Switching Gears

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! 

Obviously, my last adventure did not last very long (whoopsie) but, fear not, for I have a new mission in life.

My beloved, Jeremy, is a Grade A cinephile. You may scoff to yourself and think, "So what? Everyone likes movies!" Uhhhh, no. He eats, sleeps, and breathes movies. He's even done some directing work! So, take your worn out copy of Old School and have a seat, Young Grasshopper. 

As my resident movie aficionado, I tasked Jeremy with creating a list of the top 100 movies that, in his opinion, I HAVE to see in my lifetime. Why did I ask him to do this? So I can review them, of course! In case you are a complete stranger, you probably know that Jeremy and I are part of a movie podcast called Myopia: Defend Your Childhood (http://myopia.dudeletter.com/) and are no strangers to reviewing cinematic hits and misses. 

As a side note, Jeremy will be writing his own blog (that I will link to) so you can compare and contrast between a novice film buff and a professional critic. 

On to the good stuff; The List. *ahem*

Title	Director	Year
A Serbian Film	Spasojevic	2010
All About My Mother	Almodovar	1999
All That Jazz	Fosse	1979
Apocalypse Now	Coppola	1979
Being There	Ashby	1979
Blood Simple.	Coen/Coen	1984
Blow Out	De Palma	1981
Cannibal! The Musical	Parker	1993
Citizen Kane	Welles	1941
Dancer in the Dark	von Trier	2000
Das Boot	Petersen	1981
Days of Heaven	Malick	1978
Dead Ringers	Cronenberg	1988
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father	Kuenne	2008
Delicatessen	Jeunet	1991
Detachment	Kaye	2011
Dirty Filthy Love	Shergold	2004
Duck Soup	McCarey	1933
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	Spielberg	1982
East of Eden	Kazan	1955
Eraserhead	Lynch	1977
Fat Girl	Breillat	2001
Fear of a Black Hat	Cundieff	1993
Flesh + Blood	Verhoeven	1985
Freaks	Browning	1932
Friday Night Lights	Berg	2004
Gattaca	Niccol	1997
George Washington	Green	2000
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai	Jarmusch	1999
Girl Walk: All Day	Krupnick	2011
Happiness	Solondz	1998
Head-On	Akin	2004
Hell in the Pacific	Boorman	1968
Hellraiser	Barker	1987
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer	McNaughton	1986
Hoop Dreams	James	1994
How to Make Money Selling Drugs	Cooke	2012
I Saw the Devil	Jee-woon	2010
In the Bedroom	Field	2001
Intermission	Crowley	2003
Into the Wild	Penn	2007
Irreversible	Noe	2002
Italian for Beginners	Scherfig	2000
JCVD	El Mechri	2008
Julian Po	Wade	1997
Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)	Scott	2005
Last Days Here	Argott/Fenton	2011
Late Marriage	Koshashvili	2011
Le Samourai	Melville	1967
Liberty Heights	Levinson	1999
Malcolm X	Lee	1992
Man with a Movie Camera	Vertov	1929
Mary and Max	Elliot	2009
Metropolis	Lang	1927
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.	Morris	1999
Mutiny on the Bounty	Lloyd	1935
Mysterious Skin	Araki	2004
Network	Lumet	1976
Nosferatu	Murnau	1922
October Sky	Johnston	1999
Oldboy	Chan-wook	2003
Once	Carney	2007
PCU	Bochner	1994
Peeping Tom	Powell	1960
Radio Days	Allen	1987
Ran	Kurosawa	1985
Rear Window	Hitchcock	1954
Roger & Me	Moore	1989
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom	Pasolini	1975
Salvador	Stone	1986
Schizopolis	Soderbergh	1996
Sexy Beast	Glazer	2000
Shaolin Soccer	Chow	2001
Sherlock Jr.	Keaton	1924
Shortbus	Mitchell	2006
Simple Men	Hartley	1992
Sneakers	Robinson	1992
Tetsuo, the Iron Man	Tsukamoto	1989
The Act of Killing	Oppenheimer	2012
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford	Dominik	2007
The Bridge	Steel	2006
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years	Spheeris	1988
The Fall	Tarsem	2006
The Grapes of Wrath	Ford	1940
The Homesman	Jones	2014
The Illusionist	Chomet	2010
The Killing	Kubrick	1956
The Killing Fields	Joffe	1984
The Last Picture Show	Bogdanovich	1971
The Lost Weekend	Wilder	1945
The Piano Teacher	Haneke	2001
The Princess and the Warrior	Tykwer	2000
The Third Man	Reed	1949
The Tribe	Slaboshpitsky	2014
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?	Pollack	1969
Titicut Follies	Wiseman	1967
Tully	Birmingham	2000
When Trumpets Fade	Irvin	1998
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Nichols	1966
Z	Costa-Gavras	1969

So, Readers, will you join us? Stay tuned!

