One of the best things about writing my blog is the fantastic people I’ve gotten to know. Besides some of the twitter foodie friends I’ve made along the way, I’ve also met so many chefs, restaurant owners and other folks in the restaurant biz. Recently, I was invited to check out Blue Moon Pizza and got to meet Mandy and Kelvin Slater – what a nice couple of people. You can tell talking to the Slaters that they are passionate about their business.

Both with backgrounds in the food industry, the Slaters opened the first Blue Moon Pizza nearly ten years ago in Marietta. Since then, they’ve garnered a loyal following and expanded to four locations in the Atlanta area.

As I sat down at Blue Moon Pizza, I spied the Slaters walking around, tending bar, and making sure customers were happy. I was surprised at the large Blue Moon beer logo on the wall of their bar and asked them about any copyright issues with the beer company of the same name. The Slaters said they get along splendidly with Blue Moon beer manufacturers and they even came out to paint the logo on the wall. Speaking of Blue Moon beer – the winter abbey (available now) is a fantastic pairing with their pizzas!

Looking over the appetizers, the garlic rolls with parmesan looked appealing as did the Bruschetta. However, as I was about the be eating a lot of dough, I decided to get the stuffed mushrooms. These are basically Portabellas filled with a Bruschetta ingredients (they refer to it as “Grandma Sauce”). Normally they come with goat cheese, but I got mine sans any cheese and they were still rather tasty.

Build your own or choose from the 14 specialty pizzas they offer. We ordered three specialty pizzas in the personal size. These ain’t no Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas. They are 10 inches in diameter and have six slices per pizza. For two, you could order an appetizer and easily share one of these pizzas and leave very satisfied. Most personal pizzas are around $11.50. Medium pizzas (16″) are around $21 and the large (18″) are around $25.

It is worth noting that you can even get pizzas as small as the personal size divided in half. We got: The Luna (chorizo sausage, caramelized onions, jalapenos, spicy ranch, black olives, cilantro) and Sante Fe (Seasoned black beans, chicken, jalapeno peppers, red onions, spicy ranch, cilantro, fresh avocado) on one pizza and the Jerk Chicken (Seasoned chicken, caramelized onions, bell peppers, cayenne-candied bacon, with a Jamaican jerk sauce) and Thai Chicken (Seasoned chicken, spicy sesame peanut sauce topped with bean sprouts, carrots, and cilantro) were on another. As the Grandma sauce is the Slaters favorite we ordered that sauce on top of one additional personal pizza. The Grandma pizza is actually a 16″ Sicilian style pizza but they will let you put the sauce on a smaller size if you like.

Each pizza was unique in its own way, and ALL the ingredients were quality but my personal favorite was the Luna. I’m a sucker for chorizo, so I kind of knew I was going to love that one. The Sante Fe is rather similar and is a good alternative if you don’t do pork. Mr. ARB’s favorite was the Thai Chicken, although I didn’t care for the peanut sauce on a pizza. We both agreed our second favorite was the Grandma. With its simple ingredients of tomatoes, basil and roasted garlic, it was lovely too.

Thinking of stopping in for lunch? They have some great lunch specials. Mandy shared with me that they’ve had the same lunch special since they opened and have never gone up on the price. $4.99 for two slices of cheese pizza and a drink.

One of the new things they are doing is offering Take and Bake pizzas. They’ll pre-load the pizza with all the toppings and you take it home and bake it for your party or evening in. The pizzas are generally good for three days in the refrigerator. This is especially good information for those who may get a Blue Moon Pizza craving on Sundays (when they are closed). Your uncooked pizza comes wrapped tight and complete with baking instructions, fresh condiments and a tray to bake it on. Cost is the same as dine-in.

Want them to come to you? They’ll do that too! They’ve taken a 1961 International Harvester Fire Truck and converted it into a pizza machine, complete with a stone pizza oven, a refrigerator and a sink. The cost for Blue Moon Pizza to come out to your site is $12 per person and a minimum of 50 people. I asked Mandy about this and she said they’ve gone as far as Helen, GA. The night I visited they had a movie crew booked to go and feed. Blue Moon Pizza has locations in Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Vinings and Marietta.

Blue Moon Pizza Website

Extras: There are $5 Martinis at each Blue Moon Pizza location on Thursdays and offer a variety of gluten-free menu items.

I chose Botekim for my Birthday dinner, opting for a low key evening out. The space is not much to look at from the outside. However, it is pretty inside with hardwood flooring and exposed duct work. We started the evening with two of Botekim’s cocktails – the Scottish Mule and their version of a Margarita. Both were overly sweet. But the wine list is quite nice. So skip the cocktails and focus on the wine. There are some unique wines like Pinot Gris or Douro that you won’t find elsewhere.

