Dave's Deli - March 24th, 2012

This weekend's report is on Dave's Deli in the Hoover Commons shopping center.  This had previously been a Schlotzsky's but we had never dined there before last night.  We wanted a quick meal and nothing as heavy as all the rich food we'd had the week before in New Orleans.

Gina had the turkey sandwich on jalepeno bun and Jay had the Reuben on whole wheat bun.  We didn't get any chips or side items since we were getting this "to-go" and had plenty at home.  The sandwiches were reminscent of the Schlotzsky's sandwiches we'd had when we lived in Huntsville and had them near our home and work locations.  Gina especially loves a warm sandwich so this was a real treat. 

We'll be back to try their other menu items and see if they are as tasty as our sandwiches were.

New Orleans Cuisine ~ March 16th, 17th, and 18th

We traveled to New Orleans, LA this weekend, and ate at a wonderful variety of restaurants.  Rather than choose just one, Gina wrote up some quick tripadvisor.com reviews for some of the highlights.  Look for SunLovers731's reviews.  On Friday we arrived just after noon, and headed to Jax Square for lunch at Cafe Pontalba.  We saw some sights, and checked in to our hotel at the Omni Royal.  Dinner that evening was at NOLA.  This was nice as it was less than a block from our hotel.  Saturday morning took us to Cafe du Monde for beignets and coffee (part of our package with the hotel).  After walking around the French quarter, we settled in for lunch at Napoleon House.  There was a buzz in the air because this was St. Patrick's Day and a parade was coming.  We decided to take solace back in our hotel until dinner that night at Mr. B's Bistro.  If you do go to New Orleans, make reservations and eat here!  After dinner we skipped Bourbon St. and enjoyed a quiet evening back at the hotel.  Sunday Morning took us to a Jazz Brunch at Muriel's Jackson Square.  A highlight was the Jazz trio playing right next to our table.  Dinner that night was probably our least favorite of the weekend at Crescent City Brewhouse.  The food there was fine, but the kitchen seemed to lose our order, and it took over an hour to be served a burger!  Monday was the drive home, and just a quick bite at the Chick-fil-A drive thru!  It was a great trip, with great food, and certainly great fun.  Highlights were Mr. B's, Muriel's, and NOLA.  We may just have to take another trip to try all new great places to eat!

Nahm Thai - Alpharetta, Georgia - March 10th, 2012

This week our new restaurant is Nahm Thai in Alpharetta, Georgia.  We were in Alpharetta to see a dear friend of ours who happened to be in town.   Knowing that we all enjoy Thai, Open Table guided us to Nahm Thai.  We got a 7:30 reservation and hoped for the best.  And we got it. 

Nahm Thai is in a strip mall but the food is great and the atmosphere is white table cloth elegance.  We started with an appetizer sampler which consisted of chicken satay, basil rolls, chicken dumplings, and shrimp rolls.  Tasty.  

The entrees selected were green curry shrimp, red curry shrimp and crispy duck.  Everything was just spectacular and the evening was topped off with Chef Nahm coming to our table to make sure everything was as expected.  She recommended the coconut cake but we were all stuffed.  We saw it and it did look divine.

If you are in the Windward Parkway area of Alpharetta, do yourself a favor and use Open Table to get a reservation at Nahm Thai and try it out.

The Purple Onion - March 4th, 2012

This week's new restaurant is one that we pass by many times but have never dined at - until yesterday!  The Purple Onion is a local to Birmingham, Mediterranean/Greek restaurant  that has several locations around town.  We went through the drive-thru at the location on Hwy 31/Montgomery Hwy in Hoover (near Ellis Piano.)

We searched for an online menu before we went so we wouldn't be at the drive through window too long and make others behind us angry.  Jay decided on the Gyro Plate (Lamb with Tzatziki sauce) and Gina selected the Kabob Plate (Chicken with Hummus).  The plates come with salad, rice and pita bread for dipping into the hummus or tzatziki sauce.

We had to wait a little while for our food to be ready and were asked to pull ahead and let others through the drive-thru so as not to stop their flow of traffic.  We only waited about 5-7 minutes for our food and were on our way back home anxious to try it.   The food smelled fabulous in the car and tasted even better once we got home to eat it.

There was a lot of food on each plate and neither of us could finish everything.  Jay said that the lamb was served in thinly sliced strips which were well seasoned and cooked to perfection.  Gina enjoyed the way the chicken kabob was prepared and particularly enjoyed the hummus dip.

Overall, we were definitely impressed with the quality of the food and fast service of The Purple Onion.  When we are in the mood for this kind of food, we'll definitely stop back by for take-out.