Scoutmob Excursion: A-Priori Seafood (Doraville)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  2 out of 5 Gummy Bears

:) = Private parking lot.  Variety of decent fresh seafood dishes.  Attentive servers who tolerated us well.

:(= This restaurant is neither casual nor kid-friendly, despite what Yelp says.  We don't recommend coming here with children. 

Tip:  ScoutMob has a deal available for this restaurant.  Get it while it's fresh!



Spoons full of crawfish, compliments of the chef.

Well, our favorite site, Yelp, fooled us again.  We visited A-Priori assuming a priori that it would be "Casual" and "Good For Kids" based on Yelp's review.  When we arrived, Mommy was horrified to find that it's actually a restaurant with clean white linens covering all the tables, easy listening/elevator music playing throughout the dining area, and servers clad in neatly pressed black dress pants and crisp white button down shirts.  There was nothing casual or kid-friendly about this situation.

 

We considered turning around and leaving, but the restaurant was empty when we arrived, so we decided to give it a try.  Thankfully, the pristinely dressed hostess and server were friendly and gracious to us.  Our server brought us a high chair and was good-natured when we played a short game of musical chairs before choosing our seats.  The chef even sent us complimentary spoonfuls of lightly fried crawfish tails covered with a tomato-based sauce, and our server brought us delicious cheesy bread and a marinara dipping sauce topped with fresh mozzarella - all of which we thoroughly enjoyed.  But despite the staff's best efforts, we knew the truth:  A-Priori is for Mommy-Daddy Date Nights, not family dinner outings. 

 

"I like to dip it, dip it."

Here's what we ordered:  A-Priori Ceviche (crab meat, jumbo shrimp, mango, & avocado with a citrus sauce, served with crispy plantain chips); fried calamari; organic corn arugula salad (baby arugula, sweet grilled corn kernels, cubes of feta cheese, and cherry tomatoes with a vinaigrette-style dressing); Grilled Spanish Octopus served with organic baby kale, tomatoes, and beans, and Almond and Parmesan Baked Tilapia with braised greens.

 



Corn arugula salad

Front: Grilled Spanish Octopus
Back:  Almond and Parmesan Baked Tilapia



We were disappointed in the kid-unfriendliness of the restaurant, but the food didn't totally let us down.  The seafood was fresh.  The flavors and ingredient ratios of each dish weren't perfect, but had lots of potential.  The calamari breading had just enough salt, but the calamari was slightly overcooked.  The corn arugula salad was delicious, and we loved the little salty bites of feta, but thought the salad could use more corn and a little less arugula.  The ceviche and Grilled Spanish Octopus were basically perfect dishes, though.  The ceviche was tasty, bursting with plump shrimp, and just a tiny bit spicy.  The octopus was tender and cut into easy-to-eat strips, and the presentation of this dish was gorgeous.  (Note the cute little flowers in the photo above.  We got a lot of pleasure from taking the flowers off the top of the dish and giving them to Mommy.)  We also liked the tilapia, although Daddy and Mommy didn't seem to think much of it.  I think the grownups' favorite part of the meal was the presence of so many veggies.  A-Priori packs their dishes with yummy organic veggies.

 

"Has anyone seen this fella they call Vee-chay?" 

So our final word on A-Priori is this:  pay them a visit if you're in the area and like seafood, but don't bring your little ones.  We think this restaurant has potential to be a great place for adults to enjoy a quiet, peaceful dinner.  But it's not the best spot for little foodies.  

 

Until next time, friends, enjoy your weekend, eat well, and keep an eye out for our next post!  It's going to be a good one. 

 

***

 

Afterthought:  Parents, if you and your littles are craving a seafood menu similar to A-Priori's, we recommend Goin' Coastal in Virginia Highlands.  This restaurant has yummy seafood dishes (including an amazing brunch menu), and it's super kid-friendly.



Celebrating Lunar New Year 2015



Happy Lunar New Year from the Toddler Foodies!

