La Carreta Hispanic Grocery and Taqueria - Marietta, GA

 

A few weekends ago the Dining Companion and I had lunch at La Carreta.

I loved these lights

 

The dining space is nice. It has a rustic feel. 

I liked the distressed wood on the tables

 La Carreta lists itself as Latin American. The menu features Mexican and Colombian food. Several different things are represented on the menu. Some familiar, some not. There are the usual tacos and burritos. Then there are also three different styles of tamales available and tortas too. We decided to start with the Guacamole Fresco. It was fresh just as the name states and very tasty.

Guacamole Fresco - Guacamole made to order served with chips & salsa

 

Being as how this is primarily a Mexican restaurant you may be surprised by the fact that chips and salsa are not free. I don't think that's a huge deal, at all. But if it's what you're looking for in your Mexican dining experience be forewarned.

After looking over all the delicious sounding options I decided on the tacos al pastor.

Pastor - Pork seasoned with adobo sauce & pineapple

Wow is all I can say. Everything on the plate was delicious. Including that unassuming scoop of white rice. The pork was tender with great flavor of adobo and pineapple. There are a lot of great sounding tacos on the menu but I would be hard pressed to select something different.

The Dining Companion ordered one of the Colombian options on offer. This was a dish similar to one we had at Sacha's Cafe in Greenville, SC.

Bandeja Paisa

The most Colombian traditional meal, delicious home made rice, beans, Colombian chorizo, pork belly, steak, fried egg, avocado & arepa

There was a lot going on and all of it was good. I was lucky enough to taste some of the chicharron and beans. Both were great as were the plantains. The fried egg, which may seem unusual, is typical for this type of cuisine. I wonder if i could get a stack of arepas with cheese and a bowl of beans? I might just have to ask next time we visit.

If you're in the mood for something a little different than your typical Mexican restaurant give La Carreta a try. The food is great and the variety just can't be beat.

Happy dining!

Note: Sacha's Cafe, Greenville, SC

Let's Eat!

If there is a best part of being on the road it just might be the chance to try some great food. Over the years the Dining Companion and I have had the good fortune to dine all over the country. Today I'm going to run down some of the best places we've tried. Places worth seeking out if you're in the area and some places worth a journey all their own.

I've written about this before but my hands down favorite breakfast place is the Red Eyed Mule in Marietta, GA. A small breakfast and lunch spot run by a great group of people. The food is fresh and imaginative and doesn't disappoint.

Sometimes finding the goods means getting out of the city. One of the best places to find something good to eat is along the Buford Highway that runs from Atlanta to Buford, GA.The Crawfish Shack had some of the best Cajun style seafood we've eaten anywhere. A trip out to the Buford Highway is a must do when in the Atlanta area.

Our vote for the best barbeque is still Franklin Barbeque in Austin, TX. We can't compare this to anything else because it's in a class by itself. All we can say, is that if you love BBQ and want to experience the best, head to Franklin in Austin.

Having eaten at many Brazilian Steakhouses it was a revelation to eat at a restaurant that served other traditional Brazilian food. On the recommendation of our server at Fogo de Chao we tried Sao Paulo's in Austin. The food we had was flavorful and interesting. It brought another ethnic food to our awareness and something else to seek out in our travels.

One of my favorite things to eat has got to be a cheeseburger. Cheeseburgers are pretty ubiquitous and we've eaten them everywhere. The ones that stand out are not necessarily the fanciest or most gourmet. One of my favorite places to get a cheeseburger is the Northgate Soda Shop in Greenville, SC. A nostalgia filled diner that serves up some regional favorites. Specifically the Carolina Slaw Dogs and the Pimento Cheeseburger. Worth seeking out. A local favorite and a fun stop.

An honorable mention here for The Vortex in Atlanta. It served up one of the most memorable burgers for sheer size and ridiculousness. Grilled cheese sandwiches for buns, multiple patties, bacon and cheese. A crazy over the top plate of goodness.

In the last but not least category we have Corea Kalbi in Newport Beach, CA. This was our first encounter with Korean BBQ. All types of meats are grilled at your table and served with a large variety of condiments. We'd never had anything quite like it and haven't really since. If you're lucky enough to have a Korean BBQ restaurant in your area you should give it a try. One of the most fun and interesting dining experiences we've had.

