in the middle of the room then more along the right side. You're seated and will pay at the front counter when you're done. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Barbecue Street - the menu includes many of your classic barbecue items at really standout prices. We decided to go "Full Monty" and order an assortment.

- Barbecue Sampler - this included chicken, pulled pork and pork ribs, Texas toast and choice of two sides - I ordered the Onion Rings and "Killer Green Beans." Price was about $15

- Catfish Dinner with two filets - this included hush puppies and two sides - my dining companion, Crystal H, choose the Collard Greens and the Mashed Potatoes with Gravy. Price was about $10.

- Fried Green Tomatoes - we ordered these as an afterthought and really there was way too much food so we could have deferred.

Of all the items I tried, the catfish is surprisingly good and unexpected for a BBQ restaurant, tender and delicate with a classic corn meal breading. The "Killer green beans" are interesting with great smokey flavor, bits of crispy bacon and a bit of sweetness from the caramelized onion. The only thing I found odd was the overall texture - more like those "French-style Green Beans" you find in a can - I think those can be improved a bit. I also really enjoyed the fried green tomatoes - the peppery batter worked well with some type of mildly spicy, paprika mayo.


Least favorite was the onion rings - appear to be a cakey beer batter and too bready for me. Also I thought the smashed potatoes underwhelming - they could have used more butter and spices like pepper - I'm sure that people that like mashed potatoes would like then though.

I had mixed thoughts on the BBQ itself - I have some fairly strong opinions on BBQ and prefer it to have more smoke rind than what I saw here - the chopped pork - I was a little confused with this and initially thought it was chicken. The ribs I think need a different rub - either that or a different sauce before serving - they tasted very ketchupy to me but then again all three of the sauces I tried tasted a bit too ketchupy. I didn't think to ask about a mustard based sauce (didn't really get to the chicken) but I would have liked to try it if they have one.

The service was excellent with the server coming by frequently to check on things and refill glasses. The owner? came by also to make sure we were happy. The prices were super reasonable, especially for BBQ. Overall I'd say that this was a 3.5/5 experience but I'm rounding up to 4 stars.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)
 

Willy's Mexicana Grill - Chastain Rd - Kennesaw Georgia

You can find this location of Willy's Mexicana Grill at 600 Chastain Road NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144 - this is the stretch of Chastain that stretches between I75 and I675 just north of Town Center Mall and host of several restaurants and of course a Starbucks. Parking is in the lots out front and to the sides but be warned that it's a high traffic area and a bit difficult to navigate around the divided roads - I'm not sure what the developers were thinking when they provided these buildings for restaurants - actually I doubt if they took much time to think through the traffic at all, after experiencing this area a few times myself.

This Willy's is one of their "new concept" done in a high design, industrial-modern style - quite beautiful inside as these types of restaurants go - love the stainless hood that rolls up from the food prep areas to the high ceilings. Those of you who know me also know that I'm a big fan of Willy's - it's become a staple for me to visit the location at the Publix near the Concourse which has provided me with fantastic food for over 10 years. I was quite excited to try this new Willy's and thrilled to see the interior.

We went through the line much like I have at previous locations - the staff was good about asking the right questions and building my burrito and everything looked and went quite well. At the sauce station I noticed a new selection - Roasted Tomato Fiery Hot Salsa and of course I had to try it. The food was good and consistent but wow - that new salsa is a total failure - it basically tasted like burnt mush - ugh. I don't know what Willy's was thinking introducing this one. Stick with the habanero, chipotle or tomatillo.

In any case, other than the disgusting new salsa, the food was consistent, the restaurant spotless and the interior amazing. I've now visited a few times and the experience every time has been a good one. Still sucks trying to get out of the lot though.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)
 

Ted's Montana Grill - Kennesaw Georgia

You can find this location of Ted's Montana Grill at 2500 Cobb Pl Ln NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144, this is one of those back streets behind a bunch of shopping centers in Kennesaw that connect several center parking lots togetherr. It's a bit of a spaghetti-exchange along this region of Barret Parkway so make sure you google map it. Parking is along the front and sides - one warning, during closing hours for the various retail around this location, the street gets packed and you will be in some bad and backed-up traffic.

 Ted's Montana Grill gets high marks from me regarding the consistency of the food, the general appearance of the restaurant and the knowledge and affability of the staff. I do think the food that you receive can be a bit hit-or-miss but I'm happy to say that on this occasion everything that arrived at our table was quite good. In the past at other locations I've received rather sloppy plates with salt levels all over the place and a general disregard for any high standard coming from the kitchen, but I digress.

I've had opportunity to visit several Atlanta area Ted's - including the one near CNN and the one near the Mall of Georgia. This is the third I've tried. In general I think the restaurant chain is fairly good - the food is very reminiscent of other mid-tier steakhouses like Outback or Longhorn. I do find it surprising that there are so few items with American Buffalo (Bison) offered on the menu. I seem to remember when they first opened that there were many more items featuring that delicious, lean bovine on the menu but perhaps Americans aren't ready for that in it's undisguised form? I'd like to see bison ribs and different cuts of bison steak, for instance. In any case, I wish there were more items to support the general theme, but that's just my opinion. 

On this day we ordered draft beer (for me a Sweetwater 420) simple salads as starters and sandwiches. I had the bison burger medium "Avalon" style (Gruyère, Blue Cheese, bacon caramelized onions, roasted garlic aioli, baby arugula) and it was quite satisfying. My side were the fresh-cut fries and they too were quite good.

My wife had the Absolute Fish Sandiwch (Lightly breaded cod, lettuce, chive caper tartar sauce, oatie wheat bun, with kale salad). I tried a few bites and liked this quite a bit, especially the most excellent tartar sauce. Her side was the Aunt Fannie's Squash Casserole and it was quite hammered, the only negative to the meal (it also had some herbal flavor that my wife didn't like - we were in a hurry so we didn't complain about it).

In all we had a very decent meal with great service - I'm thinking more of a 3.5/5 star experience (rounding up to 4 as we did have a good time). Other items I've liked in the past: Bison Meatloaf; Springer Mountain Roasted Chicken; Roast Turkey and Dressing; Bison Filet; George's Cadillac Chicken Sandwich; Big Sky Grilled Salad with Bison burger; Onion Rings (these are awesome!); and finally, The Slide adult shake (made with Haagen-Dazs ice cream and what amounts to a white Russian).

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)