PREP
Atlanta has opened another tucked away gem in its growing arsenal of diverse
table-service brick and mortar concepts.
The commercial kitchen office park near Spaghetti Junction caught my
attention last year with HotChick Peas, a middle eastern restaurant that
operates out of a tiny space in the back of the PREP complex. Their shawarma, falafel, and hummus are the
best I've ever eaten—and that includes the old city of Jerusalem!
PREP
acts like a base camp for caterers, food trucks, and restaurants that need to
cook offsite and then serve in a small space.
Sprinkled in amongst these operations a few actual restaurants like Hotchick
Peas do their magic. Next, I tried The Little
Farmhouse Café and then a Taiwanese chicken spot called Java Saga that all blew
my mind. All of these concepts were
extraordinary; a delightfully international cultural mix and all with next-level,
authentic cuisines.
New
to the list: Raul's Latin Kitchen. Chef Raul Thomas from Puerto Rico has been making
noise in the kitchen for over 30 years celebrities with an infectious enthusiasm
for people, food, and culture. Most
recently Raul has been operating a popular food truck and decided it was time
to plant his Puerto Rican flag into a brick and mortar spot to provide table
service as well as small Bodega, a small market selling imported delights like
coffee, spices, soft drinks, and baked goods.
But
if you are seeking Puerto Rican, Latin and Caribbean tastes, you would have to
fly to San Juan, San Jose, or Negril to taste anything so spectacular. Sandwiches like the Pernil with slow-roasted
pork, the Cuban with pork, ham, and swiss cheese, and the Tripleta with chopped
steak, roasted pork, and American cheese are all gargantuan meals unto
themselves and prepared with the care and love of a master chef. Platters like slow-roasted pork with yellow
rice and sweet plantains teleport you so south of the border you will never
want to come back. Jerk Chicken with
fried yucca, garlic shrimp, and beef empanadas are also executed flawlessly, and
you'll swear they are better than the versions you might have eaten on holiday
in their countries of origin. I even adored
Raul's tripe soup, a savory masterpiece made with—yes—cow intestine. Don't knock it until you try it!
PREP
is on the verge of becoming its own mini-Buford Highway. They have started calling the enclave the Atlanta
Food Junction and there are plans for a spring festival. Needless to say, I will be paying close
attention to their forthcoming roster additions! So set your GPS for Raul's Latin Kitchen or
else you'll never find it. But I promise
your journey will be worth it!
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