Anniversary Dinner with Chef Stephanie of Dishes Delicious

White gazpacho with grapes and almonds - so delicious!

For our 1 year anniversary I decided to do something unexpected: no big fancy dinner out; instead a delicious dinner cooked at home by the lovely and talented Chef Stephanie of Dishes Delicious. I met Stephanie at a food event last summer and having always wanted to do a meal at home prepared by a chef, decided to do this for our first wedding anniversary before we moved out of Atlanta.

Stephanie was fun to work with on the planning front - we discussed the menu and settled on the below, which she even put onto a special menu card for the occasion. Since we had bar stools in our Atlanta kitchen we were able to watch Stephanie do the final preparations and the cooking, which made it even more fun - your very own chef's table at home! Everything she prepared was awesome - in particular the white gazpacho. Superb. If you need a private chef for any size home party, I wholeheartedly recommend Stephanie!

Crispy wild mushroom and onion grit cakes.



Sea bass with guava cream and roasted new potatoes.



Chef Stephanie. She can be reached through her website Dishes Delicious.



Lemon curd crepes with raspberry sauce.



One year down!

The Capital Grille - New Additions to Plates Menu

Shrimp and Piquillo Peppers with Crisp Bomba Rice with grilled spring vegetables on the side.

I was recently invited to sample The Capital Grille's new Spring Plates Menu. The new additions feature asparagus soup (hot), fresh spring vegetables and a tasty shrimp and rice dish - the perfect light lunch for spring. The asparagus soup (below) was particularly tasty and the "Bomba" rice served with the lightly spiced shrimp reminded me of risotto.

The New England clam chowder, a long time offering on the Plates menu, is another item I had not tried previously. The chowder was creamy and full of clams and potatoes as it should be. The Plates menu at The Capital Grille continues to be an affordable means of enjoying the upscale atmosphere and delightful view at Atlanta's Buckhead location.

Delicious asparagus soup.



Lobster roll with truffle fries.



New England clam chowder.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Season's 52 Spring Menu

Artichoke & Goat Cheese Flatbread.

I was recently invited to check out the new spring menu at Season's 52 in Buckhead. There are some very tasty selections offered right now. I particularly enjoyed the tomato and avocado salad and the trout. The trout is so pink and tender you'd think it was salmon. The rice, veggies and delicious lemongrass sauce make it worthy of ordering.

Season's 52 is also featuring several new cocktails: Strawberry Kir Royal (Fresh Strawberry-Infused Prairie Organic Vodka, Organic Agave Nectar and Zardetto Prosecco) and Strawberry Basil Fusion (Fresh Strawberry-Infused Prairie Organic Vodka, Fresh Basil, and Organic Agave Nectar).

Go try the new menu and let me know what you think.

Artichoke-Stuffed Artichoke Leaves.



Tomato & Haas Avocado Salad - my favorite!



Spicy Snow Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms.



Columbia River Steelhead Trout with spring vegetables, basmati rice and lemongrass sauce.



Lamb T-Bone Chops with asparagus, truffle mashed potatoes and red wine glaze.

Disclosure: The meal reviewed in this post was complimentary.

Comminity Foods - Fresh Delivery in Metro Atlanta

Delicious, fresh chicken ready to be cooked!

Recently I was offered a 40 lb. box of fresh, hormone-free chicken from Community Foods. Community Foods is a local Georgia company that sells and distributes wholesale, top quality, fresh food, direct from the farm to the consumer. Products include chicken, lean ground beef, tilapia, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.  By eliminating the middle-man of grocery stores andwholesale clubs, and delivering to common pickup points within the community, Community Foods is able to bring customers better prices than they would be able to find anywhere else. Community Foods sold these chicken breasts for $1.69/lb.

I selected my pickup point and easily found the local church in Decatur closest to my home on the appointed day. Kevin Campbell, the president of Community Foods, greeted me and helped load the 40 lb. case of chicken into my trunk. It was surprisingly compact for such a large amount of chicken!

