Urban Picnic - Worth the Trek

I work in Buckhead, so I am super excited that I was able to make it to the Urban Picnic downtown today – and I was only away from my desk for one hour and 10 mins! Anyone who lives in Atlanta knows that is a major feat based on traffic and parking in this town. But after hearing incessantly about the Atlanta street food movement and the awesome cuisines on wheels infiltrating the scene, I just had to make it to this mecca of portable goodness.

Once I navigated down 400, then 85, found a place to park and walked a few very sweaty blocks to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, my time at the picnic was limited, so I had to choose wisely and quickly. After perusing each of the six or seven carts/trucks on the premises, I decided to go with the Good Food Truck based on the novelty of its offerings, as well as the King of Pops because, well, he’s the king!

The Good Food Truck surprised the hell out of me by serving me a savory, curry-flavored waffle cone filled with cold samosa potato salad and mint yogurt. Anyone who is not intrigued by that combo has to be insane. On its own, the potato salad and yogurt mixture was pretty good, but combined with a bite of the cone it was heavenly. The cone was (thankfully) a little bit sweet, as one would expect, but also spicy – I want more!!! I will definitely be adding this truck to my stalker list so I can try some other crazy delicious cone flavors.

Based on the insane hype, I knew the King of Pops iced treats would be good, and I was right. The pineapple habanero popsicle was right on. I feared the habanero would be lost in the mix, but the pop was definitely spicy. Overall, it boasted a great balance of flavor. Being pretty piggish, I usually go for heavier/creamier desserts over such healthy fare as popsicles, but I’ll likely be stalking the king as well. There are just too many tantalizing flavors on his chalkboard menu to ignore.

I would have liked to sample a few more items, but I could only hold so many things on my run back to my car for a prompt return to the cubicle. While the Good Food Truck was kind enough to secure my curry cone with foil, I would definitely recommend that the Urban Picnic vendors travel armed with to-go accoutrements for the unfortunate souls who don’t work/live anywhere near the action. Then we can buy/eat more of your stuff!

Five-Spice Coconut Chicken - Hell yes!

I (sort've) made this last night, except instead of marinating the chicken for 15 minutes, I marinated it for three hours. My BF then cooked it up on the outside grill with a side of sliced zucchini I supplied to him slathered in rosemary-infused oil and dusted with salt and freshly ground black pepper. I can't even begin to describe the euphoria! I also whisked up the side sauce in this recipe (unsweetened coconut milk, lime juice and honey), but instead of drizzling it on sugar snap peas (which I am not a fan of), we poured it on a side of brown rice. I would definitely recommend trying this one at home, kids! I'll admit the rosemary flavored oil wasn't the most cohesive flavor to go with the Asian meal, but it was the only flavored oil I had and I didn't want naked zucchini. Maybe try a basil oil? In any case, just try it! 

Canyons Doesn't Cut the Mustard

Sadly my neighborhood (Brookhaven) lacks in quality eateries, which is why I have found myself at Canyons Burger Company on Peachtree one too many times. Yesterday after working all day, attending an evening meeting and somewhere along the way developing an intense craving for burgers, I was back there again for some late-night sustenance.

While the concept is good (burgers, fries, etc. ordered at a counter and brought to your table), I have never really been super impressed with the place, but last night I was downright unimpressed. The ordering can take awhile because you have to state everything you want on your burger while standing at the counter. As I listed off what I wanted, I strongly questioned whether the lackadaisical employee taking our order was even listening. Turns out she wasn’t, as both my and my boyfriend’s burgers were missing some toppings. 

Moving on to beverages, the Light Minute Maid Lemonade from the soda fountain was so sickenly sweet that I had to fill my cup half with lemonade and half with water. I’ve had this lemonade at other places and I can assure you it’s not supposed to taste like that, but it was too late for this gal to drink anything caffeinated. 

