But when all was said and eaten, it turned out to be the most memorable meal I’d ever sat down to in College Park — and that includes several lunches and dinners at Oscar’s, the most revered restaurant in College Park history.

Two years later, I’m still a fan of Golazsewski’s witty take on southern cuisine. He has that certain sense of feel as a great chef to turn a humdrum dish into a fun little food creation — and tasty as all get out.

His play on chicken and waffles (photo above) is Springer Mountain chicken wings fried in duck fat — need I say more — atop a fluffy sweet potato waffle. The sweet potato is judiciously employed lending a rich, lasting depth.

A dill pickle soup arrives lukewarm with smoked paprika oil to cut the prickly edge of the pickle. The playful texture here is chunky warm soft dill pickle bites, as opposed to crisp and cold.

I always experience the not-so-obvious flavor and texture combinations from Golazsewski’s kitchen. But he’s careful not to undermine the true intention of the dish. Kobe beef hot dogs wear sweet pineapple relish and crispy pork belly crostinis sit over a gooey, heady pimiento cheese.

We finished with watermelon sorbet with a half grilled peach and blueberry popcorn. The latter is a playful spin on the cheesy “State Fair” funnel cake.

Brick Store Pub
125 East Court Square, Decatur
404.687.0990
www.brickstorepub.com
Often referred to as “The Pub” by its fanatical following, Brick Store Pub was recently named #6 beer bar in the world by RateBeer.com, only second in the U.S. to Orlando’s famous Redlight Redlight. Even a book written about this beer bar quickly became an Amazon #1 best seller. (Love at the Pub written by local beer enthusiast Mary Jane Mahan) This warm wooded red brick pub deserves every bit of notoriety. From the upstairs Belgian room to the lower horseshoe-shaped bar — the beer selection is second to none. Rumor has it the boys will soon be adding another room where they plan to sell-off vintage bottles they’ve been cellaring for years. Like those rare cellared bottles, this pub seems to better with age.

The Porter Beer Bar
1156 Euclid Avenue
Little 5 Points
404.223.0393
www.theporterbeerbar.com
No surprise here. This funky laid back Little 5 Points beer destination truly defines the term “gastropub.” Chef/owner Nick Gunn has pedigree. His menu offers haute options, but the plates arrive without the fussy price tag. This husband-wife team’s got palate. Molly’s (wife) beer program lures in the craft beer conscious while witty food pairings prove to be a big part of The Porter experience.

Thinking Man Tavern
537 W. Howard Ave, Decatur
404.370.1717
www.thinkingmantavern.com
Feeling a little red, white and blue? Then this “Drink American” tavern might be right up your alley. The American craft-heavy list is worthy of a drive from anywhere in the city. If you can’t find an American microbrew you like at this beer bar, then you don’t like beer. Be on the lookout for the rotating cask starting later this month.

Twain’s Billards and Tap
211 East Trinity Place, Decatur
404.373.0063
www.twains.net
If you read last month’s issue of Food & Beer Atlanta, you got to know Twain’s humble brewer Jordan Fleetwood. Don’t be fooled by his quiet demeanor, or the pub’s pool hall feel, Fleetwood is a brewer with plenty of schtick. He claims he doesn’t have a flagship brew, but his followers think he does in the Mad Happy Pale Ale. This brewpub attracts the funkier side of Decatur. So pull up a barstool — order a Mad Happy — and compare tatts with the natives.

Ormsby’s
1170 Howell Mill Road, Westside 404.968.2033
www.ormsbysatlanta.com
This newbie is easily Westside’s most prominent beer player. And, it’s likely the best first date place for beer enthusiasts. The tap offerings wouldn’t be considered vast by any stretch of the imagination, but the selection is extremely well thought out with a good balance between American crafts and Belgian brews. What separates this place from the others is its subterranean game cave where hip couples throw bocce, toss darts and sip beer from snifters.

Midway Pub
552 Flat Shoals Avenue,
East Atlanta Village
404.584.0335
www.themidwaypub.com
With 5 beer pubs within a 3-block radius, an East Atlanta Village pub-crawl is certainly an easy task to pull off. Midway Pub is the latest to open its doors to the edgy, though obviously hop-happy EAV neighborhood. The taps are fresh, beers are poured with loving care, and the food is better than need be. This large pub boasts a manageable, well-thought 18-tap selection, which currently includes Bell’s 2 Hearted Ale for the hophead and Dogfish Head Festina Peche for the fruity beer drinker. The extensive bottle list is nothing to sneer at, and the beer garden should be a popular hophead hangout when cooler weather prevails.

