Chow Down Atlanta

I’m not a big plain-coffee drinker. My Starbucks drinks of choice are Café Mocha and Caramel Macchiato. Always. But last week, a friend and I were having coffee (doing our weekly catch-up) on a lazy Wednesday morning when the barista came out with some samples. Alas, I found a new favorite drink in their Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte. A black, flowery tea seeped in milk with a couple of shots of vanilla added for sweetness. It is divine. I’ve been having it everyday (even twice a day) for a week now. That and the moist and yummy Red Velvet Cupcake topped with a chocolate truffle. It’s a great combination!

This week, they are launching their new tea lattes. I was given a couple of gift cards and coupons to give away. The last time I did this, I got emails for weeks from people asking for them. That’s after I edited the post the same hour it came out to say that the gift cards were all gone. So this time, I’m changing the mechanics of the giveaway. Here goes: I will be at the Starbucks on Windward Parkway (near Costco) this Friday, January 16th from 10-11am. Why this location? Because this is where I sampled the tea lattes for the first time last week. So it’s just fitting. The 4th and 8th person that come in will get the $10 gift cards and every other person will get a free coupon to any tea latte. Easy enough. See you then!

Technorati Tags: Starbucks, tea latte

I love bakeries and specialty food markets. I place Star Provisions on top of my list followed by H&F Bread Company, and Alon’s Bakery. While I do believe that Star Provisions has the best baguettes in the city bar none, the ones at Alon’s are pretty good contenders. On a recent visit, I got these amazing Chocolate Chunk Pecan bites for $7.99 a pound. These are like chocolate chip cookies but on steroids. They are simply heavenly. I also got some chocolate croissants (again, Star Provisions’ croissants are better), a loaf of sourdough bread, and a slice of some chocolate cake that I forgot what it’s called (delicious, nonetheless). I also got some house-made chocolates but I couldn’t resist and finished all half a pound on my drive home.

I grabbed a quick lunch of Chicken Pesto sandwich that was really delicious. I’m not a fan of pesto but theirs is so mild and tasty. It was the first time I’ve had this sandwich and I was really impressed with it.

Alon’s is a good place to get artisan breads baked on the premises, assorted hand-made chocolates by the pound, cookies, pastries, cakes, salads, sandwiches, cheeses, and other specialty food items.

Insider tip:
There’s a coffee bar inside.

The scoop:
Alon’s Bakery and Market
North Highland: 1394 N. Highland Ave, Atlanta, GA 30306 – 404.872.6000
Park Place: 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, GA 30346 – 678.397.1781

Technorati Tags: Alon’s Bakery And Market, Dunwoody, Highland Avenue, Perimeter, specialty market, gourmet market, bakery, lunch, sandwiches

I opened the door, stepped in, and heard angels singing. The smell of yeast and fresh-baked bread enveloped my entire body. I’m in bread heaven.

I. Love. Bread. I can live off of bread alone. That and chocolate. Seriously, I would rather eat bread than dessert. And I’m known to eat bread for dessert. Star Provisions is my favorite bakery. They have the best baguettes in Atlanta, chocolate croissants, and the no-longer-available chocolate cupcakes. But now, I’ve found another favorite.

H&F Bread Company supplies bread to big brothers Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House which are both next door. Its popularity started at the Peachtree Road Farmer’s Market where they would sell out in an hour or two. Back then, it was the only way to get a hold of their baked goods. Until now.

H&F Bread Company reminds me of the bakeries in Europe where you can get fresh-baked artisan breads and pastries, as well as cheeses, house-made spreads, and homemade jams and preserves. It is literally bread heaven.

Chef Robert’s lunch menu offers sandwiches and soups that change daily. My $14 lunch consisted of turkey and brie on a croissant with apple butter and a bowl of crab bisque. The sandwich was very good and very filling. I love the slight sweetness that the apple butter provided to the shaved turkey breast and soft brie cheese. The croissant is just perfect — it is buttery and had just enough flakiness yet it also had a soft, doughy inside. The crab bisque was smooth and velvety and delicious. It is a pricey lunch but the servings were huge and it was worth every penny.

