Madras Chettinaad :Love thy food!!

Since the time I have moved to Atlanta, husband and I have explored some gazillion restaurants in search of good Indian food. When I say good Indian food, I want to mention that I belong to Northern India, having lived in Delhi and tasted the best of Indian cuisine from street food to fine dine,I have tasted all the good food within and beyond my reach, I have traveled distances to satiate my taste buds.Therefore,the food needs to be really scrumptious for registering a spot in my memory.

So, here after cajoling the husband dearest (he is not experimental with food ),we finally went to Madras Chettinaad, an Indian restaurant with a South Indian feel and the food as amazing as any of those good restaurants in Delhi with a long cue. They have a great Indian buffet every single day of the week and it gets grandeur on the weekends. The ambiance would be relaxed and warm on weekdays but since we went on a Saturday, it was very busy but when you only care for the food, the rest of the things take the back seat, so no complaints here. The best part is the entrance, all the mood setters for the food will be delighted to see the bar at the very opening, just after the waiting area, in fact the wait becomes all the more worth it when you get to enjoy your food with a drink or two.

Now, coming to the food, the variety, the starters, the main course and the desserts, I want to taste all of it again to write about it, I mean it was so good that I can eat it all over again like now as I write about it. I was astonished at the sight of the buffet area, it was grand. For the starters, don't miss the Tofu Manchurian, beautifully cooked vermicelli with vegetables, tandoori chicken for the non-vegetarians, you will be delighted to see the variety of appetizers, all well cooked and with just right amount of oil and spices( husband vouched for it). The dosa, vada, sambar, coconut chutney were also having a royal presence and they totally justified the Madras like feel of the restaurant.The main course included 4-5 veg and non-veg entrees, special eggplant curry not to be missed and mango style fish and the chettinaad curry are the signature dishes, enjoyed these with nan (Indian roti) which melted in ours mouths, some three kinds of rice dishes were made, I had them all, I feel bad if I miss any of the dishes in the buffet, please don't miss the egg-curry, it was hot and tasty.

As much as one can get into the plate

The desserts are still to be talked about, I mean it would be an insult to the chefs if you are done without tasting the desserts, how many desserts would you like to prefer after a good hearty meal, 2-3?, they had five of them, to start with the superbly delicious orange pannacotta , sweet and little extra sweet kheer, good to go Mango custartd, vermilcilli kheer and the very famous Gulab jamun. I thanked myself for coming to Madras Chettinaad and my husband thanked me twice after seeing the bill, all of this for only $13 per person. It's a good place to enjoy food with friends and family, for a while you will forget that you are in US and after the whole experience you will think OMG!! all of this in US.

Orange Pannacotta, gulab jamun, vermiclli kheer and mango custard

Life is good and with a little bit of food and good company it becomes better.

Address: Madras Chettinaad,
4305 State Bridge road, #108 Alpharetta, GA 30022

Miami Happinesssss!!

"Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Make you want to move your dancing feet." Sometimes, I wonder whether Bob Marley went to Miami to write this song then. Alluring and warm beaches, night life which keeps you on your toes, great architecture, jovial and enthusiastic crowd, every person and thing in Miami is larger than life.

It is no less than a dream vacation for people who know how to enjoy life at it's best in Miami. There are so many things to do in Miami but for first timers, I would suggest to book a day trip via Viator, it's cool, very informative, covers the whole Miami, including Coral Gables, Little Havana and a very exciting and well informed cruise of Biscayne Bay. If you have extra time in hand and want to be a little more adventurous, go the local way, take metro movers which are completely free of cost and cover the whole downtown area of Miami or hop on the Miami city tour buses and be on your own, they have a daily charge and you can hop on, hop off any number of times in a day, or just rent a car for suiting your comfort, but when you explore a location in a local way, you take back home the best and only the best.

On our day two we covered Key-West, the island at the southern most tip of the Florida keys, the drive to Key-west is an adventure in itself, your eyes will thank you for this treat. Rent a car ,set your GPS and you are off for the best drive of your life, alternatively you can book cabs or buses for a more laid back and relaxed drive. Enjoy the Key-west island on conch trains or trolleys which are guided & are for people interested in learning more about the culture & history. If you are a party person, there are lots of cafes and bars with bands playing in. Not to be missed in Key-west, the very famous Mallory square, the southernmost tip and the great sun-set. Key-west is a place to chill, relax and be your self, leave all the prejudgments at home before enjoying the best of Key-west. Don't forget the famous Key-Lime Pie, added romance with the hubby enhances the flavor of the trip.

Drive to Key-West

Any trip to Miami is incomplete without getting wet in the waters of the world famous South Beach, go with your towels, sun screen and eye- glares to enjoy the Miami waters. Lay back on the beach chairs with chilled beers, a book or two or just be in the water the whole time, tan yourself , para-sail, jet-ski and all your stress will wither away in no time. Take a stroll of the prominent Art Deco street for observing the Miami night life closely, visit the world erotic art museum and enjoy your food with live music. You will thank your stars for tasting and exploring one of the best night lives of the world.

The famous Mallory Square

Miami is a blissful, fashionable and a sophisticated city with plentiful ways of enjoying your stay there, beat the beats to enjoy the Miami heat. Be a traveler instead of a tourist, add more "s" to your happiness..!!

Just before our para-sailing adventure

Para-sailed !!

Eat, eat and eat some more..!!!

Food is not a choice, it's a necessity. It's important to eat to carry out day to day activities.They say eat to live and not live to eat but for some people like me and my real close circle of friends we just live to eat and with all the enthusiasm and pride I declare that I love food and  food loves me back.

I made some real good friends over Maggi, street food, paranthas and what not, food not only connects two people once but it keeps connecting and re connecting again and again provided the love for food is real ;)

Infact eating is a simple answer to so many questions, when in dissonance with self eat chocolates, when you have a fight eat Maggi with Amul butter, when you can't understand life and don't know which path you are on, leave everything and go for some street food hogging, I know too much food is bad and all but it is any day better than a nicotine break, you don't want to lose your lungs weight in the end ;)

Eating your favorite food sometimes is very important to know your own-self, sometimes what you love to eat at a particular point in time can actually give insight about the problems you are facing. Believe you me a friend once in deep trouble left everything to grab her favorite ice-cream and ola!! she got the answer, I am not saying she found the solution in the ice-cream but ice-cream helped her to relax and think. Food helps, we just need to allow it to soothe and ease us.

If you agree with me, please share your thoughts on the same and the foods you prefer to eat during happy or tense times.

Happy Eattt..ingg :)