Freds Meat and Bread - Krog Street Market - Atlanta Georgia

You can find this location of Fred's Mean & Bread in what I think of as the food court of Krog Street Market at 99 Krog St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307- along the back-side across from the restrooms near  where the line to Hop City forms. Parking is a bit sporadic for Krog Street Market - meaning that the spaces get filled up quickly and there's usually some attendant out there collecting money (not sure if that's legit or not). I generally park on one of the side streets and walk a couple of blocks.

If you haven't been to Krog Street Market (which was formerly some music studio) - it's basically an open-air building that's been divided along the sides, ends and down the middle with various stores, food stands and restaurants. I don't think there's a food court per se, rather there are a few tables and standing counters in an open area in front of Hop City where you can eat your food and have a great craft draft. On this evening we hit a few of the food stands including my favorite Gu's Dumplings - we also got a few burger-and-fries from Fred's. 

The menu at Fred's is very simple, and you know how I like simple:

* Bacon Cheeseburger
* Burger Stack
* Veggie Burger
* Meatball Parm
* Korean Fried Chickn Sandwich
* Cheesesteak Sandwich
* 'Shroom Shire Cheesesteak
* Pimento Cheese Club
* Crispy Smoked Catfish Po-Boy
* Italian Grinder
* Cauliflower & Eggplant Banh Mi
* Roasted Turkey
* Various sides including Hand-cut fries, garlic fries, pommes frites (not sure how these are different other than the aioli), bbq fries and old bay fries

On this occasion we ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger and it was quite good - juicy, cheesy, bacony. The Roasted Turkey Sandwich that someone ordered was okay but nothing special (guy was on a "healthy food kick"). The fries were excellent. The other thing to buy from Fred's is the cheesesteak sandwich - it's quite good but we refrained on this occasion. The hand-cut fries everyone raves about - they're good but a bit greasy. I've been meaning to come back and try everything else but I usually end up at Gu's - now that Gu is opening a new restaurant back on Buford Hwy I'll have a better excuse to try the other sandwiches.

Service has always been pretty good - it is an order-at-the-counter type place though so my expectations are fairly low. The line to order can get quite long - which for me sucks and will keep me from getting in it - be smart and have one person order the food while others are picking up the beers from Hop City (and have a third grab some table or counter space).

(also posted to Yelp)
 

Superica - Krog Street Market - Inman Park Atlanta

You can find Superica at 99 Krog St, Ste C, Atlanta, GA 30307 in Krog Street Market. Parking is across the street in an open lot, along the streets in any available space or in a private lot provided by a valet.

We visited Superica as the beginning of a short crawl that ended at the Dogwood Arts Festival (walking along the Beltline) and ending at Ponce City Market with my friend Arvin R (we eventually picked up Kymber W on the way back). If you haven't been to Krog Street Market yet you really should try it - if for nothing else, the huge beer selection at Hop City - but I digress. On this day we decided to hit Superica for brunch before hitting the Beltline - we had no real plan other than to eat and drink beer, get a little exercise and take in the sights.

The Krog Street Market used to be Tyler Perry's music studio and can be found in Inman Park - it's now a multi-use facility that houses several restaurants and shops and has become an intown destination, with several things to offer including today's visit to Superica. This is my second time at Superica, having visited previously right after they opened and frankly, not having had the best time. Those of you who know me also know that I have one of those cast-iron stomachs that can withstand quite a lot, both is spiciness and in outright obnoxious behaved food - my prior visit to Superica ended with me having a rather painful evening and next day - first time this has happened to me in many years (and that includes a trip to India!). I can only guess that the mojo that I had as Superica was a bit tainted and initially this did not provide further impetus to return. However I finally decided that I should give the restaurant a second try and I'm glad I did as this is indeed fine Tex-Mex.

 Brunch here was interesting as you can imagine, a South-of-the-Border mix of breakfast food and good Mexican spicy favorites.  We were provided a basket of chips with a few dips which was an awesome way to start things - also on tap my favorite local brew, Creature Comforts Tropicalia. 

I ordered the  Huevos Rancheros - house tortilla, 2X beans, ranchero sauce, 2 eggs sunny-side up, avcado and bacon. I must say that this is the best version of this classic dish that I've ever had and I've had the dish many, many times in several areas of the US and Mexico.  Everything here worked to build an interesting, textural palate - and it went so well with the tropical citrus in the beer. Simply delicious.

Arvin ordered the  Chorizo, Potato & Eggs - 2 eggs scrambled with chorizo, potatoes and cheese - really quite a ton of cheese. I tasted these but frankly the didn't compare to mine.

We also ordered a side of Hot Cakes - Double Stack with whipped butter and buttermilk syrup as it wouldn't have been a breakfast without pancakes, right? Anyway, these were quite good with a really surprising syrup and honestly, we didn't need these and didn't get through half the stack. Who knew?

The service on this day was quite good - we arrived early enough that it wasn't too busy but it was packed with a wait by the time we left. In all quite a good way to start a hike and day of drinking!

-- John 

(also posted to Yelp) 
 

Hop City - Inman Park at Krog Street Market - Atlanta Georgia

You can find this location of Hop City in Krog Street Market at 99 Krog Street NE, GA 30307, the beer provender occupies a shop with glass walls that face the hall from a covered courtyard, but what makes this place special is the side that faces the food court, which provides an eye-opening number of taps full of craft beer.

