Watch the Throne

            When a visiting friend asked me which restaurant in Emory Village was the best, I was overcome with a sense of guilt and embarrassment. I was trying to figure out why and how I could have lived at Emory for an entire semester and only have eaten at two restaurants in Emory Village. Due to the feeling of guilt that my friend’s question installed upon me, I decided the only way to resolve my feelings would be to embark on a quest by eating at all of the restaurants in Emory Village within the second semester.

After eating at Saba, a slightly expensive Italian restaurant, my expectations were held high for the remaining restaurants in Emory Village. Falafel King certainly did not hold up to my previous expectations and I believe that the restaurant has a significantly overrated reputation around campus. I’m actually quite surprised that the place has stayed in business. Even though the food was acceptable, I never thought it was possible to grow a beard while waiting in line to receive an order of Falafel. Nevertheless, Falafel King at least made it possible for me, while I waited for my order, to go across the street and get a cheap haircut at Super Cuts while still having time to pick up my dry-cleaning down the road.

Another restaurant that did not hold up to its reputation was Everybody’s Pizza. To be honest, the restaurant seemed to have a decent status among friends. However, I felt that the service at Everybody’s Pizza was subpar, the dishes lacked even a remote amount of diversity, and the food was bland. Furthermore, after receiving my dish and seeing a four-inch strand of hair emerging from the pesto sauce, I do not predict I will be revisiting Everybody’s Pizza any time soon.

House Salad and Pork Steamed Dumplings (Doc Chey's)

On the other hand, Doc Chey’s Noodle House was one of the restaurants that offered a beacon of light in my quest to find the best restaurant in Emory Village. Doc Chey’s offers quality Asian dishes at an affordable price. My friend and I ate there after a tiring swim practice and we were stuffed with only spending twenty dollars on food. If you’re someone that enjoys sampling many different appetizers, the dumplings, the edamame, and the house salad were all phenomenal. The House salad had an original homemade ginger dressing which served as an excellent compliment to the hot, hand rolled, steamed pork dumplings. Additionally, the Edamame was cooked perfectly and was coated in just the right amount of salt to fulfill a crave. It was easy to notice that I was enjoying food prepared with fresh vegetables, meats, and quality ingredients. As of now, Doc Chey’s Noodle house takes the crown for being the best restaurant in Emory Village. However, I still need to eat at a few more to restaurants to decide if any others can usurp the throne. 

Edamame (Doc Chey's)

Flip Burger Boutique ☆☆☆☆

            Last weekend, as a fraternal rush event, I was treated to lunch at Flip Burger Boutique. Surprisingly, the restaurant had a thirty-minute wait, even though it was 3:45pm on a Sunday afternoon. Flip Burger Boutique has a very great reputation on Emory campus, often compared to Yeah Burger, Farm Burger, and Wonderful World. It has a unique modern style, which redefines the conventional burger. The restaurant mixes a fine dining experience with gourmet ingredients, creating a novel and pure energy in their dishes.

            Flip Burger’s chef, Richard Blais, is one of the nations most renowned chefs. He has been on countless Food Network and Top Chef television series and is well known for his innovative and redefining style. After eating a Flip Burger, I saw exactly for myself what all the hype was about. He takes a conventional burger and adds gourmet dishes on top of it.

            The menu was short and diverse. Nevertheless, it was an easy decision for me to pick the Philly Burger. I have always loved the combination of cheese, steak, onions and mushroom. The burger was composed of shaved top sirloin, caramelized onions, mushrooms, green bell peppers, ketchup, and an extremely light and fluffy house-made cheese wiz. The mixture between both the burger patty and the shaved top sirloin made for a great combination.

Nutella and Burnt Marshmallow Liquid N2 Milkshake

            From word of mouth, I heard to get one of Flip Burger’s liquid N2 milkshakes. The milkshake menu contains bizarre ingredients: Nutella and burnt marshmallow, Krispy Kreme, and Captain Crunch and peanut butter foam. I’m personally a huge Nutella fan, so I decided to go with the Nutella shake. The shake was beautiful and delicious. The Nutella was evenly blended into the shake, without compromising the smoothness or drinkability. On top of the shake were the burnt marshmallows, which added an even more creamy taste and triggered a nostalgic desire for s’mores. Overall, Flip Burger Boutique was a great place to eat for both its atmosphere and for its unconventional food dishes. However, it was a little bit pricey for the small amount of food they give you. So if you're looking to eat a lot, this is not the right place. But if you're looking for something with great taste and novelty, Flip Burger Boutique is the place to go. 

           

            

Saba-restaurant ☆☆☆☆☆

Last Friday night, for my nineteenth birthday, I was graciously treated to dinner at Saba-restaurant. I was expecting the restaurant to be packed, like many other restaurants in the area at seven o’clock on a Friday night. Saba was surprisingly empty, given its unquestionably stellar reputation among Emory students for its affordable prices, high quality food, and convenient location. There were only a few people in Saba, which created a pleasantly patient and personal atmosphere.

Anytime I go to a restaurant, I prefer to select risky appetizers—something that I have never tried before. This leaves the uncertainty of whether or not I will actually enjoy the food. Optimally, the selection leads to the discovery of new and delicious flavors. Furthermore, I find that the anticipation of blindly trusting the chef’s expertise can be equally as thrilling.

When I glanced over the menu, many of the appetizers were familiar, an assortment of salads, hummus, meatball sliders, bruschetta, and fries. Nevertheless, what stood out over the others was the honey ricotta with pecans, prosciutto and sliced apple. The pecans and sliced apple combination of taste was familiar to me. But, I had an urge to discover how it would taste alongside ricotta, prosciutto and honey.

Honey ricotta with pecans, prosciutto, and sliced apple.

When the appetizer came, I was dazzled by both the presentation and the quality. The plate was covered with a thin layer of prosciutto, which made it easy to cut and chew. The ricotta cheese was presented like an ice-cream scoop, which created a dessert like appearance, especially when the crunchy pecans were chopped and scattered across the dish. Sliced apples were used to separate the bites or ricotta and to set the foundation for the dish. The honey was drizzled in an unorganized but evenly distributed layer.

            Nevertheless, the appetizer was as delicious as it appeared. The ricotta was fluffy, and complimented the faint taste and texture of the prosciutto. The apples and pecans gave the dish a crunchy and fruitful taste. The honey was able to bring the whole dish together, similar to how caramel holds together a sundae. Overall, I wasn’t sure if this was a better appetizer or a distinctive healthy dessert. But nevertheless, it served as an excellent spectacle and it quenched my desire for both discovery and exploration.