Wednesday, January 16, 2008

What Not To Eat: Yellow Snow

Winter has finally hit Atlanta and we have flurries to prove it. Caryn and I braved the bad weather and went outside for a cold snack. Here we are trying to catch it in our mouths. Soup for dinner!

Tasty Tales: Four Stars for Service Included!

For all you foodies out there (or those who dream of becoming one), Phoebe Damrosch gives a great glimpse into the world of fine dining in her book Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of An Eavesdropping Waiter. As a former member of the service staff at Per Se in New York, Damrosch’s memoir includes an extremely accurate portrayal of the guts and glory of working in the restaurant industry, particularly the preparation behind creating a perfectly choreographed dining room. Sharing her trials and tribulations with a most witty writing style, she divulges the intricate details of the training she endured to become a captain in one of New York’s finest restaurants, the quirky guests she encounters along the way and her love affair with one of the restaurant’s sommeliers. From attempting to recreate Chef Thomas Keller’s salmon cornets to serving New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni to scouring the city to settle a bet over the best bone marrow, her tales are charming and make readers truly appreciate pristine food and flawless service. An added bonus –Damrosch’s sprinkling of snarky comments kept a smile on my face throughout the book. This is also a great learning tool for those who haven’t spent time in restaurant kitchens or are about to embark on a culinary career – Damrosch does an excellent job of explaining kitchen lingo and even offers up “dos and don’ts” for diners at the end of each chapter.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Getting Cheesy at Atlanta's Hottest Restaurants








SOUTH CITY KITCHEN MIDTOWN AND VININGS HAVE PLANS FOR YOUR CANS - AND YOU COULD WIN NHL ALL-STAR GAME TICKETS IN THE PROCESS
So you were thinking about popping open a few cans and concocting your famous chili/casserole/soup? Can it, and put those plans on ice. South City Kitchen Midtown and Vinings have a more creative and helpful use for those canned goods involving ice hockey and a food drive for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. On Wednesday, January 16 from 6-8 p.m., guests bringing canned goods to South City Kitchen Midtown or Vinings will be entered to win two tickets to the January 27 NHL All-Star Game at Philips Arena. It’s a one-to-one trade, one raffle ticket per can, and there’s no limit to the number of cans you can donate. You must be present to win so stay on for drinks or dinner! A pair of tickets will be raffled off at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. South City Kitchen Midtown is located at 1144 Crescent Avenue (404-873-7358); South City Kitchen Vinings is located at 1675 Cumberland Parkway (770-435-0700). http://www.fifthgroup.com/

For more information on the Atlanta Community Food Bank, visit http://www.acfb.org/.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET IN SANDY SPRINGS IS HOSTING A 5% DAY
Shopping on January 16 benefits St. Martin's Episcopal School

Rip your shopping list off the fridge and take it to Whole Foods Market - Sandy Springs on Wednesday, January 16. At the end of the day, Whole Foods Market - Sandy Springs will donate 5% of the day's sales to St. Martin Episcopal School's Annual Fund to provide experiential learning opportunities for students at the Brookhaven school. The local, independent school offers co-ed education from pre-k through eighth grade. Founded in 1959, St Martin’s Episcopal School serves approximately 580 students in three academic divisions. Whole Foods Market - Sandy Springs is located at 5930 Roswell Road; 404-236-0810. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/.

CHEFS SHAUN DOTY AND JAY SWIFT SIGN BOOKS AND SHARE SECRETS ABOUT WHAT'S COOKING IN ATLANTA'S TOP RESTAURANTS
On Saturday, January 19 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park and Chef Jay Swift of 4th and Swift, which will open in Midtown in the spring, will be signing copies of the recently released Atlanta Cooks at Home at TWELVE boutique. Atlanta Cooks at Home is a colorful collection of more than 150 recipes from 29 of Atlanta’s favorite chefs, including Doty and Swift, featuring personal interviews with and photographs of these culinary artisans at play.

This how-to guide with casual to formal and festive menus, beverage pairing advice and insights into the lives of each chef was spearheaded by Melissa Libby and is available at bookstores, gift shops, cooking stores, participating restaurants, and online at http://www.blogger.com/www.atlantacooksathome.com for $34.95.

TWELVE boutique is located at 860 Peachtree Street, Suite F, in the SPIRE Midtown building; 404-961-7676; http://www.blogger.com/www.twelveatlanta.net. Complimentary one hour parking is available in the SPIRE garage.

SHARE OUR STRENGTH’S GREAT AMERICAN BAKING CONTEST RAISES DOUGH TO PREVENT CHILD HUNGER
Childhood obesity makes the headlines, but what about childhood hunger? Share Our Strength, a national organization working to ensure no child in America grows up hungry, is bringing together culinary professionals and foodies across Atlanta to achieve this goal. You can help by entering or attending Share Our Strength’s Great American Baking Contest, Atlanta’s kick-off event for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale, presented by Domino Sugar and C&H. The top three professional and amateur winners will receive prizes, and winners will have their photos and recipes posted on the Great American Bake Sale Web site. Who’s to judge? Atlanta Journal-Constitution Food Writer John Kessler and some of our city’s best pastry chefs. To enter, read rules or purchase $25 tickets to the dessert reception and judging at The Cook's Warehouse Midtown on February 21, visit www.strength.org/bakingcontest or contact Amy Crowell at acrowell@strength.org or 770-436-5151. Contest entry deadline is January 22, 2008.

