Manuel's Tavern

Burger with grilled mushrooms, grilled onions and cheddar.

Sunday evening I headed to Manuel's Tavern, a bar/restaurant with a longstanding liberal tradition. Lucky for me Sunday is trivia night, so I participated in that as well, patting myself on the back for remembering Whoopi Goldberg's character's first name in "Sister Act".

The food was pretty good as bar food goes; the burger was cooked medium rare as requested and it was messy enough to warrant lots of napkins - a good sign in my book. The steak fries were not bad either. As for the nachos, the portion size was quite impressive and I loved the jalepenos on top. We opted to go for the guacamole for an extra charge, and it really hit the spot, too. The beer list here is pretty good - I actually tried a raspberry beer, which I liked. If you haven't been to Manuel's yet, you should definitely try it - one of Atlanta's longstanding traditions.

Menu cover.



Nachos - almost as good as homemade!

Asian Potluck

Elizabeth's salmon laksa - love the colors and it was really tasty, too!

Last Saturday I co-hosted an Asian potluck. We sampled all the goodies pictured here as well as some additional Asian fare. Green tea ice cream rounded out the meal. We also played some great games like Train Dominoes and some different card games. Thank you again to Elizabeth and Kenn for hosting. Let's do it again soon!

Samosas - one of Meera's contributions. She also brought delicious eggplant, which was almost gone by the time I thought about photographing it!



Barrett's tofu and rice - yum!



Ben's dumplings - very tasty!



Bok choy by Kenn



I made Vietnamese chicken salad (without carrots since I forgot to bring my giant bag home from work!) - recipe here



Tofu with broccoli and green peppers by Kenn - so delicious, it was well worth the effort!

Brunch at Food 101

Saturday, sans camera, I went to Food 101 in Morningside for brunch. Prior to eating I also visited to Morningside Farmer's Market, where chef Shaun Doty of Shaun's was dishing up some tasty fresh pasta with spring veggies.

Food 101's brunch was tasty; I tried the Alon's brioche French toast with mascarpone and orange-rosemary honey and also sampled the special omelet of the day, which included chicken, goat cheese and zucchini with grits on the side. As a special treat I tried The "New" Red Hot Momma brunch cocktail, which included ginger ale, pureed strawberries and rum. It tasted like a fresh strawberry daiquiri except it wasn't frozen and you really could not taste any rum. Nevertheless, I actually don't really like alcohol and I think that small amount of run made me tired the rest of the day!!

Overall brunch was tasty; I especially liked the mascarpone and honey on the French toast (they bring them separately so you can put on as much as you like). The prices are a little high here, compared with some of my other favorite brunch spots, however. A plus is the side patio, from which you can hear live music coming from the farmer's market.

La Tavola Trattoria

Cacciucco Fish Stew.

On Friday I ventured to a neighborhood spot for the very first time. La Tavola Trattoria in Virginia Highlands proved a very pleasant dining experience. I especially enjoyed the outdoor patio dining in back, the cool cocktail I tried (below) and the fish stew, pictured above. The tagliatelle with mushrooms and the grilled calamari were also excellent, although the calamari contained more beans and cauliflower than actual squid! I didn't try any dessert here - see cupcake post below, but I would definitely like to come back here to try the dessert and the brunch menu.

Outside of the restaurant.



Rose Marie martini with candied rosemary.



Grilled calamari with cauliflower and cannellini beans.



Tagliatelle with mushroom ragu.

Button Cakes Revisited

All pretty and wrapped up.

Following my previous post about Button Cakes Bakery in Decatur, I was offered complimentary cupcakes from owner Holly Mann. On Friday afternoon I was lucky enough to have the above box of fabulous cupcakes delivered to my office. I immediately tried the vanilla cupcake, which was very moist and tasty, although the icing was a little too sweet for me. Still the presentation was beautiful and I enjoyed the afternoon treat. Some of my colleagues tried the strawberry fields and red velvet cupcakes and absolutely loved them. I was tempted to try them also but I restrained myself since I knew I was going out to dinner in just a few short hours!

After dinner Friday evening I sampled the other three varieties. The red velvet and strawberry fields are my favorites: perfect, moist cake and delicious frosting. The red velvet isn't as sweet as the others, with it's cream cheese frosting adding an additional tanginess - perfect for those who don't like things too sweet. The strawberry was complex enough to make it taste great to me even with a sweeter icing. The chocolate chocolate was also good - especially the dark chocolate frosting!

I think when I tasted these the first time, they had been sitting overnight at Voila Cafe, where they are currently being sold. Apparently the cakes will be sold from a new Decatur location soon (check the above website for further details). It's probably a good idea to call and check on when the cupcakes are delivered to the store so you can ensure you are getting a fresh batch. Alternatively, this is a great bakery for special orders and requests, since they will be baked fresh just for you!

