Have you called Jenny yet?

I must admit I’ve never been that big on soup, but I was recently taunted to go over to Souper Jenny in Buckhead for lunch by the promise of a free treat from the King of Pops. (Per my previous post, stalking of the King is officially under way.)

Souper Jenny is a homey little café where everyone seems like a regular and you feel like you’re eating in someone’s home – a very crowded home – but a home nonetheless, complete with super cute bowls for serving up the soup. Jenny’s crew is very friendly and chatty, and despite the chaotic ordering process, you really feel like you are cared for when you set foot in the door.

In addition to running the café in Buckhead, Jenny is also a dominant force in the Atlanta street food movement. She takes her own fare on the road with a food truck, and is a strong supporter of other street vendors, hence her collaboration with the King of Pops on the day I was there.

The free pop came with the $12 lunch deal, which includes any two items from the menu, along with a drink, roll, piece of fruit and dessert. The dessert is typically a cookie, but on the day I went it was all about the pops.

While waiting in the substantial, but speedy line, my eyes narrowed in on one of the sandwich offerings on the chalkboard menu. (The menu changes daily and is also available on Jenny’s web site and via email.) I began to salivate as I pictured the turkey sandwich with havarti, arugula and pineapple/zucchini marmalade I was about to order. Since Jenny is famous for her soup, I figured I’d better order some of that too, just to give it a whirl.

Even though I’m not a soup fanatic, I definitely enjoyed my chilled curry squash soup topped with a generous dollop of tangy yogurt. I also felt very sophisticated savoring this dish at my desk while my co-workers ate lean cuisines or bad salads from the office “bistro.” On to the sandwich – OH MY GOD! It was even better than I had imagined. I am still daydreaming about the perfect blend of meaty, creamy, spicy and sweet stuffed into a pillowy soft, perfectly chewy bun encrusted with a few slices of dried fruit. So enticing, yet comforting at the same time. I am so glad I got to try this euphoric delight.

As for the pops, I decided to continue with my pineapple theme and went for the pineapple ginger. WARNING – only get this pop if you are really into ginger, as it is quite powerful. Lucky for me, I love ginger, so it was a success. I have to say, though, that it definitely felt different eating this pop at my desk in the AC as opposed to last time when I was darting through the streets of downtown under the scorching sun. Under the sun is definitely the way to go when consuming a pop. After all, trying to eat the whole thing before it melts all over you is half the fun!

A Mexi-korean Lunch with Yumbii

When I heard that the Korean taco truck also known as Yumbii was going to be in Buckhead recently, my lunch plans were solidified. After receiving the truck’s exact location via Twitter, I quickly spotted its vibrant colors bursting from behind the trees like an oasis amidst a desert of towering office buildings.

The truck had already gathered a respectable crowd of very intrigued patrons who peppered one of the owners with endless questions about her business and the Atlanta street food movement in general, all of which she graciously and enthusiastically answered while helping to facilitate the food orders.

When it came my turn to order and chat, I found out that she also owns a clothing boutique in Buckhead called Rebecca, and that her son came up with the idea for the Yumbii truck during their frequent trips to LA (where food trucks roam free and don’t have to feed the masses on the DL like they do in Atlanta).

This was my second rendezvous with the Yumbii/Hankook Taqueria entity (Hankook being the restaurant component of this venture, Yumbii being the truck). At Hankook I had the beef taco (tasty, but not super Asian-tasting) and the sesame fries (uniquely delicious and very Asian). From the Yumbii truck I scored a chicken burrito. It was quite spicy (bonus!) and definitely had an interesting combination of flavors that kept me on my toes.

Overall, I think my palate is still trying to figure this Mexi-korean cuisine out. Of course, there’s only one way to do that – see you next time, Yumbii!

Joli Kobe

I finally checked out Joli Kobe the other day after hearing about it for years. The curry chicken salad sandwich I had was tasty, as was the ginger dressing served with my side of greens. My lunch was on the pricey side, but I was served quite a large portion and it was perfectly satisfying.

The issue I have is that I’ve heard people totally RAVE about Joli Kobe over the years, and I just don’t get it. I mean it was fine, but not the cultural wonderland I expected. The concept is unique – a French/Japanese bistro on one side and bakery on the other blending the flavors of Europe and Asia. Maybe I just built it up too much in my head? It seemed mostly French to me...or American for that matter.