Leon’s Full Service
131 East Ponce De Leon Avenue,
Decatur
404.687.0500
www.leonsfullservice.com
The Brick Store Pub boys put a little more emphasis on food and cocktails at this stylish eat and drinkery, but there’s still plenty for the beer lover. Fourteen bona fide’s on tap and a dizzying bottle selection. The staff uses a library ladder to fetch beers from high reaching thermostatically controlled coolers. The guys offer different 22oz bombers by the glass (biggie shorty) each day for those on an alcohol budget. Food is chef driven and mostly great, if not a little strange. It’s the only place in town (we know of) that serves Benton’s bacon by the glass — with a side of peanut butter.

The Book House Pub
736 Ponce De Leon Avenue, Midtown
404.254.1176
www.thebookhousepub.com
Get out your library card. What, you don’t have one? Fortunately, you don’t need one for this library. Book House Pub does indeed have books — a pretty cool selection lining the upper wall throughout the place — but your usual ID will do just fine to get you going on the Sampler (pick beers of choice and pay for however many you try), and isn’t required for noshes like the sweet potato wrap, blue cheese chips or lamb sausage. Try the “Original Sin” cider if you’re feeling a little naughty, go with the Belgian Fat Tire Ale for a simpler brew, or pick your fave from their small but well-selected catalogue of beers. Best of all — no need to remember the Dewey Decimal System when ordering here.

Young Augustine’s
327 Memorial Drive, Grant Park
404.681.3344
Did you know that Augustine was the patron saint of brewers? The folks at Young Augustine’s did. Their seasonally rotating beer selection (get your Terrapin’s Side Project Pumpkinfest around Thanksgiving) and choices like Magner’s cider that you don’t see everywhere would make St. Augustine proud. Good eats — so the fries are made in a combo of duck fat and vegetable oil, they’re still tasty — complement the small but well-selected brew list. Another plus that would make the saints and angels sing is the no-smoking edict — balance out that burger, fries and beer with a clean-lung environment.

Muss & Turner’s
1675 Cumberland Parkway Southeast, Smyrna
770.434.1114
www.mussandturners.com
This deli on steroids by day/highly acclaimed laid-back restaurant by night puts as much sweat into their beer selection as they do the food, and the chefs in the kitchen are beer savvy. Beer aficionados from all over gather at an orange wedge-shaped bar to talk beer with voluptuous beer chic Jessica Moss (beertender). She makes the most of her limited draft space by pouring smart beers like Boulder Brewing Hazed & Infused. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more skilled place to get your food and beer pairings on.

Cypress Street Pint & Plate
Ste E125, 817 West Peachtree Street, Midtown
404.815.9243
www.cypressstreetpintandplate.com
One word: Sublime. By now you should have heard of Cypress’s divine Sublime burger. Yeah, it’s worth the name — put beef, bacon, cheddar and a side of BBQ sauce together and sandwich it between a grilled donut and it’s a winning combination. The rest of the menu is equally delicious, if more conventional. A rotating choice of about 30 brews is worth a visit tself, especially since the list includes Bell’s Oberon on tap, the rarely seen Scrumpy’s cider and a $3 Flying Dog house brew. Beers are delivered on Tuesdays so time your visit accordingly if you’re especially excited to see what the newest choices are.

Taco Mac
Numerous locations
www.tacomac.com
Taco Mac was the beer culture in Atlanta during the 80s and 90s. If it weren’t for them, Atlanta’s thriving beer scene wouldn’t be where it is today. Some Taco Mac’s today arrive armed and ready with more than140 beers on tap and over 200 by the bottle, plus a beer engine for pouring cask ales. Tip your hat and raise a pint to this mighty beer institution.

The Fred
5600 Roswell Road, Suite 3, Sandy Springs, 404.941.1503
www.tacomac.com
This new speakeasy beer bar is situated in the basement of Taco Mac Prado. The bar is named after Taco Mac beverage director Fred Crudder. In this subterranean brew cave, beer aficionados come to get their geek talk on. But if yeast strains and fermentation processes isn’t your pint of brew, just kick back and enjoy a rare boutique beer or two from Fred’s carefully thought 20-draft selection.

Summit’s Wayside Tavern
3 locations
3334 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville 770.736.1333
525 Lake Center Pkwy, Cumming 770.886.4374
2990 Eagle Drive, Woodstock 770.924.5315
Owner Andy Klubock is one of our city’s great craft beer pioneers. His 3 suburban outposts make the occasional OTP journey worthwhile. Both bottle and tap selections are strong, if not dizzying. Klubock and his crew routinely tap quality casks and offer what might possibly be the largest selection of Rogue beers in the city. He’s also known to throw some of the wildest beer dinners around. Suburban hopheads need raise a glass to Andy for shortening their ride.

