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Wednesday, January 2, 2008
MF Buckhead Too Expensive?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Most of the feedback from last week’s review of MF Buckhead has been positive, but with a caveat: Everyone feels that while they know how high end the restaurant is, they still feel it’s too pricey for what you get.
I couldn’t disagree more. Atlanta is happy to go to Bone’s or Fogo de Chao and drop a wad of cash for a steak, but when it comes to sushi, the small portion sizes of top-shelf fish just doesn’t rate. This is the freshest fish in Atlanta, bar none. And this restaurant has pulled out all the stops to get it here. It’s also prepared excellently, with less waste than a steak house.
Are there places in the city where you can get fresh fish for less? Of course. Taka has always been a favorite. Sushi there embodies the same simplicity and freshness that the brothers Kinjo of MF give their customers (well, with the addition of all those funky maki rolls).
But sushi is everywhere, and it’s become so Americanized that it’s sickening. MF Buckhead offers a Japanese experience incomparable in the Atlanta dining scene. Some things are worth paying for.
What do you think?
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Starbucks, Taco Bell lighten up menus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that 2008 is here, we’re supposed to stop snarfing chocolate-covered everything and start dieting. It’s the American way, or at least, the cycle that the food industry puts together every year: Seasonal goodies, limited-edition candy bars, baking mixes and frozen casseroles, then a flood of dieting products, books and light menus in restaurants. Oddly enough, a market research firm that studies American eating patterns say we’re actually more likely to diet in March than in January, as we near bathing suit season.
What’s in store this year? Starbucks is offering lighter lattes under the “Skinny” name (Caribou Coffee offers something similar, called Northern Lite Lattes). They’re made with sugar-free syrup, nonfat milk and foam rather than whipped cream. A Skinny Mocha Latte or Cafe Latte weighs in at 90 calories for a tall. (A tall regular Mocha Latte is 270 calories; it contains 2 percent milk, whipped cream and mocha syrup.)
Taco Bell, which is advertising its Cheesy Gordito Crunch heavily and has been promoting its Fourth Meal concept of another eating occasion between dinner and breakfast, is rolling out a marketing campaign for its Fresco-style items. No cheese or heavy sauces, just salsa and less than 9 grams of fat. If it sounds familiar, that’s because Taco Bell rolled the menu out in 2003, but to a lukewarm reception. This time around, look for nine items instead of 15, and ads in women’s magazines that compare the Fresco items to hamburgers. (If you’d like to see how they compare to Taco Bell’s other offerings, the chain’s web site offers nutritional information.)
I tried the skinless grilled chicken breast meal at the new El Pollo Loco in Roswell the other night, and thought the chicken a little dry; still, if you’re trying to cut calories, it comes with a light, spicy cilantro dressing and a side of cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, with only 270 calories, so it’ll do the trick. The chain is expanding rapidly in Atlanta. Nutritional information on its web site is more helpful than on most, because it puts everything in context, classifying them good, excellent, moderate, high, etc. The small bowl of chicken tortilla soup that both of my children ate, for example, was a good choice for calories, but high in sodium with 1,050 milligrams.
Are you thinking about dieting now? Do you find these types of lighter offerings helpful? If you’ve got a favorite light menu item from a quick-service or fast-food restaurant, share it with us.
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