Weekend Foodie Warriors- Take 17!

Hello hello, again, Foodie Friends 🙂 Hope you had a fantastic weekend! In this edition of Foodie Adventures, we headed to Atlanta for the Overwatch Atlanta Reign Homestand Tournament, went sightseeing, and stopped at two local favorites, Cinco and Yakitori Jinbei.

---

This weekend, my sister and I traveled down to Atlanta for an Overwatch tournament with her team she’s been playing with for the last few years! It was a great excuse for a sister’s trip and getting our nerd on for a few days, so we hopped in the car and decided to spend the first day sightseeing.

Above you’ll see a picture from Olympic Park, the area and green space from when the events were hosted there in 1996. It was gorgeous, with lots of shade, some fountains, and room to run around or fly a kite (if the wind was blowing).

We finally met up with my sister’s friends for lunch and picked a cute spot next to our hotel, Cinco’s!

The rest of the Oh Gosh! Team (the name of their Overwatch squad) got shrimp tacos, chicken quesadillas, fajitas, and enchiladas (not pictured here). It was a great place to catch up after the airport, and the ambiance was really laid back. I’d recommend checking this place out if you’re in the neighborhood!

---

I’ve been to a comic-con or two in my life, but I’ve never been to a gaming tournament. They have pretty similar elements and some that are very different. I loved how much fans got into the event, giving everyone in the stadium noise-makers and telling people to cheer and get loud at close points in the matches. The telecasters, former players themselves from Switzerland, England, etc., discussed the matches as in depth and with as much strategy as a football game here in the states. I got a lot more into it than I thought I would and it was super fun!!

The event was held at the Cobb Energy Center across the street from our hotel, minimizing the ridiculous Atlanta heat we were exposed to, thank goodness.

Two of our players were from Pennsylvania and were wearing the Philadelphia Fusion, their Overwatch League’s home team jersey, and our member on the right is sporting our Oh Gosh! team jersey.

We had absolutely fantastic seats, on the top balcony, smack dab in the middle, so we had a great view of both the stage & teams, announcers in the press boxes, and the screens below us.

See pics below for more in the ballroom and outside with the Bud Knight (Bud Light, Coca-Cola, & State Farm sponsored the event).

---

Now I know I’ve mentioned my infamous Food Bucket List to you all multiple times, but in case you’re new here, I’ll give you the short version.

Growing up watching shows like Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives from Guy Fieri, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Unique Sweets, my goal was always to travel around the country as a food writer, completing a larger version of what I’m doing now! I’ve been compiling these lists from combinations of Food Network faves, suggestions from friends and family, and have almost all 50 U.S. States, the UK, and Canada.

This, my friends, is one of those restaurants.

Dr. Jae, the owner and restauranteur behind Yakitori Jinbei, had this to say about the new seasonal menu:

“This is very exciting to us here as it’s the most creative we’ve been menu-wise so far. Its a great mix of Asian street food and fusion food, with a Southern take on Korean, a Japanese take on the traditional Bao, and a cool take on a (normally) hot ramen dish.

There is also a dish made especially to recognize the heart of the house, celebrating Hispanics and calling back to Hispanic Heritage Month with our new Fiesta Roll, a Spanish spin on a sushi roll.

A percentage of proceeds from this menu will be going towards our partner, Atlanta Community Food Bank. All seasonal menus from here on out will donate to the Food Bank as well!”

Dr. Jae Choi, Owner & Culinary Artist

I knew I was in the right place, as the first two things that greet you on the wall are a picture of G-Garvin, Guy Fieri, and Dr. Jae, along with a signed copy of Guy with his classic red Camero from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives! The restaurant itself only has about 16 tables, but is small, cozy, and the atmosphere is great. The menus are on the last two slides of the pictures above.

I have no way to describe these to you besides soft and pillow-y, yet chewy and crunchy, sea-loving morsels. Once you got past the crunch and flavors from the outside, you got to this almost mashed potato like texture, until you bit into the chewy pieces of octopus. Then flavors really start to meld! I could’ve eaten another two of these myself, however, I had to save room for other great dishes to come.

Next was the Korean Fried Chicken. God rest my southern-loving soul if this wasn’t THE BEST fried chicken I’ve ever had in my 25 years on this blue-green planet.

We ended up closing down the restaurant since we got there so late, but the staff was the sweetest, and we got to meet Dr. Jae, which was such a delight (My little foodie heart grew three sizes this day 😁)!

I would drive another four hours round trip just to visit again, this is a must see place 💜

*BONUS*: Yakitori Jinbei is also getting involved with the community in other ways, and have an upcoming event on July 23rd that’s almost sold out!! They’re partnering with Reformation Brewery from 7:30-9 pm in the restaurant, and this savory night will be $40 per person, which includes a flight of craft brews paired with four of their seasonal menu items and dessert (Not including gratuity)! They’ve confirmed 16 seats and there are only 14 spots left, so grab these tickets while they’re hot 😎🔥 Click the link to register for the event and buy tickets here: https://www.yakitorijinbei.com/upcoming-events

---

So how was your weekend Foodie Friends? Where’s your favorite restaurant you’d travel hours to go back to? Sound out in the comments below or let me know your suggestions of what dishes or places we should visit next. As always, feel free to like, comment, & share 🤗