There haven’t been a ton of new noteworthy restaurants that have opened in Sandy Springs over the past few years. But despite having a name reminiscent of a certain Internet porn star, Teela Taqueria has me excited. First, let me set the scene for you. It is much more bar-like than Taqueria del Sol and the place screams casual. Good hangout places are really lacking in Sandy Springs, and this place has a very comfortable feel to it.

I sat at the bar, ordered a 420 and started going through the menu. It is very similar to Taqueria del Sol. The first four tacos are Brisket, Fried Chicken, Pork Carnitas and Fish. There is even Shrimp Corn Chowder. But, the menu is slightly more robust. There are 9 Special Tacos, as well as Enchiladas, Nachos, Quesadillas and Salads. I started with the Trios, which I thought would be a salsa trio. It is actually salsa, queso and guacamole. The guac is excellent with a little kick to it. It is somewhat pricey at $8.50, but you get a bowl of each.

For dinner, I ordered three tacos. The fried chicken taco is a del Sol favorite and the Teela version is very good as well. I probably wouldn’t go with the Fajita Steak taco again. While the meat was seasonwed well, I wasn’t too taken with the quality of the meat. Almost seemed like the precooked fajita meat you buy from the store. My favorite taco thugh was the Bang Bang Shrimp taco, which was served with a spicy smokey aioli.

With prices in the $2.50-$4.00 range for tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas, you can eat well under $20. This place is exactly what has been missing in Sandy Springs. That and a good sushi bar. So if you live in the area, take a drive over to City Walk and pay Teela a visit. Seriously, I need this place to do well.

Varasano’s Pizzeria opened last month to great anticipation last month 2171 Peachtree Rd. And while opening a new restaurant in this economic climate takes some intestinal fortitude of its own, Jeff Varasano had a lot going for him. For starters, they guy had a tremendous following from his website on gourmet pizza. Then there were the pizza dinner parties he would throw out of his Buckhead home (hey Jeff, if you still do this, Steakhead would love an invitation!). And of course, all this drove a ton of media exposure well before Opening Night.

So now that he has moved from the confines of his own kitchen to his own restaurant open to public on a nightly basis, does he have something that will sell with the masses? I think the answer will be a resounding “Yes”. First, though, let’s set expectations on what Varasano’s is. This is gourmet pizza, more of the ilk of Fritti’s and Baraonda. It is not a replication of a neighborhood NYC pizza parlor (though he does claim that his model is one based in East Harlem). This is an important distinction in Atlanta since the latter is so hard to find.

Varasano’s menu is very straightforward- 4 salads and 8 pizzas and 1 calzone. You know immediately that pizza is the focal point here as I was glad not to see all sorts of appetizers and an endless list of bizarre pizzas I would never try. The pizzas range from 2 traditional styles (Nana’s and Margherita), two with meats (Nucci and Salumi) and one interesting one- the New Haven Clam with clams mussels and your choice of red or white sauce. A friend and I went with Nana’s (The House Special) and the Nucci-  an interesting pizza with chopped garlic and olives, covered in Emmenthaler cheese, and covered with arugula and a ultra-thin slices of capocollo. Both were excellent, though the meat-lover in me gravitated toward the Nucci. What a great combination of flavors, and this is coming from someone that would never go out of his way to order olives on a pizza.
 
The secret to Varasano’s is the very thin crust of his pies. But it really isn’t that much of a secret. Varasano is so confident that he has something unique and hard to replicate that he actually posts his recipe online. Now, most of his can only dream to accomplish what he has done since it calls for an oven that can get to 800 degrees. The intensity of the heat is one of the 3 elements of his pies that he believes separates his pizza from a garden-variety pie.  Of course, then there’s the fermentation process, the kneading the dough, etc, and I’ll just leave making pizza to the experts. And Jeff Varasano is definitely that. Can’t wait to go back!

Nucci Pizza at Varasano

Margherita pizza at Varasano

Dine Under 25 this week took me to my old stomping grounds of Cabbagetown and one of my fave restaurants in the city, Agave. I chose Agave because I have pretty much had everything on their menu, and its all excellent, and knowing their prices, I figured dining under $25 would be easy. The one thing I forgot about though, is the margaritas. With about 100 different kinds of tequila in stock, saying its a specialty is a massive understatement. And if you go margarita instead of cerveza, it may be difficult to keep to the $25 threshold. However, with beer almost the entire entree list is doable. And given they serve a decent-sized bowl of blue and white corn tortilla chips and salsa, you can pass on the very tempting looking appetizers if you are looking to keep within a budget.

