Chow Down Atlanta

I’m back! Today, I had the chance to go to the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show 09. The highlight of the day was seeing Paula Deen and sons who provided a very entertaining show sans cooking. This is one of the best food-related trade shows in the city. Lots of food merchants offering samples, the latest on cookware and kitchen gadgets, and just about anything that will make you happy in and out of the kitchen. As usual, I overspent on a lot of things: chamois kitchen rags, glass wipes, non-slip trays, and many more. Local artisans were around, too, as well as local chefs on the cooking stage. If you missed it, make sure you go next year. It’s so much fun!

More pictures here.

Technorati Tags: Paula Deen, Jamie Deen, Bobby Deen, events, Atlanta

I apologize for the lack of posts. I spent last week in Florida with my brother and his family. Being New Yorkers, a beach vacation is a must for them. We did the Disney parks, the beach, and the nightly trips to Ghirardelli. It was too short but fun. I am now in the DC area this whole week for a certification class. I should be back this weekend. For now, I leave you with this:

Tonight’s dinner was courtesy of Bethesda Crab House. It was a super duper fantastic dinner. The blue crabs were huge, fresh, and sweet tasting. If I were to choose my last meal on earth, it would be blue crabs. These crabs were so huge the meat was equivalent to 4 regular blue crabs. I finished all 6. That’s like eating 2 dozen crabs. All on my own. Time to take a nap.

Be back soon!
–Chloe.

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Technorati Tags: blue crabs, Maryland crabs

There is one thing in this world that my sister and I cannot live without: bread. It’s a childhood addiction that our parents have come to accept because they no longer question us when we literally fill our suitcases with bread from trips abroad: Japanese white bread loaf and rolls, Korean cream bread, Middle Eastern flatbreads, Eastern European bread dumplings, French bread and pastries… You get the drift. Two weeks ago, my sister sent me this picture while standing outside a store:

We were literally jumping up and down when we found out that Belly General Store is now carrying our most coveted bread of all: Poilâne bread. If you don’t already know yet, you must read what this bread is all about then you’d understand our craziness over it.

It’s a steal at only $20. And they get weekly shipments. Imagine, we no longer have to lug around 50 pounds of bread in a suitcase every time we go to Paris. We can now enjoy this chewy, yummy bread any time we fancy. Thank you Belly, we love you.

The scoop:
Belly General Store
772 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 872-1003

Technorati Tags: Poilane, bread, French, Virginia-Highland

Had the pleasure of tagging along for the second time with FoodieBuddha on his Sandwich Tour. On this stop: Sawicki’s. Mr. Buddha sums it up here and he has nice pictures to boot.

I do want to add that I tried their cupcakes: Root Beer and Red Velvet. The root beer cupcake was just divine — moist and cakey and the icing was just deliciously creamy. The red velvet was a little dry.

More on ‘s site.

Insider tip:
Sawicki’s has fresh meat and seafood including veggies straight from the farm.

The scoop:
Sawicki’s Meat Seafood and More
250 W Ponce De Leon Ave
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 377-0992
Tuesday – Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 12:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

Technorati Tags: sandwiches, meat shop, deli, cupcakes, bread, veggies, Decatur

Latest Update: I’ve given out all coupons! Thanks for stopping by! –CM

Update: I have 5 coupon packs (which includes free coupons to 5 McCafé coffees: cappuccino, mocha, iced mocha, latte, and iced latte) to whoever wants them. Send me an email at chloe [at] chowdownatlanta [dot] com and include your mailing address and I’ll snail mail it to you. The first 5 who responds get them. I also have a few coupons for a free small hot or medium iced drink of choice which I’m going to give to whoever comes up and hits me for it. So if you see me, ask me!

I’m being given coupon packs to try the new McCafé coffees for free. These espresso-based drinks include Lattes, Mochas and Cappuccinos in different flavors such as Iced, Caramel, Hazelnut, Vanilla and Sugar-Free Vanilla, and Premium Roast Coffee and Premium Hot Chocolate.

From the press release:

McCafé Coffees start with coffee beans, which are harvested by hand in the warm climates of Central and South America, as well as in the mountainous regions of Indonesia. Only the finest, fully-ripened beans are used, ensuring great taste. A state-of-the-art espresso machine freshly grinds McCafé Coffee beans before brewing them under pressure, with high-quality milk and flavor syrups added.

I haven’t decided how to give them away — maybe via Twitter or my Facebook page. And I don’t know yet how may coupons I’ll get to give out. More details on Monday. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: McDonald’s, McCafe, coffee, latte, mocha