When I returned home I divided the butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts into freezer bags and even had enough to give away to friends and family. I cooked some delicious orange chicken, some chicken salad and chicken with apple chipoltle barbecue sauce - yum! Community Foods is a great resource for obtaining fresh, quality foods at convenient locations and great prices.

The truck with boxes of chicken loaded up.





Big bowl of chicken!

Five Napkin Burger

Original Five Napkin with onion rings.

I was recently invited to come check out Five Napkin Burger, which opened a location last year at the corner of 10th St. and Piedmont Ave. With four New York City locations and locations in Miami and Boston, Atlanta is the first true Southern city outpost. Although the specialty of the house is obvious, they also have sushi, which we did not try on this visit. I do like the concept though, since you can bring a carnivore and a pescetarian and both be happy :)

We arrived just as the restaurant opened for brunch and had a nice booth near the window. The space is modern and bright, with a full bar and high ceilings. We started with the pork taquitos, which are cute mini pork tacos in hard shells - tasty and not too filling, a good thing with what we had coming next! I had to try the Original Five Napkin burger, which is a whopping 10 ounce patty of custom ground beef with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary mayo. It really hit the spot and is everything a big juicy burger should be. Some of the other burger selections like the Piedmont with pimento cheese, griddled onions and pickled jalepenos as well as the ahi tuna burger, sounded great as well - next time!

My favorite menu item was actually the lobster sliders. Calvin and I have looked long and hard for a good lobster roll in Georgia. It just isn't happening. While the sliders are a bit of a different take on the traditional "roll", they were warm, buttery and delicious. Definitely a repeat order for me. We also tried a side of the mac & cheese, which was creamy although not as heavy as some versions.

Pork Taquitos.



Butter poached lobster sliders with sweet potato fries - yum!



Macaroni & Cheese.



On our way out we took milkshakes to go. They were really tasty as well, making for a nice sweet end to the meal. Five Napkin is a neat addition to Midtown. If you are in the area it is another good place for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Disclosure: The meal reviewed in this post was complimentary.

Red Gold Tomatoes

I was offered a complimentary sample of Red Gold canned tomatoes, a family owned business based in Indiana which has been around since the 1940's. The website provides information about the company and lots of great recipes. I used the tomatoes for turkey chili, in omelets and to make bruschetta. If you are in the market for a new canned tomato you should definitely give Red Gold a try!

Stir it Up - Jamaican in Little 5 Points

Jerk chicken - ask for extra sauce for the rice!

After waiting in line at the Vortex for 20 minutes with no table in sight, I persuaded Calvin to try something different: the Jamaican restaurant Stir It Up that I read about recently. I am so glad we tried it! Not only did the waitress accommodate our extreme hunger in a quick way, the food was truly fantastic and the dessert was out of this world. We started with the Coco bread and the Jamaican beef patty. Skip the bread, get the patty. It was hot and the beef had excellent flavor with tasty gravy inside the delicious patty (see below for half eaten photo)!

I'm no expert on Jamaican cuisine but I love spicy food and the jerk chicken did not disappoint. It was a generous serving with rice/peas and cabbage included. The oxtail was also delicious and creamy. Both of these dishes arrived quickly although some of the menu items are cooked to order and require a long wait. When we were leaving the kitchen was just bringing out some fresh macaroni and cheese - it looked fantastic. There are also some great lunch specials offered Tuesday through Friday and surprisingly, several vegetarian options available. See menu here.

Oxtail.



Coco Bread and Jamaican beef patty.



Best chocolate cheesecake - EVER!

Although we were stuffed, the waitress assured us that the cheesecake was really good and really different - she was right! While it has a very rich and chocolatey taste, the cake was lighter and less dense than traditional cheesecake. I would go back just for this! They also have a vanilla version that I want to try next time. Stir it Up is one of the nicer establishments in Little 5 Points and the food is quality as well. Try it!

El Taco - VA Highlands

Roasted chicken taco, fried chicken taco and side of grilled corn in chili-lime mayo.

