L’Thai – Carley Edwards, DC Student

The Only Organic Thai Food in Atlanta

Eating healthy in the Atlanta area isn’t hard to do, but when you’re a full-time student and parent, working two jobs, it’s hard to find the time to get out of Marietta. That’s why I was so excited to hear about an organic Thai restaurant close to school. After all, the daily lunch trip to Harry’s can get monotonous.

L’Thai prides itself on being the first organic Thai restaurant outside of Thailand.L’Thai’s mission is to be “Committed to health, vitality, and wellness of body, mind, and spirit for all people and of the planet.” This claim alone should be enough to entice any health nut wanting to experience something new. And beyond that, the Ministry of Commerce of the Royal Thai Government awarded L’Thai with the Thai Select Award for being one of the best Thai restaurants in the world.

When visiting places with a menu longer than a Harry Potter novel, you can expect the food to be about as healthy and delicious as a Whopper, but not at L’Thai. The menu is extensive, but includes dishes made with grass-fed beef and organic brown rice. In fact, 95% of the produce used is certified USDA Organic. L’Thai takes pride in the fact that no MSG is used in their dishes and the chicken is antibiotic free. There is even organic pork on the menu.

I consume a diet of mostly organic food, but I do enjoy an adult beverage on occasion, and if I can find affordable organic wine, even better. There are several organic beers and organic, sulfite-free wine on the menu and even organic vodka. Of course, the usual domestic beers, like Budweiser and Coors, are offered, but if that’s what you’re looking for, I suggest you take a trip up the road to Applebees.

The dessert menu has unique options, like fried organic bananas in rice paper with homemade ice cream, and tropical jackfruit served with organic sweet black rice and coconut cream. I opted for the mango and coconut ice cream. The coconut was to die for.

You’d think after a plate of beef, rice, and ice cream, you’d spend the rest of the evening on the couch unable to move, but this was not the case. The food was satisfying, without the side effects of typical Asian cuisine loaded with chemicals.

L’Thai is also open for lunch, and with spring arriving soon, their outdoor seating makes this the ideal meeting spot. There is an east location in Tucker, Georgia, and a west location in the West Village in Smyrna. The scene at L’Thai is upscale and modern, but the dress is business casual, so it’s the perfect place for a night out with friends or an intimate date. And if you’re looking to spend the night in, but want something appetizing, L’Thai even offers take-out.

For more information visit www.lethai.org.

Atlanta Confidential – Anthony DeMaria, DC Student

A food expert’s guide to eating well in Atlanta

How often have you been sitting back and relaxing on nights when you should have been doing some studying, flipping through the channels to see if there is anything good on, and found yourself surfing right into your favorite food show? That happens to me quite often! I have grown quite fond of my regular food programming: Anthony Bourdain, Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Master Chef, and the list goes on. I love all of these shows, but the problem is that you only get to see the food, you don’t get to taste it! I used to really enjoy watching food shows until I discovered that there’s more to the life of a food enthusiasts than the local Olive Garden or Applebee’s.  There exist many really good restaurants in the Atlanta area. There are a handful of Top Chefs who have restaurants within a 15-minute drive of campus. Not to mention all the hidden food places that get my mouth watering while I’m daydreaming in class.  I would really like to help everyone at Life experience a little more of the good life and expose them to some of the amazing opportunities that exist in the Atlanta food scene.

The biggest myth of all is that going out to eat on a regular basis is an expensive endeavor. Let me clue you in on a little secret – its not! (All of you shopping-savvy readers out there know exactly what I am talking about.) There are a plethora of websites out there that have amazing deals on good places to eat! Some examples include groupon.com, halfoffdepot.com, livingsocial.com and scoutmob.com. These are all excellent examples of how to find great food at reasonable prices! If you have never used these websites, you’re missing a fabulous opportunity to experience fun things while in school.

For all of you food fans out there, Tom Colicchio, the executive producer and head judge of the Top Chef series, has a restaurant in Buckhead called Craft and Craftbar. If you want to experience food right around the corner that you would normally only be able to watch on TV, I highly recommend checking it out. I especially recommend checking out their brunch.  Brunches are one of the best-kept secrets of nice restaurants. The menu items become really affordable and you can come away with a good deal and an amazing meal. Some of my personal favorites on Craftbar’s brunch menu include their eggs Benedict with applewood smoked bacon (an amazing blend of salty and savory on your palette), the brioche French toast with bourbon cream (pretty much to die for,and, yes, you can actually taste the bourbon), and the bibb salad on grilled romaine with a touch of peaches and blue cheese. Craftbar also has a great deal on half priced menu items during Happy Hour. Your mouth will thank you (and you can thank me) after you leave Craft.

