FIGO Pasta - Vinings, Georgia

I had driven past this gem several times over the past few years and always wanted to try it out.  Just the inviting look of the large patio and trendy sign was enough for me - and the fact that I could eat pasta 7 days a week....

Located in the heart of 'hilly' Vinings sits a quaint eatery with a LARGE menu.  I mean literally large.  It was a good 15x20 inches.  The restaurant was laid out as your typical deli.  You order your food and drink with the cashier and then you are given a large pepper grinder as a table marker.  (Ours was painted with the proud colors of the Italian flag).  The hosts/servers were very courteous and were willing to answer any questions with a smile on their faces. 

We had arrived for lunch and were interested in something light.  After deliberating with the cashier, we had made our decision.  We both had the Prosciutto and Mozzarella panini, side salad and the crispy and savory FIGOttini.  No, not a martini - it's two slices of toasted bread with your choice of spread.  Everything sounded divine.  Spinaci (spinach for us non-Italians), Carciofo e fagioli (artichoke hearts with cannellini beans) and so on and so forth.

Here's the final product:

All in all, it was fresh and tasty.  The salad obviously had a house made Caesar dressing as we were tasting the garlic for hours after our meal (which we didn't mind!).  My son enjoyed the warm and fresh bread that was delivered before our entrees.  I think we will go back for dinner one evening seeing that they offer a wide selection of wines and beers, not to mention an incredible selection of pastas, sauces, and proteins!  I LOVE that they offer whole wheat and even gluten-free pasta.  That is the trend right now and FIGO has the best selection I've seen thus far.  We will definitely go back to taste the fabulous sounding pastas and will share with you what we think.  There are several locations around town including Edgewood, Little 5, Perimeter, and North Point.  Try it out! 

In closing, I will say:  Viva Figo!

FIGO Pasta's Menu

http://www.figopasta.com/

Hollie Guacomole! Gourmet Burrito

Nestled between a cupcake shop and message therapy office sits a "hole in the wall" burrito place in Marietta Square.  With it's enticing neon pizza open sign (seriously) and catchy name, we had to try this place out.  Honestly, if it wasn't for the grand "Hollie Guacamole!" signage, we may have missed this gem.  It was, as you can see in the photo, covered by the Marietta Flower Shop delivery vans.  However, we spotted it from the square and pressed on.

Upon entering we were not at all surprised to it's quaintness.  There was a large menu on the wall with a few high top tables and wall seating.  Definitely not a place for your next family reunion, but it was perfect for the passing lawyers (and local criminals) on there way to and from the courthouse.  We were greeted by a friendly "hello!" and replied that we were drawn in by the name of his restaurant, and the fact that we were in desperate need of some good Mexican cuisine...

The menu resembled any standard burrito joint: steak, chicken and pork.  Along with burritos you could order fajitas, nachos, salads and so on and so forth.  It was your basic Moe's setup without the "Art Vandalay" and "Homewrecker".  As we made our decision quickly, we placed our order.  I asked for a steak burrito and then Bree said the same.  As my tortilla was being laid out, Bree motioned inconspicuously to me and mouthed (not so fresh ingredients).  I took a peek at the containers of lettuce, pico, guac, cilantro, etc. and nodded in agreement.  However, we are writing a blog, right?  As long as the meat is cooked and there aren't used needles in the lettuce, we were determined to get a clear idea of what this Gourmet Burrito joint had to offer!

After some confusion (possibly a slight language barrier) about rice on one but not on the other, our freshly made non-Taco Bell looking wraps were ready to be eaten.  We couldn't eat in the restaurant - not because there were no available tables, but because there were no high chairs and my 14 month old was getting bored.  We headed to the square to find us a nice bench.  About the food...

Honestly, I was surprised that the tortilla looked and smelled fresh.  After biting into it, I recognized that the steak was cooked perfectly.  Not rubbery or chewy as we have come to expect from inexpensive 'Americanized' Mexican food.  The cilantro was a nice touch since the steak had little flavor.  One of the things that intrigued us was this "Hollie" guacamole we were expecting.  It more or less looked like pureed avocado mixed with a couple peppers and sour cream.  Not at all what we expected from the name on the door!  I wanted glorious guacamole.  I wanted chunks of avocado paired perfectly with cilantro, lime, peppers, onion, etc.  Alas, we were fooled!

The burrito was all together edible, but neither of us finished.  Bree mentioned that she'd rather have Moe's.  I was a tad disappointed because I was hoping that we had found a fantastic new place to bring our friends and brag about how delicious the food was.  Unfortunately, we will not be returning.  I am all about supporting local eateries, but I don't think this place will be around for many years to come.  The atmosphere was mediocre and the food was ordinary. 

- Hollie Guacamole! visited on 1/29/2011 by Mary Caldwell and Bree Bannerman.