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She’s breathtaking. She’s scrumptious. She’s sexy and she’s sweet. Her prime Buckhead location, in the Terminus building on Peachtree, makes her hip. Her creator, Tom Catherall of Here to Serve Restaurants (Posh, Twist, Shout, Prime, Strip, Noche and Goldfish), gives her credibility. Her expansive Italian menu shows her diversity. She’s Lola. She catches your eye once and you just want to eat her all up. A stylish restaurant and bellini bar, Lola attracts business people, young professionals, couples and groups of friends looking for a classy night out without breaking the bank. The restaurant’s curved stone entranceway leads to a futuristic-looking silver bar with high-top tables for those who want to keep things casual. Wicker furniture adorns a small adjacent patio, perfect for those looking to relax outside. Bellinis are Lola’s drink, but she also offers wine and beer, as well as martinis and Champagne. If you like fruit, try a Florentini — peachcello “muddled” with fresh raspberries and shaken with Prosecco — it’s as girly as they get. Pretty in pink, the Rossini tastes a tad stronger. Made with crème de Fraise “muddled” with fresh strawberries and shaken with Prosecco and a twist of lime, it’s meant to be savored. Lola’s antipasto bar features a selection of vegetables, cheeses and meats that provide a light alternative to a full Italian meal. The antipasti are on display, and similar to a sushi bar, diners can watch the preparation process. But Lola’s beauty shines even without a drink. Her wide, affable smile — punctuated only by red chairs and white tablecloths — welcomes up to 220 at a time, yet her personalized service and semi-private booths make you feel like she’s all yours. Lit candles are everywhere: hanging from the ceiling and separating wooden banquets. The result gives Lola a pure, innocent look; but don’t be fooled — this gal can cook! Starting with the garlic bread, Lola adds the perfect amount of spice and oil to give it flavor without making you feel greasy. It’s soft with a crunchy crust; this girl is not afraid of carbs. However, for those who are, she offers Lolitas — three entrées that contain less than 600 calories each. She also provides the option of whole-wheat crust for her pizzas. While she certainly knows how to make delicious paninis, hand-made pastas and customary Italian dishes like chicken piccatta and steak Florentine, Lola’s not always so traditional. Sometimes she lets her American and Mediterranean roots shine through, with an Italian spin, of course. Examples include the center-cut filet with wild mushrooms and balsamic glaze, and the roasted branzino Mediterranean sea bass with fennel and plum tomatoes. The choice is yours — Lola doesn’t discriminate! For dessert, she always has gelato on hand, but one look at the cart of treats wheeled to your table and you’ll be begging for pie (apple, with caramel sauce). She’s more than a fling; Lola is here to stay. — Reviewed by Carly Felton Photo courtesy of Lola Bellini bar & restaurant Lola Bellini Bar & Restaurant
If you’re becoming tired of typical Thai, reawaken your taste buds at Lime Juice Thai Bistro in Alpharetta. Chef Charlie Sunyapong cooks up inspiring authentic, home-style Thai dishes like spicy basil ground chicken with crisp peppers and rice topped with fried eggs, and unexpected delicacies like the luscious papaya salad with green beans and peanuts in a zesty dressing. A family affair, Lime Juice is owned and operated by the Sunyapong family and their personal recipes feature prominently throughout the menu. In fact, Sunyapong’s love of cooking began in his teens. Those early stovetop sessions with his mother paved the way to his formal training at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, where he mastered the art of creating Thai dishes that blend tradition with innovation. As the name implies, the tang of fresh lime juice is found in several dishes from pad Thai to pla goong, a scrumptious shrimp salad dressed with mint leaves, lemon grass, dried chili peppers and onion. Such explosions of overlapping flavors reflect the Thai culinary custom of representing sweet, sour, salty and tart in a single dish. Though not every dish at Lime Juice sticks to this statute, each dish is prepared with quality ingredients and fresh herbs and produce.