After the eternal wait for our messed up orders, I can’t say I was that moved by the food either. The turkey burger had an okay taste to it, but the patty was paper thin, pressed out like pizza dough so that it no longer fit on the bun, which made for an awkward/messy experience. Also, I rarely meet a sweet potato fry that I don’t like, and I typically like things nice and salty, but the sweet potato fries at Canyons were too salty even for me. 

Next time I have a late-night hankering for a turkey burger, remind me to head over to Pub 71 up the street instead. Having paid around $23 for two meals at Canyons, I’m confident I can get better food and service for a fairly comparable price elsewhere. 

Go Publix!

I admit I always shop at Kroger for the deals, but Publix is a fine establishment. I love how they have people there cooking up fun recipes for shoppers to sample in the store and try at home. This week I tried one I collected from them awhile ago when I was visiting my mom in Orlando. It was so easy and amazing, and a very creative way to use Cheez Whiz. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Publix Super Duper Cheeseburger - http://tinyurl.com/2ffy964. Feel free to sub in fresh onions, like I did, instead of the frozen ones. You can thank me later!  

Nathan's Fries Are To Dies!

I’m not usually that into junk food, but I am currently daydreaming about the bacon ranch fries my boyfriend got from Nathan’s on Saturday. Yes, the Nathan’s that specializes in hot dogs and is most likely in your local airport. Anyway, it turns out Nathan’s fries are quite the thing on their own – plump, crinkly, and with just enough grease and salt to be dangerous but not disgusting. Whoever thought of topping these gems with generously-sized hunks of bacon and everyday ranch dressing is a genius. I meant to try just one, but before I knew it I’d scarfed a good six or seven fries. So simple, yet so amazing. I’d definitely recommend recreating this combination at home – maybe for a children’s party where you can have a few bites and let the kids consume the rest of the calories, or if you are really skinny and are trying to gain weight fast!

This week's culinary adventures

Having a bunch of sophisticated ingredients left over from some paninis I made last week, I decided to scramble up some eggs with onion, tomato, provolone, sopressata and arugula. Mmmmmm boy!!!Next was on to pizza! Followed by Asian noodles with tofu...And last but not least, ice cream with olive oil and salt (as stolen from Star Provisions). Not too pretty, but mighty delicious!

tahCha Teahouse - whimsical but confusing...

Went to sip some tea at tahCha Teahouse on Chamblee Tucker last night. I have very mixed feelings about this place. With a wide selection of creative beverages, a super inviting environment with plenty of comfortable seating and colorful art and trinkets for sale around the room, it has great potential. However, I was immediately taken aback by the teahouse’s lack of a menu, “because it changes every day.” Surely not everything changes every day! Instead of a menu, they had little canisters of tea on the counter that customers can look at and smell. Clearly you need all day if you really want to know everything they have, since if one person is already engaged in the process, it’s kind of awkward to join him/her hovered over the tray of canisters. They did have the kinds of teas hung on the wall behind the counter as well, but I have had Lasik twice and I had trouble seeing them.

In addition to a large array of hot/cold teas served by the pot, tahCha also offers some funky drinks like bubble tea, a marteani and the frostea, as indicated by a chalkboard. Unfortunately, you have to ask the servers what such concoctions are, and the available flavors are not listed anywhere. The two women working there also seemed very confused and hesitant about what they offered. Per one of their recommendations, I finally ordered a peach frostea (tea with ice cream). Unfortunately my friend gave up on this process and didn’t bother ordering anything after being at the counter for at least five minutes, maybe more.

I have to admit that despite my lack of confidence, my frostea was quite delicious. It tasted like a less-sickly-sweet version of a milkshake, and you could even taste the tea in it, which was cool. After the ordering rigamarole, I actually found my time at tahCha to be quite pleasant and relaxing as I sat on a comfy couch and sipped my pretty beverage. Even though there was a book club meeting going on right next to us, it remained fairly quiet. I also appreciated the fact that, unlike most places in Atlanta, tahCha had a few overhead fans blowing instead of blasting the AC to the point of freezing me to the bone. Yay!

