Lucky Key Chinese Restaurant - Tucker Atlanta Georgia

You can find Lucky Key at 4135 Lavista Rd, Tucker, GA 30084 in the first shopping center as you exit west from I285 into Lavista Rd - this center is anchored by Best Buy and a relatively new Aldi store - there's also a decent Mellow Mushroom one one end (the end with the tower). Parking is out front and there's typically plenty.

Lucky Key is owned by the same people who have Fuji Ya Japanese Steakhouse - the two restaurants are internally open to one another through a breach in the adjoining wall and I believe you can order from either menu from each side. On this evening we tried the Chinese side (I've eaten at both restaurants in the past but it's been quite a long time, I'm thinking more than 10 years). They typically have very inexpensive specials - $5.95 lunch and $11.95 dinner (but it varies a little) - I know people that work in the area to take advantage of the super cheap lunch.

As Chinese restaurants go, this would fall into what I call swag-Chinese - your basic Chinese-influenced food designed with western ingredients and your typical American in mind. You'll find all the classics here - actually there's so much better Chinese food on Buford Highway that we usually don't venture to Lavista unless we're eating pizza (Mellow Mushroom) but for some reason we were nearby, it was late and we were hungry having missing the typical dinner hours, so here we are. The interior is relatively clean with cloth tablecloths covered in hard plastic for easy cleaning. There are your typical Chinese iconography on the walls and an attempt at elegance via ceiling fixture. Not bad if a bit dated but there's a lot of comfort to be found in places that retain this look.

For dinner we did the Hot and Sour soup (included) - this was dark and peppery with dropped-egg, perhaps not as sour as I typically like but it's a good way to start the meal. I've had better but I've also had much worse. We also had chicken with Chinese vegetables (it rang up as "Fragrang Chicken" - not sure if that's at item or what - I asked for it extra spicy) and a Chicken Lo Mein (also supposed to be spicy) - as usual they really weren't spicy - seems most of these places just throw in some dried whole red-chiles when I'm really looking for blazing hot. At least they're consistent, right?

 Overall the food was neither good nor bad - sort of right in the middle but nothing spectacular. I can see why some of my local friends like the place - it's cheap, filling and very predictable, good but not great. Service was good considering we arrived late and we could tell they wanted to close (we were the only table seated). We hurried through the meal - I think we left shortly after 9:00 PM. Total spent was around $20 with tax, $24 with tip.

(also posted to Yelp)

Tucker Brewing Company - Tucker Atlanta Georgia

You can find the Tucker Brewing Company at 2003 South Bibb Dr, Tucker, Ga 30084 in the industrial park behind the Sam's on Mountain Industrial Blvd. They have some parking but for this event, the Grand Opening, parking extended for about a half-mile radius along the streets and lots for closed businesses - luckily there was Dekalb police and hired help around to direct traffic - it was a bit of a madhouse.

I first became aware of this brewery on Facebook as a page was created and some posts began targeting this date. I went with my wife and a friend - for this occasion there was a $10 admission charge where you get a "Tucker Brewing Company" gold printed glass (they started with tall pilsners, went to a stemmed and finally a regular pint - we arrived when the stems were being given - about 4:00 PM but later traded for the normal pint as it was heavier and frankly, fit our cabinets better) - you also received two tickets so you could fill your glass twice. Afterward you could be additional fill-ups. There were also sodas available for the non-beer drinkers with a small charge to cover the glass.

You walk into the front and emerge into an expansive bar area with a brilliant sun-logo on the wall. You could fill your glass at this bar or at a small station setup in the patio. The interior is industrial modern with exposed wood surfaces and metal finishes. One negative was that at some point a pipe broke (or something) int he men's restroom so there was water all over the area directly behind the door - some guys were quickly addressing the issue so I would call this a normal, opening day hick-up. The place was a madhouse with a few hundred inside sitting at tables drinking or standing at counters trying to get refills. There were plenty of people behind the bar for refills but I think it would have been better if they didn't allow seating at the bar stools - either that or designated lines as you had to reach over the people who were seated at the bar.

Walking through this main area there's a pretty great patio in back that stretches to the side - the band was to the right doing mostly southern rock favorites - on the left side in back were a pair of food trucks. Between there were several patio tables filled with people and kids running around - a couple of corn hole stations were along the left leading up from the main hall opening to the food trucks. This is an awesome patio with plenty of space for large gatherings - I can see some fire pits being added in the future. In fact the entire space was very well executed, inside and out.

 

For beer, The Tucker Brewing Company has as part of it's mission the brewing of German style beer - on this day they had three different: a Pilsner, a Dark Lager and a Hefeweizen. I started with this last - I found it light, slightly oily to the mouth and very refreshing - a very solid 3.5/5 if a bit green (I think with some age it would be a 4/5). Note that all three beers seemed a bit green to me and could have used a bit of age before serving, but that's not to be unexpected with a new brewery (the only one I haven't found this to be true at was Arches down in Hapeville and I've attended a lot of early brewery openings). I also thought the Dark Lager quite palatable, once again a bit green - about a 3.5/5 lacking a bit of complexity and tasting a bit hoppier than I would have expected. I'm not a fan of Pilsners at all (I grew up drinking the stuff and the acidic taste makes me gag) so I only tasted some from a companion's glass. This one fit right into the flavor profile I expected. I won't rank it since it's not something I particularly like, preferring the range from IPA to Porter/stout and higher ABV.