L to R - Chocolate chocolate, strawberry fields, vanilla and red velvet. Yum!



Red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting.



Chocolate chocolate, strawberry fields and red velvet cupcakes.

Penang Malaysian and BuHi Farmer's Market

Nasi Lemak - sometimes I get a real craving for this!

Wednesday evening I convinced a couple of my girl friends to accompany me to dinner and to the Buford Highway Farmer's Market (5600 Buford Highway, just outside the perimeter). We dined at Penang, which serves up tasty Malaysian and Thai cuisine. I had the nasi lemak (pictured above) which was spicy and tasty; I love the savory coconut rice. The curry chicken served along with the pickles and anchovy mixture really hits the spot with the rice, too, and the hard fried egg is an interesting addition, although in my opinion it could do with a little less cooking! My friends seemed to really enjoy their noodle dishes (below) also. They pretty much cleaned their plates, as did I, so I'll take that as a good sign.

I will have to do another post on the BuHi farmer's market sometime. Let me just say IT IS AWESOME! It's quite different from DeKalb Farmer's Market, with more in the way of packaged goods from other countries and less in the way of fresh fish and deli products. This was especially evident with the Japanese selection as well as the Eastern European goods. I didn't even have a chance to check out the African/Caribbean section or the Latino section - definitely on the list for next time. They have several prepared foods sections as well, which are probably busier during the day. From what I noticed these include a Mexican bakery (with fresh-made tortillas, breads & pastries), a taqueria up front, a Korean/sushi counter and an Eastern European counter with pierogies, pastries, cheeses etc. I will be back soon and I promise to take photos. Honestly I was just too excited to take any this time! I also enjoyed their variety of produce and going on a weeknight was probably a good idea - not crowded at all and much easier to navigate than I've found at the DeKalb market. Try it - you'll like it!

Tiki-like entrance.



Thai Basil Noodles.



Pad thai, veggie style.

Fresh Produce is Here!

Fresh egg omelet with mushrooms and parsley; homemade butterfly biscuits.

Last Sunday I began my 17 week subscription to Small Farms CSA. In exchange for buying a share and becoming a "co-producer" in a farm cooperative, I receive a portion of fresh produce on a weekly basis from the participating farms. Sometimes I also get eggs, goat cheese, honey and/or grits. This week I got spinach, braising greens, lettuce, parsley, arugula and fresh eggs. There's something about knowing that the produce is local and fresh that makes it taste better!

I've had fresh salads for lunch all this week. I also made the omelet above along with fresh butterfly buttermilk biscuits. I cooked the braising greens in olive oil with lots of sliced garlic and mushrooms. Once the greens were cooked I added a splash of apple cider vinegar. Who knew greens could taste so delicious!?

Tonight I am going to bake with the fresh eggs as I wonder if there will be any difference in outcome/taste. Look for an upcoming post soon!

Taqueria Los Hermanos

Special seafood burrito with rice and asparagus.

After much urging I finally tried Taqueria Los Hermanos and I really enjoyed it. The drive out to Tucker is a little much for me on a weekday so I decided to go on a Sunday afternoon. We nabbed the only outdoor table (overlooking a large Publix parking lot) and perused the menu. The specials board contained about ten to fifteen items including the seafood burrito, which was excellent: fresh seafood and a poblano cream sauce. I liked the addition of asparagus also, instead of the usual beans - nice touch! The guacomole we started with was pleasing, with huge chunks of avocado, and the hot sauce we requested was really hot and tasty. The chips were average and could have benefitted from being warmed up a bit. I also enjoyed the tacos - larger than average portions - although the sauces were a little overwhelming. Still, I could =taste fresh tilapia under the generous amount of dressing. I was too full to try the tres leches cake (one of my favorite kinds of cake) so I must go back to this place again soon.

Strip mall front.



Hot sauce, salsa and guacamole, with sangria in the background.



Carnitas taco (left) and fish taco (right).

Fiesta Fiesta!

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Fresh-cooked meat for tacos and buritos.

On Sunday we attended Fiesta Atlanta, a Cinco de Mayo annual festival held at Centennial Olympic Park. Thankfully we went early, and it paid off with tons of freebies including an entire package of tortillas, cookies, loads of Little Debbie snacks, various juices and power drinks and much more! It was a great day for another festival! We also managed to run into an Atlanta Hawks block party, as preparations for Sunday's game began. They wouldn't let us shoot baskets as we were too old for the 12 year age limit, but I did win a magnet :).

The big picture.