These are just of a few of the places that have stood out for us over the years. Places that I would return to again given the opportunity.We're looking forward to more interesting and exciting dining in the future. When we find the gems, whether hidden or smack in the middle of the tourist districts, you'll read about them here.

Happy dining! 

Sacha's Cafe - Greenville, SC

The Dining Companion and I were looking for something different for lunch the other day. We looked around a bit and settled on Sacha's Cafe, a local Colombian place. We've both had Colombian food before and really enjoyed it.

Sacha's has the feel of a local's neighborhood place. 

 We settled in and looked over the menu.

I think that translate roughly to Your Meeting Place

We decided on a stuffed arepa (Arepa Rellenas). We got the one stuffed with steak tips, onions, green peppers, cheese and jalapenos. While not the prettiest sandwich in the world it is packed with flavor. Delicious ingredients melded together with warm melt-y cheese, perfection.

Arepa Rellenas Asada - The picture does it no justice

Next we decided on the Paisa Bowl and something called a Picada. The Paisa Bowl is just that, a bowl full of tasty things. The one we ordered featured rice and beans, steak, chicharones, an egg, sweet plantains, avocado and a fried arepa.

While it looks a bit of a mis-mash all of it was wonderful. The rich egg and avocado, the savory steak and crisp bacon, so good. Not the lightest lunch fare by far so a siesta may be in order.

And there's still more. Last but not least is the Picada. Picada means chopped in Spanish and is another mixed grill plate. The one we ordered had some of the same things on it that were in the Paisa Bowl. Along with the steak and bacon there was also yuca fries, pork sausage, pork tips, potatoes, limes, tomatoes and some patacones (which I know as tostones, fried green plantains). All of it was great.

I didn't get a picture of it but there are three sauces on the table. A mild pink sauce reminiscent of a remoulade sauce, a white garlic sauce and a nicely spiced green jalapeno based sauce. The green sauce was my favorite and was the perfect foil for all of the richness of the food.

While not just a very filling lunch, dining at Sacha's reminded me that A I really like South American and also Caribbean influenced food and B how many different places there are to try if you just take a look around.

If you haven't yet tried Colombian food definitely look for it in your area. It may turn out to be a new favorite.

Happy dining! 

The Northgate Soda Shop - Greenville, SC

 
The Northgate Soda Shop has been serving Greenville, SC since 1947. Nowadays it's a throwback; a nod to a bygone era. Besides being a local institution, it's also one of the best places to get a Pimento Cheeseburger in the area.

Inside you're greeted with all manner of mementos and local memorabilia.

 

Once you're seated you'll notice a few of the tables have small brass plaques attached them. These small plaques are there to commemorate some long time customers.

There are many things I've come to appreciate about living in the south. Two of those things are Pimento Cheeseburgers and Slaw Dogs. The first is obvious, the second may not be but the clues are right there in the name. A Slaw Dog is just that, a hotdog served with some standard condiments and coleslaw. All I can say is if you get the chance you should try it.

Carolina Slaw Dogs

 

Northgate Soda Shop's Famous Pimento Cheeseburger

The original slaw dogs here feature chili, onions, mustard, pimento cheese and slaw. But you can definitely have it your way. If the original seems like overkill feel free to change it up.  The slaw dogs shown here are being served with just pimento cheese and coleslaw per request.

The Northgate Soda Shop and the Pimento Cheeseburger are featured in the book Hamburger America. If you're a hamburger fan at all you'll find a lot to love in this book. The burger at the Northgate Soda Shop is served with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pimento cheese on a great grilled bun. The only downside is possibly the doneness of the burger. If you like your burgers on the rarer side (as I do) then you may find the burger a tad overcooked. There is so much flavor and so much more to recommend it that I find I can overlook that for this one iconic burger.

Truth is there are many places where you can get a pimento cheeseburger around here. But for me the Northgate Soda Shop will always be my first stop when slaw dogs and pimento cheeseburgers are what's for dinner.

Happy dining!