Dim Sum and Peking Duck - Royal China

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Location: Chamblee
Hours: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. daily
Price: $10-$20 per person
Food Type: Asian - Cantonese

Royal China is an authentic Chinese restaurant located in Chamblee between Buford Hwy and Peachtree Industrial on Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. The restaurant is frequented by Asians and Americans alike and is known for its Saturday and Sunday Dim Sum (think Tapas but with Asian food or a bunch of small appetizers that you get to order off of carts that come to your table). If you are planning on going to Royal China for Dim Sum, expect to wait up to 30 minutes for a table. To avoid the long lines, show up at 11 a.m. or risk less variety and show up after 1 p.m..

A less known fact about Royal China is that they serve an excellent Peking Duck. Peking Duck is a specialty where an entire duck is taken and turned into four to five dishes. I highly recommend trying it on a special occasion, just make sure you have 4-5 people with you. If you want to order the Peking Duck, do not just show up at the restaurant, instead call them first at 770-216-9933.

The process you will witness is as follows:

The chef shows up with all the ingredients on a cart and prepares your meal at the table. This ensures freshness and lets the customer know they are not being cheated.

The first dish is completed, a sweet doughy pancake wrapped around thinly sliced duck meat and vegetables and finished with a sweet plum sauce:

The next dish is another duck wrap, but this time it comes in a thin pancake:

Next, you will be served a noodle dish that the remainder of the duck meat is cooked into:

Finally, the duck carcass is used as flavor for a soup:

For those who enjoy more vegetables with dinner, I would recommend ordering a side of Bok Choy stir fried with garlic:

Overall, Royal China is an excellent Chinese restaurant. Dim Sum and Peking Duck are just two examples of the more traditional dishes served there. If you are adventurous or love Asian cuisine, this is the place to go in Atlanta!

A Spanish Villa, a Mural, and 99 cent Margaritas - Los Reyes

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Location: Kennesaw
Hours: Lunch & Dinner Time
Price: $5.00 - $10.00
Food Type: Mexican

Driving up to this restaurant you begin to think you are in a foreign country. On the outside Los Reyes looks like an giant Spanish villa with a fountain and patio out front and windows accented by shutters and colorful floral flower boxes. Upon entering the restaurant the first thing you will notice is the giant mural depicting an old Aztec myth. It is a beautiful piece of art that can be admired throughout your meal. 

Once you tire of staring at the wall, you can admire the starlit ceiling or the fact that customers are seated in what appears to be a courtyard.  

Unfortunately, while the atmosphere at Los Reyes is amazing, the food is only decent. Patrons are greeted with complimentary chips and salsa. For those who enjoy spice, the salsa has none, but if you enjoy mild salsa this is the place for you. For the main course I tried their enchilada and taco combo while a friend had their quesadilla rellena. Both were edible, but not extraordinary. While we did not order it, the dish that appeared to be the most popular and enjoyable throughout the restaurant was the Sizzling Fajitas.

Taco & Enchilada:

Quesadillas:

For those who enjoy a good alcoholic beverage with a meal, Los Reyes does have excellent margaritas. Once a week on either Tuesday or Thursday evenings they offer 99 cent margaritas. If drinking is not your cup of tea, but entertainment is there is a live mariachi band every Friday from 7 pm - 10 pm and Mexican dancers every Saturday from 7 pm - 9 pm. All in all, if you live near Los Reyes I would recommend trying it at least once, but if a commute is needed, venture to another Mexican restaurant.

Skulls, Crazy-eyes, and Burgers - The Vortex

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Location: Midtown
Hours: Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
            Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 3 a.m.
            Sun. 11 a.m. - Midnight
Price: $10-$15
Food Type: American

With 2 Atlanta locations - the original in Little Five Points and the other on Peachtree St. in Midtown - the Vortex has been serving burgers to customers in Atlanta for over a decade. Started in the eccentric part of town, Little Five Points, The Vortex quickly became known as the burger joint with a giant skull outside its doors. While the original location still has its memorable landmark, The Vortex's 2nd location has a tamer entry way to greet customers.

Long lines are common at The Vortex, particularly for larger parties and at dinner time Thursday - Sunday. It is highly recommended that you call in advance if you have a big group. I also recommend you read the restaurant's list of rules which covers everything from smoking and payment options to no whining and keeping the restaurant an idiot-free zone! For the full list check out the rules page of their website: http://www.thevortexbarandgrill.com/

If you are with a large group and waiting for a table, the bar is an excellent place to rest. The Vortex offers a wide range of beers including local favorites such as Sweetwater and Terrapin. For those in desire of something stronger, the bar does also serve liquor.

Once seated, take some time to read the menu cover-to-cover. You may want some extra time to go through their rules if it is your first time visiting the venue. When it comes to appetizers, the Mucho Mas Nachos are an excellent dish to share with the table. For the main course, you would be wise to order a burger.

Tasmanian Devil Burger

The Vortex is famous for their Elvis Burger, a burger patty covered with peanut butter, bacon, and fried bananas. It may not sound appetizing when you hear it, but it comes highly recommended. For the less adventurous folks, there is the Vortex Cheeseburger or the Big Blue Buffalo Burger. However, if you are really up for a challenge you can order the $25.95 Super-Stack Heart Attack Burger consisting of three grilled cheese sandwiches stuffed with 2 fried eggs, 2 half pound sirloin patties, 10 slices of bacon & 8 slices of American cheese and yes, you can get condiments to go with that as well.

Overall, The Vortex is an Atlanta restaurant you must experience at least once in your lifetime and its ambiance and atmosphere will certainly make it memorable.

Spice up your Life! - Spice Market

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Location: Midtown
Hours: Check out their website: http://www.spicemarketatlanta.com/
Price: $20 - $30 per person
Food Type: Upscale Asian Fusion

Located in the W hotel in Midtown, Spice Market is a wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. Diners are greeted by an extremely hospitable and attentive staff as they walk into the dimly lit dining room. I was there for a birthday celebration and after being seated, the entire table was greeted with complimentary champagne (for those under 21, a complimentary dessert is offered instead). An appetizer consisting of baked chips and a savory dipping sauce (see picture below) was also provided on the house.

Before perusing the dinner menu, we decided to order a couple of celebratory drinks from their unique drink menu. We decided on the Pineapple Mojito (left) and the Passion Fruit Wiskey Fizz (right). Both were excellent, but the Pineapple Mojito is definitely a summertime must try!

Spice Market's meals are served family style and sharing is highly recommended by the servers. Something to be aware of when ordering is your level of tolerance for spicy foods. Patrons who are used to eating traditional Indian curries or Wasabe should not change their dish choices if the waiter says the meal will be too hot as Spice Market definitely caters to the average American spice levels.  Our meal began with two appetizers: Black Pepper Shrimp with Sun Dried Pineapple and Citrus Calamari (pictured below). The Black Pepper Shrimp was my favorite dish of the evening and is highly recommend while the calamari had a bit too much batter, but great flavor when paired with the red chilies.

For the main course we ordered Cod with Malaysian Chili Sauce, Spicy Shanghai Noodles with Chilled Silken Tofu, and Red Curried Duck. The Shanghai Noodles took first place in our table's competition for best entree. The Cod came in 2nd as it was extremely well cooked and had an excellent sauce. The Curried Duck took 3rd as it fell apart in your mouth, but unfortunately had a sauce that lacked flavor.

The Cod:

Shanghai Noodles:

Red Curried Duck:

Overall, Spice Market is an excellent restaurant when it comes to service and atmosphere. I would highly recommend it for drinks and appetizers, but find it over priced when it comes to the quality of food served.