Arizonas Steak House at Stonecrest mall

Recently we went on a vacation and on the way back we stopped at Arizona's steak house in Lithonia. We had never heard of the restaurant before but were pleasantly surprised by the menu. It seems to be an upscale steak house with a southern flare. Unfortunately we were tired from traveling and couldn't give it an in depth evaluation but enjoyed it and would love to go back sometime soon. Jonny had the fried pork chop which came with a sweet potato hash, caramelized apples and creamed spinach. I had BBQ chicken with a jalapeno corn souffle. Overall pretty great. 

Taco Depot... 4788 Sugarloaf Pkwy Lawrenceville

For lunch we hit up one of our favorite places in Gwinnett... Taco Depot. This is one spot we always thought should be on Diners, Drive inns and Dives. There are many Mexican restaurants in the area but none that are this authentic. The best part are the homemade corn tortillas. Over time we have tried several things on their menu but discovered that you can't go wrong with the pastor tacos, which are their specialty. The pastor is marinated pork stacked high on a spit and is rotated in front of you. It is by far the best meat they have to offer. We ordered three tacos each, they are reasonably priced at $1.35 a taco. The pastor is served in two corn tortillas and topped with cilantro and onions, the meat itself is sweet and crispy. The tacos are served with three salsas, we prefer the green tomatillo one the best, which is slightly spicy and tangy and goes perfect with the pastor. The tacos are garnished with thin slices of radish and lime wedges, the radish adds a crunchy element and the lime brightens the overall flavor of the taco. Although it is small inside, it is bright and comfortable. We like to sit at the taco bar where we can see our food being prepared. Even though it is very authentic don't be intimidated to walk in and order, it is very American friendly. If you are looking for free chips and salsa or cheese dip you might want to try monterays, but as far as traditional street tacos no one in the Atlanta area is doing it better. Overall  this place is the Sh**!!!, these tacos melt in your mouth.                 

Lasagna

Our first attempt at lasagna and it was pretty fuckin good!

Uncle Betty's, Snellville



pulled pork



pulled turkey



banana pudding

 We decided on BBQ tonight so we went to Uncle Betty's in Snellville. We had been there about a year ago and had a pretty good experience and thought it would be a great place to review. We wanted combo plates with ribs and chicken but unfortunately they were out of both, so we settled for a pulled pork plate and a turkey plate. For our sides we picked macaroni and cheese, potato salad, baked beans and the vegetable of the day which was broccoli and cheese casserole. The pulled turkey was the first thing we tasted and was the beginning to a very disappointing meal. It was dry and tasted like it had sat in its own juices for days developing a"canned" like texture and flavor. The pork on the other hand had a decent smoke flavor but looked as though it had been pulled hours before and reheated. Luckily they have pretty tasty BBQ sauces, one sweet and the other slightly spicy. There isn't much to say about the beans.. pretty run of the mill, not a lot of seasoning. The broccoli and cheese casserole tasted like a Campbell's soup casserole you've had a thousand times growing up. The potato salad was a good southern potato salad but it did seem as though it was probably pre-made. The best of the four sides was the macaroni and cheese and even that wasn't anything to write home about, but we were just relieved it wasn't Stouffer's. However the corn bread is delicious, instead of the traditional muffin form it is sliced from a loaf and has the consistency and sweetness of a pound cake. We finished with banana pudding, which tastes a lot better than the picture looks. Its sucks we had such a bad experience because our plan was to go there and give it a good review. We showed up only an hour before closing so maybe they weren't at their best. If you have a craving for a BBQ sandwich a side of mac and cheese and a sweet tea Uncle Betty's might do the trick. But if you want some serious BBQ with some flavorful sides this wasn't it. It sucked pig p*cker  
 

Pho 168 Vietnamese Cuisine...1932 Grayson Hwy.

Today we had our first experience eating Pho. We have been wanting to try it because of its growing popularity in the food world. We picked Pho 168 because it opened not to long ago and is just around the corner. The decor was nicer than we expected, there were only a few customers but it was only 12 on a Monday afternoon. When we see independently owned restaurants open in Gwinnett County we always start the count down to when they are going to close. It's sad but most people would rather eat McDonalds or Chilli's where they know what to expect. Our waiter was friendly but a little pushy and not very helpful with explaining the menu, which is impossible to understand if you've never been. We wanted to try a traditional appetizer, but the waiter insisted we try the egg rolls... Which were good. We tried to ask the waiter what things were but again he insisted that I order what he suggested for me. Jonny wanted to try the signature dish Pho 168 which was a soup that was supposed to contain filet mignon, flank, brisket, tendon, tripe and meatballs. When the food came out we were excited, it looked great. However Jonny's bowl only contained a few slices of the flank and non of the other meats that were promised to come in the soup. The Pho was overpowered by star anise and Chinese five spice. we loaded it up with all the condiments and chili pastes to help disguise the flavor but it didn't work. We don't know if this is how all Pho tastes or just this particular one???????

My dish on the other hand was great but it didn't resemble the description on the menu. It was described as combination rice & egg noodle soup. But it was noodles topped with bean sprouts and sweet steak, chicken, shrimp and tripe.... Nothing that resembled a soup. It was our first experience with tripe not as gross as I thought, Jonny really like it but he'll eat anything. Overall we would like to go back and try more Vietnamese food, my dish was good enough to give it one more try..... But Jonny feels a little sick and says he has to go take a Pho...HAHA

Catfish Dish

Dinner tonight.... Catfish, green beans and sweet potatoes

All American Burger

I wanted to try making a classic American cheeseburger, nothing too fancy and it turned out delicious!!!!!