Atlanta Underground Market - Review

After much anticipation and excitement, we received the "secret" email instructions on Friday, and headed out to the first annual Atlanta Underground Market with Stacy and Chris on Saturday evening at 6pm.

The secret location ended up being downtown at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market off of Edgewood Ave. near Grady Hospital. A beautiful, historic building that housed a curb market in the 1920s after WWI and has since been restored to host a daily market of food vendors and small restaurants.

We drove up to the event at right about 6pm, and there was already a line around the building.  I knew that over 1500 people had signed up for the event, and with such great weather outside, I'm sure right about 1500 people attended.  We quickly jumped in line and proceeded to wait over an hour and a half to get inside (see photo below).  It was torture every time we passed a window and saw people enjoying the delicious looking dishes inside while we were outside in line. Our only hope was that waiting in the slow moving, long line would mean no (or shorter) waits by the time we got inside... we were mistaken.

They had originally asked everyone to sign up, because they were going to check everyone in person by person (!), by the time we reached that checkpoint- they had obviously given up hope of checking everyone in. Once we reached the door to pay the $2 entry fee, we were once again greeted by dis-organization with one (yes, one person) counting out change to each attendee.

Finally we had arrived inside! A pretty small space considering the permanent vendor booths were still there, and each event vendor had to set up in front of those spaces.  We wandered around hungry and thirsty bumping into people, trying to peer over shoulders to figure out what people were selling, and getting very frustrated when vendors were quickly selling out of food.

After jumping in line in a random booth (we couldn't see what anyone was selling), we ordered some bready thing with cheese, chickpeas, and curry chicken.  We were too hungry to stay and converse about what he was serving so we just pointed to some dishes and quickly handed him our money so we could eat.  I also grabbed a 6oz water from another vendor for $1 and a 6oz kenari for $2 (!). We were finally starting to get less grumpy from hunger, and ventured around to a few other long-lined booths.  We ended up trying some pecan butter sammies (sandwiches), apple pie turnovers, spicy sweet potato soup with chocolate bacon bits (photo above-the best dish by far of the night), vegan enchiladas (photo below), and lastly a chocolate sea salt king of pops popsicle (soooo good!). Thanks Stacy for the pics! Check out her take of the event on her blog: StacyEats

The food overall was pretty good, but I think the biggest disappointment was the lack of information.  There were a number of vendors there, but we had no idea who was serving what - and our impatience hindered us from seeing what a lot of vendors had to offer. It was difficult to see past the throng of people surrounding each booth to see the small 5x7 picture frame on the tables with the dish choice. A few vendors had signs hanging up overhead, but for the most part you had to wait 5+ minutes to even see what they were cooking. For an event expecting 1500+ people, there seemed to be only about 30-40 vendors (and some were very hidden) who were unprepared for the crowd.  Some had only one small hot plate with one small pot cooking! Out of all those vendors, there seemed to be too many dessert options, hardly any drink options (no alcohol-sold out in the first 30 minutes), and not a lot of protein-inspired plates.

Another disappointment was the lack of unique dishes. Cory and I have attended a few tastings and similar events, and there are always crazy or different dishes that I would typically never try.  Maybe since this event was a "pay-per-plate",  the vendors weren't very adventurous in their dish selection. Or perhaps it was because there were not a whole lot of local restaurants as vendors- the booths seemed to be more caterers, personal chefs, or just foodies.  We ended up paying over $40 (entry + dishes) for a long wait and few dishes that really jumped out at us.

Maybe we went into the event with the wrong assumptions of what it was going to offer.  Regardless, I hope next year they can work out all of their kinks, as I think this has the potential to be really great, annual event (or even seasonal). For next time, please have it in a larger space, with more food options, better organization, and lots of drinks!!

Noche - Town Brookhaven

Noche will opening up in the new Town Brookhaven development on March 16th!  The Noche restaurant in Brookhaven will be the third location for them in Atlanta (already in Vinings and Va. Highlands) and is a part of Here To Serve's restaurant line-up including Twist, Shout, and Strip among others.  Noche serves up some great tapas, tacos and signature drinks - you can see their food menu here.  We've been to the Va. Highland location a number of times and it has become one of our staple stops when we are in the area.  

This will surely provide some great traffic to the Town Brookhaven development - only Slacks, Costco & Moe's are open right now.  They will be open late night and offer great drink specials so make sure you follow them on twitter @NocheBrookhaven.  Were very excited about the new addition to Brookhaven who is screaming for new, updated restaurants.  Hope to see you in there on March 16th!

DeKalb County Trash Schedule

The 2011 DeKalb County Sanitation Schedule (for single family residential) has been posted.

DeKalb County Sanitation will still be on a Monday/Thursday & Tuesday/Friday curbside collection service. Sanitation will continue service on Saturday as needed to get to any areas that were inaccessible on Thursday or Friday. Click here for information on special pick up procedures (appliances, tires, etc.). Yard Waste will now be collected on Mondays (previously Wednesdays).

