Instead of tacos
October 23rd, 2008 by Cliff Bostock in Restaurants
We headed out to The Original El Taco last night. It was the second night the restaurant was open and it was packed — so packed there was a 40-minute wait. No thanks.
We walked around the corner to Mali (961 Amsterdam Ave., 404-874-1411) and had a surprisingly good dinner in a space that has become very elegant and cozy.
I ordered the duck in red curry sauce and Wayne ordered grilled lemongrass chicken (pictured here). The duck was spicy enough to create a slow burn in my mouth, relieved by fresh pineapple and sweet, spiced apples.
I was less impressed by the lemongrass chicken whose marinade had given it that almost mealy texture heavy marinades can cause.
We started with some very chewy fish cakes.
The restaurant also has a sushi bar. While we didn’t try any, I saw platter after platter and most of it was beautiful.
(Photo by Cliff Bostock)
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I love Mali! They have a great fried softwhell crab dish and their sushi is yummy. Much better thai than Harry & Sons and Surin, which everyone thinks is so fabulous.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I love their larb. I’ve only ever had really good meals there.
October 24th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I agree with the above comments. Ma Li is superb, my favorite inexpensive Thai in Atlanta. Hardly ever a wait for a table, and great service every time.