Quick Restaurant Rants

Vickery's Bar and Grill (1106 Crescent Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA)

Tucked away on a semi-obscure sidestreet in Atlanta's hopping Midtown section, Vickery's Bar and Grill is a longtime favorite of Cafe Drake; we recall several fun and delicious meals spent in the converted 1920s house. Circa high school years. Yikes! Luckily all charms have been retained since those distant days, including original hardwood floors, fireplaces in every room and as mentioned previously on this site, the excellence of the Black Bean Burger ($9.95). These burgers really are swoon-worthy - crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. it's difficult to imagine a better lunch than one composed of these, perfect fries and a complimentary cup of spicy gazpacho.

Earthen Oven (53 W. 72nd St, New York, NY 10023)

Can you post a retraction on Yelp dot com? We wonder, because Cafe Drake originally slagged off this quietly elegant and fiercely inventive Upper West Side Indian standby. The change of heart is all due to the now daily buffet ($13.95), pricey compared to East Village or Jackson Heights Indian restaurants, but worth every dime for the rotating parade of lesser-known subcontinental fare. We adore their corn fritters dipped in thick mint chutney, the tangy tomato rice, creamy spinach simmered with tender lamb chunks and cream of carrot soup.

Chao Thai (85-03 Whitney Avenue, Elmhurst, NY 11373)

While not earning yet a star with its modest set of 8 tables and handwritten signs taped to kelly green walls announcing the day's specials, Chao Thai is featured in the Michelin Guide, as proudly advertised in the front window. An area of Queens bursting with intense overpopulation, Elmhurst bustles by outside picture windows (as do the elevated LIRR trains) while the frenetic energy of the neighborhood mirrors the freneticism of the dining room. Loud Thai pop music blares from a kitchen that seems to be hosting a SouthEast Asian dance-off. But then again happy employees are generally a good portent of efficient service and cuisine. So is the case here, noted especially by a beaming waitress delivering to our solo mid-week lunch table a heaping platter of Catfish Larb ($9).

Larb is a signature dish of Northern Thailand and slowly working its way onto more predictable Siamese menus across the city. (Greenpoint and Williamsburg alone seem immune to anything Thai but sugary and sloppy curries and noodles). Basically you get an enormous salad filled with a variety of fresh herbs, red onions, chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, diced chiles and ground, potently spiced catfish. Cafe Drake Loves Larb and Chao Thai turns out a mean version. Several other sides intrigued and warrant at least two or three return visits this Summer; namely, soft shell crabs fried with mango pickles and the lovely sounding Kingfish in Chili-Cashew Sauce.