Trying to get my second glass filled became a bit of a challenge - not sure what happened but they put a stop to the pours at the bar and suggested going to the station outside (which only had the pils at the time). Once they got back up and running there was quite a bit of foam they were trying to pour through - not sure if it was keg changes, an issue with the CO2 tanks or what, but again, these are common opening day hick-ups. I think they were quite happy with the turnout and community response.

 

 

Overall I liked this place a lot and think it will make a huge impact on Tucker. I think with some broadening of their catalog they will become a  big hit as they seem to be doing things right.

(also posted to Yelp)

Taqueria San Pancho - Lawerenceville Highway - Tucker Atlanta Georgia

You can find Taqueria San Pancho at 4880 Lawrenceville Hwy STE 9, Tucker, GA 30084 in a shopping center just west of the Tucker Home Depot and on the other side of Golddust Sports Bar. L'Thai Organic Cuisine and Wine bar is also in the same shopping center.

I was cruising by this area and decided on a whim to see what was around for lunch - I had already sampled the very good L'Thai and saw this small taqueria that had a few good reviews and dropped in for lunch. This tiny place is much like several other authentic Mexican hole-in-the-walls scattered around town but mostly found north of the perimeter. There are only a few tables and you order at the counter from a fairly limited menu - the prices are quite good - downright cheap at $1.25 each. I decided that 5 would probably fill me up and ordered chicken, carne asada, fish, shrimp and port. 

Other menu options include: Vegetarian (one of the first I've seen at a taqueria), Burritos (bean, regular, jumbo and breakfast); Breakfast (including Huevos Revueltos, Huevos con Jamon and Huevos con Chorizo); Tostadas con Carne, de Camaron and con Jamon; Platillos, Special Plates, Quesadillas, nachos, Tortas and of course Bebidas including Horchata.

After a wait of about 10 minutes, which I spent perusing the pickles and sauces, I was delivered 5 smallish double-corn tortillas filled with meat, seasonings, fresh cilantro and a few veggies like onions and tomatoes. The carne asada was chopped up a bit which is more authentic but not as much to my liking - next time I'll pass on that one, even though the flavors were spot on, it was a bit dry. I used the tomatillo verde and creamy-spicy avocado sauces which complimented each perfectly (and a lime wedge for the fish). I though all the tacos quite good and very authentic. For about $7 it was also quite a bargain.

The people at the counter were quite friendly and easy to understand. I thought this little place terrific and plan to visit again soon. 

-- John 

(also posted to Yelp)
 

Mandarin Palace - Northlake Tower Festival - Tucker Georgia

You can find Mandarin Palace at 4073 Lavista Rd, Tucker, GA 30084 in the Northlake Tower Festival shopping center. This is the semi-circle of buildings that seem to enclose the antenna in the middle of the lot and features other restaurants like Coco-Cabana, Maddio's and Jason's Deli. Parking is in the lot all around the buildings - there are some crazy turns around the antenna's enclosure that sort of makes a roundabout (though traffic flows both clockwise and counter-clockwise so be careful). Mandarin Palace is located where the awning extends to a point - it's easier to see at night as the red signage lies on either side of the extension.

Mandarin Palace is a classic example of a typical Americanized Chinese restaurant - I affectionately call these "swag" Chinese. These are the mostly Cantonese restaurants that popped up all over the US derived from those flavors brought by early Chinese immigrants only using ingredients more common to the Americas, spiced down quite a bit and adjusted to the US palate. The interior is very typical of this type of restaurant with "low oriental style" that you'll find very familiar. I especially like the wall-length carving which is becoming scarce as these mom-and-pop Chinese restaurants are replaced by the likes of Panda Express.

The menu at Mandarin Palace is all over the place as you might come to expect from this type of restaurant - the show a bit of everything. Also, just about any combination you might think of is also available - for instance substituting the light sauce for the brown or vice-versa. That's one of the nice things about restaurants that aren't chains, the items on the menu (with the exception of some previously prepared items like soups and egg-rolls) are made-to-order. We stopped by because we were in the area and it had been a few years so why not? The bright red sign was like a siren's call.

We were seated in a mostly empty restaurant - it was about 8:30 PM mid-week so for this area (Northlake part of Tucker) getting a bit late for dinner. While there we were the only table, however there was a constant-flow of take-out visitors and right when we were finishing up a family of 6 walked in and were seated. I think this was less due to the restaurant and more due to the area suffering a bit. Hopefully the new owners of Northlake Mall will turn it around. For drinks we went with something basic - a Tsingtao, which is a staple of most Chinese restaurants. It's about as far from a microbrew as you can get but does offer up a bit of palate-cleansing, neutral carbonation that works well with the thick, flavorful sauces. They do offer up a chilled mug which is really how it should be drunk.

 I don't remember exactly what we ordered - I think it was a Hunan Chicken and a Chicken with Vegetables extra spicy. Both had sliced chicken wok sauteed with some veggies and brown sauce. The veg was slightly different and my spicy dish had some additional chunks of dried red pepper. Neither was really very spicy and fairly neutral in flavor. The meal was preceded by hot-and-sour soup and an egg roll. Neither of these were bad, but neither were very good either - just very basic, slightly-above-mall-food Chinese.

In general the food at Mandarin Palace is basic and nothing that you would want to make a special trip to obtain. I do think it's better than the newly opened Panda Express down the street and I think it's cheaper and more customize-able which may be important to you. The owner/manager didn't say much but seemed to appreciate our business and it was a quiet meal - no fuss, no muss. I rate it right in the middle 2.5/5 stars but will round up to 3.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)