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Old-fashioned festival food was also available.



Coke Zero - at it again!

It's like The Price is Right!



Fountain fun.



Almost frightening!



Cops at the ready.

Delicious Kabob

Saturday evening I tried Delicious Kabob. I had high expectations after reading others' blog posts about this Szechuan place on Shallowford Road. Unfortunately I neglected to bring my camera, but most of the dishes I tried have already been photographed and blogged about. The lamb kabob was my favorite item; crusted with lots of cumin and a bit spicy, it went well with the scallion pancake as well as with the rice, provided in individual bowls for each person at the table. I also tried the crispy beef and the dry-fried eggplant. The crispy eggplant wasn't bad, but I still prefer the garlic eggplant at Little Szechuan. The crispy beef tasted like it had been fried in old oil. Also, there were small berries in the crispy beef dish along with the fried chile peppers and cilantro, and the berries tasted almost like they were numbing my mouth. Anyone know what these are? Anyway, I was not impressed overall with what I tried. I guess I disagree with most of the other Atlanta bloggers on this one!

Homemade Pizza

The uncooked pie before the move to the stone.

Last Friday I made pizza with a friend for dinner. We picked up ingredients from Trader Joe's, including fresh mozzarella filled with cream, baby bella mushrooms and the pizza dough they sell in the refrigerated section. To that we added cooked and diced potato, diced onion and fresh rosemary. As you can see we went with a yin/yang approach, using pesto for half and tomato sauce for half. The only problem we encountered was that after rolling the dough out onto my granite countertop and adding all the toppings, moving the pizza to the pre-heated stone was arduous at best. In fact, I nearly thought the pizza was going to turn into a calzone! Next time I will probably either try rolling the dough onto the wooden board that came with the stone - imagine that, following the instructions - or will just forget the preheating of the stone and make the pizza directly on there. The pizza did get nice and crispy, though, which may be attributable to the stone being pre-heated. I'm no Jeff Varasano, but the finished product was not bad, if I do say so myself.

We also picked up chocolate lava cakes from the freezer at TJ's. These were not as good as anticipated. To me, the flavor was off somehow and despite the rich taste, I felt like it didn't really taste chocolatey enough. Neither of us could really finish it as the richness really was too much to handle. The French vanilla ice cream (TJ's brand) we got to go with the lava cakes was pretty good, although I'd take Haagen Dazs over it any day :).

Taqueria del Sol

Salsa Trio.

On Thursday my friend Kimberly and I dined at Taqueria del Sol on Cheshire Bridge Road, excited about enjoying the nice weather on their patio. This place is famous for long lines and a distinct attitude - don't dare choose a table before you've ordered - but once you do place your order and pay at the counter, sometimes your order makes it out quicker than you can sit down! I love the shrimp & corn chowder here as well as the fish taco. I usually also get a Memphis taco (BBQ pork with slaw and sauce). The salsa trio is also addictive, especially with the warm chips. They also have very good collard greens, some of the best I've had. Still, I remain on the hunt for the best Mexican around. What's your favorite Mexican joint?

Shrimp & Corn Chowder, Fish Taco & Memphis Taco (my standard).



Chocolate chocolate cake.

In honor of several celebrations, Kimberly made a fabulous chocolate cake for our group meeting. The cake was made with sour cream, giving it a tangy taste that was well-complemented by the chocolate satin icing. Well done!

Middle of the delicious cake.

Cardinals vs. Braves

Dad & Amy ready for the game.

The main reason my Dad was visiting this week was to see the Cardinals play the Braves. Dad, a long time Cardinals fan since his first live game in 1954, makes an annual trek to Atlanta every time the Cardinals are here. His team lost, unfortunately, but we all had a great time at dinner and at the ballpark and even managed to have some expensive junk food - imagine that!

For dinner we battled the afternoon traffic to go to Six Feet Under in their new location (a block down from their old location) on Memorial Drive. I've been once before to the new spot and my favorite item on the menu is still the fish stew - sorry no photo! We were in such a rush as Dad did not want to miss the opening pitch, that I totally forgot to take photos of the meal.

During the middle of the game we walked around the entire stadium and purchased some nuts and nachos. I even indulged in a Coke Zero to go with those nachos! The sugar coated nuts were actually quite tasty and they offered samples of all the varieties (almond, pecan & cashew). The nachos left much to be desired and our request to "load them up" was met with a huge slobbing of cheese on top of the chips that kind of put them over the top. Still, when you're at the game, indulgence is pretty much expected.

Amy & Cal pose at the ballpark. Doesn't it look like we're in front of a fake background?!



Sugar coated almonds...mmmm.



Nachos with lots of cheese, salsa, peppers & onions.