CHIPOTLE BEEFS UP GOAL TO SERVE MORE NATURALLY RAISED MEAT IN 2008
Many New Year’s resolutions involve losing weight. Instead, Chipotle Mexican Grill wants to put on a few “lbs,” hoping to tip the scale at putting 52 million pounds of naturally raised meat on plates to be specific. Committed to positively impacting the nation’s food supply, Chipotle is the world’s leading restaurant seller of naturally raised meat – chicken, pork and beef raised humanely on a vegetarian diet that is antibiotic, growth stimulant and hormone-free. When you put it that way, a 40 percent increase in pounds served is a healthy weight gain. Serving 52 million pounds translates to about 200 million meals, meaning that many more people will be biting into affordable, healthy and tasty meats this year. And Chipotle’s goal to serve more Food With Integrity has affected life back on the farm in a positive manner as well. For example, when Chipotle began its mission to serve Food With Integrity in 2000, there were fewer than 50 family-owned pig farms in the Niman Ranch system. Now, there are more than 500 farms because there is a fair market for their pork. Similar increases are taking place in the areas of poultry, beef and sustainable agriculture thanks to this positive market demand. Healthy animals, healthy veggies, healthier people. That about wraps it up.

For more information and restaurant locations, visit http://www.chipotle.com/.

KRISPY KREME’S ENTIRE MENU: ZERO TRANS FATS
Wait, you say, the entire menu includes zero trans fats? Yes, a big zero, the number shaped like a luscious, zero trans fat Krispy Kreme doughnut. Krispy Kreme’s Research and Development team has been working diligently to bring customers what they crave: the unique Krispy Kreme taste favored for generations – without the not-so-loved trans fat.

Through the Friends of Krispy Kreme program, an online group of Krispy Kreme fans who receive special Krispy Kreme promotional offers and provide feedback on new Krispy Kreme products, the company knew that reducing trans fat from daily diets had been on their customers’ minds. Ever sweet on pleasing its customers, Krispy Kreme took the initiative remove trans fats from its ingredients. Look for the one-of-a-kind Hot Light, signifying zero trans fat Hot Original Glazed™ doughnuts are rolling off the line, at approximately 430 locations worldwide, including these stores in Atlanta:

Atlanta - 295 Ponce de Leon Avenue, 404-876-7307
Buford - 3387 Buford Drive, 770-831-1174
Duluth - 1550 Pleasant Hill Road, 770-717-5134
Lilburn - 4129 Highway 78, 770-985-2810
Marietta - 299 Cobb Parkway, South, 770-425-0374
Riverdale - 6689 Highway 85, 770-997-6210
Roswell - 791 Atlanta Street, 770-998-0779
http://www.krispykreme.com/

FEELING BLEU? SMILE AND SAY "NATIONAL CHEESE LOVERS' DAY IS JANUARY 20!"
Whether you're in the mood for sharp, mild, aged, artisan or imported, there's plenty of cheese to please topping the sampler plates at these Atlanta restaurants.

Aria brings four different styles of cheeses from three different types of dairy animals to your chic tabletop with its artisan cheese tasting ($11): Camenbert, a creamy, raw cow's milk cheese from France; Sancerrois, a chalky, full-flavored raw goat's milk cheese from Sancerre; Pecorino Ginepro, a Romagna, Italy specialty of sheep's milk cheese bathed in balsamico, juniper berries and olive oil; and Forme d'Ambert, a creamy, mild cow's milk blue cheese from Ambert, France. 490 East Paces Ferry Road; 404-233-7673. http://www.aria-atl.com/

Aqua Blue serves up a trio of artisan cheeses – the Spanish Mendora Blue, brie, and an aged sheep’s milk Mahone cheese – with crackers, wafers and fresh fruits ($13).
1564 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell; 770-643-8886. http://www.aquablueatl.com/

Food Studio
arranges an artisan cheese tasting ($13) that’s as artful as the restaurant’s King Plow Arts Center setting. The selection of four hand-crafted cheeses with accompaniments features Beechers Flagship Cheddar, Sweet Grass Dairy Holly Springs, Carr Valley Mobay and Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue. 887 West Marietta Street, Studio K-102 in the King Plow Arts Center; 404-815-6677. http://www.fifthgroup.com/

Ecco serves three European cheeses and one American cheese. Savor the French Morbier, a semi-soft cheese from cow’s milk; Fiscalini Cheddar, a firm, cow’s milk cheese of American origins; Gorgonzola Dolce, a soft blue cow’s milk cheese from Italy; and Cabrales, a Spanish semi-soft blue blended of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk. A cheese plate is offered with a selection of meats at one for $4, three for $12, and five for $20. 40 7th Street at the corner of Cypress Street in Midtown; 404-347-9555. http://www.fifthrgroup.com/

South City Kitchen Midtown and Vinings
set a bit of Southern hospitality on their cheese plates. South City Kitchen Midtown spreads it on thick, serving South City pimiento cheese with spicy house pickles and corn crackers ($5.95). 1144 Crescent Ave; 404-873-7358. South City Kitchen Vinings makes Georgia gouda fritters and pals them up next to pear slaw and barbeque aioli ($6.95). 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700. http://www.fifthgroup.com/

SECOND HELPINGS: SWEET GRASS DAIRY BLOG IS CHEESY...IN A GOOD WHEY!
Who moved my cheese? Log on to Sweet Grass Dairy's website and find out how, why and "whey" more about the trials and triumphs of artisan cheese moving, making and aging on the “Whey of Life” page. Sweet Grass Dairy, located in southern Georgia, is known for its local and organically "grown" and produced artisan cheeses and other high quality dairy products. After you've milked its site for cow-to-cheese know-how, browse the online store and order some delectable cheeses for a delectable taste test of your own. http://sweetgrassdairy.com/blog/