Another Tuesday, another time to try a local restaurant. And when I say local, I mean Midtown Atlanta, as that is where I work. On the edge of the Georgia Tech campus on Fifth and Spring Streets. Today, as has been our habit of late, Britt, Willie and I wanted to find a patio (equipped, of course, with several fans and umbrellas and anything else to help cut down on Atlanta’s oppressive summer heat). Britt has been lobbying for Tin Lizzy’s Taqueria and Cantina for weeks now, so today was the day to try Tin Lizzy’s.

Britt usually goes to the one in Grant Park, and there is a third one in Buckhead, but since the third one is on Crescent at the corner of 13th Street, that was the lucky one to get our business today.

The Crescent Street area has several hip & trendy restaurants and clubs (we recently ate at Front Page News), and they like to advertise that you can park once and have access to several restaurants and bars well within walking distance.

When we were seated at the patio, it was fairly empty, as we were again doing lunch later than most. Britt could hardly contain her excitement, and was helpfully offering menu suggestions. She said the Tin Skillets were excellent, and said that really, whatever we ordered would be great. She went with her default meal when dining at Lizzy’s—a Build-Your-Own salad ($4.49 for a half-order, $5.99 for the full order) with a base of mixed greens, corn, salsa, black beans, diced red peppers, pumpkins seeds and a choice of dressing. She then added grilled tilapia ($3.29) and decided to pass on the avocado ($1.69), thinking she’d just pirate some of the guacamole from the chips & salsa appetizer.

Willie ordered a pair of tacos, one a spicy grilled steak with cilantro, jalapeños and diced onions ($3.49) and a Super Greek with gyro meat, tomatoes, lettuce, feta cheese and tzatziki sauce ($3.29). And I decided to take Britt’s advice and order a Tin Skillet with grilled shrimp ($6.99 for a whole skillet, $3.99 for a half-order).

While we waited for our lunch, we sat quietly, simply enjoying being outside and out of the air-conditioned office. There were both ceiling fans and industrial-strength circular fans moving the air around but not exactly blowing on us, cutting the temperature on the patio by a good 15 to 20 degrees.

The meals were served and we dug in. When I looked up, Willie’s galvanized bucket/dish was empty, as he obviously liked the tacos.

“I was hungry,” he said, giving them a thumb’s up.

Britt was busy knocking off the last few bites of her salad and I was doing a good job on my lunch, too.

The skillet was served in a cast iron pan and was filled with seasoned rice, grilled red peppers and onions, pickled jalapeños and crispy tortilla strips with salsa fresco and queso blanco drizzled on top. The shrimp were seasoned and grilled just right, and the cheese and rice thing came together in a nice, gooey consistency. I gave it a thumb’s up, too.

All-in-all, it was a good call by Britt, who says she’s got all kinds of other places to try. I know there are several more right on those two blocks at 13th Street we’ll need to try, including Ri Ra and South City Kitchen, among others.

Tin Lizzy’s Taqueria & Cantina

Midtown:
1136 Crescent Avenue
Atalnta, Ga. 30309
404.537.5060

Buckhead
3639 Piedmont Rd.
Atlanta, Ga. 30305
404.846.6000

Grant Park

415 Memorial Dr.
Atlanta, Ga. 300312
404.554.9220

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