For DeKalb County Recycling, collection will continue to occur on Wednesdays.

For more information and FAQs, please visit the DeKalb County Sanitation website. To download the 2011 holiday calendar, please click here.

The Pet Set

With all this great, warm weather lately- Jasper has been needing his spring hair cut. Two weeks ago, I made a trip to CityDog Market for supplies since his long fur has been getting dirty so quickly, and I've been giving him baths almost every week! Since CityDog doesn't offer grooming (only the do-it-yourself kind), I started searching for a great local spot to take him. After a few minutes on google, I stumbled upon The Pet Set. A local pet store located at Briarcliff and N. Druid (second location in Midtown) with grooming, doggie day care, boarding, and products (and a 4.5 star rating from 62 reviews!), I decided to give them a call. They were available to take Jasper the next day, and I was able to drop him off anytime between 7:30am and 11:00am for his bath and hair cut.

The Pet Set also offers a New Client Coupon for $7 off a full service grooming! The entire grooming included: full coat brush out,shampoo treatment, coat conditioner, hand drying, nail trimming, ear cleaning, hair cut on the body, and a bow/bandanna! For Jasper (Cocker Spaniel - 25lbs) it was $49 (without the coupon). That is $20 cheaper than what I used to spend at PetCo in Roswell!

 

Jasper was ready in about 4 hours, and looked as cute as ever with his bandana...well, maybe not as cute as he was before, but that's our fault for demanding he be shaved all over (not a typical cocker spaniel hair cut!). The staff at The Pet Set was very kind,  considerate, and knowledgeable. I will continue to use their grooming service, but I'll probably stick with CityDog for products.

Roaster's Chicken

Both Malory and I grew up in Atlanta, and are Southerners at heart. Growing up here in the South, we have a constant craving for things deep-fried and “scattered, smothered, and covered” in butter. It has been a challenge for us to find a great country-cooking place ITP, but a few years ago, we stumbled upon Roasters and have been frequent visitors since we live so close. Located on Lenox Road (about a mile south/east of the Mall), Roasters serves up great rotisserie chicken with all the fixin's. Tucked away in a small shopping center, it provides a great family atmosphere for a good price. We are usually always seated promptly, the staff is very friendly, and the food is definitely filling.

After our complimentary basket of rolls and cornbread, we typically order sweet tea, and then try to decide on entrees on their massive menu. Their rotisserie chicken is definitely their specialty, so whether it's a sandwich, salad, or whole chicken, we usually get something involving their signature .  The entrees come with two sides- and they have many great options to choose from.

While I've tried a couple of their dishes, this time I went with the fried chicken (see photo above) with coleslaw and fried green tomatoes. Their fried green tomatoes are seasonal, so make sure to ask the waiter if they have them available.

Malory pretty much always orders the ¼ white rotisserie plate, which is great for the price. She also always gets the fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes with gravy (above).

Roasters is a great spot for lunch or dinner, and the location at Lenox has a nice outdoor patio. They have another location in Alpharetta (never tried it), but we enjoy sticking to our local joint. Go with an appetite, beware of counting calories and enjoy some country cookin'!

Atlanta Underground Market- Update!

Just received an email from Atlanta Underground Market with some important information if you're interested in attending.

To recap- The Atlanta Underground Market will be held on Saturday, February 25. The location is secret, and you must sign-up to receive instructions (will be emailed out 24 hours prior to the event)

Almost 1500 people and 40 vendors have signed up to participate in this event! The event will be held indoors, and it is a completely private event- each individual must sign up to attend. If you plan to bring a guest, please make sure they sign up beforehand. Each name and corresponding email address will be checked at the door.

There will be a $2 entrance fee, along with a $1 - $5 per plate cost from each vendor. So make sure to bring some cash!

There will be two remaining emails- one a week before the event (this weekend) and another a day before the event.

See you there!

Pour Wine Bar

We had meant to have a nice dinner at Kaleidoscope last week, and even got there early to ensure a table for six, but they had a last minute closing. They had lacquered the floors that day which weren't quite dry; plus the place wasn't airing out (smelled like a strong Sharpie... really it did- they let us in for about a minute and it was just too much to bear). So we hung our heads, after weeks of planning a trip to the newest, hottest restaurant in Brookhaven, and walked over to Verde for some tacos (not quite the same after you're craving duck fat french fries!)

Stacy & Chris and Maddy & Kyle joined us at Verde where we all enjoyed some $3 Tecates, $2 PBRs, and slightly overpriced gourmet tacos (word to the wise- if you get there early, you'll have to deal with a lot of families with little kiddies!). Stacy already did a great job posting about dinner, and with her newfound photo skills, check out her great blog post about Verde.

Since we had all had a long week of work, we decided to continue the evening at Pour Wine Bar & Market. The mood was very relaxed and chill inside- they have a unique interior with a gastro-pub feel.  Half of the space is the Wine Market (see photo above) and the other half is the Wine Bar. There was only one other small group in the bar- which was a welcome change to the slight chaos of Verde.