5 Seasons Brewing Company (Alpharetta & West)
2 locations
1000 Marietta St., NW (@Brickworks), Westside 404.875.3232
3655 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta 770.521.5551
www.5seasonsbrewing.com
The creative mind in charge of brewing at these two 5 Seasons is head brewer Crawford Moran, formerly of Dogwood. Currently the largest in the state, Moran’s brew system at the Westside location is every brewer’s wet dream — and powered by the restaurant’s fryer grease. The food out of owner/chef Dave Larkworthy’s kitchen catapults this brew house to “gastropub” status. The upstairs sky bar is a fine seat to take in Moran’s crafty beers and Larkworthy’s local farm inspired menu.

This article was written by Tom Maicon, Carrie Neal Walden and Jennifer O’Connell

Beef on weck at Barkers Red Hots

Beef on weck is a sandwich indigenous to Buffalo, NY. It’s a beef sandwich (most use roast beef) with a smear of fresh horseradish on Kummelweck bread, which is unusually dense, adorned with caraway seeds and kosher salt.

Unlike the fiery Buffalo chicken wing, beef on weck never really took off in the south, for whatever reason, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place or two right here in the ATL that serves a version of this Buffalo favorite. In fact, here are three such places:

Barkers Red Hots
3000 Windy Hill, SE, Suite B-6
Marietta
770.272.0407
Owner Glenn Robins is the Soto of the hot dog world minus the prickly attitude. His passion for perfection finds him standing over the hot coals every single shift carefully applying perfect char to each and every dog. No wonder his hot dogs are so darn good.

Barkers sells more than just hot dogs. At this unassuming Windy Hill storefront you’ll also find the best beef on weck in the city. Robins wisely chooses grilled flank over roast beef. He cooks it to a juicy medium — or, just a tad under — over those sizzling coals. He then slices it and gives it an au jus. It’s topped off with a sinus-clearing layer of horseradish.

The insanely delicious bread is made in house — loaded with caraway seeds and enough kosher salt to make your cheeks pucker.

Is there anything this little hot dog shop doesn’t do right?

Taco Mac
Numerous Locations
This beer giant has been doing the Buffalo wing thing here in Atlanta for 31 years. They get the sauce just right.

They recently started doing “Beef on Weck Wednesday” at all locations — and they do it well. Roast beef is employed for this sandwich, fairly generously I might add. The bread, though nice, isn’t nearly as heady as the version at Barkers.

The wonderful thing here is that you can dig deep for a beer pairing. I recommend a slightly sweet malty brew to wrap around the meat and contrast that spicy horseradish, yet with enough hop bite to stand up to the salty, caraway seed layer on the bread.

Galla’s Pizza, Wings, Subs & More
2 Locations:
1. 2986 Johnson Ferry Road
Marietta
770.642.0777
2. 4849 Peachtree Road
Chamblee
770.500.3184
This Buffalo-style pizza joint with two outposts boasts all things Buffalo including beef on weck. I believe the bread is shipped in from Buffalo and is the best part of the sandwich. Even after being plunked in the au jus, it’s sturdy enough to hold together.

The roast beef is certainly piled on as advertised — but it’s tough and leathery, stringy to the bite during all three of my visits to the Chamblee location. Maybe there’s better luck to be had in Marietta. Though after three miserable attempts in Chamblee, I’m not inclined to make the longer trip.

I was met with cocky attitude during one visit, which is really okay with me so long as you got the schtick to back it up.

The food and beer lover that I am, I enjoyed this brew over and over again in my mind in the weeks leading up to its arrival. Anticipation brewed into lofty expectations. Perhaps too lofty.

The beer I dreamed of was rich with complexity, silky smooth and balanced.

The beer I drank, however, didn’t exactly measure up to the quaff I had in mind. Aroma is extremely sugary — not in a good way — full of butterscotch and caramel. It’s so sweet a diabetic could be pushed into convulsions by a mere whiff. That same cloying aroma carries over to the taste, but with a slightly nauseating vanilla extract finish.

My palate quickly tired from this beer’s obnoxiously high levels of uncontested butterscotch and sugar. Texture is more syrupy than creamy. And I struggle to find any resemblance to creme brulee.

Currently my least favorite beer by Southern Tier.

