Mariscos El Veneno - Doraville - Atlanta Georgia

You can find Mariscos El Veneno at 5082 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30340 - this is the free-standing building right to the left of El Taco Veloz and the former location of one of Atlanta's first sushi buffets. Parking is very limited out front, with a few spaces in the back - that's probably the greatest drawback to visiting this very good Latino seafood restaurant.

This is my first visit to Mariscos El Veneno - I have visited on other occasions as it's transitioned through several concepts so I've been wanting to give it a try, on this night with our regular Buford Highway Restaurant Clawr group. The interior is rather cosmopolitan and simple with teal-colored walls, wooden tables and chairs and lots of green plants. There are tanks with crabs and other seafood towards the back wall. You're given a full-color glossy menu that's thankfully riddled with photos so you can see what you're getting - the options here are extensive and should satisfy even the pickiest seafood lover. Along with the menus were were a plate of lime wedges and a basket of fried tortillas and saltines - seemed appropriate being where we were. We also received a bit of delicious habanero salsa with lots of chopped red onion.

We started with some tostadas covered in shrimp ceviche - this was fantastic and very fresh - look for "Tostada de Ceviche de Camaron" on the menu. We next ordered various entrees that propelled us into another world of delicious seafood goodness. The seafood was exceptionally fresh and cooked to perfection - I'd say that this place is on par with fine dining establishments elsewhere except with an improved selection and extra spiciness - right up my alley really. I personally went with a spicy seafood soup filled with seafood including a sweet langostino "Caldo Venedo" - I think John got the Jalva (crab) soup. Actually everything we ordered (and we all tasted each other's plates) was delicious: "Salmon a la Parrilla" (grilled salmon), "Mix Brochetas with Cayo de Acha, Mahi y Camaron" your basic grilled seafood skewers, everything was fantastic.

Service here was very good with a very attentive staff that strove to answer our questions. The portions here are also very large - I think the value, especially fort he seafood was exceptional. You can get some of the same items elsewhere but I think you'll be happy visiting Mariscos El Veneno.

(also posted to Yelp)

Sabor Dominicano - Druid Hills - Emory - Atlanta Georgia

You can find Sabor Dominicano at 4186 Buford Hwy NE Ste M, Atlanta, GA 30345 in the same shopping center as Pho Dai Loi 2. This is just up the hill and north of Plaza Fiesta. Parking can be a bit of a challenge as there are several businesses that feed into the same lot - best to go on slightly off times. Late night Sabor becomes a disco, I believe as there's a DJ booth (but that may just be on the weekends) - something that's rather common in restaurants on Buford Highway, especially closer towards Atlanta.

I met a few friends as part of my Buford Highway Restaurant Crawl group - besides offering up some rather authentic Dominican cuisine, the restaurant has a pretty awesome buffet (1-4 I believe) - in the evenings it starts to wind down but for lunch there's some great eats at very reasonable prices. They typically have Bacalao (salted cod) and boiled yucca on the buffet. If you're in a group order the appetizer platter - you'll enjoy an assortment of flavors so you'll get to sample a lot of what Dominica has to offer.

The people here are really nice and good about describing the various dishes. My favorite time to come is during lunch after 1:00 - it's definitely a winner and you don't get stuck trying to find a parking space. I think everyone enjoyed the food quite a bit.

-- John

(Also posted to Yelp)

Carnitas Michoacan - Druid Hills - Emory - Atlanta Georgia

You can find Carnitas Michoacan at 4166 Buford Hwy NE Ste 1050, Atlanta, GA 30345 about in the middle of the Plaza Fiesta shopping center/mall. Plenty of parking out front provided one of the frequent carnivals isn't taking up half the lot (even then there's space on the ends and other side).

John F and I hit this place Thursday night as part of our regular weekly Buford Highway Restaurant Crawl - this is a couple of shops over from Asian Pearl Buffet. This is your typical Latino restaurant where you order from large wall-mounted menus at the counter. After about 10 minutes you get your food hot, so there's really minimal service. I got the impression that the people working here aren't used to your typical American diners, but fortunately there are plenty of photos available to help you make your selections.

Carnitas are a particularly tasty version of roasted pork - the chunks of pork are slow roasted in lard until tender. I've had good and bad versions of this dish - I've read that it originated in the state of
Michoacán so I had high expectations. Unfortunately it appears that I've been jaded as the pork dish here (which is really reasonable, comes with rice, beans, corn tortillas and a drink for $10.49) was a bit dry - nothing like my favorite restaurant for this dish, Los Bravos (which serves huge chunks and a delicious roasted red pepper sauce). Other than the meal being fairly cheap and filling, I'd call the food here "average" and nothing special.

The restaurant was clean and well lit with only a handful of customers - we did get here at 8 which was near the usual closing time. The people behind the counter were very efficient and did a good job answering questions. I'm giving this place 3/5.

(also posted to Yelp)

Taqueria Los Rayos -

You can find Taqueria Los Rayos at 3473 Clairmont Rd, Atlanta, GA 30319 where Clairmont crosses Buford Highway just south of the Deering crossing. This is a free-standing building that used to have some fast-food joint like a DQ or Del Taco and it still has the same basic footprint - parking is all along the edges and there's an unattached covered patio in part of the parking lot so you can eat outside. There's a remnant of a drive-through which appears to still be in operation.

I've eaten here before, coincidentally on both occasions it was with my usual Buford Highway Restaurant Crawler group - this second time was much better than the first (the first time there was a rather unpleasant sewer backup going on and the smell was hard to get past). You order at the counter at Taqueria Los Rayos and then pick up the food as it comes up. On this Wednesday evening there was on person at the counter and one in back - otherwise it was empty. As with other local area Latino joints, this place caters to the many who live in the nearby apartments and can easily walk by.

The food here is fairly authentic - very typical of what you might find in Mexico City or elsewhere in central Mexico. The tacos are double wrapped in corn tortillas and have a hefty serving. I had this meat plate - don't remember what it's called on the menu but it had beef, pork and bacon with sides. Good but a bit much for a single serving. Make sure you order a Mexican Coke with your meal - a bit of a given - you can thank me later.

Service here is quite good if sparse - I think everyone enjoyed their food. The carne asada I tired was good if a bit dry. Note that there aren't really any vegetarian options - this is more of a taco dive.

(also posted to Yelp)