restaurant review

varuni napoli

If you’re an avid local restaurant eater like me, then I’m sure you know that pizza is super hot on the street right now. Neapolitan style, in particular, is having a great 15 minutes of fame on the Atlanta food scene. Ever since Antico made waves among the Buckhead crowd, new spots have been popping up all over town. Varuni Napoli, one of the newest, has taken its stand in the heart of Midtown and Ansley Park at the corner of Monroe and Piedmont. An ideal spot for sure, but was the pizza going to live up to its rustic Italian namesake? Last week I found out.

First impressions can make quite a difference and by looks alone, Varuni has all the makings of a great culinary spot. The decor is clean and modern with a hint of homemade here and there – just enough to feel of the moment. Their sweet little back patio is also quite quaint, a nice spot to eat your pie as the sun goes down.

We sat with baited breath waiting for our pizza to come to us. Though all the choices sounded pretty good, we opted for a classic combo of mozzarella, sausage, mushroom, onions, and roasted smoked peppers. As you can see by these pictures, it looked every bit our dream of the perfect neopolitan pizza. By all accounts, things were looking good.

flip burger boutique

For how big a fan I am of Richard Blais, I surprise myself by how few times I actually visit his restaurants. I’ve been to Flip Burger a number of times now, but with the Ponce location having just opened their rooftop patio, it was time to make another visit. I went on a weekday, so it was pretty empty and for a little while, we had the brand new rooftop patio all to ourselves.

austin: blue dahlia bistro

I’m sure you would agree that a day started with breakfast at a quaint little bistro is going to be a good day. The same is true even in the heart of Texas, where we found the perfect little patio at Blue Dahlia Bistro.

The back patio at the East Austin location is unbelievably enchanting. Under a wooden canopy draped in greenery, it feels a little bit like a secret garden… which just happens to have tables and chairs and servers. Though it was a cloudy day when we went, it still felt a bit magical. In a place as beautiful as that, it almost doesn’t even matter what they serve me.

Our table’s order was varied; frittata, crepes, waffles, charcuterie, oatmeal. All the traditional fixins of a wonderful breakfast spread. The photos, as you can see are ridiculous. Everything looked picture-perfect.

le petit marche

Per Shellane‘s glowing recommendation of Le Petit Marche, I made it a personal mission to visit this cute little Kirkwood spot. I don’t visit the Kirkwood neighborhood nearly as much as I should, as evidenced by the fact that I had never been to this adorable cafe. Walking up to it (especially on a bright sunny day) immediately put me into a good mood and walking into the front door, my happiness level continued to skyrocket.

Their menu provides a plethora of sandwich options plus breakfast all day every day! They were definitely after my heart (and obviously, my empty stomach). Thankfully I had a lovely date for lunch, my ex-coworker Katie, who was willing to split everything with me. She’s easy on the eyes too:

lee’s sandwiches

No offense, but if you don’t know what bánh mì is by now then you’ve probably been living under a rock. Or maybe you just don’t like food in general. Whatever the case may be, I’m 100% sure that your taste buds need this in their life. Being half Vietnamese myself – although arguably one of the most American ones you could meet – there’s never been a time when I didn’t crave these. It might be partially due to the scarcity of Vietnamese food in South Florida as I was growing up (minus mom’s cooking), but I’m pretty sure it’s also because they’re so perfect. When made right, of course.

cafe jonah

There are so many adorable breakfast/brunch places up in the atl that I don’t even know where to start. This is just one of many reasons why I can’t see myself being able to live anywhere else but here.

Cafe Jonah is one of my most recent favorites and it resides in a little converted cottage in the heart of Buckhead. That right there already gets you, doesn’t it? Well, get ready for more.

On Sundays, Cafe Jonah has a “pay-what-you-like” brunch in which you literally pay whatever you want. There’s no catch whatsoever, just faith in the good of your heart. And whether you’re eating in or taking to go, there’s a plethora of delectable options to satisfy both your sweet and savory addictions…

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