Stats:
Strength: 9.2% abv
Style: Imperial Stout
Serve In: Snifter

The below video is by Rowdy Food, a home gourmand who requires no introduction. His hardcore rock & roll food videos are some of the best 30-second flings on the net. One of his latest episodes is his version of the grass-fed burger. Never cooked above true medium rare, I am told. It definitely isn’t a cheap burger, but it looks tasty.

And, if the $18.99 a four-pack (plus tax) price tag doesn’t make you woozy, it’s muscle-flexing 12% abv certainly will.

Devil Dancer pours a hazy reddish orange with thin soapy white head that lingers. Aroma is pine, grapefruit and caramel.

Flavor is complex, a battle between sweet malts and bitter, piny hops that is ultimately won-out by the latter, quite handily.

Brace yourself for a long bitter, citrusy, boozy finish.

It’s another very good brew by the folks at Founders. But is it $18.99 a four-pack good?

I don’t think so. I prefer some balance.

Stats:
Strength: 12% abv
Style: Imperial I.P.A. (Triple I.P.A.)
Serve In: Snifter, Tulip

The craziest dish ever served during my tenure was in 2009 by a Japanese restaurant called Akina (5815 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, 770.663.0630). So long as I live, I will never forget the moment four steely-eyed Japanese men wearing cold stern faces entered the culinary stage from our left and gently placed a mystery platter just out of sight.

With merely a quick crack, twist and single synchronized motion — the men proudly present their dish before us. Engulfed by thick plumes of smoky dry ice, swinging tentacles and skinny red legs flail through the foggy haze. Oh, my. Live lobster sashimi.

Three squeamish judges turned six different shades of green as two of us shared in what was certainly the edgiest dish ever offered in the event’s illustrious 20-year history.

Some believe “real” carnivores consume their prey raw and at, or very near time of kill, in an effort to gain the other animal’s electrical frequency, which is thought to die with the animal. Still think you’re a carnivore?

Those eager to dare raw lobster that still moves on the plate while you eat will be happy to know this dish can be ordered with 24 hour advance notice.

I recently enjoyed two meals at Akina, neither trip involved food that moved on my plate or winked at me. But I did find an interesting item or two on the menu.

I’m a sucker for Hamachi Kama sashimi. It’s not often you find a Japanese restaurant in Atlanta willing to part with the sashimi in addition to the collar. The sashimi side is pristine and firm, a sharp contrast from the fatty, soft, succulent collar.

Those unfamiliar with the etiquette of this dish should know that the raw collar is served for looks only. Once the sashimi is consumed, it’s returned to the kitchen to be broiled. Don’t make the same mistake as a tipsy woman I witnessed in a New York sushi bar, who put the raw collar to her mouth in an attempt to eat it. Sigh. Thankfully, an alert sushi chef intervened before she chipped a tooth.

I then drove a few miles west from Akina to a place called Hot Breads (12890 Highway 9, Suite 110, Alpharetta, 770.751.9990), an Indian bakery, to give — of all things — Indian pizza a try. Pies are prepared as individual size only and cheap, ranging from $4.50 to $5.

I took my chances with the paneer tikka pizza. I must say, if you consider a typical NY-style slice to be a 7 out of 10 on a flavor scale, this pizza would be an explosive 10.5.

Housemade dough gets a thick smear of fiery tikka sauce. It’s then topped with bite-sized cubes of marinated paneer, onions and peppers. If this one pizza is any indication, I’m a believer.

Not the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, but it could very well be the spiciest.

Many readers still write in asking my favorite place for Vietnamese pho. Nothing’s changed, I’m still a big fan of the version at Quan Ba 9 (4285 Buford Highway, Atlanta, 404.636.2999) mainly because they serve it with whole Thai chilies, not sliced jalapenos. And the ingredients always taste of better quality than the other nearby noodle houses.

The entire menu is interesting at Quan Ba 9. I’m particularly fond of the mango salad served with a real traditional sour fish sauce, not sweetened in the least for the American palate. They do also serve lau, the Vietnamese hot pots.

In all my visits, I’ve yet to encounter anything other than Vietnamese natives.

Fast forward to 2010. Most of us still assume canned beer tastes like the generic macro brands your father brought home for those trips to the beach. While the beer is still in the ideal format for hiking or picnicking, the quality of both the can and the beer inside have improved dramatically. Today’s can typically has a sprayed water-based liner that prevents the contact between beer and aluminum, mostly eliminating the tinny taste of past-year’s canned beer. The aluminum itself, unlike bottles, blocks the UV rays that turn beer sour. There is also, usually, less exposure to oxygen, helping to reduce the potential for cardboard taste in your beers. Sadly, the manufacture of the aluminum cans does require more energy than bottles so bottles are still more environmentally friendly, although recycling rates are higher on cans than bottles, helping to offset the footprint of canned beer.

