Home Grown

If you're in Atlanta and are in the mood for some fresh locally sourced comfort food, let me open your eyes to Home Grown. It recently became famous for being the last restaurant that the late Paul Walker ate at. Its rumored that they will be changing the name of a menu item to honor him. Home Grown is located on a deserted section of Memorial Drive near the intersection at Moreland Avenue. It has a small parking lot located around the back side, but if you show up after about 9:30, just be ready to park about five minutes away -- it's worth the walk.




Home Grown has become a staple in my life for a few reasons. Let's start with the atmosphere of this quaint little place.

When you walk into Home Grown it feels as though you have been transported to the late 80's or so. Walking in you see an old diner bar with vintage stools surrounded by linoleum tile and wood paneled walls. It's an interesting combination, but it just makes the place feel like home. When you walk in you are greeted by a hot carafe of coffee and plenty of cups. There is also a daunting sign of the deserts and pies featured that day -- it's dangerous, but it's amazing. Their specials range from Grit Pies to Double Chocolate Cake, my personal favorite is the Derby Pie... Pecan Pie with Chocolate Chips -- DO IT!

You're seated in the crowded and cozy dining room, sometimes next to the 5 cent shop and the xylophone player, or sometimes you're seated next to the local Atlanta Police Department section. Either way, your experience is likely to be great.

Once your drinks are in and you've ordered one of the many appetizers (I highly recommend the Friend Green Tomatoes), you start looking at the Breakfast and Lunch menu that is offered all day until 4pm. Their menu contains regular breakfast staples such as GIANT pancakes and the classic Eggs, Toast, and Biscuit as well as rarities such as the French Toast BLT (add the egg, trust me) and the MAC Stack (Mac and Cheese sandwich).  My all time favorite dish so far is the Comfy Chicken Biscuit. This is the most famous item on their menu, they even have a counter for how many they have sold throughout the day -- normally averages about 50-100. The dish includes a large biscuit served open face with a LARGE piece of fried chicken and then COVERED in white country gravy. It's enough to feed two probably, but I never let that stop me.

I've only listed a few of the eclectic options offered at Home Grown, and there are many more to explore for myself and anyone who wants to give this lovely establishment a try.


Once you're done with your meal, a slip is dropped on your table for you to check out at the bar. Normally instead of heading straight out, I stop by the 5 cent store, just to see what they have in stock. There are plenty of options for Home Grown apparel, created by the owners who have even tattooed the logo somewhere on their person. There are cute antiques all over the store, even including Disney cups that Burger King used to offer in the early 90's. Walking through the small shop really helps with the digestive process, especially after eating a Comfy Chicken.

Here's my grade of HomeGrown:

My Friends Growler Shop

Disclaimer: I know this isn't about food, but I'm friends with the guys that own it, and this place deserves all of the attention that it can get!


My friends growler shop is on its third year and it's business is booming. The owners are two super awesome guys who had a dream and went with it. They are now serving the Grant Park and surrounding area. They pour from 30+ taps constantly and always feature local breweries in the Greater Atlanta Area. On special occasions they have special casks with flavors that range from Girl Scout Cookies to Spicy Peppers. They do a really great job with social media and keeping everything updated. I always get an alert every time a new cask comes in, or any time they have a 'Tap Takeover' where a local brewery comes in an occupies multiple taps.




The atmosphere at MFGS is similar to that of a cafe where everyone knows each other. The customer service is impeccable and the guys really get to know everyone who comes in. Every time I go in I am greeted by name, and so are the five other people in the shop. I know the name says it's 'my friends' shop, it really does feel like I'm friends with these guys.
A great thing about these young entrepreneurs is that they always welcome feedback, both positive and negative. If you have an idea about something, they have probably already tried it, or are willing to give it a try. They're really laid back and try not to take life too seriously.

My favorite thing about this growler shop, local brews aside, is their Wine Wednesday special. Every Wednesday wine goes on sale when bought in small quantities of 3-6 bottles ranging from 5%-10% off depending on how much you're getting. They have an amazing Malbec that I am a huge advocate for, Uno. It's a Malbec from Argentina that goes so well with chocolate it's ridiculous.

I think that this growler shop offers a lot to the public that it serves. Everything is very reasonably priced and there are options for every budget. There are small growlers if you're drinking for one, or if you don't want to spend more than $20. There are large growlers for the beer aficionados, six packs for those who know what they want, and wine for the non beer drinkers who just enjoy shopping locally.

Here's my rating:

My Rubric for Rating Restaurants

Since I'm a teacher, and because I'm human, I'm creating a rubric to 'grade' the restaurants that I go to. Based on my experience and what I eat. I know that I can't touch on every single meal offered at every restaurant on a teachers salary, but hopefully one day I can write more extensive reviews.

Anyway, here's the new rubric. I will be attaching one to every new post.

If you feel inclined to let me know that I've missed something, I may change the rubric. If you're complaining because I didn't touch everything you'd touch on... I don't want to hear it. :) 

Aproveche! 

El Mexicano Restaurant

El Mexicano Restaurant is a small place located in the scariest part of South East Atlanta -- Moreland Avenue. It's in the darkest, most run down parking lot on the street. The building itself doesn't exactly give off the warmest vibe either. However, once you get out of your car, you can smell the exotic spices coming from the kitchen inside.