Besides expecting them to have a menu and a simpler means of ordering, I also thought tahCha would have some sort of Asian flare to it since ‘cha’ means tea in Chinese. Alas, it did not. Despite these points of confusion, though, I will most likely find myself back there someday when I am filled with patience and have a lot of time to kill. In addition to the vast array of teas, tahCha also offers a select amount of sandwiches and pastries that I’d like to sample.

Westsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide

There were a couple of places I’d been dying to get to on the Westside for some time now, so I decided to take advantage when I had a dance class to go to over there.First stop, Star Provisions. Yes, I know I am probably the last food lover in all of Atlanta to go there, but what can ya do. Having been fantasizing about it for a few years, I always pictured it to be a massive place along the lines of my beloved Alon’s. I was quite shocked that it was so small.

Tragically, I wasn’t too hungry when I went there (damn 95 degree weather!), so I mostly just wandered through it. I’ll admit it was a bit intimidating. While I enjoy cooking, I am by no means a gourmet, and the place specializes in top-of-the-line meats, cheeses and seafood that I know very little about and wouldn’t necessarily go shopping for unless Rachael Ray told me I needed them for a recipe and I couldn’t find them at Kroger.

In addition to the counters of high-quality ingredients, the market also sells a cute collection of kitchenware. While I liked a lot of it, it just felt too fancy for me to actually purchase.

I felt a bit more at home at the prepared foods counter, which serves up a variety of hot and cold dishes, breads and sweets. If I’m back in the area again (I live nowhere near it), I will have to stop by and give this counter another go. I particularly had my eye on the house cured salumi stuffed bread. Alas, on this sweltering hot day the only thing I could fathom ordering was their soft serve. Lucky for me, one of the topping options was – get ready for it – olive oil and sea salt!

Knowing my tastes for the unusual, I knew I’d enjoy it, but didn’t know how much. The flavor combination of the sweet vanilla and the savory oil and salt was out of this world! I only wish they’d layered in the oil and salt instead of putting it just on top because after a few blissful bites I was left with just a plain old cup of vanilla ice cream. In any case, this was so amazing I am definitely going to try to recreate it at home ASAP.

I also felt a little uncomfortable when it came time to eat the ice cream. I didn’t want to go outside and pass out, and the inside boasted some large picnic tables, but I wasn’t quite sure if they were just for looks or not. Luckily, the woman who rang me up read my mind and assured me I could sit there. Even though people were browsing and shopping around me, I started to feel a bit more comfortable as I sat and savored my treat. Being such a sophisticated establishment frequented by foodies from near and far, I had expected the service to be pretty stuffy, but everyone was very friendly and helpful.

Star Provisions is located in the Westside Urban Market, which also contains the glitzy restaurants, Bacchanalia, JCT Kitchen and Quinones, as well as the more casual Figo Pasta and the ever-yummy Taqueria del Sol. It is also next to a funky, industrial development called White Provision, which mostly contains a slew of fancy art galleries and furniture stores, as well as another high-end restaurant, Abbatoir.

Overall, this area (with the exception of Figo, which I don’t really like, and Taqueria del Sol, which I love), is just a bit too fancy for me to visit regularly, but I imagine it’s quite the dream come true for the gourmets out there.

My post-dance class stop was more my speed – very bare bones. Korea meets Mexico at Hankook Taqueria – or does it? Having an overwhelming love of both Asian and Mexican fare, I was ready to be blown away by this place. I have to say, however, that my beef taco tasted much like any other taco I’ve had before. I wasn’t really hit by any obvious Korean flavors. The sesame fries, though, were quite interesting. I wasn’t really sure where the sesame was going to come in, but basically these were French fries cooked in sesame oil – very delicious and unique flavor! While the melding of Korean and Mexican flavors promised by the restaurant’s menu didn’t quite come to life through my taco, I will definitely be returning here to try a few more items. I’m way too curious, and the food is way too cheap, to not give some of their other offerings a go. The atmosphere is great too. No frills, no fuss, diverse crowd, solo diners to large groups and everything in between. Stay tuned...