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)

The Halal Guys - Chamblee - Atlanta Georgia

You can find The Halal Guys at 4929 Buford Hwy NE, Chamblee, GA 30341 right at the northeastern quadrant of the intersection of Chamblee Tucker Rd and Buford Highway. The bright-yellow mansard-style roof is hard to miss - it was the former location of some Latino chicken-joint. Parking is towards the back and the northern side, and it basically sucks - they really need 30-50% more space - I usually drive past and park at the lot in front of the Family Dollar and walk back but sometimes get lucky. If I see a lot of cars I don't bother pulling in.

This is the first Atlanta location of the very famous New York food-stand The Halal Guys - I'm not sure if they've opened any other restaurants in the Atlanta area but I haven't heard of any. This is a fast-casual restaurant that specializes in beef and chicken served Mediterranean style - they also have some pretty decent falafels. The interior is very diner-ish with a line that extends to double doors and a very simple menu. You can either get a chicken or beef gyro sandwich (your basic pita wrap) or a Platter with Chicken, Beef, Combo or Falafel (the platter comes with rice and a pile of lettuce and tomatoes, with pita wedges). You can get extra protein ($2) extra falefal ($1) or extra sauce ($0.50) - all the entry prices are super cheap so you can get our of here easily for under $10. They also have a couple of side-options including hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel or fries ($1-3 depending on what it is) and a chunck of Baklava ($2.50) as their only dessert. I actually like this very simple menu - makes things easy and super fast for those queuing up to be served.

I've now eaten here about a half-dozen times. My preference is the combo platter with chicken and beef, the creamy white sauce and extra hot sauce. They will warn yo about how hot this stuff is but I find I can handle quite a bit - if you like heat don't pass it up - it's yummy. The portions here are huge - you will get filled up - as for the sides and the rest, nothing really spectacular and it's dead-on what you would expect from a New York street vendor. Honestly I think there's better food not too far distant (Mediterranean Grocery comes to mind with their delicious shawarma about a mile away). I do like the patio here at Halal Guys - nice place to watch the idiots driving by (of course in the heat it sucks but it's surprisingly pleasant during the cold months). The experience would be vastly improved with several pints of beer, but hey, you can't have everything.

The staff here are for the most part efficient and now that the crowds have died down a bit (fighting for parking and queuing up in long lines was a bitch), the experience isn't bad - you might actually find someplace to sit. My wife doesn't care for the place but I'll sometimes come by myself and indulge in the fiery hot sauce covering a combo platter - so worth it.

(also posted to Yelp)

Oriental Pearl Seafood Restaurant - Chamblee - Atlanta Georgia

You can find Oriental Pearl "Seafood" Restaurant at 5399 New Peachtree Rd, Chamblee, GA 30341- this is a section of New Peachtree that's between Chamblee Dunwoody and Chamblee Tucker Roads and at the northern end of the historic Atlanta Chinatown (unfortunately most of the Chinese locals have moved further north but many businesses are still centered on this shopping center). There's tons of parking out front.

I met several friends at Oriental Pearl as part of our regular Buford Highway Clawr group - we decided this time to include some businesses that are on the periphery of Buford Highway as they need love too, right? It's been many years since I visited this restaurant and as I recall I came her only once prior for weekend dim sum. This end of the shopping center features a porte-a-cochere style entry with two concrete Chinese lions before a well-lit sign. As you might expect, this is what I normally call a swag-Chinese restaurant with classic dishes adjusted to American ingredients and palate. The interior is a bit dated - call it "comfortable" with real white tablecloths and high backed chairs. We were seated in a large round table with spinning lazy-susan which made things very easy for us.

We ordered an assortment of meat, tofu and vegetarian dishes (several veg or vegan in the group) and shared, starting with egg rolls. My favorite was a shrimp-and-scallop dish served in a birds-nest of fried noodles. There may be some specialty dishes here that we weren't aware of to order - these old school Chinese restaurants frequently have some hidden gems. I'd say that the food in general was good but not great and my expectations were about dead-on. Service was good for the most part however we did need to flag someone down for a water refill. This may be one of those spots that's better for lunch - I'm not sure. As a specific destination I think I'd rather hit one of the other Chinese spots close by, but as a meeting place for a largish group they have plenty of space and parking, so it would be good for that purpose.

(also posted to Yelp)

8 Fahrenheit Ice Cream - Doraville - Atlanta Georgia

You can find 8 Fahrenheit Ice Cream at 5090 Buford Hwy Ste 101, Atlanta, GA 30340 in the southern end (to the left facing the plaza) - this is the Intown Plaza shopping center that's also the home of Tempo Doeloe and Spicy Ga Ga Duck. Frankly the parking is pretty tight and you will have a hard time finding a space in the designated parking lot on busy nights, although this has improved a bit as other "roll-it-up" style ice cream business has opened nearby. 

8 Fahrenheit Ice Cream was the first of this style ice cream shop of which I became aware in Atlanta - it's my understanding that there may have been others (or the reference may have been for the Duluth location? Not sure). With this style ice cream cream, fresh fruit, chocolate and a whole slew of other ingredients are chopped-up and mixed using broad-bladed drywall-style knives on a stainless steel top that's continually cooled with Nitrogen. The result is a delicious "fresh" ice cream that's rolled into tubes and fit into an ice cream pint. You typically choose the base and add whipped cream and toppings so you get a really delicious ice cream Sunday that's exemplified by the natural ingredients, instead of all the sugar and fat found in most US ice creams.

I've eaten at this location about a dozen times - it's a favorite for my regular Buford Highway "Clawr" group. The interior is modern-industrial with lots of natural finishes, wood-top tables and flooring. There's a menu to the right of the counter where you order, fast-casual style. The basic ingredients, chocolate sauce and three toppings are usually included in the single price. My favorites:

1. OMG - Green Tea and Oreo
2. Sexy Georgia - Thai Tea and Peach
3. Minions - Mango and Pineapple
4. Black Humor - Original, OREO, Brownie, Chocolate Sauce
5. Butter Pecan - Original, Almond Butter, Pecan

I usually add whip, slicked banana, pecans and chocolate syrup. My friend John F. likes to get the marshmallow, which is hit with a torch to give it that open-fired, roasted texture and flavor.

This is really my favorite style of ice cream - it doesn't hit you in the guy with sugar like the Gelato places and the fruit holds their its distinctive flavor. The walls are covered by post-it notes with short notes or doodles - not sure how that stated but it makes the place feel very well loved. The service here is very good - they're super efficient at getting you your order and you can tell they take great pride in their work.

(also posted to Yelp)