Chow Down Atlanta

So I’m late in the game, I know. But here’s what went down anyway. Last Saturday, I circled Hwy 52 for 30 minutes trekked up to Dahlonega to join my homies Eat It Atlanta, Savory Exposure, and Foodie Buddha on a food/wine conclave hosted by Montaluce Winery. In the interest of full disclosure, Montaluce provided a delectable 5-course luncheon plus wine pairings and wine tastings to us bloggers at no charge.

my stash

I’m such a lightweight when in comes to alcohol (I hardly ever drink) that I think I was drunk (and beet red) after 5 sips of wine (you can ask Jimmy– he was making fun of me!) But I found something that I really liked and bought 3 bottles for my dad — 2 risatas and a viognier — smooth, and a tad sweet.

I really had such a great time and met so many nice people. And I can’t wait to go back. Shout out to the nice people:

@montalucewine
@hogballs
@winetonite
@biskuitATL
@EatBuHi
@BlackTieBBQ
@frenchtart
@leoghann
@hoplessfoodie
@suburbanwino

More pictures here.

[Side note: I was supposed to go to Conyers in the evening for a birthday party but all the eating and wine followed by a big Shoya dinner did me in. To Dylan: Happy, happy birthday. Sorry to miss your party.]

Montaluce Winery & Estates
501 Hightower Church Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
Phone: 706.867.4060
Fax: 706.482.0120
Email: info@montaluce.com

Okay, friends, now’s the time to show support for one of our own. Hardy Wallace over at Dirty South Wine is in contention for a “Really Goode Job”. Let’s show our support by voting now. Click below:

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Technorati Tags: Murphy Goode, Dirty Wine South

I like this gastro pub in that they serve real food. Not tapas, sides, or your typical bar food, but substantial, creative meals you find in nice restaurants. Not that this place isn’t nice. It is. I popped in for a quick lunch the other day and remembered I haven’t written about this place yet. Lunch menu consists of “designer” deli sandwiches made in their real kitchen with high-end ingredients by a real chef.

My chosen sandwich this visit was their Insult to Philly. This huge creation came on a grilled, buttery hoagie roll then topped with slices of Wagyu (American Style Kobe) Kamado roasted beef, sautéed sweet onions, red peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and melted Swiss cheese with rosemary balsamic au jus. They said the balsamic au jus takes 60 hrs. to make! The roast beef was a little bland to me but the other ingredients made up for it. I particularly liked the sauteed onions that were sweetish and cut the monotony of the beefy taste of the sandwich. The au jus was really good that I had to ask for more. Overall a good sandwich.

My lunch date’s Basic Beef with shaved Wagyu rare roast beef, Swiss cheese and rosemary aioli on hand country white bread was also good. Again, the beef was a little bland for my taste but the rosemary aioli was a good spread for it.

We both got the day-old barley-leek soup with chunks of bacon. This was a fantastic soup. It was brothy more than creamy but you can still taste the creaminess in it. Superb.

Verdict: I like my sandwich meat a little tastier so when you remove the other ingredients and get it in between two pieces of bread with nothing else, it still makes for a tasty sandwich. Our total bill for lunch was a little bit over $35 (with 2 sandwiches, 2 soups, a diet Coke, a bottle of sparkling water, and 2 bags of chips). Kinda pricey for a regular lunch but bear in mind that we had Wagyu-style beef and housemade soup.

Insider tip:
The fries are a must try although there has been an instance where I’ve had them very soggy.

The scoop:
Muss & Turner’s
1675 Cumberland Pky SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(770) 434-1114

Technorati Tags: Mus & Turners, Smyrna, gastro pub, waygu beef, sandwiches, lunch, dinner

Located downstairs on what used to be East Andrews Cafe and Bar, the place has been transformed to a quieter, more proper, wine bar offering 56 types of wine and small plates created by Chef Paul Agnelli (Capital Grill, Van Gogh’s) to complement the wines. The menu is divided into four sections: Garden, Land, Sea, and Sweet. I went with two friends to maximize the number of tapas plates I can taste. I’m glad I did because Jake is a good eater just like me and he’s willing to try everything.