I wanted to bring a piece of this heaven with me so Joshua, the resident bread keeper, told me to just have a go and pick everything I want. I did. $46 dollars worth of bread. And a tub of house-made pimiento cheese, a small bottle of fig jam, and a small bottle of peach preserves. These should last me a week (*wink*).

Insider tip:
I can’t bake to save my life so this tip is all new to me: Joshua told me that to re-invigorate an old baguette, simply wet your hands, touch the baguette all over, and reheat at 325F for 10-15 minutes. Cool!

The scoop:
H&F Bread Company
2255 Peachtree Rd. NE
Suite H
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-350-8877

Technorati Tags: Holeman & Finch, bakery, Restaurant Eugene, Buckhead, Peachtree Rd.

Lottafrutta is this cool sandwich place a few blocks from Georgia State in Auburn Avenue. It’s been one of our favorite places for a quick bite to eat whenever I’m on this side of town (which is about twice a week). A couple of years ago, you wouldn’t want to walk around Auburn Avenue. But they’ve really cleaned the place up. It’s beautiful here now with lots of quaint houses and quirky townhomes.

Lottafrutta serves grilled sandwiches on Latin bread. They’re wonderful. The sweet bread is soft, grilled panini-style, and filled with ham, turkey, or veggies. Or get it the way I do: Just Veggin’ with Turkey — creamy havarti with avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sprouts with a slices of oven-roasted turkey. It is just so delicious. Each sandwich comes with a tiny tub of chulpe (grilled corn, Ecuadorian style). It’s crunchy and very appetizing.

Then they have these fruit cups that are just equally amazing. My two favorites are the Limonatta and the Cremolatta. If you have a taste for tart stuff, then Limonatta is for you. It has slices of cantaloupe, coconut, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, mango, and papaya with fresh lime juice then sprinkled with spicy chile guajillo. You get this sweet-tangy tastes with a hint of spice. No worries, it is not spicy at all, with the heat more akin to paprika. On the other hand, if you want all sweetness, then go for the Cremolatta with slices of grapes, watermelon, strawberry, papaya, and cantaloupe then topped with a generous amount of homemade cream. Both delicious and both great accompaniments to the sandwiches. The fruit juices and the ice pops are also irresistible.

Lottafrutta is one sandwich place you must, must try. Grilled sandwiches are only $6.25 (they are good-sized), fruit cups start at $4.75.

Insider tip:
Open during the week at 7am for breakfast. Try the Cuban coffee — awesome!

The scoop:
Lottafrutta
590 Auburn Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 588-0857
M-F: 7am-5pm
Sat/Sun: 9am-5pm

Technorati Tags: Lottafrutta, Inman Park, fruits, grilled sandwiches, Latin bread, limonatta, cremolatta, frutta cups, salads, breakfast, brunch, Cuban coffee

So I’m not the only one who has tried DD‘s new breakfast sandwich.  It’s part of their DDSmart line of healthier breakfast fare which is the newest trend these days.  There’s this new DD on Pleasant Hill (close to 141) that just opened maybe 3 weeks ago.  They have this new contemporary decor that makes it look more like a cozy coffee shop than a regular DD.  They are the only location that makes humongous donuts.  I got a dozen chocolate-glazed and they wouldn’t fit the box!  I’m so used to getting donuts from other locations and they make these puny ones.  Theirs were huge and fluffy.  Anyway, back to the sandwich…

Okay, so the eggs and filling are pre-made but they get delivered daily so there’s a freshness factor there at least. They pop them into their ovens and they get toasted nicely. The result: a decent-tasting breakfast that you can eat on the go. Like when you’re driving (which I always do, I mean, the eating and driving part). I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of this “healthier breakfast trend” now.

The scoop:
Dunkin’ Donuts at
5980 State Bridge Rd
Duluth, GA 30097
678-957-8507

Technorati Tags: Dunkin Donuts, DDSmart, breakfast