Gobble Gobble

For Thanksgiving we ventured to Celo, NC where I attended the wonderful Camp Celo as a child. In addition to enjoying a great meal with friends for Turkey Day, we had a chance to sightsee in Asheville and climb atop Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi.

View from Mt. Mitchell



Yum! My Thanksgiving plate - trust me I needed a nap after this!



Pies galore!

Pupusa Heaven

Recently I tried Pupusas (thick, stuffed handmade tortillas found primarily in El Salvador) from two Atlanta locations: Rincon Latino and El Salvador Restaurant. Both were quite tasty. While the decor at Rincon is nothing to write home about, the blasting music at El Salvador may be too much for some people. I did like that El Salvador offered two styles of cabbage slaw for the pupusas - one spicy and one mild. Rincon provides patrons with cajeta (caramel) lollipops along with the check, which was a surprising treat. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the pupusas, but here is a look at the chips & salsa, condiment platter and spicy slaw at El Salvador Restaurant. Both restaurants serve Mexican dishes as well as Salvadoran specialties.

El Salvador Restaurant
3375 Buford Hwy NE # 1120
Atlanta, GA
404-325-0482

Rincon Latino
5055 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340
(770) 936-8181

Highland Bakery Time

One of my favorite brunch places is Highland Bakery, where we enjoyed a laid back Saturday brunch. Although the wait can be long here, we were seated in about 15 minutes. Since it's hard to decide between sweet and salty, I always enjoy sharing one of each with my dining companion. This time Calvin & I split the Burrito de Huevos, which were delicious, and the sweet potato pancakes, very sweet and also very delicious. The cinnamon rolls look enticing as do the lunch sandwiches. I will definitely be back here soon to sample more from the diverse menu.

Burrito de Huevos with Avocado, served with black beans & spicy salsa.



Sweet potato pancakes with brown sugar syrup.

Highland Bakery
655 Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 586-0772

D'z Knows it's 'Cue

If you want some good barbecue, head to Daddy D'z on Memorial Drive. While the decor is nonexistent and the neighborhood is a wee bit sketchy, here you'll find succulent ribs, tasy mac 'n cheese and some of the best Brunswick stew around. The selection of cakes, which I found out are homemade for the restaurant, looked amazing, too. Alas, we were too full to try them. This is definitely a place I will return & would be a good place to bring out of towners for a real down home southern experience.

The outside clues you in to the general ambience.



Thick, tomatoey, delicious Brunswick stew with cornbread.



Rib platter with mac 'n cheese, slaw & corn bread.

Daddy D'z BBQ Joint
264 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 222-0206

www.daddydz.com

Birthday Boy

Unfortunately Calvin was not feeling well on his birthday so we had Cameli's (our favorite pizza joint) rather than going to the nice dinner I'd planned - we'll do it eventually! Later in the week I did make him a Boston Cream Pie, which was quite yummy if I do say so myself.

Housewarming!

After living in my new place for nearly 6 months, I decided it was time for a housewarming. I made some food and invited lots of folks over to tour the house and have a bite to eat. It was a lovely day so we were able to keep the windows open, which was nice, and guests enjoyed the back patio.

Cherry blue cheese chicken salad (homemade), shrimp salad (Costco - it's really good there!), croissants, goat cheese with grapes, crackers and fig chutney, chips, guacamole and salsa.



Oatmeal raisin cookies and magic cookie bars.



Ruth made me a beautiful flower arrangement.



The back yard - hasn't ever looked this good, before or since!



Back patio, second view.

Fall Grillin'

This fall after settling into my new place, I decided to take the plunge and purchase a Big Green Egg smoker & grill. So far, I've been able to get some good results, although I'm still getting the hang of regulating the temperature. So far I've cooked turkey burgers, beef burgers, lamb chops, swordfish & lots of vegetables.

The key to these moist turkey burgers is Trader Joe's cranberry chutney as well as sauteed apples & onions that I mix in with the meat along with an egg, bread crumbs and spices.

Grilled swordfish & grilled onions with mashed sweet potatoes, fresh corn & collard greens.

Grilled lamb chops, grilled baby eggplants & pita bread.

Chateau de Buford Highway

After reading several positive reviews about Chateau de Saigon, we decided to go check it out on a recent Friday evening. The service a bit slow, although the place was busy, and we did not find the food to be as good as other places in the area (like Pho Dai Loi #2, which is one of my favorites). This place does have a large menu, however, and there are other dishes I'd like to try, so a return trip may be warranted in the future.

The spring rolls were not as flavorful as usual and the light colored peanut sauce was not my favorite - I prefer the darker sauce with peanuts sprinkled on top.



Sugar cane wrapped shrimp. This dish was tasty and it was neat eating real sugarcane, although it turned out to be a bit awkward trying to get all of the sugar out of the cane!



The vermicelli was beautifully presented but it lacked the kick found in other restaurants' versions. Of course we livened it up with some Siracha, but it was still not the best.



This was my favorite dish - papaya salad with beef strips, dried onions & scallions. The sublime flavor and the crunch really make this unique and delicious.

Chateau de Saigon
4300 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 929-0034

Rosh Hashanah Delights

Cousins Joanne and Craig graciously hosted a Rosh Hashanah dinner at their place to bring in the Jewish New Year. It was wonderful to feast on a homemade dinner with friends and family.

Our friend Dana brought a beautiful and very delicious challah.



Brisket, a rice dish and a wonderful chickpea salad.



The chickpea salad again and a pear and walnut salad.

Dogwood - A very special office lunch.

To celebrate several important office milestones, we headed to Dogwood for a very special lunch, complete with handmade flowers for each honoree. I thoroughly enjoyed this place and would recommend it for anyone looking for a special meal.

The exterior of Dogwood in midtown Atlanta.



I love the warmth of the interior. There is an upstairs seating section as well.



I'd indicated to the restaurant that we were celebrating. We were delighted to find confetti on our table when we arrived - very festive!



Ruth's beautiful bouquets, including fresh fruits.



Tempura quail appetizer - very tender and delicious.



Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp. This was an excellent appetizer that we had a hard time sharing!



Three selections from the grits bar.



Yours truly with Chef Shane Touhy



The soup flight was outstanding, and a made a gorgeous photo.



Stuffed chicken breast.



Pan seared trout with succotash



Grilled pound cake with key lime gelato - yum!



Creme brulee - again, another delicious choice.



Chocolate terrine with sea salt - smooth, dense and delicious.



Apple cornbread upside down cake with gelato



Our group following the hearty meal.

Dogwood
565 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
Tel. (404) 835-1410

Another fun cooking class!

Saturday morning I was in for a treat when I attended a very intimate, fun cooking class with some friends at the instructor's home. We prepared several delicious salads, my favorite being the Blue Cheese Cherry Chicken salad that I must make again at home! The photos say it all! I really loved this class because we really got to eat! None of this - here's one bite thing.

Chef Diane prepares the Salmon Salads

Here are our salads, ready to go!

Salmon Nicoise Salad "To-Go"

Surf & Turf Fajita Salad with Shrimp and Steak

Orange Chicken Salad - the dressing goes on!

Orange Chicken Salad

Blue Cheese Cherry Chicken Salad over Spinach