Pour has wine by the glass ($7-$13 a glass) and also serves tastings as well (called "Flights").  They have a 3 glass tasting (pick any wine off the menu) for $12 and a 6 glass tasting for $20. Most of us ordered the tastings, and with that (with 2 orders of the 6 glass tasting) you also receive a cheese and cracker platter. Check out all the glasses on our table (above)!

We definitely had a lot of fun tasting all the different wines- although it did take them awhile to pour them all. Even if you're not a big wine drinker- they also have some local and small brews available by the bottle. It was great trying it out with friends, and I would recommend this spot for after dinner drinks with a date (or before dinner while you're waiting for your table at Verde or Kaleidoscope), or with a small group of friends to just relax.

Canyons Burger Company

Good burger choices in Atlanta are a-plenty.  From the cheapest chains like Five Guys to the higher end "gourmet" burgers from Holeman & Finch, Bocado, and Flip Burger, the styles and variations are endless.  We definitely haven't tried them all (but are slowly getting there).  Either way, the flood of burgers to the market has made us a little wary about what differentiates one joint from the next. 

Canyons Burger Company is a local burger franchise (although they just opened up a location in Montana) that came from Woodstock and has a location in the Cherokee Plaza shopping center (map) in Brookhaven.  This is a extremely convenient location for us considering it is a short, 5 min walk from our house... so needless to say, we have frequented it a bit for take-out and dine-in. 

Upon arrival, you are greeted with a updated space and an "outdoor" theme.  There are bikes, kayaks, and pictures of the vast wilderness on the wall.  A crunchy, outdoor hippie's paradise... without the granola.  Choose at the counter between one of their signature burgers or build your own.  They also offer the choice of regular fries or sweet potato (my favorite).  Typically, I go with cheese, mustard, coleslaw, lettuce and onions (below).  They do have additional menu items including stuff for the kids and the leaf eaters.  Check out the whole menu here.

While their burgers are fresh and made to order, we often find something missing with their formula.  Whether its the higher prices (usually spend around $10 per person for burger, fries & drink) or the bugers that we just don't find all that satisfying, something usually excludes Canyons from our take-out list.  We'll always go there when we don't feel like getting in the car, but if were striving for a better burger for the price, we'll venture to Farm Burger in Decatur or even Five Guys in Chamblee. 

Where is your favorite place to get take out burgers in Brookhaven or beyond?

Atlanta Underground Market

I recently received an email from UrbanDaddy discussing a secret farmers market that is coming to Atlanta this month called Atlanta Underground Market. A gathering of over 40 "drool-worthy" food vendors in an undisclosed location, is now taking reservations for its inaugural event on Saturday, February 26 from 6-9pm. Sign up to receive further instructions on where exactly the location will be. Directions will be massively emailed out exactly 24 hours before the market starts. All we know is the market will be held somewhere in downtown Atlanta. Sounds exciting!

Check out more from the website.

CityDog Market

We had such a gorgeous weekend in Brookhaven, and Cory, Jasper and I spent most of it outside. After a week of dreary rain and cold weather, Jasper went a little stir crazy running through the mud and puddles on Saturday. He needed a bath, badly.

I was out of puppy shampoo, so I decided to head on out to CityDog Market off of Peachtree near Town Brookhaven (Can't miss the sign out front! See Map). I have been in here just a handful of times- mainly to pick up GT wear for Jasper. It's a little on the high-end and pricey side of pet products, but everything is all natural/organic and great quality.  After walking in- I was immediately helped by a friendly associate (not sales-y, just helpful!) and picked out a GREAT shampoo (Buddy Wash, I highly recommend!), brush, and some treats (since Jasper isn't a huge fan of baths...).  Everything was all natural, and made with no by-products, crazy chemicals, or toxins.

For those of you with larger (or really dirty) dogs, CityDog Market also has self-service dog "showers" (see photo below). Specially designed to make it easy to wash your dog- its $18 for 30 minutes and you can use their awesome shampoos, conditioners, brushes, towels, and dryers! In case you have a perfectly clean pooch (or no puppy at all...) they also have obedience classes, pet wellness seminars, and pet adoptions.

I spent a little time talking with Renee (store owner) while I was checking out. She was very helpful and knowledgeable, and even threw in a sample bag of treats for Jasper.

I really enjoyed my short visit to CityDog Market, and now that I know they sell the Blue Buffalo food- I don't ever have to go to a pet chain store again! The only downside to the place is that its the SEC puppy fan club home...

Chick-fil-A Chamblee, Now Open!

The Chick-fil-A in Chamblee, off of Peachtree/Chamblee Dunwoody is now open! The restaurant underwent some massive interior/exterior renovations for about 6-8 weeks. The restaurant looks great, and I'll be sure to snap a photo next time I'm there to try the new Spicy Chicken Biscuit!