We had not been to El Taco since it changed hands and joined 5th Group. We started with the lime-salted corn chips and house salsa. Paying for chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant is one of my pet peeves, but how can you pass up chips and salsa?! I also found it odd that although there is a nice salsa bar in back, you can't get the "house salsa", which I liked a lot, unless you order the chips. I enjoyed trying the various salsas available at the bar but would like to see slightly larger cup size available so the salsas could be more easily dipped and shared.

I ordered two tacos (fried chicken and roasted chicken) and the side of corn. The corn dish and the fried chicken taco were my favorites. Something about the chili-lime mayo on the corn really adds a wonderful flavor. Calvin enjoyed his short stack with pork also. The short stack includes open-faced corn tortillas, red and green chili sauces, refried beans, Mexican cheeses, sunny-side-up egg plus the optional pork.

El Taco has a varied and interesting menu and it would be fun to try some of the other items like the fajitas, the Mexican pizzas or the shrimp del diablo. I very much want to try 5th Group's newest Mexican restaurant, Alma Cocina - hopefully you'll read about it soon in a new post!

El Short Stack + pork carnitas.

Hankook Taqueria

I finally made my first visit to Hankook Taqueria although I've eaten from the related Yumbii food truck several times. This place is very popular for lunch and I found it a bit tricky to find parking. You order at the long counter and then your food is brought out to your table - if you can find one! We ended up sharing a table with another twosome since the place was so packed.

I tried the Bibim-bop, one of my favorite Korean dishes and shared the above sweet potato taquitos as well. The taquitos were tasty and flavorful, with a nice sour cream dip on the side. The Bibim-bop was a bit disappointing, probably because I usually have it way out Buford Highway at more full service Korean restaurants, but I enjoyed it all the same. While I love spice, the amount of hot sauce here was a bit much - I think they would do better to serve it on the side. Hankook is known for its tacos and burritos and the ones I've had from their Yumbii food truck have been quite tasty. The sesame fries are also very good. This combination of Mexican/Korean is certainly an interesting one and another more upscale restaurant venture of the same ownership/genre called Takorea has now opened in Midtown. This is a fun introduction to Korean tastes for those who are not familiar and a fun lunch meeting spot.

Bibim-bop with lots of spicy hot sauce!

Heirloom Market BBQ - Living Up to the Hype

Pulled pork with collards and fabulous mac & cheese. What taste!!

Heirloom Market BBQ is a new favorite. Housed near I-285 near Cumberland Boulevard in a tiny parking lot with a package store next door, the tranquil lines and the folks happily eating while standing up demonstrate the ethereal nature of this amazing spot. We arrived on a Saturday around 3 PM and the crowd was visible. Luckily after placing our order and paying at the register we found room at the standing room only wooden table on the small deck. Inside, patrons waiting patiently for seating on bar stools or at the one communal table.

When the food arrived we could tell why this is the new spot in town for BBQ. Chef/owners Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor hail from impressive backgrounds, having worked at the St. Regis and the Ritz Carlton. Lee also brings a welcome flair from her native South Korea. The spices and sides with Korean influences meld perfectly with the succulent, tender meats. We tried pulled pork and smoked wings. The pork is truly amazing. The wings - like no other wings we've ever tried with a sauce sticky and spicy and wonderful all at the same time. Chicken, turkey and various unique sausages are also available. Next time we must try the ribs - we saw a table of college guys downing them with beautiful looking fries and cole slaw. Side dish specials can be found on the restaurant's Facebook page.

The bustling dining room.





Cucumber and radish salad - perfectly pickled.



Smoked wings with fried green tomatoes. SO delicious.



Spicy BBQ sandwich with Korean sweet potatoes. A steal at $7.50. The potatoes are crispy and sweet with a unique taste - definitely worth a try. Love the true spice on the sandwich. Several homemade BBQ sauces are also available.



Snickerdoodle cookie, apple pie and pecan pie. Cookie was delicious but who needs dessert after such a filling and fabulous meal?

In some ways I really hope that Heirloom Market BBQ moves to a new space with more room - BUT, it is so perfect right now and its energy is wonderful. It would be a shame to lose that even if more space can be gained. I must go back - and soon!