When you walk through the doors you see small four and six top tables with place holders that sport 

Mexican playing cards. It adds a fun cultural aspect to the dining experience. With the recently added bar in the heart of everything you can see their recently claimed liquor license is going to good use. The tequila covers the bar and six shelves behind it ranging from Patron to Rot Gut -- either one tastes delicious in their margaritas. The best alcoholic drink there is the Michelada. It's the equivalent of a Bloody Mary -- but Mexican. It contains Mexican beer and tequila instead of Vodka, and while it tastes way different from a Bloody Mary, the idea is basically the same. If you're on your lunch break and want to stay away from the adult beverages, I highly suggest the Horchata, the delicious rice milk and cinnamon drink for those who are lactose intolerant/vegan, is so sweet and so delicious, I could probably drink the entire tub that they make it in. While they have these special drinks, they also offer Coca-Cola products (even Mexican coke... you know, the sugary kind.)

Now, if El Mexicano is sort of sounding like your typical Frontera or run of the mill Mexican restaurant, I ask you to think again. El Mexicano offers authentic mexican dishes, ranging from authentic Mexican Street Tacos, Molcajetes, Sopes and Tostadas. My favorite combination so far has been their Chimichanga Al Pastor (Covered in Cheese) and a mexican street taco. You can do combinations, much like at other restaurants, but here it's just better. 

When you first sit down, a server greets you in broken English and brings you home made salsa and fresh chips. While they give you ample time to parooze the menu, they also offer many suggestions. The Guacamole and Cheese dip are the best options as far as starters go in my opinion. You get a boat load of both. Since they don't skimp on portions, the meals that you order when your appetizer arrive before you even get close to the bottom. For my friends and I, this is rarely a problem. With extra guac and extra queso, what could go wrong?? 

The food always comes out piping hot and smelling delicious. And if you think the appetizers are big, wait until you see the portion of the main entrees. On a large oval plate about the size of three footballs comes out filled almost to the edges of rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, guac (if you're lucky), queso and whatever else you ordered. Whenever I get a combo it normally comes on two plates. I highly recommend that even if you're going as a party of two, you might want to get a four person table. 

Since these portions are so large, I almost never make it to desert, but I can highly recommend the Sopapilla or the Flan. Both are amazing and normally come with ice cream if your are super nice to whoever your server is. 

In short, while this restaurant looks about as run down as the gas station and day care across the street, it is one of the best discoveries that I've made so far in Atlanta. I frequent this place a lot when I'm feeling brave (I'm lactose intolerant). 

Best days to go: Dia de los muertos, Tuesdays and Thursdays if you don't want to see a rush. 

Cabbage Town

For those who are new to the Atlanta area, downtown Cabbagetown is located on a little side street right off of Boulevard SE where traffic can hit it's peak -- all day long.
It's a tiny street tucked behind a high scale mexican restaurant and has a small town feel in the big city There are outdoor tables all year round all the way up the street, and a cute corner store that almost shut down a few years back. Thankfully though, it is still up and running and selling favorites from King of Pops and amazing sandwiches.

This post isn't just about Cabbagetown as a whole, but rather one of my favorite restaurants in the tiny area. Carroll Street Cafe. This Cafe has a different gallary every month or so of local artists work displayed around the dining room. There are two large dining areas, one containing an adult bar and one containing a coffee bar. Both dining rooms are fronted with floor to ceiling windows and doors that open during the comfortable months in Atlanta. There is a beuatiful mural of a canal in Venice with the daily specials and weekly goings on in the cafe.




Carroll Street specializes in tapas and brunch. They offer a tapa special almost every night and I've had the priveledge of sampling many of them. The only one that offended me in the slightest was the Portabello Caprese. While I'm a huge fan of all things tomato, mushroom and cheese driven, the dish was swimming in balsamic vinagrette and it overpowered the dish. I don't think that this one dish will be the downfall of this lovely cafe, but it should definitely be reimagined.

Their brunch menu is far more appealing to me. There are many options of eggs benedict, a breakfast chili that could cure even the worst hangover, and an almond covered brie that melts in your mouth the second you take a bite. Mind you, I've only named three things off of their extensive list. Their bunch menu also consists of alcoholic beverages and coffee from the two bars. If you are like myself, and love that Starbucks has bastardised coffee all the way to the core, then the Cabbagechino is for you. It's a frothly lovely medley that tastes like heaven in a cup that is swimming in brown sugar. If you think that coffee is best at its most pure, then the Red Eye is probably for you. It's about as coffee as coffee can get.

Their adult beverages leave a bit to be desired unless you're sticking to wine or beer. Their bloody mary's are far from the best in Atlanta but they are still acceptable, and the mimosas are more orange juice than champagne - as a 20 something looking for a good brunch buzz, that's highly unacceptable.

Thought this quaint cafe doesn't meet every expectation that I have of a brunch spot in Atlanta, it's atmosphere and energy are more than enough to make up for any small indiscresion. I will continue to keep going here if not for the Cabbagechino, then for the chili.