I had also heard amazing things about the ambiance here. I didn’t get the full experience because the AC was up too high for me to sit inside, but the interior looked fairly typical to me. They also don’t have table service outside, just a few tables you can sit at if you order your food at the bakery and bring it outside in take-out containers. Outside seating is very important to me!

To be fair, I was too full to try a pastry, though I was intrigued by the Asian buns filled with unique flavors like red bean, sausage and Yakisoba. Next time I am in the area I vow to pick one up to make sure I give Joli Kobe a thorough investigation.

In love with Helen

Helen is a well-rounded little lady. She boasts both peace and tranquility and hustle and bustle. If you take in both like I did, she makes the perfect hostess for a weekend getaway in the mountains of North Georgia.

After countless weekends of raucous parties at my apartment pool, I decided I had to get out of the city for the 4^th. Based on my aversion to large crowds of loud, rowdy people, I went with a semi-secluded cabin in the mountains. While I only had the Internet and the word of the kind folks at Georgia Mountain Rentals to rely on, I ended up picking a next-to-perfect little hideaway. The cabin I chose – five miles from Helen, GA next to Unicoi State Park – was quiet, cozy, surrounded by nothing but trees and equipped with cable TV, a DVD player, hot tub, gas grill and almost all the proper tools I needed to whip up several tasty, down home meals for myself and my boyfriend. Success!

One of the tasty grilled creations we made at the cabin!

While lounging, cooking and eating are always very satisfying activities, I also do like to get out a bit and take in my surroundings whenever I travel (even if it’s just an hour and a half away from Atlanta). Helen served as the perfect destination for a quick romp through society before returning to seclusion. Built to look like an alpine village (think Bavaria, Germany) and stuffed with as much kitschy, touristy stuff as possible, it is ripe with photo opps as well as unhealthy pub and festival fare such as pizza, ice cream, fudge and funnel cakes. There are also many cheesy souvenirs to be had, and a street performer or two for good measure.

The best thing to do in this ultra tiny tourist mecca, however, is rent a neon inner tube from a company like Cool River Tubing for $5 and float yourself down the river. While this is very fun, don’t expect it to be a relaxing experience. You will be surrounded by dozens of strangers throughout your float, and if you are too cheap to pay $5 extra dollars for a push stick (like me), you will need to rely on many such strangers to push or pull you off of rocks when your tube gets stuck (which it will many times).

If you’re looking for a less crowded tourist experience near Helen, Unicoi State Park is the place for you. For a $5 parking fee, you can hike several trails of varying lengths and difficulty or have a picnic at one of their many pavilions. You’ll definitely see other people in the process, but not that many. There’s also a lake beach there, which is nice for a quick dip, but not so peaceful since it’s very tiny and kids love to swim (and to scream while swimming). If you’d like to see a waterfall, you can do that too by driving about three miles down from Unicoi and paying another $2 per person. Worth it for me since I love a good waterfall!

All in all, Helen was a blissful weekend getaway destination. With mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, a break from the city heat AND several mullet sightings, who could ask for more when celebrating America? The town even launched fireworks, which I was planning to go see, but my hot tub/s‘mores coma got the best of me.

Crab Stick and Cucumber Stir Fry

So when my boyfriend suggested crab sticks for dinner the other night, I had no idea what he was talking about. It turns out crab sticks are little pre-cooked, processed morsels that taste like crab but are actually made up of fish parts and other fillers. Sound good? Well, it was. Real good.

Since I have 1,000 Asian spices and sauces in my kitchen, I decided to stir fry these bad boys with onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame paste, chili paste, sliced cucumber and a mix of canola and sesame oil. The result was a nice nutty flavor with a kick. The crab sticks themselves have a bit of a sweet taste, which blended in well with this combination.

I did (partially) ruin this brilliance by putting it over a couple packs of Ramen noodles I’ve had in the cupboard forever. Next time I will definitely put this mixture over a more quality noodle so as not to insult its integrity. I will also cut the crab sticks into smaller bites before stir frying. (I thought they would break up in the wok, but they didn’t really.)

All in all, I consider my foray into crab stick cookin’ to be a success, but I am definitely anxious to give it another go now that I know these little guys deserve my full attention.