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How sweet it is... By Jennifer Zyman Refined and elaborate desserts are all well and good, but sometimes you want something that tastes homemade — without actually having to bake anything. At these times, we turn to Nancy Cole's Southern Sweets Bakery (186 Rio Circle, Decatur, 404-373-8752, www.southernsweets.com) where the motto is "Perfect Ingredients, Simple Preparation." The sight of the cases, filled with every kind of classic sweet imaginable, evokes a rush of childlike excitement. A slice from one of the towering layer cakes ($5.20) – most Wine in a box! This girl takes a look inside... By Taylor Eason I admit squeezing wine from a spigot doesn't scream sexy. Bag-in-box wines have no romance, no foreplay and, historically, no flavor. But for the couch, party or beach, they're sensible and smart. Quality has persistently improved since the 1970s key-party days, and the simplicity of box wine (aka "cask wine") jives with our resource-strapped age — cork remains expensive, glass costs more to recycle than produce, and shipping heavy bottles saps loads of oil. Welcome to the future of wine First look: Diesel Filling Station Gastropub overload sinks in... By Cliff Bostock We're all worn out with tapas, aren't we? A trend that turned into a cliché overnight, tapas restaurants are now in danger of being overtaken by a new fad: the gastropub. In at least one way, Atlanta is the perfect place for these British-inspired watering holes that (ideally) serve first-rate cooking, instead of the usual heat-and-serve bar food. Since they are the kind of place you can hang out at the bar and watch a game as well as eat The Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge Hip place to hang... By Russell McLendon WHERE: Underneath the 81-year-old Highland Inn, between Ponce and North. THE LOOK: The stage and seating flank an ample dance floor (complete with disco ball). The inn's courtyard offers a break when things inside get swinging. The only drag: a blotto-blocking bottleneck that sometimes forms in the semi-enclosed bar area. THE CROWD: Motley and hip, but light on pretense. The courtyard has more character than the typical smokers' pen. THE DRINKS: The Peachtree is the highlight of a cloying but Chocolate makers From Doraville to Decatur... By Jennifer Zyman We all have a chocoholic or two in our life. When buying confections for such fiends, the mass-produced varieties will not do. Give these local chocolatiers a try instead. K Chocolat: Kristen Hard's confections grace the menus of many Atlanta restaurants, such as Decatur's Chocolate Bar. Each chocolate is made with high-quality organic ingredients and infused with vibrant flavor combinations of holistic ingredients; cardamom, rosemary, damiana and ginseng dance across your palate in the "Protect" truffle. Look for a boutique Straits: Singapore sling Delivering more than just star power... By Besha Rodell When we speak of Asian fusion, we're generally speaking of the Americanized, wasabi mashed potatoes and cutesy sushi roll genre of cooking that's become so ubiquitous over the last 20 years. The irony is that a lot of Asian cooking is indeed fusion, but fusion born of history and culture. Szechuan cuisine gets some of its distinctive spicing from Indian monks who traveled through the province. Likewise, Singaporean food combines flavors from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India. I have to Style sheet: wheat beers Crisp and light, wheat beers are made for summer... By Jeff Holland This month's style sheet celebrates the frothy, fruity, yeasty pleasures of wheat beers. A wheat beer's lighter body and slightly tangy spiciness come from either malted or unmalted wheat. It replaces some of the hops traditionally used to counter malt's sweetness. Wheat also contributes to strong head retention, and when combined with the typically high carbonation of these beers can result in massively thick, lingering heads. Wheat beers are usually served in a tall, bulbous glass to accommodate this crown Wine List Singles wine and dine at the Cave... Upcoming The Cave Tapas Bar & Lounge -- "Selective Singles Wine Tasting." A wine tasting for singles over 40. Cost is $15, which includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres. 6:30-8 p.m. A comedian will entertain after the wine tasting at 8:30 p.m. Wed., July 2. 