Small yet accommodating, Lime Juice is a bright and comfortable lunchtime spot that transforms into an intimate candlelit dinner destination where small votives on each table dress up the otherwise casual atmosphere. Lunch specials are prepared with your choice of chicken, beef, tofu, veggie, shrimp or seafood and range from classic Thailand treats like stuffed spring rolls and basil fried rice to contemporary cuisine like “drunken noodles” with hot peppers, cabbage and carrots, or the Thai spaghetti complete with spicy red tomato sauce. Dinner entrées please both the palate and the eye, and feature flavorful surprising ingredients like bamboo shoots, eggplant and jalapenos. The dried chili cashew chicken is a spicy-sweet treat that offers the best of both worlds. Appetizers like the fried fish cakes are an extraordinary way to stir up your appetite for one of Sunyapong’s specialties, such as the pud ped pla dook, or as we like to call it in Atlanta, “fried catfish.” The Thai take on this traditional Southern staple incorporates bamboo, aromatic sweet basil and a peppery red curry sauce. Wash it down with a tall glass of creamy Thai tea that is smooth and sweet enough to double as dessert.
— Reviewed by Tamara Holly Lime Juice Thai Bistro
At first glance, Hot Stix, located across from Lotus Lounge in Lindbergh City Station, is just another trendy destination restaurant. A stylish bar faces the street, offering eye candy to passersby. Silver and red with touches of gray and black color the interior. The result is a modern atmosphere that feels like a lounge — until you see the open kitchen in back. What’s cooking is up to you. Walk up to the endless array of choices, as the stir-fry ingredients are set out in labeled compartments on two buffet-style tables. The first choice is easy: brown or white rice, and/or any of three types of noodles. Then the decisions get a bit more difficult. With 31 vegetables, 18 sauces, 7 meat, poultry and fish options, and numerous spices, the combinations are endless, and the task of creating your own meal may seem a bit daunting to the indecisive. On second thought, this might be just perfect if you have trouble making up your mind – meals include unlimited visits to the buffet, making it possible to try as many combinations as you like. (Be sure to start small so you have room for more!)
If you’re new to the do-it-yourself concept, Hot Stix friendly staff is on hand to help you out as you make your way through the options. They’ll start by explaining the restaurant’s system of primary colored plastic sticks, which designate how you’d like your creation prepared if you want a soup or salad instead of a traditional stir-fry bowl (or, add a yellow stick to your bowl to signify a side of Roti bread, a light, thin Indian delicacy, which is a must-try). Once you’ve filled your bowl with an array of fresh ingredients, the staff is also available to help you navigate the sauce bar, arguably the most important part of your meal, by making recommendations based on your tastes. Do you like sweet? Try the Coconut Curry. Salty? Mix in some soy sauce. Spicy? Add the Hot Stix Sauce. Many of the choices are Chef Jerry Fulwider’s original creations, and are not as thick as most Oriental sauces, making them healthier alternatives to your typical Chinese take-out. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, drop your bowl off at the kitchen and take a seat as the cooks whip up your made-to-order meal, trans fat-, MSG- and sometimes even gluten-free. While you wait for your meal to be delivered, nibble on chicken potstickers served with the sweet-sour-spicy Hot Stix sauce. The portion is just large enough to share and still whet your appetite. The calamari, served on a bed of crunchy glass noodles, also is a good choice. Of course drinks here are a bit more colorful as well. Try sipping on the Hot Stix Hooch, a vibrant green “river” of rum, vanilla vodka, banana liqueur, coconut and pineapple juice garnished with a fun, fishbone shaped ice cube. The Hot Stix Infused Martini — house-infused blueberry vodka served chilled — is another worthy specialty. Sake, Asian beer, wine, mojitos and margaritas are available, too. A division of Southern Hospitality Management, Hot Stix comes to Atlanta from creators of Thrive and Compound. Similar to Chow Baby in Midtown, Hot Stix’s décor gives it an extra edge. Groups of friends and family can dine in the extra-large booths, and tables are plentiful. Giant black chopsticks separate the bar area from the dining room, where flat-screen televisions show the weekend’s biggest sporting events, and a projection screen built into both sides of a Lucite decoration garners attention from all. Fulwider explains that Hot Stix’s motto, “create a stir,” is meant to apply to all aspects of life, not just food. Well, it’s certainly “creating a stir” in Atlanta’s dining scene.
—Reviewed by Carly Felton Hot Stix
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Lola la-la-la-la Lola
Sweet Surprises at Lime Juice
Create a Stir