There are many dishes that I would recommend. The agave cayenne fried chicken, the blue corn chicken enchiladas, and the spicy tequila anejo shrimp are all fine choices. On this night, I went with the sashimi pan seared tuna. The tuna is served in long strips, sesame crusted and a sharp wasabi drizzle, all served over mashed potatoes. Lady Steakhead went with the special of the evening which was a chile-rubbed halibut topped with two seasoned gulf shrimp served over a black bean puree- awesome!

So how did we do? Our two entrees, plus two cervezas and tax brought us to $47.25 or $23.63 per person. And this was top-notch food, a great environment, and wonderful service. Agave remains one of my Atlanta favorites!

For the inaugural Dine Under 25 post, I took the family to Fritti in Inman Park. For those that haven’t been, Fritti is an upscale pizzeria with all sorts odd concoctions. Pizza with goat cheese, pizza with gorgonzola, pizza with mussels, pizza with lamb. Lady Steakhead is a big fan of pizza with fruit, something I would normally avoid. But the Ananas e Gorgonzola with pineapple and balsamic vinegar was very tasty. I actually preferred it to the Toscana with peppered salame that I ordered.

Pizzas cost between $13-15. There are a limited number of non-pizza entrees, such as hangar steak and pork tenderloin at prices between $18-20. But when in Rome (or in this case, a pizzeria), eat the pizza. The food is good, but the big draw to Fritti to me is the atmosphere. There is considerable outdoor seating, especially when they open the patio to the outside. We greatly enjoyed sitting outside and sipping on a glass of $7 chianti while we waited. This place can meet the needs of a family looking for a nice night out and at the same time, be a great choice for date night. And in neither case, will it break the bank.

Total cost- Glass of house chianti + Toscana pizza: $22.68 (after tax)

It is no secret that restaurants are feeling the pinch of the current economic climate as people are tightening their belts. You can’t have unemployment at levels not seen in decades and 401K values dropping to 12 year lows without having an impact to discretionary spending. And that’s exactly what eating out is. With a second kid entering daycare next month, and a fear that employment is sort of a day-to-day thing at the moment, the Steakheads have definitely cut back. But for many, a night out is a cultural way of life that is tough to give up. The good news is decent chow and a fun night out doesn’t have to equate to a cash suck. Many restaurants are offering deals in the face of these unprecendented times, and there are many places that offer notable meals at decent price everyday. So with that in mind, I am starting a series called “Dine Under $25″. For the next 8 weeks, I will highlight 8 different restaurants. The ground rules are simple:

1) The meal per person needs to come in under $25 (including tax, before tip)
2) It has to be a normal meal complete with a glass of wine or beer. No big salad or only ordering an appetizer.
3) It has to be available when normal people eat. No early bird specials on Tuesday nights only.
4) It has to be a real restaurant. As much as I like wings at a sports bar, that doesn’t count. 

The first review will be Fritti this weekend. For any of the restaurant owners and PR folks out there, if you have a suggestion, please email me and I will consider it.

My initial impression of Miso Izakaya on Edgewood near the Thumbs Up Diner is that the marketers have gotten out of control. Let’s start with the name. The term “izakaya” traditionally refers to a Japanese bar that serves good small plates of food. Then I read the early buzz about Miso Izakaya being called a “gastropub” and I really just shake my head. Especially when you consider the place doesn’t yet have a liquor license and is BYOB! Has the term “gastropub” officially lost all meaning? I have a different description for Miso Izakaya that you may be familiar with: Sushi Bar. There are several appetizers on the menu and a full sushi bar, both in terms of seating and menu.

The sushi is above average but since the differentiation is supposed to be the small plates, let’s focus on that. I tried numerous offerings including the tonkatsu plate, the tender beef teriyaki (served warm), and the Gyoza (pork dumplings). All of these were quite good, but let’s be honest, nothing too adventurous. The “buttered clams”, one of the more interesting options, were hard to eat. The bowl was overpowered by onion slices, and the clams were not very willing to be extracted from their shells. The sauce, as the name would suggest, was very buttery and tasty, but there wasn’t anything you could really do with it once you finished the clams.

In the end, I liked Miso Izakaya and will probably return for the sushi. The service was great, and they even gave me a free Miller Lite (they can’t sell you one, but I guess if they like you, they may offer one to you). But if you are thinking this concept is completely new to Atlanta, you may be disappointed. What it is is an above average sushi bar in an area that doesn’t have a lot of options for that kind cuisine.

I received this email from the folks at Ecco about some drink concoctions they are serving on Valentine’s Day.  Now, you do have to opt-in, and pay an additional $5, but if you do, you can have things like Maca Root (”an ancient aphrodisiac reported to increase a man’s stamina and energy”) or Yin Yan Huo ( described as “horny goat weed”…scary) added to your favorite libation. Here is the official release…

VALENTINE’S DAY
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14

This Valentine’s Day, join us for a decadent dinner
with a playful twist.
All night long, while enjoying our regular menu,
tease your senses and tempt your taste buds
with these exotic elixirs sure to make the one you love,
love you more.