1619 Collins Road, Kennesaw. 678-391-7011. www.thecavetapasbar.com. Palate Cafe and Wine Bar -- "Value in California and Oregon Wines." Taste five great-value wines from California and Oregon. Appetizers included. Cost is $10. 7-9 p.m. Thurs., July 3. 321 Frankly French Don't be fooled by the German trappings... By Taylor Eason To face the intimidating, gothic words on the label, you might believe wines from Alsace hail from Germany. Of course, you probably don't think about Alsacian wines at all since, outside the wine nerd sanctum, they're about as popular as Brussels sprouts. Recently, while checking out the Alsace section in a local wine shop, a geeked-out sales guy excitedly descended upon me with a spiel about how Alsacian wines are soooo underappreciated. My initially negative notion was, "Um, yeah, the The Shed at Glenwood: Green all over The farm-to-table movement goes mainstream... By Besha Rodell Remember when environmentalism was the sole territory of hippies and earnest college radicals? Now everyone from Pat Robertson to General Electric rallies behind the cause. Green isn't just hot; it's annoyingly ubiquitous. I don't mean to imply that the environment isn't important, but rather that when everyone pays blabbering lip service to something, it tends to lose its meaning. Likewise, the farm-to-table concept has moved quickly from an uncommon practice utilized by only the most thoughtful chefs to a catch Mint's Grill: Tuckered out A new Vietnamese spot from the owners of Lee's Bakery... By Cliff Bostock I love Vietnamese food and my life hasn't been the same since Bien Thuy changed hands about four years ago and became a coffee shop. The original owner, Suzanne Bojtchewky, moved back to Vietnam and with her went the city's most complex Viet cooking. Suzanne authored a couple of cookbooks and was always up for preparing off-the-menu specials. Since Suzanne left, a few high-quality Vietnamese restaurants have opened to fill the gap – principally Nam in Midtown and Com on Out to pasture Will equine icons go the way of Spuds McKenzie?... By Jeff Holland The beer world in general, and the city of St. Louis in particular, is all in a twist at the prospect of losing the last great American-owned megabrewery to the tiny postage stamp of a country where Tom Shane and the World Court hang out. Belgium-based InBev, the largest beer producer in the world, has offered to buy Anheuser-Busch, the world's fourth largest brewer, for $65 a share, a significant premium over the recent trading price, and a deal valued Wine List Beginners-only class in Roswell... Upcoming Atlanta Wine School -- "For Beginners Only." This one-night, beginners-only class will provide basic training in wine vocabulary, tasting and food pairing. Wed., June 25. 7 p.m. $50. 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell. 770-668-0435. www.atlantawineschool.com/cheese.php. LITKitchen -- "Introduction to the Wines of the World: Italian wines." Learn Italian wine terms, names and labels, Also, talk about the classification system and the traditional varietals, as well as the not-so-traditional varietals that produce the outstanding Super Tuscans, some of the most Udipi Café: Indian summer Delicious fare from a different South... By Jennifer Zyman For those of us not native to India, navigating the intricacies of the country's regional cuisines and dining customs can be intimidating. Exploration and discovery, however, are two of the most satisfying aspects of being a curious eater. When it comes to South Indian food, there is no better place to go to school than Udipi Café (1850 Lawrenceville Highway, Decatur, 404-325-1933), located within Decatur's flourishing enclave of Indian restaurants, sari boutiques and specialty grocers. Although the restaurant's decor is Groovy Grüner Dig this hip Austrian grape... By Taylor Eason "I'm from the hippie era – peace, love, groovy." – '80s rock icon Rick James I use the word "groovy" a lot. It occasionally pisses off the "older demographic" when I casually hijack their word – sprinkling it over my sentences like a watering can. But I dig groovy. My mother was an unapologetic flower child – she had a meditation room (complete with enormous bean bag chair), wore African print muumuus and sported a collection of well-worn Birkenstocks. And If you want other news on this page, please email me the name and location, if known. |
