Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In honor of ... well, whatever it is we're celebrating on Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d share my top five favorite Mexican and pan-Latin restaurants in north metro Atlanta.

Cinco Mexican Cantina

Hunter and I have spent every Cinco de Mayo for the last three years here with our friends Caroline and/or Bryan (because rarely are they both in town at the same time). With locations in Suwanee and Cumming, there’s always a party and a good crowd at this hip, trendy restaurant, but the Cumming location also happens to have one of my favorite spots for al fresco dining in the suburbs, so we spend a lot of time here when the weather is right. There’s live music on weekends, a great view of the horse pastures across from Vickery Village, smooth agave margaritas and smoky salsa.

Tara Humata

Caroline and I first ate here for a review I wrote for Points North a few years ago, and went crazy over their tapas sampler, a selection of smoked salmon tostadas, grilled hanger steak with chimichurri, prawns in chipotle butter sauce and more. Now that Andrea is working in Alpharetta, the restaurant’s location on Windward Parkway also makes a great meeting point for our frequent lunch dates. We always sit in the same booth and order the burritos especial (the very best in town) and Jose margaritas – heavy on the orange and a little creamy, this is one of my all-time favorite libations.

INC Street Food

As the name suggests, this restaurant in downtown Roswell brings to life the street food culture of Latin America, with bright, bold graffiti decorating the walls (That’s me and the hubby at INC in my profile picture) and a menu inspired by roadside fare. I love the fried hominy in adobo seasoning with truffle oil that graces the table as soon as you sit down, and the exotic cocktail list is fun to explore. Favorites to date include the Tres Chiles Margarita with house-made jalepeno candy and Thatcher’s Pomegranate Paloma with Herradura, organic pomegranate liqueur and grapefruit juice. Read my past Points North review here.

Cheeky

I reviewed Cheeky when it first opened at The Avenue Forsyth, but with locations convenient to both work (at the Avenue) and home (on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Suwanee), Cheeky is quickly becoming one of my favorite hangouts. And no matter how many times I pore over the menu, considering trying something new, I always go back to a few tried-and-true favorites – the stuffed poblano pepper with mixed cheese and cherry tomato sauce and the taco trio (my favorite fillings are the crab cake and the veggie). There’s beer on tap at a few special tables, and a “Tricked Out” margarita list with unusual offerings like the Pink Lady (Asombroso “pink” tequila that has been aged in red wine barrels, lime mix and muddled strawberries).

Los Rios

This is definitely one of those hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints, but Los Rios in Cumming honestly serves up the best Mexican food around, plus it holds sentimental value because this is where I gather with a multi-generational group of some of my favorite women in the world - we even have a group picture on the wall! (Sadly, I don't have a copy of it to share here.) Los Rios makes a mean Texas Margarita, which we order by the pitcher, and delivers delicious chicken fajita quesadillas, black bean soup and pollo fundido.

Where will you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

French Fry Euphoria at Oyster Bay Seafood Cafe

Bacon Shrimp Po Boy with fries

They say knowledge of a person’s food preferences is a good indicator of how well you actually know them, like how someone takes their coffee, or how they like their eggs. I think the true test is knowing how a person likes her French fries. You see, there are two basic ways a person can “take” their fries: crunchy (the right way) and gushy (Andrea’s way).

My friend Andrea and I have been debating the topic of French fries since high school, and we simply cannot come to an agreement. But instead of driving a wedge in our relationship, this difference of opinion has actually made us closer. After all, she’s the perfect partner for sharing an order of fries, because she always polishes off all the (gross) gushy ones and leaves the crunchy ones for me. Still, it’s nice to find someone – or someplace – that knows what a good fry should be.

Oyster Bay Seafood Café in Lawrenceville is one such place. Here, each and every fry is cooked to a crisp perfection, yielding a deep, golden color glistening with grease and producing a satisfying snap when you bite into it that’s audible from across the table. Indelible on their own, the fries reach an higher level of greatness when dunked into Oyster Bay’s signature spicy remoulade sauce – it’s French fry euphoria.

Yet as good as they are, the fries are not the only item worth bragging about at this casual seafood joint, which reminds me of the hole-in-the-wall local hangouts I seek out at the beach, with all it’s coastal kitsch and a Florida Gulf-themed menu. 

The Key West Conch Fritters, served with that aforementioned remoulade, are full of flavor with a unique crusty-chewy texture that only good conch fritters can claim, and the Bacon Shrimp Po Boy is simply genius – why don’t all Po Boys come with bacon?? I enjoyed my meal alongside a glass of – what else? – Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, one of my favorite white wines. It’s crisp and citrusy, like adding a squeeze of lemon to my seafood, just the way I like it.

Oyster Bay Seafood Café is located at 125 Crogan St. SE in Lawrenceville. Read my full review in the April issue of Points North, on stands late March!