Fox Bros BBQ

Warning:  The following may not be suitable for children under the age of 13 and definitely vegans

Fox Bros is without question the Barbeque King of Atlanta.  It’s such an easy and obvious write, so why do it?  I’ll tell you, I still have many friends that haven’t been there.  And if they don’t go soon they may no longer be friends. 

You have to start with the wings.  They are flat down, the best damn wings in Atlanta.  They are Hickory smoked and sauced to perfection.  And they’re messy, very messy.  This is not the place to bring a first date.  Probably not a second or third date either.  But if she like Fox Bros, you probably have a keeper.

The rest of their appetizers deserve their own blog.  The Tomminator and Lopez are Tator Tots smothered in Brunswick Stew and Brisket Chili, in that order.  They are unbelievable and unfortunately don’t leave room for much else.  Fox Bros is meant for large groups , sharing and definitely not for the smoothie/ salad crowd.  And if the groups large enough (and you don’t have anything to do later because you will later be “occupied”) get the Sutffed Jalapeno Poppers, they are deep fried with BBQ pork and cream cheese.  The Poppers are a virtual party in your mouth.

Did I mention don’t bring a first date here?  Unless you are looking to come across as a slovenly pig (no pun intended).

Fox Bros is comfort food at its best.  It’s like that Movie, TV Show or Album (yes I use the term “Album”) that comes on and almost no matter what, you keep it on.

Personally my comfort movies are (in no particular order):  The Naked Gun, any Rocky (outside of 5, with all due respect to the deceased Tommy Gunn, wait is he dead?), Old School (the first 2/3’s), Kingpin, Wall Street and Anchorman.  I said “comfort movies,” not best movies.  And I’m sure I’m leaving some out.  But what the hell. 

Comfort TV Shows?  The Wire, Cheers, Seinfeld and Miami Vice.  Comfort Albums?  Led Zep IV, Beatles Rubber Soul, Van Halen 1984, The Joshua Tree/ Achtung Baby, Arcade Fires The Suburbs, Foo’s Wasting Light and lately The Nationals High Violet.  Again, not saying they are the best, but I gravitate to these when I’m not looking to be highly engaged. 

"That's Diamond to you!"

Like all BBQ joints, they have the pulled pork plates and blah, blah, blah.  But for the love of god try the Fox Bros “Burger.”  It’s chopped brisket with tomato, red onion, pickles, pimento cheese, jalapeno mayonnaise, but the greatest thing is the caramelized bacon that is literally out of this world.  If they sold this bacon a la carte, it would be worth the bi monthly angioplasty I would require. 

They often have a Short Rib Special.  If they do, get it.  It’s delicious and may be the best brisket I’ve had outside of Austin, Texas. 

And the sides are delicious.  They have a Frito Pie that is Frito’s in the bag, baked with chili, onion and cheese.  It’s not going to be the top choice in Men’s Health, but you’re at goddamn Fox Bros, so order it.  The Jalapeño Cornbread is great, the Okra and Mac & Cheese are worth it too. 

I was driving near there the other day and just stopped in to get wings to go.  It’s day three and I’m still eating them. 

So get a large group of good friends together and go.  Prepare to be pleased.  Just don’t prepare to do anything else that night.

Alfredo's on Cheshire Bridge

Warning:  The following may not be suitable for children under the age of 13 or people who are offended by veal as an entrée

Alfredo’s is another Atlanta Culinary institution that for some reason, I have never been too.  So the “Dry Rub 4,” made this our destination this week!

The purpose of this blog is not just to find the new cutting edge “hip” restaurants, but to rediscover some of the gems that have been local cornerstones for multiple generations. 

It is suprsingly an Italian Restaurant owned and run by Cubans.  And I have to say it’s the best Italian Cuban collaboration since Al Pacino starred as Tony Montana.

 "Say hello to my Veal Padrino!"

The only thing that was older than the restaurant was the Wait Staff.  But they were knowledgeable and very personable.  Though our waiter Oscar could have been the Cuban Wayne Newton.

Their “signature” dish is Veal Padrino.  It’s Veal  Medallions prepared as Francese, Marsala and Parmigian and it’s just downright delicious.   I am partial to the Francese with a glass of Syrah.  Thanks to Jeff for bringing the great Falcone wine as usual.

We started out with the Fresh Roast Peppers, Anchovies in Olive Oil and the Fried Mozzarella all Marinara.  The Anchovies were fresh and delicious, almost like they just came out of the Mediterranean in Cinque Terre (quite possibly the most beautiful place I have ever been).

For Salads, we had the Caesar and Caprese.  Both solid, but not spectacular.   The other main dishes we split were the Penne Salmon, which was in a cream sauce with generous pieces of salmon. Very, very good. 

But my favorite dish was the Scallops Al Pesto.  Large Scallops cooked in a cream sauce, with basil, pine nuts, butter and garlic, served over angel hair pasta. The pine nuts were the surprise ingredient and were a great touch. 

The desserts we had, a Cannoli and Tiramisu were good, but not outstanding.  Will I be back?  Definitely.  It was really good and priced reasonably and it's tough to get good Anchioves in this town!

As an Atlanta institution, it’s been open for 35 years.  And just like the Colonnade, there hasn’t been a lot of aesthetic improvements made over that period of time (which is part of the charm).  And also like the Colonnade, we were by far the youngest bunch in the place.  And to maneuver in the bathroom, you either have to be a midget or a contortionist.  Preferably both.  I also found out you should never google image “midget bathroom” either.  Please just trust me on this one.

A quick note on the "special."  Leslie told me on our way in, the special will be Sea Bass.  So when we got the rundown, guess what the special was?  Sea Bass.  Leslie said that's ALWAYS their special.  A little suspect, right?

So the “Dry Rub 4” is going to move on from Cheshire Bridge and move onto a new Indian Restaurant on the “Westside” called Cardamom Hill.  There will hopefully be a Fox Bros post in between as well.  And I still want to do my "best burgers" blog.  Fortunatley, some research still needs to be done.