#49 - Little Bangkok (Thai)

I must start this post by saying that it is INCREDIBLY difficult and, quite frankly, ridiculously infuriating to find parking at Little Bangkok. You may be thinking to yourself, "Madison, it's a restaurant; there is no way it is that complicated." but oh, how wrong you are! This is hair-tearing-out levels of frustration... particularly when you're hangry.

That was our first attempt at dining with Little Bangkok.

Our second time around, we cut out the BS and parked two blocks away in a CVS parking lot since there are approximately 2.5 parking spots at Little Bangkok (okay, technically, there are about 5 spots, but they are always full AND the restaurant allows double parking). So, plan accordingly, Readers.

The food, however, is 100% worth all the parking drama.

Little Bangkok is the quintessential hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant complete with wall-to-wall decorations, a cramped dinning room, and very quick service.  That's not to say that you feel rushed at any point, but the waitstaff is on point and as a former server, I greatly appreciate that level of efficiency. Fortunately for us, we both knew what we wanted within a couple of minutes and I would say we chose wisely.

I started with the Tom Ka Soup, which is a hot, sour, coconut milk soup with chicken, mushrooms, and green onion. That may sound unappealing, but I promise that you will not regret ordering it. For me, the soup tastes like rainbows, sunshine, and unicorns... but, that's just my opinion. Try it for yourself and thank me later.

For the entree, I ordered my go-to: Pad Thai.  For those of you that live under a rock and are not familiar with this delicious dish... I'll explain.  Pad Thai is pan friend rice noodles with chicken or shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, green onion, topped with ground peanut and the tears of angels. It is delightful in every way and has since ruined all other Thai restaurants moving forward. Thanks, Little Bangkok.

For dessert, we ordered a wheel-barrow to roll me back to the car.

But seriously, since Little Bangkok is a Thai/Chinese restaurant, we ended the meal with fortune cookies.  Funny enough, my fortune read something to the affect of, "You deserve respect and will soon earn it."

You heard the cookie - start respecting me! Oh, and go eat at Little Bangkok. Now.

#18 - Holeman & Finch Public House (Gastropub)

In between our Cinema Club and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, we decided to jump ahead and try #18 on our list; Holeman & Finch Public House, and experience The Burger.

Yes, it is called The Burger.

The description is as follows: The Burger cheese, onion, b&b pickles, fries. 

No frills. No fancy garlic aioli, truffle oil, or unpronounceable cheeses.  Just a basic, regular-ass, double-patty cheeseburger. AND PEOPLE LOSE THEIR MINDS OVER THIS BURGER.

Seriously.

As legend has it, Holeman & Finch Public House use to only make 24 burgers (and only after 10 PM) and once those sold out, that was it. Shortly before the riots ensued, they decided to start making The Burger widely available.  This was such a big freakin' deal that there is an article about this life-changing event. 

So, of course, we had to order The Burger... but, no pickles. Ew. 

The restaurant itself is shabby-chic/hipstery and offers private tables, bar seats, and a communal table.  The kitchen is smack-dab in the middle of the restaurant with one of the walls being made of glass, which I thought was pretty cool.  The bathrooms were rather difficult to find and were strange in that they were unmarked and behind heavy sliding doors... but I did appreciate the comical hook & hand washing sign for employees (think, Captain Hook washing his hands on a diagram).

As a gastropub, they also had an impressive selection of wine, beer, and spirits... including a LARGE selection of bitters, which I found to be quite odd.  But, enough about all that, let's get to the food!

Maybe it was the hype, but I assumed this was going to be the greatest cheeseburger I had ever shoved in my face hole... and I was, naturally, disappointed.  That being said, it's great for what it is... a regular-ass, double-patty cheeseburger... but I was left wanting something more. I wish they had used a different cheese or maybe some fresh onions as opposed to sauteed onions, or heck - maybe some of that fancy garlic aioli I mentioned earlier. SOMETHING. Maybe the b&b pickles would have kicked it up a notch, but I detest pickles on my food so that was definitely NOT happening.  

My meager palate still believes that The Vortex has the best burgers in Atlanta, but that's just my humble opinion. 

Aside from my meh experience with The Burger, the service was quick and efficient, the restaurant is beautiful, and I would recommend going there to try this big ol' greasy, hangover-killing, burger.