We celebrate the new year twice every year - on January 1 and on Lunar New Year - because we're half-Vietnamese.  The best part about celebrating Lunar New Year is all the yummy food we get to eat, and we wanted nothing more than to share our food experiences in this post.  But... we really struggled with figuring out what to write about.  First of all, the best food we eat for Lunar (Vietnamese) New Year is usually cooked at Daddy's relatives' homes, not at restaurants.  Second, we have already visited most of the good Vietnamese restaurants in Atlanta.  And, finally, this Lunar New Year was cold.  Bone-chillingly, teeth-chatteringly, can't-feel-your-toes-or-your-nose cold.  The last thing Mommy and Daddy wanted to do this evening was take us out to eat.

So, to ring in the Year of the Goat, we ventured outside of our normal celebratory routine.  We didn't eat Vietnamese food, and we didn't go out.  Instead, we ordered some takeout from Hong Kong Harbour Chinese restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road and enjoyed it in the warmth of our home.  We got a tip from our local foodie hero, Chloe of Chowdown Atlanta, that Hong Kong Harbour is one of a handful og Chinese restaurants in Atlanta offering authentic Chinese food cooked by Chinese chefs.  Wanting to be as authentic as possible, we decided to give it a try...

Clockwise from top:  Duck noodle soup with Hong Kong wontons,
Seafood Bird's Nest, stuffed crab claw

The food was yummy, but we have to admit we couldn't distinguish the difference between it and the "non-authentic" Chinese restaurants in Atlanta.  The Seafood Bird's Nest was our favorite dish.  It was full of whole, perfectly cooked squid, scallops, and shrimp mingled with crunchy snow peas and carrots. 

"Can we keep him, Mommy?"

Overall, we would recommend trying out Hong Kong Harbour if you're inside the perimeter and want to try some Chinese delicacies to celebrate the new year.  We also recommend trying Golden House in Duluth and Royal China Restaurant in Chamblee, lauded as authentic Chinese cuisine by Chowdown Atlanta, as well as Ming's BBQ.

Atlanta also has lots of Lunar New Year events to check out this weekend, if you're willing to brave the cold:

~Chinese Lunar New Year Festival at the Culture Center of Taipei
We highly recommend this festival.  The food options are incredible.  Bring a stroller if you have small children - it gets really crowded and seating is limited.

~Vietnamese New Year festivals - Wild Bill's (Sunday), Grand Ballroom (Saturday & Sunday), & Hong Kong Supermarket (Saturday & Sunday)

~Lunar New Year event at Lenox Square Mall (Wednesday, 2/25)

Wishing all of you a happy and prosperous new year! 

Mudbugs & Po' Boys: Blazin' Cajun (Duluth)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Gummy Bears if you and your littles like Cajun food

:) = Lots of free parking.  Life-sized dinosaurs in the parking lot... yes, dinosaurs.  Good-sized dining area with a casual atmosphere and noise level that's perfect for kids.  Staff and other diners don't seem to mind kids one bit.  Counter shaped like a ship, alligators and fish décor, and flat screen TVs to keep little ones entertained.  Tasty Cajun delights, including boiled crawfish, blue crabs, snow crab legs, and shrimp; a variety of po' boys; gumbo; and boudin balls.  Chicken wings in non-spicy flavors for sensitive palates.  Large portions - be ready to take home leftovers.  Quick service flavored with Southern hospitality.  Take-out available.
 
:( = Even if you order your seafood mild, it's going to have a kick to it.  Check out our Chili Pepper ratings in the captions below (1 Chili Pepper = cool as a cucumber; 5 Chili Peppers = third degree burns imminent).  And, let's be real, seafood is messy and requires effort - multiply the mess and effort by 5 if you're dining with small children. 

Deal Alert!  Scout Mob's mobile app has a 50% off deal for dinner at Blazin' Cajun.  Get it while it's still in season! 

"Say hello to my little friend!"

