Bits And Pieces And Odds And Ends...

This is a sort of long overdue "catch all" post.  The job that barely pays the bills has been kickin' my butt lately, so I haven't been devoting as much time to blogging as I would like.  I definitely haven't been devoting as much time to cooking as I would like, but I plan to remedy that now that I have my first Saturday off in weeks!  I did have a couple of fun "foodie" outings before I was knee-deep in mandatory overtime, so I thought I'd do a bit of a "rewind".

Let's "rewind" back to late June, when I finally had the opportunity to attend one of The Broke Socialite's popular foodie events.  The overwhelming success of her Sugar Coma tours spawned two offshoots, Freeze (a tour of ice cream, froyo and other frozen treats) and Graze (a tour featuring small bites).  I opted for the Graze tour.   While I do love a good cupcake or two, the whole idea of Graze was more my speed.

The Graze tour was loads of fun.  We were chauffeured to each tour stop in nice rides provided by Zipcar.  The car I was riding in was chauffeured by none other than the hubby of our tour hostess, Mr. TBS himself (who was fantastic-great guy)!  I also had the pleasure of hangin' with "Auntie" TBS for most of the tour.  Our first stop was the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, where we visited Grindhouse Killer Burgers and sampled a variety of tasty sliders and chocolate peanut butter shakes.

We also visited a new little Italian restaurant in the market that's right around the corner from Grindhouse, Ciao Bocca.  Ciao Bocca set out a great spread of light, delicious Italian fare (including a delicious hearts of palm salad that was to die for).

Quick Bites: Quoc Húóng

I was a bánh mì virgin.

I'd heard all about these sandwiches (a fusion of Vietnamese and French influences) but until recently they'd remained on my gastronomic "to do" list.  Craving something different and wanting to try something new, I headed to Buford Highway to sample my very first bánh mì.  Previously recommended by The Blissful Glutton, EatBufordHighway and Food Near Snellville (whose opinions I value), I decided to visit Quoc Húóng.

I opted for the BBQ pork bánh mì (bánh mì thit nuong) to go.

Only $2.50 for this sandwich? Are you kidding me?!

WOW.  That first bite really was like an explosion of  flavors and textures: the perfectly crusty baguette, the crunch of the carrots and cucumber, the spicy kick of the fresh jalapeno, the sweet dressing and savory BBQ pork.  I know the whole "explosion of flavors" bit sounds kind of cheesy, but that's just the description that comes to mind.   This bánh mì newbie became an instant fan.  The $2.50 price tag made me even happier-this is a steal.  There are other spots for bánh mì on Bu Hi that I still have to try, but Quõc Húóng will be one of the places I will return to again and again. 

Quoc Húóng 

5150 Buford Hwy NE

Doraville, GA 30340

(770)936-0605