Limp Noodle

It’s surprising to me that there are still only a few good choices in Midtown for lunch. I met a business colleague yesterday and needed something within walking distance of a MARTA station (Lady Steakhead had the car), where you could grab lunch for under $10. Vortex? Good, but not the healthiest. Spotted Dog? How could I go there and not grab a pint (taboo, since we were both going back to work). We settled on Noodle at the corner of Peachtree and 8th. I wished I had opted for “unhealthy”…or “taboo”.

There are a lot of places around Atlanta like Noodle- semi- fast food Asian consisting of bowls of curries, stir frys, and of course, noodles. Noodle offers nothing to distinguish itself from its competition. The menu could have a Doc Chey’s title on it and you wouldn’t know the difference.

I decided on the Sichuan beef, figuring I would try something different than the standard noodle bowl. Mistake. The beef was overcooked, and seemed not to be the best cut in the world. Thank God the heavy, over-seasoned Sichuan sauce drowned out the taste. And at a cost of $10, this wasn’t necessarily a lunch bargain. Spoon, Real Chow Baby, hell, even Mama Fu’s provides better food, at a better price in a better atmosphere than Noodle.

After this disappointing visit, I am heading to Spoon today to get my Asian lunch fix. And if that is not enough, tomorrow night, Baby Steakhead and I are heading to Tasty China. With selections like this, I don’t see making any more trips to Noodle.

Steakhead Recommends: No
Price: $-$$

New Years Resolution

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Time to make those resolutions of eating better and exercising more in a usually futile attempt to shed a few pounds. Steakhead is not immune from these types of resolutions, but when you enjoy food as much as I do, these resolutions typically last less than a week.

This year is no different, although after spending the last two weeks in the Big Easy and Baton Rouge, I can honestly say I haven’t quite started yet. Sidebar here, but this is the last place where you want to be on a diet. Maybe I overindulged a little between the numerous dishes of crawfish ettouffes (Mike Anderson’s Seafood and Acme Oyster House), Shrimp Po Boys (Jones Creek Oyster Bar and Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House), Barbecue Shrimp (Pascal’s Manale- a Steakhead favorite), Turkey Gumbo (the mother in-law's day-after-Christmas tradition), Big Ass Beers (Bourbon Street, New Orleans) and a few Pat O’Brien Hurricanes. But today, January 8th, I will begin my yearly attempt of healthier living.

The first thing I have recognized, though, is that being realistic is half the key to success. I like food too much to make massive changes to diet. So an easy place to start is lunch. The food court where I work is full of artery clogging options. Just cutting out the occasional trip to Wendy’s and a Moe’s Burrito should be easy to do without sacrificing a whole lot.

The second area I will look at is portion control. I still like to sample several appetizers when I go out, and I don’t see this changing. But this applies to perhaps one dinner per week. The other 6 nights, when we eat at home, we can easily control the amount of chow we consume.

The third element of my plan- more exercise. For as long as I can remember, I have had a health club membership of some sort or the other. I am pretty gung ho for the first few months, but then the inevitable fall off occurs. The reason is simple- I hate going to the gym. It’s out of the way and just too damn boring. This year, I am trying a new tact. We just bought an exercise bike, which is conveniently situated in my basement in front of my HD TV. All I have to do is walk downstairs and a healthy workout awaits. Also, between memberships at the local pool, and the Chattahoochee River trails 10 minutes away, I may never have to step foot in another health club again...actually, I don’t really set foot in one now, so what I should say is hopefully I never have to pay for another health club again :).

So this is the plan. The theory is that I can live healthier, lose some weight and still be Steakhead. I’ll let you know in two months if this is working.