Located in Downtown Atlanta, I had long written Der Biergarten off as nothing more than a tourist trap, masquerading as quality German fare. With its somewhat cheesy photo op cutouts and murals, they didn’t help their case in my eyes. But because I was writing the book, Food Lovers’ Atlanta (have you picked up your copy yet??), I paid them a visit. Disclosure: Der Biergarten provided the food I sampled for this review.

I was immediately impressed with their beer list. Whether you fancy pilsner, lager, wheat, they’ve got you covered. Beers come in the liter or half liter size. You can order some by the bottle, but trust me, with such a terrific beer list, you won’t need to look any further than the selections on draft. For the quality of beers and pours, they are a quite a deal at only $5-$6 for the half liter size.

Visiting with a group of four on a Saturday evening, we started things off with the giant Pretzel and the Wurstplate, featuring three different kinds of sausage and and house made mustards and sauces. The pretzel is indeed, on big ass pretzel.It was warm, gooey and probably what someone on a no-carb diet has wet dreams about. While it may have been a bit much for two people to share, it was perfect for our double date. The Wurstplate, made up of Bratwurst, Knackwurst, and Wiener Wurstchen (mixtures of pork, veal and beef) complimented the carby pretzel well.

I think it kind of goes without saying that Der Biergarten is not for vegetarians. Besides the Wurstplate, which can also be ordered as an entree, choices also include a pork shank, trout, chicken and breaded veal or pork cutlets (ie schnitzel). Our friends chose the trout and chicken, but the Jagerschnitzel was calling my name – breaded pork topped with a sauce of mushroom, bacon and onions served along spatzle? Sign me up. The Jagerschnitzle comes with with two pork cutlets so with that and ordering two sides it was plenty enough food for me and Mr. ARB to share. The sauce perfectly complimented the dish – and we made short work of mopping it up.

300 Marietta Street
Atlanta, Ga 30313
Der Biergarten Website
Extra: During Octoberfest there’s no better place to be than Der Biergarten.

Overall, I thought our experience was so-so. They don’t tweet or put on Facebook what their specials are like these guys do, so I tweeted to JCT Kitchen at lunch time to ask what their specialty dogs were for the day and never got a response before arriving that evening. When I got there they didn’t even have a list (would it kill them to print up a menu?), so every time someone new joined our group the server had to repeat the specials. Lame.

There were 3: 1.) Pimento Cheese and Bacon, 2.) Mustard, 3.) Sweet peppers, spicy mustard and Blue Cheese. Some in the group tried all three, but really it was the latter that caught my attention. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t amazing. The strong and slightly salty Blue Cheese was a good match for sweet peppers and the spicy mustard was HOT, giving it a real kick. Those that tried the other dogs just thought they were average, but didn’t stand out in any way.

It wasn’t very busy at all on the night we visited – I counted three other couples outside besides our group of five, yet even with two servers, service was S-L-O-W. They brought out wrong orders (we were only ordering from three different hot dog offerings) and we had to ask for things several times. Hot dogs may be the new hamburgers, but these certainly weren’t haute dogs. If you decide to check out Wiener Wednesday at JCT Kitchen, keep in mind they are only served at the upstairs bar – not in the main dining area.

First off, I’ve got to say that INC Street Food is a whole lot more fun in the evenings. The bar is hopping and their patio was full as I made my way inside on a Wednesday evening. Starting off with one of their signature drinks, the Tres Chiles Margarita, it got spicier the closer to the bottom of the glass I got. We were brought appetizers of the Queso dip – rich and spicy, I loved the pita-like triangles they were served with, giving you lots of room to slather on the gooey goodness. The Goat cheese and Sweet Potato appetizer was another hit at the table.

We also sampled Beef Skewers with a verdant Chimchurri sauce, a set-your-mouth-on-fire Chicken Chile Relleno as well as Seafood stew full of Mussels, Scallops and Shrimp. The flavors were bold and fresh. I especially loved the the salsa and potatoes that accompanied the tasty Beef Skewers. Oh and don’t leave without trying the dessert Empanadas which are a crispy shell that gives way to a moist, cake-like center. However, if you are a fan of Flan you won’t be let down. But don’t take my word for it – Watch the INC Street Food video:

Amy heard lines can be long and they do run out quickly (sometimes within 90 minutes), so she suggested we arrive promptly at 11 to ensure we don’t miss out. Even at 11 there were about four people ahead of us. We didn’t have to wait too terribly long for our sandwich, though.

Souper Jenny’s Lobster Roll comes with a bag of chips and you can add lemonade or ice tea (there’s a table with drinks, napkins, forks, adjacent to the truck) to your order for a buck. Since the restaurant isn’t open, you can either choose to take your sandwich and go or sit at one of the tables outside. Most took their food to go as it is quite unpleasant to sit outside in the middle of summer in Atlanta. Tip: if taking your Lobster Roll to go ask for them to pack the hoagie separately from the lobster meat, otherwise the sandwich will be completely soggy by the time you are ready to eat it.

The Lobster Roll is huge and quite filling, chock full of lobster meat with none of that extra filler crap. I wasn’t hungry again for another ten hours. It was tasty (albeit pricey) and we all devoured our sandwiches in no time. Looks like you still have time to get your Lobster Roll fix in as they’ll still be serving them today, Friday, the 26th and Monday, the 29th of August.

56 East Andrews
Atlanta, GA 30305
Twitter @SouperJenny

I love food trucks and thrilled with how far the food truck movement has come in Atlanta. Sampling many tasty treats for cheap prices? What’s not to love? I condescendingly assumed that if Atlanta was slow to progress with the food truck movement, that there’s no way food trucks would be present in Panama City Beach. But to my surprise, we spotted Finn’s Island Grub food truck shortly after arriving at the beach.

Before the five hour drive back to Atlanta, we decided we’d fill up on tacos at Finn’s Island Grub. Besides tacos, Finn’s Island Grub serves burritos, quesadillas, salads, nachos and even Ceviche. They make bold claims about their Ceviche being “The Best You’ve Ever Had” so a sampling of that was in order too.

I have to admit the Ceviche at Finn’s Island Grub was delicious. There were large chunks of rare Tuna and the onions, tomatoes, and cilantro were extremely fresh. However, Mr. ARB and I prefer a mixed Ceviche – one with shrimp, calamari, scallops and fish, or at least two of those. But I’m not complaining – we devoured it. And our tacos, Blackened shrimp and grilled fish were filled to brim and yummy.

Totally stuffed and as ready as we could be for the drive home, I was really happy we’d chosen to stop at Finn’s Island Grub for our last meal. The only criticisms that I have is that given that it was a food truck, the food took a really long time to be prepared and that the pricing isn’t what you’d expect from a food truck. The portions are more like a restaurant meal rather than a small taste. So, the pricing was more.

My experience with food trucks is that you place your order and can expect it to be ready in a couple minutes, but we waited at least 15 minutes for our food to be prepared. The other thing is that since portions are larger, the pricing is higher. Don’t get me wrong, the pricing is reasonable for what you get, I’d just have preferred smaller samples. For example, the Ceviche, while not something I’d expect from a food truck was $9 for the small and $18 for the large. And you can’t just order one taco, which I’d have liked to do, you must two of the same.

Having said all that, I wouldn’t hesitate to eat there again. I’m just glad I know what to expect. If you find yourself in the Panama City Beach area and craving some tasty tacos, definitely plan to hit up Finn’s Island Grub.