When you're a toddler, there's only one appropriate way to celebrate Mardi Gras - and that's by eating some yummy Cajun food.  We are big fans of all Cajun food, but we're especially fond of boiled crawfish.  Daddy is somewhat of an addict and can put away over five pounds of crawfish in one sitting.  And Mommy likes to joke that we were born to eat crawfish because she was allergic to crawfish until she gave birth to both of us.     

Since we're devoted crawfish lovers, we've already visited many of the Cajun seafood restaurants in Atlanta.  So you can imagine how excited we were to hear about the opening of a brand new Cajun seafood spot in Duluth - Blazin' Cajun.  Blazin' Cajun is located in the same plaza as Rustic Couch, the quaint little café we reviewed a few posts back, which means... there are dinosaurs in the parking lot.  Yes, dinosaurs.  We were happy campers from the moment we arrived.

We got a warm greeting and immediate attention upon our arrival.  Our charming young server, who made Mommy blush when he called her "ma'am," even brought us a high chair and to-go cups of water quickly.  In the spirit of Mardi Gras, we ordered an unusually large feast.  We started with  Fried Gator Bites (yes, as in alligator) and Gumbeaux (a/k/a gumbo).  The Gator Bites had a nice cayenne pepper bite and were crisp on the outside but tender on the inside - definitely not overcooked.  They were served with a spicy remoulade sauce.  The Gumbeaux was delightful.  It was little soupier than other gumbos we've tasted, but its slightly watery consistency by no means took away from the dish.  The broth was full of flavor and teeming with chunks of whole crawfish tails, shrimp, okra, peppers, and other goodies.   

Gator Bites
Chili Pepper Rating:  2.5 out of 5 Chili Peppers
.

Gumbeaux
Chili Pepper Rating:  2.5 out of 5 Chili Peppers

For our main course, we ordered an oyster po' boy, 8 BBQ chicken wings for us kids to munch on when we could no longer handle the spice, 3 pounds of "mild" garlic butter crawfish, and 2 lbs. of "mild" snow crab legs.  We took no issues with the po' boy - the oysters were fried well (not soggy or overcooked) and the French bread was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside (as it should be).  The sandwich was served with a generous portion of Cajun fries.  The wings were tasty and not spicy at all.  They helped cool off our little mouths and fill up our little tummies. 

Oyster po' boy.
Chili Pepper Rating:  1.5 out of 5 Chili Peppers

"These BBQ chicken wings get 1 out of 5 Chili Peppers!"

The crawfish and snow crab legs were served together in a metal bowl.  The crawfish were smothered in a thick, aromatic sauce infused with garlic cloves and bay leaves that made this dish quite different from - and messier than - other crawfish boils we've had around town.  (We noted that other diners opted to eat the crawfish with gloves.)  The mess was definitely worthwhile.  The crawfish and crab were cooked just right and the sauce was as tasty as it smelled.  There's no denying that crawfish is in season right now, and some excellent hauls are coming out of the waters 'round the bayou.



Garlic Butter Crawfish & Snow Crab Legs
Chili Pepper Rating:  3 out of 5 Chili Peppers when ordered "mild"
Gloves optional

We really enjoyed our meal at Blazin' Cajun and look forward to going back to try the other boiled seafood offerings, boudin balls, different types of po' boys, fried seafood platters...  okay, we pretty much want to try everything on the menu.  Maybe, if we're good, Mardi Gras will happen more than once this year.   

Mariscos La Riviera Nayarit (Atlanta & Norcross)

Toddler Foodie Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Gummy Bears

:) = Lots of space, semi-noisy (meaning kid noise won't bother anyone).  Huge portions of tasty and unique Mexican seafood dishes.  Attentive staff who seem comfortable around children.  Complimentary ceviche.  Mariachi band and bright fish décor that toddlers find entertaining

:( = Multiple bottles of hot sauce on the table for toddlers to knock over.  Some spicy dishes on the menu (make sure to ask the server if something is spicy before you order it).  Meals may take some time to prepare (have something on-hand to entertain the little ones when the mariachi band and fish décor lose their luster).  No desserts on the menu.