Fadó à go-go

The following piece originally appeared on A Man's Gotta Eat back in November. Since I visited the restaurant featured in said piece during my recent New Year's trip to Atlanta, I think it's worth re-posting. Here 'tis:

Regular Creeder Readers will recall that I spent the past weekend in Atltanta, Georgia (Stone Mountain, to be specific). Saturday night, the friends I was visiting and I had dinner at Fadó Irish Pub and Restaurant, in Buckhead.

Boy howdy, it was good!

First of all, I appreciate the hell out of any restaurant that has Harp Lager on tap. I enjoyed several - and I mean several - pints-plus of Harp at Fadó's. What do I mean by pints-plus? Well, the glasses in which Fadó serves its "pints" hold more than a pint of liquid. I've consumed my share of pint-glasses o' beer over the years, and I know when I'm getting more than I asked for, indeed.

Fadó's food impressed the hell out of me as well. As much as I hate chain restaurants, I must admit that the folks who "run" Fadó have crafted a first-class menu, and then some.

My entrée at Fadó was corned beef and cabbage. Wait, lemme tell you:

I am a certified cabbage freak. I love the looks-like-lettuce stuff. Hell, I even love to smell cabbage when it's cooking (told you I was a freak). Whenever I see cabbage on a restaurant menu, I know immediately what I'm gonna order.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Fadó's corned beef and cabbage:

The corned beef had been expertly cooked (a corned beef brisket can be ****ed-up faster than you can say, well, corned beef brisket), meaning it was served in firm slices and was incredibly juicy; and the cabbage was perfectly cooked - i.e., not mushy - and seasoned with just enough salt, pepper, and spices.

If friends hadn't taken me to Fadó, I would've never, ever considered darkening its door. You see, I avoid chain restaurants like the plague ... especially when I'm traveling.

Next time I find myself in a city with a Fadó Irish Pub, I'm gonna have a hard time resisting the urge to visit a hole-in-the wall deli, BBQ joint, or pizza parlor. Yes, Fadó's that good. Check it out when you get a chance ...