Out There Atlanta is live!

I am so excited to tell you guys that the first episode of the podcast is up and running.  For our first episode we interviewed the entrepreneurs and coffee-obsessives behind our favorite coffee shop in Atlanta, Steady Hand Pour House.  Give it a listen at www.OutThereAtlanta.com.  We're still working on getting it on itunes but I'll let you know when its up.  Hope you enjoy it!

Sweet Auburn Curb Market///Grindhouse Burgers

The other week we visited the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in MLK's old neighborhood.  The SACM was founded in 1918 by the Womens Club of Atlanta after a fire ravaged the area.  It was originally an open-air market but was moved indoors in 1923.

Today the SACM exists as an urban farmers market and a popular lunch stop for professionals in the area.

We sampled the wares at a few shops.

Sweet Auburn Bakery case

sweet potato cheesecake from Sweet Auburn Bakery

The sweet potato cheesecake from the Sweet Auburn Bakery was so delicious...

and the popcorn from Miss D's New Orlean Praline's so tasty.

Also at the SACM is Grindhouse Burgers, an Atlanta-based burgery started by an Emory J.D.  

The name derives from the Grindhouse films playing on the wall facing the bar, a silent entertainment for those quietly chowing down.

Their shtick is that their burger meat - blend of chuck and brisket - is freshly ground everyday.  So can you taste the freshness and special care?

Heck yes you can!  This burger was moist and flavorful, and a perfect ratio of meat to other parts.

 We got the Grindhouse-style burger, hot dog, and spicy sweet potato chips.

Grindhouse is worth the trip for those chips alone.

Farm Burger is still top of the list but Grindhouse was a surprisingly close second.  For a no-frills burger, Grindhouse is the place to go.

For more info and some interviews with the proprietors of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market shops, start looking out for the podcast I'm starting with a friend.  It's called Out There Atlanta.  We cover food and culture events in Atlanta and feature on-site interviews.   Follow us on twitter @outthereatlanta and expect more podcast updates in the next few weeks!

Weekend Yum

This weekend Several weekends ago, i got to try out some new recipes as well as some tried-and-true favorites.  Then my computer had an unfortunate coffee-related incident and my posting has gotten severely backed up!  Hopefully I'll be back on track this week - there's so much neat stuff to share!

I'd been eying Cook's Illustrated's Chicago pizza recipe since the Jan/Feb 2010 issue arrived.  Alex and I are heading back to Chicago for a quick weekend next month so this was a great way to get excited.

pre-bake

post-bake

olive

left to right: pepperoni, olive

buttery crust

First ice creams of the season!

Something old... (no pic, we ate it all!)
and something new.

coconut saffron ice cream with mango

Also made: basil ice cream with candied lemon peel and classic vanilla with chocolate chips, all courtesy of The Perfect Scoop.  

new obsession: Sugar Coated Radical

On a recent cloudless Sunday morning, Alex and I ventured to a magical place we'd often heard about but had never before seen with our own eyes.

 Tucked away in a little cottage on Drewry Lane, in our very neighborhood, is a chocolate shop to rival the best.  What is this place? It is the home of the Sugar Coated Radical.

I don't have a picture of the Radical herself, Miss Taria, but you can watch a short video about her here.

Or witness a bit of the magic right here...

photos from Sugar-Coated Radical's fbook page.. jellies, mendiants and truffles oh my!

 Not only do they make amazing chocolates (rumor is, they're Richard Blais's favorites in Atlanta), they do pastries as well!

On Sunday's they've been doing a bakery day with the guys from Rattletrap serving up some seriously awesome coffee. We went to the last bakery Sunday they'll be having while Sugar Coated Radical hunts down another commercial kitchen...

and we'll be first in line when they're back!

Japanese sweet potato turnover on the left, kimchi brioche on the right (SO GOOD)

Plum and ginger tart (totally amazing)

blackberry... something.  cake?  whatever it was, it was delicious!

All their wares were amazing, and I haven't even begun to tell you about the chocolate, caramels (IPA caramel!), and fruit jellies we tried!

I'm looking forward to sampling a lot more of SCR goods this summer when my cousin Sagan will be interning there.  I promise I'd be biased even without the family connection - this place rocks.

Three good things: The Rattletrap, an awesome cousin, and the corner of Sugar Coated Radical.

Sugar Coated Radical

680 Drewry Lane

twitter @sugarradical

Rattletrap Coffee Truck

twitter @rattletrap_atl

Street Food Thursdays

On a beautiful Thursday morning last week a few friends and I headed to the Woodruff Arts Center to see what all the fuss was about.  Thursdays, you see, are street food day in Midtown Atlanta.  Street Food Thursdays just started five weeks ago and are part of a movement to integrate street food into the Atlanta scene.  Although food trucks are an established part of food culture in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and even Carrboro, NC, Atlanta has laws that make it difficult for food truck businesses.  Unless its for a certified "event", food trucks are banned in the city.

Street Food Thursdays are aiming to change all that, and based on the consistent turn-out, great food, and enthusiasm, food trucks are here to stay!

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

 The head count has been consistently in the thousands every week!

Reasons why:

The hugely popular Yumbii truck carries food from Han Kook, for one, including their amazing sesame fries.

 The Tamale Queen serves up good food and for a good cause.

 SO many people told us to get the "poodle" at the Good Food truck.

My buddy Elizabeth got one of Sweet Auburn's bbq sandwiches.

The folks from Steady Hand Pour House, a standby for us (they carry Intelligentsia! and they're nice) were representing with their mobile coffee shop, Rattletrap.

Pimp.

My.

Ride.

That's right, this is the inside of a seriously tricked out VW bus.  Amazing!  

(Side note: the Rattletrap carries horchata -woohoo!- and the espresso drinks are even better than the ones in the shop. Fact: better espresso machine)

Bill Cunningham also paid the Rattletrap a visit.  Just kidding, but with the bike and camera doesn't it look like him?

some very content professionals taking a lunch break.

Street Food Thursdays are a lot of fun and not to be missed!  Get you down to the Woodruff Arts Center (thats 16th and Peachtree) or visit the SFT Annex down at 10th & Peachtree.

10th & Peachtree Street Food Annex

In case you needed one more reason to go...

Salted-butter caramel ice cream and chocolate chip cookie sandwich.     BAM.

CDC Museum

During Wm's visit we finally made a trip to the CDC Museum, something we'd been meaning to do for a while.  Up until then, most of my Center for Disease Control and Prevention knowledge and experience stemmed from the occasional House episode.  The CDC Museum was established as part of Atlanta's preparation for the 1996 Olympic games to present the history and work of the CDC through dioramas and other exhibits.

Because the CDC is a government organization, there's excitement before you even walk through the door.

 The adventure begins with a search of your car.

Strip search and full body scan optional.

Once you're inside and past security there's a good amount to see.  We started with the temporary photography exhibit on malaria.

chillaxing with a malaria-carrying giant mosquito

I found the propaganda and educational posters very interesting.

(this one really made me laugh, which does not speak well for my maturity)

And of course, no trip to the CDC would be complete without some sort of initiation...

(note: these suits were made for giants and were incredibly unwieldy)

Folks, the CDC Museum is some of the best free entertainment Atlanta has to offer.  If you've got a free hour, I recommend making the trip!