Name: R. Rice Wok Grill Sushi
Menu: http://rrice.lmrpr.com/RR%20_%20DinnerMenu.pdf

A couple of weeks ago, I was personally invited to come check out R. Rice Wok Grill Sushi.  At that time, I had never heard of this place.  When I saw the restaurant's address in the email, I assumed that it had to be brand new.  I consider myself to be fairly familiar with the Hammond Dr/Perimeter Mall area and I couldn't seem to remember seeing a sign or a new building.  I definitely had never heard talking about this place (good or bad).  So, I went in with zero expectations.


Going in with a blank slate wasn't the worst idea I've ever had.  First, the restaurant sits at the corner of Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd and Hammond Dr.  This is particularly busy intersection which should be great for any business, right??  Well, not really.  R. Rice sits on the bottom floor of a 3 or 4 story building (if I remember correctly) that houses a Uncle Julios, a big medical school or office, and a few other retail shops.  The sign for R. Rice is so relatively small and humble compared the raucousness around it, it would be VERY easy to completely miss the place.


I walk in and the place was pretty nice.  Considering the area, I wasn't too surprised.  There was a full liquor bar, a sushi bar, and a plenty of comfortable seating.  And, the TVs happened to be tuned to ESPN.  Loving it already!!!  Right before I sat down, I was told to "order anything I wanted" because the tab was already taken care of.  Why did they tell me that??  My goal at that point was to sample as much as I could off of the menu (within reason) to get a true feel for the restaurant.  And so my foodie hurricane began.

Crab Rangoons (4pc) -  $4.75

Up first, the Crab Rangoons.  Not bad at all.  Definitely tasty and fantastic for the price.  Thumbs up from me all the way around.

Shrimp Tempura - $6.75

Next - shrimp tempura.  This was NOT the bizness!!!  Straight batter with no seasoning.  Plus the shrimp was way big and round which got me a little suspicious. 

Tuna Pizza - $13.75

At the recommendation of my waiter, I checked out the Tuna Pizza.  Comprised of a crispy tortilla, guacomole, thin slices of tuna drizzled with scallions, onions, masago: special sauce, this thing was actually pretty good. It was definitely something that I would not have ordered on my own.  And it was served cold which I'm usually never okay with.  I genuinely liked it though.  However, at $13.75, I'd probably never order it again.  It was also very small.  At that price, it needs to be Pizza Hut size.  Lol.

Honey Mango Chicken - $11.50

Based on a Foursquare tip, I opted to order the Honey Mango Chicken.  When it came out, I thought it was gonna be INCREDIBLE.  When I ate it, I thought "ehh".  Honestly, it tasted like anything you've eaten at a mall food court.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have quite a fondness for food court Chinese cuisine.  But, at $11.50, I'll pass.  I'd much rather hit up Chinese Buddha at that price and get something better.

Paradise Rolls - $9; Rainbow Rolls - $10

Last but not least, the sushi rolls.  Win Win Win!!!  These were definitely a hit.  Ya'll know that I'm not the big sushi eater in the crew, unlike Sakina, but I really enjoyed these. 

Overall though, with everything that I tried, I can't really say that this is a place I'd recommend.  There were so many more misses than hits.  And, with the location not being one that you would just readily come across unless you live or work in the area, I definitely wouldn't urge anyone to make a special trip over there.  But, if you are nearby, and you don't shoot past it because you can't find it, stop on by and see if it meets YOUR seal of approval. 

The Ciroc Bar

The bottle service sections

The centrally located show kitchen

Then, the food from the menu starts to arrive.  Not bad at all.  I had a chance to sample several items.  On the positive side, the Crispy Chicken Cheese Sliders were very Chick Fil A-ish so I was definitely pleased with those.  The Signature Creamy Mac n' Cheddar Bites, which was basically fried mac & cheese bites, were very tasty.  The Shrimp and Super Lump Crab Cakes were DELICIOUS!!!  However, on the down side, the Margherita Pizza was just okay.  I've definitely had better.  The mixed green salad was kinda blah but whatever.  Finally, The Red Pepper Steak Burger might have been okay had it not been damn near RARE (ya'll know black folks don't do raw meat!!!). 

The view from RED

Heard this on Q100's The Bert Show last week and I was surprised that this didn't get a bunch of comments due to all the foodies in the A.  They even talked about it again this morning (Yes, I'm a loyal listener).  Their question: What Food From What Restaurants Would Make Your Dream Menu??  Basically, they're asking if you could take various items from different restaurants and put them in one meal, what would they be??

I used to think about this all the time when I was a kid.  I dreamed of taking the sandwich from Chick Fil A, the fries from McDonalds, and the chocolate Frosty from Wendys and enjoying one super combo.  As a matter of fact, I tried this one time when I was in college.  But, when I sat down to eat it, the fries and sandwich were as cold as my Frosty.  Smh.

But, now that my palate is a little more sophisticated, I've got a new dream meal.

Appetizer: West Indies Beef Patties at Bahama Breeze

Salad: The Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad at Buckhead Pizza Co.

Entree: Turkey Ribs from Wing Tyme

Side(s): The Parmesan & Truffle Fries at Fish Thyme, The Broccoli at Pearl Restaurant & Lounge

Dessert: The Toasted Strawberry Pound Cake from Capers

Drink: The Lychee Mojito at Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft


I win!!!  No one can top that!  But, if you wanna give it a try, I'd love to hear it.  Leave your comments below.

Happy Eating!

1. 103 West

Is it real??  Is it fake??  Was it a scam??  Was it just an elaborate publicity stunt??  These are the questions that surrounded the most interesting food hoaxes in quite some time - Bon Rappetite.

For those of you who missed it, Bon Rappetite burst on the scene a couple months ago proclaiming to be a hip-hop themed restaurant nestled in East Atlanta's Ormewood Park neighborhood.  With a fully functional website boasting operation hours, an event calendar, and menu items like Wu Tang Clams and Waka Flocka Flambe, this "restaurant" gained national attention.  First, it appeared on Scoutmob.  Then, huge, reputable outlets like CNN and Huffington Post picked up the story.  From there, the joke spiraled out of control.  There are reports of people traveling from out of state to the A just to check the spot out only to find that the place didn't exist.  Lol. 

But, something real actually sprung from this fugazi food spot - a cookbook.  With over 100+ full color pages, Bon Rappetite offers a collection of over 50 rap inspired recipes.  For us ATLiens, there are items such as Big Boi-led Shrimp and  Ludacrispy Chicken Salad.  For Wu Tang loyalists, there is a Roastface Killah recipe and instructions on how to make Ol' Dirty Custard.  This is a really entertaining read and several reports are saying that the food is actually really good.  I ordered my book yesterday and I can't wait to try a couple of these things out.  It'd be great if you guys could get a copy too so that we could do some private Bon Rappetite cooking nights.  Who knows??

The good folks over at Baby Robot (the social media/branding company behind this whole mess) are offering a discount exclusively for readers of ATL Bite Life.  Enter the coupon code - BITELIFE - at checkout on Amazon.com and you will receive 10% off of your purchase of the Bon Rappetite cookbook.  #POW  Who's winning??  WE ARE!!!

As always, Happy Eating!!!