Just say yes and we’ll drizzle one of these lusty concoctions
into the drink of your choice for only $5 more.
We’ve done our part. Now, the rest, as they say, is up to you.

MACA ROOT
This thick root flourishes in the humid nutrient rich soils of subtropical Peru
and is an ancient aphrodisiac reported to increase a man’s stamina and energy.
According to folklore, ancient Incan warriors took maca
before going off to battle to increase their strength and desire to conquer—
an added bonus for the wives waiting at home for their triumphant return.

YIN YAN HUO
Also known as horny goat weed, this luscious leaf’s reputed aphrodisiac
qualities were discovered when a Chinese goat herder noticed an
increase in his flock’s carnal desires after they nibbled on the weed.
Studies indicate that it increases nitric oxide levels, which acts
as a natural muscle relaxant, increasing blood flow to, well, you’ll see.

FO-TI
In China, fo-ti is called “he shou wu,” which means “black-haired Mr. He.”
The name refers to the legend of an older villager who accidentally took fo-ti,
only to discover to his delight that it almost instantly
restored his thick black hair, youthful appearance and vitality.
The little lothario was said to become so popular and desirable,
that he had women swooning from one end of the Great Wall to the other.

Well, I’ll probably be in the doghouse when Lady Steakhead reads this post. You see, I will be traveling on business for Valentine’s Day this year (and no, it can’t be avoided), so I won’t be in a mad rush to make reservations for Feb. 14. However, for those of you out there that will, be sure to check the Restaurant Events section of AtlantaEatsBlog regularly as I will be posting many of the offerings you will find around town for that special evening.

I am always a fan of a good marketing promotion and this one caught my eye. Legal Sea Foods has been serving up their famous clam chowder at every Inauguration since 1981, so if you happen to be at CNN Center or anywhere else Downtown on Tuesday, you may want to make your way over to Legal Sea Foods by Centennial Park.

I learned a couple of very important things last weekend at Chateau de Saigon in Chamblee. First, making plans for my wife to meet me someplace, when she has to navigate from Sandy Springs to Chamblee….on a Friday night at rush hour….with a baby and a 2 year-old is a very bad idea. Two, there is a new serious player in town when it comes to good Vietnamese places in Atlanta.

Chateau de Saigon is located on Buford Highway near the intersection of Dresden Dr. While the strip mall is located in is non-descript (aren’t they all on Buford Hwy?), the restaurant itself is very attractive. Its an open space, with several flat-panel TVs on the wall (the Steakhead in me always appreciates this touch), and the cleanest, nicest looking aquarium I have seen yet in an Atlanta restaurant. I mean seriously, if you are going to have an aquarium in a restaurant, isn’t it supposed to highlight the lobsters and crabs that may be lurking inside? Sort of defeats the purpose when you have to press your face against the glass to even see them. Not the case here, I could see one delicious looking dungeoness crab and several lobsters as clear as day from across the room.

The menu can be appear quite daunting at first glance, with 104 menu items (yes, I counted). But as was explained to me, Vietnamese food comes one of 4 ways- over vermicelli, rice, and two other ways that I have since forgotten. Anyway, the point was that many of the dishes are repeated depending on what it is served with. Seemed to make sense. I ordered a Vietnamese Beer called “33″ (for some reason, I half expected a Rolling Rock, and after the first few tastes, I think I would have preferred it) and pondered my choices.

Being a newbie, I asked for some recommendations and was directed to the rice wraps and the “Shaken” beef. The rice wraps would definitely be a fun dish for a group, but completely overwhelmed my table of 1, since you get a plate of rice paper, a large bowl of hot water (to soak the hard rice paper), a plate of veggies, fruit and herbs (apples, basil, mint, others), a plate of meat (I went with the pork) and a dipping sauce. Outstanding, but I think the other patrons were amused watching me navigate all this. There is also a larger sampler (pork, beef, shrimp) that I would like to try the next time

The “Shaken” Beef appears to be a house specialty- seasoned bites of filet mignon with scallions, white onions and pickled vegetables and served with a bowl of rice (fried or white- I went fried and no regrets). For a sauce, you are given a small dish of salt and pepper and a lime wedge to create a sauce to taste with the beef. (By the way, all this came out at the same time as the rice wraps adding to the madness going on at my table- thank God I had a table that was supposed to seat 4.) This was another winner!

I am looking forward to making the trip again with Lady Steakhead. You get a ton of really good food for the money. My whole bill was $35, and that included a beer and enough leftovers of everything for dinner for the wife when I got home.