The store itself is a well stocked provider of grab-and-carry bottles of your favorite craft and oh, if you bring in your growlers make sure you get them filled with those hard-to-find specialty brews. Can't decide? Then queue up on the other side and grab a pint or stemmed glass (the higher ABV) of golden brown, hoppy deliciousness that you can enjoy again in the comfort of your own home. This is a fantastic venue to sample craft, especially local craft, while enjoying from one of the food vendors.

As an aside, this place becomes really busy with an amazing line, especially on weekends. I recommend coming during the week. Those pouring are incredibly knowledgeable about what they have so don't be afraid to ask questions. If you're really clueless ask the others in line, they may beam some attitude to you but I think you'll be surprised at the opinions and recommendations. Just know whether you like sour, hoppy, stout, etc. and you'll do fine. The servers get super busy and any attitude you may receive is more a product of success than anything else. In general the service is exceptional regardless of how busy they are.

My favorite modus operandi is to come with a friend or two and split up the tasks - half grab beer while the other grabs food. Thankfully, Hop City has a huge board featuring everything currently on tap -you basically peruse - and I do mean this in the original sense of study intently - the list of craft, I recommend in particular the local craft, until you see something that's interesting. Some get in line to pick up the pints while the rest head over to Gu's Dumplings for hot-and-spicy deliciousness to go with the hoppy pints. You belly up to one of the standing counters and trade off drinks-and-food until full and sweaty from the blistering hot Szechuan while people watching all the out-of-town deviants sampling townie ways. Afterwards head to Jeni's Ice Cream to cool off and you have the start of a great evening.

Start you ask? Why yes, at this point your fortified and ready for anything. Or you can get back into line and try another pint - yes, I think I will!

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)

Rathbun's - Inman Park - Atlanta Georgia

You can find Rathbun's at 112 Krog Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 in the building across from Krog Street Market. This area of town (right at the Inman Park end of the beltline) is certainly hopping with many new businesses and restaurants, particularly at Krog Street Market. Parking is a bit on the sparse side and thus it may be better to go during the week rather during a weekend. There's valet and two outdoor lots, one behind the Market and the other across the street (but may be a bit muddy as it's mostly gravel). 

I always enjoy going to Krog Street Market, primarily due to Hops City and the fine selection of local craft beer you can get there (I'm talking about the keg-pour and drink station) - I also am quite fond of Gu's Dumplings and am glad he's doing well there. Across the street is the very good Rathbun's restaurant occupying what looks to be an old industrial building. The restaurant features high ceilings with a mix of industrial and polished, loft concrete and mixed-recycled finishes and plenty of rich woods. I loved what they've done to the interior. There's also an exterior patio surrounded by cloth walls for a bit of privacy.

We arrived early on a Friday for an anniversary dinner which coincidentally coincided with the Inman Park Festival. I believe the wait was around 10 minutes while they got our table situated, I recommend reservations. We enjoyed a couple of drinks at the bar and carried them to the table. I had a very good Founders Breakfast Stout on draft that setup the evening quite nicely. I loved the lit bottle-wall and the fantastic lighting treatment - class all the way. The menus provided included both the regular dinner and wine list, plus a short set-menu for the Festival - we decided to try those items. 

If you've never done a fixed-menu before it's fairly interesting. At Bacchanalia you basically have two or maybe three paths to go with the food, each course paired with wine with few options beyond the initial choice. At Rathbun's, for the Inman Park Festival the restaurant chose to go with four items for each of three courses, Appetizers, Entree and Desserts. I sensed that these items were a bit easier to prepare and have moderately equivalent value (either price or cost) while providing a good assortment, all for $25 per person - quite a deal!

For appetizers, we selected:

* Venison & Bacon Meatballs, Blue Cheese Fondue, Picked Herbs - these insanely rich meatballs were delicious with the blue cheese.

* Crispy Gulf Oysters, Tabasco Tartar - these were positively delicious but with only three to the plate slightly small in portion.

We also added a small Caesar salad as we wanted more green veggies with our meal - bread was also served with our salad and it was quite good with two different varieties.

For Entrees, we selected:

* Herb Crusted Haddock, Roasted New Potatoes, Broccoli, Lemon Butter - the haddock was very flavorful and buttery, cooked with a perfection hard to master in this size of fish.

* Allen Brothers 10oz Ribeye, Creamed Spinach - I thought the creamed spinach sounded a bit weird but it worked well with the steak, which was a perfect rare cut. The creamed spinach added a cheesy-like quality that provided some mouth-feel.

For Desserts, we selected:

* Spumoni Gelato Sundae, Waffle Crisp, Crushed Pistachios - anything with ice cream works for me and this was no exception. 

* Warm Pecan Pound Cake, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Bourbon Sauce - as much as I liked the Sundae this was my favorite by far. Great flavors.

We of course also had the most excellent coffee. 

In all, the highlights were the fantastic setting/ambiance, great service and of course the food. I did feel like the evening was a bit rushed and the staff certainly looked to be overworked. When we come back it will be in the middle of the week and during a time where the place isn't so packed. In all an exceptional meal.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)