For starters we chose the Yucca fritters and the Sausage with toast points. Both were delicious and the highlight of our meal. The Yucca fritters are like a pastry filled with savory ground beef. The sausage was perfectly done and had a wonderful smokey flavor. Both of these appetizers were $8 and if you have a large group the sausage app is where you get the most bang for your buck. Drive ITP and you’d get half that size for the same price. My only regret is not having a glass of red to savor with that sausage.

We noticed that there is a prix fixe menu available: 2 courses for $19 or 3 courses for $24. So we opted for the 2 course option (apps were part of that offering) and got the Flounder and Shepherd’s Pie for our entrees. The Flounder had a sauce with shrimp, capers and other goodies that was just delicious and I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again. I ordered the Shepherd’s pie because one of how much Cliff Bostock of Creative Loafing gushed about how delightful it was. He must’ve tasted something very different than what I had because most of what I tasted was salt. It did have a nice flavor but was completely overpowered by the salt.

We were quite full and got our dessert to go, but I wish we would have skipped it altogether. The flan was super tiny a way too rich for what I was expecting. Totally not worth the money. I’d definitely stop in again if for nothing else than those tasty appetizers. The service was another highlight, with the owner making recommendations and checking in to make sure each table was enjoying their meals.

1410 Terrill Mill Road
Marietta, GA 30067
678 402 7584
Botemkim Bistro Website

I’ve now eaten at Kiosco twice. Once for lunch and once for dinner. When I say the place is tiny, I’m not kidding. There are about seven tables in the entire restaurant. I asked owner, Eddie, when he plans on expanding. His answer? “Never!” He said he loves the cozy feel of the restaurant and I get the impression he enjoys that fact that he can’t accommodate all wannabe diners on weekends because it keeps patrons interested in visiting his restaurant.

The food is very reasonably priced. Lunch entrees are around $7 and dinner entrees are around $13 – $15. All entrees, whether at lunch or dinner come with choice of soup or salad. Get the salad with Garbonzo beans, carrots, onions and cilantro, it is pretty delicious. The house made Sangria is a house specialty. Many groups order a pitcher as soon as they site down. You can’t go wrong with either one – white or red.

While there are several seafood specials, I have tended to stick with meat entrees. The Carne Pantacones – beef with fried green plantains, Round Steak, and the Bandeja Paisa (the mother of all dishes) are all tasty meals. See picture of the Pantacones above left and Bandeja Paisa above right. The Bandeja Paisa comes with rice and beans topped with a fried egg, steak, chorizo, Chicharones (pork rinds), and avocado. Be prepared to put away a lot of food if you order this dish.

As I said, the restaurant is small. If you plan to visit on the weekend, make a reservation or you won’t be able to eat there. Note that Kiosco is closed on Sundays.

48 Powder Springs Street
Marietta, GA 30060

As much as I like to go hiking at and around Kennesaw Mountain, I had never made it to Mountain Biscuits. It just never seemed the right time with my eating schedule. I knew Mountain Biscuits must be a popular spot, having driven by at peak meal times and seen the parking lot just about overflowing. However, I paid them a visit recently in the name of the research.

I visited late enough in the day to know I had avoided the lunch crowd. Good thing as there is not much seating inside. There are only about five tables inside that seat four people per table. There’s also a row of about six bar stools at the counter. It was nearly empty at my visit, close to 2 pm on a weekday. I did appreciate the bright colors and the mural on the wall. When it is not crazy hot and humid, there’s a picnic table to enjoy your biscuit outside.

I tried the sausage biscuit with egg and cheese. It was HUGE. I could have easily split it with someone and been totally full. Super cheap at only around three bucks for such a mammoth biscuit, it was delicious too. I kind of expected the biscuit to crumble under the weight of the sausage but it held up rather well. I’m anxious to go back and give Mountain Biscuits’s Country Ham, and Chicken Biscuit a try too.

Note: They are closed on Sundays.

1718 Old 41 Hwy NW
Marietta, GA 30060
770-419-3311

Earlier this year, I was approached by a publishing company, Globe Pequot Press, and asked if I was interested in writing a Food Guide book for Atlanta. I practically jumped out of my skin, I was so excited that they picked me. My publisher just sent me the cover of the book (pictured above) and I wanted to share it with you.

I’ve had so much fun over the last several months visiting restaurants around Atlanta and talking to staff and chefs. It has been a wonderful experience writing the book and I definitely have a new appreciation and respect for both authors and editors.

As you are reading this, I’m down in Florida for a short break and celebrating finishing the book!

Cheers!