#50 - New York Prime (Steakhouse)

Parking

Once your find the parking garage, there are arrows on the ground leading you to the entrance... arrows that we completely missed.  Thank goodness for patient security guards.

Ambiance

You are hit with the familiar scent of cigars AS SOON as you walk in, which can be a major turn-off for some, but I was able to ignore it.  We awkwardly waited near the bar for the maitre d and after a minute or two, we were taken to our table. Upon sitting down, I realized just how beautiful the restaurant is; the details, the lighting, the seemingly choreographed way the servers navigated through the dining room, and of course, the presentation at the surrounding tables.

Service

When I say our server was incredible, it feels like it only scratches the surface of this man's dedication to his job.  He was genuinely friendly, attentive, and helpful - as were the other servers that checked up on us throughout our meal. 

Food

I ordered the Pan Sauteed Redfish Amadine with Crabmeat and a side dish of asparagus with hollandaise sauce while my boyfriend ordered the New York Strip and a side of creamed spinach.  I will be the first to admit that I was ignorant to the fact that "amadine" meant COMPLETELY DRENCHED IN ALMONDS... because there is no way on God's green Earth that I would have ordered that dish had I been privy to that information. As a side note - when in doubt, ask your server.  Once I toppled over Mount Almond, I found that my palate was overpowered by butter rather than redfish; I guess that's what I get for ordering seafood at a steakhouse.  My boyfriend's New York Strip, on the other hand, was ahhhhhhhhmazing! I'll be sure to follow his lead from now on. Our side dishes were delicious as well and I HIGHLY recommend the creamed spinach! Mmmm! 

Final Thoughts

Obviously, I should have asked some questions about my dish prior to ordering, so I can only fault myself for that mishap. Other than my fishy fiasco, I had a wonderful experience at New York Prime and would recommend it for special occasions.  I say that because it was easily the most expensive 2-person meal either of us had ever had... but my boyfriend swears his steak was totally worth $52. 

Men and their meat... *rolls eyes* 

Hungry For An Idea

A few weeks ago, I came across a Zagat article entitled, "The 50 Best Restaurants in Atlanta" and shared it on my boyfriend's Facebook page in an attempt to be cute and somewhat decisive (work with me here, it takes A LONG TIME for me to pick a place to eat).  He mentioned that he had only been to a handful of the restaurants, so I suggested that we tackle the list together and then write reviews... and for some reason, he agreed.

So, here we are, Readers; another food blog. Hooray!

I now present you with The List:

50. New York Prime (Steakhouse)
49. Little Bangkok (Thai)
48. The Cafe' (Continental)
47. Kimball House (New American)
46. Dave Poe's BBQ (Barbecue)
45. BoccaLupo (Italian)
44. Cafe Alsace (French)
43. Murphy's (American)
42. Table & Main (Southern American)
41. St. Cecilia (Mediterranean)
40. Local Three Kitchen & Bar (American)
39. Hal's on Old Ivy (Steakhouse)
38. Valenza (Italian)
37. Ray's on the River (Seafood)
36. Wisteria Restaurant (Southern American)
35. The Optimist (Seafood)
34. Nino's Cucina Italiana (Italian)
33. Heirloom Market BBQ (Barbecue)
32. C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar (Seafood)
31. Pho Dai Loi (Vietnamese)
30. Floataway Cafe (French)
29. Canoe (New American)
28. La Grotta Ristorante (Italian)
27. The Capital Grille (Steakhouse)
26. La Tavola (Italian)
25. di Paolo (Italian)
24. Pricci (Italian)
23. Miller Union (American)
22. Kurt's Bistro (European)
21. Kyma (Greek)
20. Iberian Pig (Spanish)
19. Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q (Barbecue)
18. Holeman & Finch Public House (Gastropub)
17. Sotto Sotto (Italian)
16. Gio's Chicken Amalfitano (Italian)
15. Restaurant Eugene (American)
14. Woodfire Grill (American)
13. Kevin Rathbun Steak (Steakhouse)
12. Gunshow (Eclectic...sounds iiiiinnnnteresting)
11. Osteria Mattone (Italian)
10. Bacchanalia (Italian)
9. Rathbun's (American)
8. Fogo de Chao Churrascaria (Brazilian)
7. Tomo Japanese Restaurant (Japanese)
6. Pampas Steakhouse (Steakhouse)
5. Chops Lobster Bar (Steakhouse)
4. Umi Buckhead (Japanese)
3. Antico Pizza Napoletana (Pizza)
2. Aria (American)
1. Bone's Restaurant (Steakhouse)

We will work our way up through the list, starting with #50, and write reviews about our experience... and you will, hopefully, read it. 

If not, then this is just an elaborate food journal.