When eating out, save the leftover sauce! Maybe it's the last thing you feel like doing after a big meal at your favorite restaurant or you don't feel like the hassle of a doggy bag. But you (or your housemate) will be really glad you did! Spicy saucy dishes with intense, complex flavors like Indian or Thai curries, spicy Sichuan chile hot pots, or even strong salty soups ... Continue Reading
Humor at the Table: Chicken Surprise
Dad loves jokes and is a great joke-teller. Sometimes he translates Chinese jokes into English for us and other times, they lose meaning in English (play on tones or vocabulary) so he tells them in lively Chinese! Since Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language (Be careful: don't call your mother a horse (same word, different tones!) These are the times I am glad that I can speak ... Continue Reading
CSB Fan Perks, Discounts!
CSB FAN PERKS (and Natalie's #AuthenticOnaBudget tips): Print out anything with CSB logo/name (or show CSB site) and go to: La Meizi Asian Bistro, a Taiwanese-owned eatery, 5150 Buford Hwy (back of Asian Square), get FREE app w/entree--a hot Chinese "silver thread" bun. Thru Oct 31, 2015. 1 per table, Ask for Karen. Try Thai Pad Coco Sweets, 2180 Pleasant Hill Rd ... Continue Reading
Buford Hwy Food Tour – Photos
Natalie leads a corporate group on a fun, festive tasting tour of the "international corridor" of Buford Highway, Atlanta. 5 stops hop on hop off, food history, city culture, menu tips, lots of smiles and full bellies! ... Continue Reading
TV Episode 806: Buford Highway Taste & Tour
Ni Hao, Y'All! Watch Natalie Keng lead a whirlwind tour & taste of the amazing flavors and diversity of eateries and stories along the “international corridor” of Buford Highway in Doraville, Georgia! (starts 5:37) Georgia Traveler (GPB TV, PBS, Episode 806) Did you miss Natalie's other episodes or need a refresher on the list of eateries and recipe ingredients? ... Continue Reading
Eating Out Restaurant Tip: Gu's Bistro for Spicy Szechuan
Natalie & Margaret like: Gu's Bistro, new Szechuan restaurant, Buford Hwy (just outside 285, near Buford Hwy Farmers Mkt, behind Chik-Fil-A) Try the Kung Pao Lotus Root, Stuffed Tofu, Jasmine Tea Smoked Duck, Spicy Mung Bean Noodles! ... Continue Reading
Lost in Translation: Asian Restaurant and Store Names
 Some good eateries and grocery stores remain a mystery to newcomers, including several along Buford Highway, because they sometimes have different Asian and English names or no English names at all on signs. What you call it often depends on if you can read the Asian characters, the English name (if given) or like most of us, guess at the phoenetics, usually a mangled ... Continue Reading
Wine and Chinese Food!
Enjoyed a Pinot Noir (BYO) with Chinese tapas, chive pie, soup dumplings, cold glutinous beef cuts, mutton hot pot, bitter melon, seaweed salad--very good! Location: Northern China Eatery, 5141 Buford Highway, Doraville, GA 30340. Yes, we discovered it a year before Anthony Bourdain! :) A small casual spot specializing in Northern Chinese favorites, less than a mile inside ... Continue Reading
Photos: Asian Market & Buford Highway Food Tour
Natalie helped Angie and Doug celebrate a special anniversary with a custom Asian Market & Buford Highway Food Tour! It was very hard to decide which eateries and which dishes--so many good options! ... Continue Reading
The Many Faces of Tofu
Fried tofu, fresh tofu, baked tofu...the many faces of tofu! Just because you aren't into the big white block (invented in the 10th century!), don't write off this nutritious, complete protein, highly versatile super food! ... Continue Reading
Q&A Natalie: Stinky Tofu Help?
Q: Hi, Natalie! A friend in town for a conference asks where to find "Stinky Tofu". Google led us only to restaurants that have closed. Any ideas? Thanks! Please text to me. A: That's a serious foodie request, even some Chinese can't stand (like my granddaddy--the house had to be aired out before he came home from work) In Taiwan, stinky tofu stands are banished to market ... Continue Reading
Asian Starbucks? White Windmill Bakery and Cafe
Actually, White Windmill Cafe is much better and more ! It offers a wonderful, diverse variety of baked items, snacks and hot or cold beverages. I hear that some snacks and cakes are better than others and that the bubble tea is not the best, but I think the fun part is trying different things on each visit. I like the fact that most Asian pastries and cakes are a lot less ... Continue Reading
BYOC (chopsticks, cups, cutlery and containers)
Like fashion trends, if you wait long enough, the "look" will be in style again. After years of ribbing, especially from family members, my BYO habits are in-style, hopefully to stay, and they would make my frugal Chinese grandma proud! As kids, we used to laugh at my non-English speaking grandma when she tore her thin Kleenex tissues into quarters and stuffed them into the ... Continue Reading
Cafe du Monde, World Famous Beignets, NOLA
Melt in your mouth, hot beignets and cafe au lait, chicory from Cafe du Monde. Yum! (Don't inhale, huge mound of powdered sugar...) ... Continue Reading
Cajun Feast, photos
Maybe I went a little overboard in ordering my first meal in Louisiana--etouffee, boudin balls, red beans and rice, shrimp po boy-- nah! Amazing regional food history and culture! ... Continue Reading