Chow Down Atlanta

Seven different flavors. All individually wrapped and tied with cute bows. Beware. They crumble like crazy. The crusts are hard and dry. But the fillings are creamy and delicious. A buck a piece. Yes. It’s a good buy. But nothing beats the real French version in taste, texture, and quality.

White Windmill Bakery and Cafe
Several locations but I’ve only seen them in the Buford Highway location:
5881 Buford Hwy
Doraville, GA 30362
(678) 887-5200

Technorati Tags: Korean, bakery, macarons

Spicy and cool at the same time. Newest brother of the bunch.

Spicy, sweet, creamy. And local.

Go buy now!

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Fresh, yogurt, Cheetos

I have always been disappointed with mall pretzels. Being a glutton for punishment Hoping the next one could be better, I keep buying wasting my money on hard, dried-out, pathetic excuse for a pretzel every single time I am at the mall. (My foursquare friends can attest to how much I am at the mall.) But there is this one pretzel that you must include in your 100 things to eat before you die: Wetzel’s. Wetzel’s Bitz to be exact.

I discovered Wetzel’s when Discover Mills opened in Lawrenceville in late 2001 and have been addicted to them ever since. Still the only place to find them, these babies are ultra soft and so airy they spring back up after every bite. Pinch them flat and they stay squished. They’re that soft. The outside crust has just enough crisp that makes sinking your teeth in them quite a delight. Best of all? They are so buttery. Soft, buttery pretzels. So addicting! The plain ones are fantastic but the cinnamon ones are heavenly. Seriously, they are crazy good!

Insider tip:
Get the Bitz (bite-size pieces) — they are softer.
Two outposts inside the mall — one by the food court near Chili’s and one by Bass Pro Shops.
And, no, Auntie Anne’s has nothing on Wetzel’s.

The scoop:
Wetzel’s Pretzels
5900 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043-7839
(678) 847-5959

Technorati Tags: pretzels, Discover Mills, Lawrenceville

I ate half of the chocolate chip in one sitting

There’s this grandma, we call her Miss Sharon, who works at Saks. For years, she has been supplying homemade lunches and freshly baked, homemade pumpkin bread to her fellow sales associates. For eight years now, we have been buying her bread, in bulk, during the holiday season. It was accidental how we discovered her goods. Playing at the makeup counters one day eight years ago while shopping with our mom, my sister and I saw a basket of goodies in one corner. Oh my, they look so good! So we stalked her and followed her around. We have been buying her loaves ever since.

She makes the very best pumpkin bread on the planet. They are so dense, heavy (close to two pounds each loaf), extremely moist, and amazingly delicious. She only uses the best ingredients. Flavors include cranberry, apricot, apple, blueberry, plain, and chocolate chip. They are all good.

We have only seen her in the makeup section. Usually during the weekdays in the afternoons. She leaves around 4pm. My mom has her phone number. I will post it before the week is over. Pumpkin bread is $9 each.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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