If a nice brunch doesn’t ring your bell, then I know what just might – PIZZA!  Antico’s Pizza, located on the fringe of the Georgia Tech campus right past IKEA, is quite possibly the best pizza in Atlanta. If you are looking to experience a slice of mind-blowing pizza, look no further. If you think I’m joking, I am not! The first time I tried Antico’s was on a Saturday night. Needless to say, I was back by Wednesday because it was all I could think about! Antico’s has their ingredients shipped fresh from Naples, Italy every week. If you think better ingredients make better pizza, then the buck stops at

Antico’s. I recently took an Italian chiropractor who lives in New Jersey there. For those of you who know Dr. Galgano, every chiropractic story he tells involves pizza. After his experience there, he told me that he believes Antico’s is one of the top five pizza places in the country! Moral of the story: If you want an amazing pizza experience, you just have to go to Antico’s!

I hope you are motivated to check out some of the places I am talking about and learn more about good food in this wonderful city.  If at the end of your time here you haven’t gone to some of the amazing eateries of Atlanta, then you have truly missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The Counter – James Beuerlein, DC Student

Burgers as big as your face – and just as hot!

If a delicious, guilt-free burger is what you’re after, look no further. My wife and I had our first “guilt-free burger encounter” recently while cashing in a Groupon we’d bought at The Counter restaurant in Roswell. We were blown away. If you have any reason to go through Roswell, this stop is an absolute must.

To begin with, the atmosphere was very cool. It wasn’t a ‘themed’ restaurant, but the vibe from all of the employees was chill, genuine, and a bit hipster. The Counter is set up very similarly to Yeah Burger, except that at The Counter you sit at a table and are served by a waiter, rather than standing in line for 20 minutes just to order, then fighting your way through a crowded mess-hall at Yeah Burger.

All The Counter’s  ingredients are fresh, local and sustainable. The beef is humanely raised and handled, and is hormone- and antibiotic-free. You can also opt for chicken, turkey or veggie burgers. They’re enormous: you can choose between 1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, and 1 lb patties. You then dress it up however you like with dozens of choices from standard to exotic toppings. According to their menu, there are over 312,000 possible combinations to choose from!

Aside from perfectly cooked burgers and awesome toppings, my favorite part about this place is the “Burger-in-a-Bowl” option. Essentially, you ditch the bun, and drop your heaping masterpiece atop a bowl of yummy greens! Man, this was good – a huge, wonderfully executed burger, piled with my own special cocktail of toppings, sitting on a bed of mixed greens! We felt not a twinge of regret as we stuffed our faces and stomachs with these awesome creations, knowing all the ingredients were fresh, local, and chemical-free.

The negatives: It’s out of the way and a bit pricey. On a minor note, their alcohol selection isn’t quite as good as Yeah Burger’s, but it’s actually quite decent. Even taking these cons into consideration, we plan to make the trip to The Counter at our next opportunity. Magnificent! Easily the best burger I’ve ever eaten.

 

Muss and Turner’s Deli – Carley Edwards, D.C. Student

Sophisticated food in a casual atmosphere

Are you looking for a new place to eat lunch that’s close to school, affordable, organic and supports local farmers? Muss and Turner’s, located in the Vinings, does all that and offers an extensive beer and wine list too.

Muss and Turner’s was voted one of Atlanta’s top 16 beer bars by Atlanta Cuisine, best brunch 2009 by Atlanta Magazine and best deli by Atlanta City Search. They are in the 2010 Zagat Guide and also featured in Creative Loafing and Gayot.

Over 25 wines are served by the glass with beers served from all over the world. Fresh roasted coffee is also available.

Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner wanted to ensure quality food, so no heat lamps or microwaves are used in the preparation of their food. Included on the lunch menu is the burger and sloppy joe made with grass-fed beef and local organic pork is served for the BBQ pork sandwich.

Other things on the menu include tilapia, tuna, egg salad, fried chicken, a Reuben made with corned beef brisket, a pastrami sandwich, duck, a turkey sandwich, organic salad, soup and vegetarian options. For dinner, appetizers range from beef tartar to fried shrimp salad made with Tybee Island shrimp. Dinner entrees change regularly. Sandwiches, soups and salads are also offered for dinner. To view the full menu, visit www.mussandturners.com.

Most of the sandwiches are less than ten dollars and salads range from six to ten dollars. Lunch is served Monday to Saturday 11:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday 11:00 am to 5:30. Dinner is served Monday to Sunday 5:30 to 9:00 pm. To make reservations call 770-434-1114 or visit www.mussandturners.com. Mussman and Turner are opening a new restaurant called Local Three this fall. Be sure to check out their Facebook page under Local Three Kitchen and Bar for updates.