Due to the relative proximity of my home down Atlanta road, my office in Vinings, trips to Costco to buy epic portions of toilet paper, and my brother living off Spring Rd, I often find myself in the Smyrna area looking for somewhere to grab a decent lunch.
I used to hit Yakitori Jenbei or Roy’s for a cheesesteak, but both have changed ownership and gone downhill in recent years. The Cumberland mall area is a barrage of chains, which will only be furthered by the Braves disaster. Everything available just seems so middling. Muss & Turner’s is a go-to option for me, but everytime I go there I end up spending more than I anticipate. That said, I had a great chicken and sausage gumbo there yesterday.
Speaking of gumbo (check that lead-in brah!), I did recently check out On the Bayou on the strength of online reports. The solo lunch was not as expeditious as I had hoped, the server not super attentive to my desire to get in and get out on a work day, but I’d like to try it again. The roux-darkened chicken andouille gumbo packed a deeply flavorful punch. Good stuff.
The po-boy (shrimp and oyster mixed) would have been excellent had the Leidenheimer bread been a little fresher. Included fries ain’t bad either.
Worth a try but for a taste of New Orleans I’d be hard pressed to not visit AJ’s instead.