Grilled Flat Iron, Chimichurri, Arugula: excellent, excellent steak grilled to a medium perfection; the chimichurri and arugula adding earthiness to the dishChipotle Pork, Corn Relish, Arbol Vinaigrette: saltish, cajuny pork with a good amount of heat

Green Chile/Prosciutto Mac & Cheese: spicy mac-n-cheese; what’s not to love?

Guinness Braised Short Rib, Natural Reduction: fall-off-the-bone short rib with the taste of the Guinness truly evident; one order is not enough (we had 3)

Grilled Flatbread, Duck Confit, Fig Jam, Point Reyes Blue: a rich and filling dish; very good, and well prepared though I would have loved to see more duck

Seared New Bedford Scallop, Sweet Corn, Nueske’s Applewood Bacon: the gigantic scallop tasted really fresh but the dish overall was a bit salty for my tastes; perhaps the addition of the bacon contributed more saltiness

Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, Avocado, Grapefruit Mojo: no skimping on the crabmeat here; I’ve never had these with avocado before but surprisingly, it works; the grapefruit mojo giving it a unique wonderful taste is an added bonus

Sweet Georgia White Shrimp, Tasso Gravy, Logan Turnpike Grits: the grits provided a good background for the large grilled shrimp; very good

Flash Fried Calamari, Peppadew Peppers, Red Chile Aoili: the calamari were great but were overpowered by the aoli; remember to order these with aoili on the side instead

Heirloom Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Sweet Grass Dairy Triple Cream: fantastic; the tomatoes were crunchy and sweet and the SGD cheese was an excellent choice

Saute of Wild Mushrooms, Locatelli Polenta: the mushrooms were really good but the polenta was on the dry side; this dish has potentials, though

Roasted Garlic Humus, Whole Peppadews: creamy, chunky, garlicky-good hummus

Grilled Corn, Spicy Aioli, Lime, Queso Cojita: loved this (but I love corn anyway); I really enjoyed the limey-spicy-cheesy topping (the only downside is that it’s a mess to eat)

Cornmeal Fried Green Tomatoes, Cilantro Buttermilk, Goat Cheese: perfect

Grilled Flatbread, Roma Tomatoes, Maplebrook Farms Mozzarella: an all-around good flatbread; you can’t go wrong with this

Caramelized Garlic Risotto, Aged Balsamic: a great accompaniment to the shortrib

Marinated Olives: a huge serving; marinated just right

Daily Cheeses: you can’t go wrong with a cheese plate; theirs came with medium cheddar, Gouda, Marcona almonds, honeycomb, and crackers

Oolong Tea Crème Brulee: I could really taste the oolong tea on this one; one of my friends didn’t like it but I loved it

Coconut Cream Pie: a must-try fo those who love coconut

Pot of Chocolate: just the perfect ending to a meal

Verdict: I like this place. Service is A-1 and prices are very reasonable (with tapas from $4, wine by the glass at $6 and half-glasses at $3, plus a good many wines by the bottle for $24). Great vibe and atmosphere.

The scoop:
Cellar 56
56 E Andrews Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-1132
Monday-Saturday from 5pm –11pm

Technorati Tags: Cellar 56, Scott Serpas, Buckhead, East Andrews, tapas, wine bar

There’s this cool wine event the whole month of November.  Dirty South Wine is challenging 15 of Atlanta’s top restaurants to prepare a wine and food pairing for under $25.  Now that is a sweet deal!

Here’s how it works, 3 chosen judges will try a restaurant’s entry.  Once the entry has been posted on the DSW site, you can go ahead and get the pairing.  Here’s the list of participating restaurants:

Holeman & Finch
Joel
ARIA
ENO
Woodfire Grill
Toulouse
VITA
Repast
La Tavola
Top FLR
VINE
Canoe
Dogwood
ONE. Midtown kitchen
ISAW (International Society of Africans in Wine)

For more details, check out Dirty South Wine.

Technorati Tags: Dirty South Wine, Riding Dirty, Atlanta, wine, events