A Lovin’ Spoon-ful

After hearing many good things about Spoon, a new casual Thai restaurant in the blossoming Westside restaurant scene, I decided to give it a try last night. Its not the easiest place to find, located on an industrial stretch of Marietta St. in an older brick building, but on the plus side, there is plenty of parking in an adjacent lot.

The restaurant incorporates a very simplistic approach to both the décor and the menu. It’s not the most diverse Thai menu in town, focusing on basics such as noodle dishes, curries and stir frys. And the dishes are priced very reasonably at $10-$15 a plate for dinner. But from what I saw last night, the dishes they do offer, they do very well.

I started with the Nam Tok beef salad. I am huge fan of spicy food, and went with the “Thai Hot” option. Most Thai places in Atlanta, Thai Hot isn’t really burning, and Spoon is no different. There was definitely a kick, but not the sweat-inspiring spice that the native Thai would expect (although after some “reflection” this morning, it may have been hot enough). For main courses, a friend and I each had curry. I went with the green curry, which was very flavorful and quite spicy. The red curry was just as tasty, while packing a little less of a kick. There is no bar yet at Spoon, so if you are looking to complement your curry or stir fry with a cold Singha, you’ll need to bring your own (at least for now).

Spoon is definitely a welcome addition to the casual restaurant scene on the west side corrider. It’s not going to replace a visit to Tamarind or Nan, which make a better option for a night out in terms of ambiance and menu variety. But it definitely blows away a place like Doc Chey’s. So if good, quick Thai food is what you are after, and you don’t want to break the bank in doing it, I would easily recommend Spoon. Grade: B+.

The Spotted Dog to open..."pretty soon"???

Sometimes, I just don't get people. I had called The Spotted Dog, or otherwise known as "The Bar That Just Won't Open", earlier today to find out when the bar was opening. Being excited that the Midtown firehouse-to-bar conversion was finally upon us, I figured I would give the new establishment a little free publicity. But apparently, free publicity is not something The Spotted Dog is interested in. When I received two different answers on the opening day, the person answering the phone suggested I speak to the manager to get the details. Instead of answering a very simple question- "When are you opening?", I got several sentences on how he has no time to talk to me at the moment and to please call back on Monday. Yeah, I'll call back. So here's the newsflash: The Spotted Dog is opening sometime soon. Since its English grub, it will probably suck. No need to review.

Steakhead in Creative Loafing

I was pleased to see that Atlanta's premier entertainment publication, Creative Loafing, has picked up on the phenomena that is Atlanta Eats. While dining editor Cliff Bostock may disagree with some of my selections, I did think ripping on Bon Jovi was over the line...

http://clnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051228/ATLFOOD02/512280376/-1/ATLFOOD

SCOOP!- 790 The Zone Parterning for New Sports Bar Downtown

Steakhead has learned that Big League Broadcasting entity 790 The Zone is partnering with Metrotainment to bring a state-of-the-art sports bar to Downtown Atlanta. The location will be 300 Marietta Street, and according to an insider familiar with the deal, will boast "tvs, state of the art A/V, [and a] radio station studio".

This is exciting news for Steakhead as I have long believed that Downtown is primed for a sports-themed restaurant (I even explored the option of doing it myself a couple of years ago). As an avid sports fan and my Downtown work location, I will be anxiously awaiting the opening, which looks to be in mid 2006.