The Incredible Sandwich Factory in Alpharetta, Georgia

Last week, Andy and I visited a little sandwich shop our friend Wayne recommended off of McFarland Road in Alpharetta, Georgia. It is called "The Incredible Sandwich Factory."



This place was awesome! The owner, Julio, is not only a delight to talk to, but has done a great job of giving his delicious sandwiches a lot of character; they are all themed around movies, like "The Porkfather," and "Top Turkey."





The food here was scrumptious! Julio puts a lot of time into the meats, making it tender and succulent. You can add anything from grilled avocado (Julio says that he grills it because it tastes like avocado butter :) to jalapenos to your sandwich. Andy and I shared "The Mariachi," with pork with grilled avocado, American and Swiss cheese, red and tomatillo sauces and lettuce and tomato. Yum! We also shared "The Great Roast." WOW! This one has fat free mayo, whole round eye pot roast, spicy onion salad, red sauce, and of course, we added the grilled avocado. Let me tell you, that spicy onion salad and red sauce were TO DIE FOR! Andy isn't even a fan of red meat, and he DEVOURED his half of this one. It was unbelievable.

All his bread comes in fresh, which makes the sandwiches even more enjoyable. Julio believes in using all local ingredients as well- something we can all appreciate.

The restaurant is open from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, so definitely go by on your lunch hour or visit after work for dinner. They are located at 1545 McFarland Parkway, Alpharetta, 30005, and their website address is incrediblesandwich.com. You can also like the "The Incredible Sandwich Factory" on Facebook.

Drop by for an "Incredible" sandwich today, and tell Julio that Neeta sent you :)

A Visit to "Tijuana Flats" in Naples, Florida

My husband and his family are from Naples, Florida. I visited for the first time years ago, and immediately knew my appetite would be fulfilled in this town. As Andy had always told me, the restaurants in Naples cater to the cravings of any and everyone. Though it is a big retirement city, people come from all over to experience the food and impeccable service there.

Andy and I visited his family a few weeks ago (March 24th-29th, 2010), and as I do every time I go, I asked my husband to take me to my FAVORITE place EVER~

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...DRUMROLL PLEASE.........




GET EXCITED! Tijuana Flats is PHENOMENAL. It's really, really, really good, fresh Mexican food. From tostadas to tacos, burritos to enchiladas, their ingredients are so perfectly ripe that it's way too difficult to decide what to have. It takes me a while to order.

Here is what the place looks like inside at the counter you order at...




Andy got one entree...






...but I had to have two!!! :)






I am IN LOVE with their tostadas (pictured above). These fried tortilla chips are topped with fresh chicken, steak or just beans (your choice), black olives, onions, the GREENEST jalapenos I have ever seen, tomatoes and some lettuce. Good GOD...it's like heaven.

The highlight of Tijuana Flats, for many, is the variety bar of hot/sweet sauces for customers.




I didn't get all of the names, but I got a photo of Andy getting his sauce on!



This place is not authentic by any means. As a matter of fact, the story I heard is that a bunch of college kids from the University of Florida started the place, and the restaurants spread in different parts of the state. If you ask me, there just aren't enough for my taste. Come to Georgia already!

This is my little (but much bigger) brother-in-law, Matt. He lives in Naples, and we are waiting for him to move up to Georgia.



Yes ladies, he is single...and a great catch!

Visit Tijuana Flats if you go to Florida. It is quite possibly my favorite Mexican place EVER!

A Visit to "Padriac's" and "Social" in Vinings, Georgia

Andy and I frequent going out to eat. It's my favorite thing to do aside from cooking, so let's call this section of my blog "What's Cooking Around Town." It works for me, hopefully it works for you too!

On Saturday afternoon, Andy and I headed to Vinings to hang out with our friends Josh and Eliza. We met them at an Irish Pub called "Padriac's." It was a low-key, casual place. I'm not a big drinker, so Andy got me some sweet champagne/wine/beer thing called "Lindeman's Frambois Raspberry." Eliza got the peach flavor. It was pretty decent for a girly drink.

As we cruised through town, we noticed a few really cool places to eat. Josh suggested we go to a bar called "Social," and apparently the reviews for the food looked impressive, so we headed down the street to experience it.

Social had a great atmosphere. We sat by the window and were there quite a while since the boys were getting their drink on, so we ordered some food. Andy noticed sushi on the menu, so he ordered some sashimi. He said that the smoked salmon was fishy, but the tuna was amazing.


I am allergic to fish, but not shellfish (yes, I know I'm allergic to everything). So, I ordered the shrimp tempura roll.


My roll was okay. I was pretty full from the appetizers I had ordered before the roll, the fried pepper jack cheese sticks with tomato aioli and the filet mignon bruschetta. Sound good? Guess again. I wasn't impressed...but I was hungry, so there wasn't anything left of what I ate. Sorry!

Andy did get a cheese plate with some pecans and prosciutto that he enjoyed.


The company was good :) The food was just OKAY. I think I'll "socialize" elsewhere next time.

;)

Eliza and Josh...