Oskar Blues is probably the most famous beer maker using cans exclusively. Based in Lyons, CO, Oskar Blues has a terrific lineup of beers. Their flagship is Dale’s Pale Ale, a hoppy pale at 6.5% with a big citrusy note burst of Centennial hops to remind you that bitter is better. It pours golden in the glass with a nice compliment of caramel malt to balance out the hoppy finish. Dale’s Ratebeer rating is 98.

If Dale’s is not bitter enough, Oskar Blues has two other IPA’s that will suck your cheeks in: Gordon and Gub’na. Gordon is a Double IPA with tons of amber malts lending a reddish tint to the pour. At 85 IBU’s (international bitterness unit), it is considerably hoppy, with much of it’s flavor coming from dry-hopping during fermentation. At 8.7%, it is not a session beer by any measure but it is delicious. Ratebeer has this one at 99 out of 100. Gubn’a is the newest beer in the Oskar Blues lineup: an imperial IPA. It is even higher on the IBU chart (100) with a strong nose of onion and grapefruit. This is a huge beer in every respect, with 10% alcohol and an aggressive dose of Summit hops throughout the brewing process. It rates out at 98 on Ratebeer.

Oskar Blues can also brew dark as well. Ted Fidy is their Imperial Stout and is not any more subtle than the hoppy beers. It pours like motor oil, the can only adding to the analogy. In fact the beer’s name is based on a motor oil weight (10-W50). This beer has a rumbling of cocoa and toffee under a sizable hop profile (98 IBU’s). It starts smooth and sweet and ends in a milkshake of bitter chocolate and roast. This beer scored an impressive 100 on Ratebeer. Luckily for lighter beer fans, Oskar Blues also makes a delicous pilsner: Mama’s Little Yellow Pils. This beer is a better fit for hot days, with notes of grass and bread. It finishes crisply with a big burst of Saaz hops. This lager compliments the Dale’s for poolside drinking, with an ABV of 5.3%.

With all this gushing about Oskar Blues, you would think that their weren’t any other choices. Thankfully, we have a new all-can lineup in town: 21st Amendment Brewing out of San Francisco, CA. This 10-year-old brewery named after the end of Prohibition started as a brewpub in the historic South Park neighborhood. Of their three year-round beers, we are now getting two: Brew Free or Die IPA and Hell or High Watermelon Wheat. The IPA is a really nice, piney-citrusy deep golden ale with 6 different hops. It’s reasonably dry and at 7%, it has some substance. The wheat uses watermelon juice in both the cooking and the fermentation to leave a subtle but distinct flavor of the summer favorite. This is another easy-to-please beer that fits well with cookouts and poolside activities, with only 5.5% ABV. Both our available now and will be going quickly.

There are many other great canned beers on the market that you need to check out for your next outdoor event, ranging from Butternuts to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout to Wittekirk Belgian White. Visit your beer professional for a recommendation. Remember, when you are done, recycle that can!

Happy drinking…

Kraig Torres is the Chief Hophead at Hop City Craft Beer and Wine, Atlanta’s only craft beer specialist. Hop City carries over 1,500 different beers, 1,000 wines and home brewing supplies. Hop City is located at 1000 Marietta St in the Brickworks complex – at the corner of Marietta St and Howell Mill Rd, next to 5 Seasons Brewery. 404-350-9998 www.HopCityBeer.com Hop City Craft Beer and Wine is proud to be Citysearch’s Best Wine Store in Atlanta for 2009.

Rachael won a raffle to benefit Haiti hurricane relief at a recent cask ale contest — the big payoff was a rare opportunity to work with McNerney to develop the brewpub’s next release.

I imagine Rachael is happy to have his name on this sly, easy-going pale ale.

It cleverly smacks you with plenty of hops in the nose and initial taste, leading one to believe it’s another hop heavy ale. But just as quickly as you prepare for an all out IBU assault, those hops suddenly lay down and allow for a refreshing citrusy middle that leads to a very balanced rich malty finish. Think who dropped their Maibock in my Hopgasm?

This laid-back brew drinks like a featherweight at 5% abv, which bodes well for session drinkers who brave the oppressive summer heat.

With the onslaught of overly hopped I.P.A.s on the market today, I’ve once again begun to appreciate balanced brews.

McNerney has yet to disappoint since his arrival at The 5.

Stats:
Strength: 5% abv
Style: Pale Ale
Serve In: Pint Glass