Chick-fil-A is pretty much my favorite fast-food restaurant, so I was excited I got the chance to get an “advance” taste of their new spicy chicken sandwich, which is being debuted for real on June 7. All you had to do for a free sandwich was visit getspicychicken.com and reserve a time for May 24-June 5. A great gimmick for Chick-fil-A, I think. But on to the sandwich:

The anticipation is killing me

The Sandwich

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Artichokes are scary. They’re spiny, difficult to break down, and it seems like you toss more than you eat. Artichokes are also delicious. Which led me to face my fear of swollen, artichoke-stabbed hands, and try making Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for baked artichokes:

Baked Artichoke

I won’t say that my first time prepping an artichoke was easy, but it was doable. The instructions from the recipe and my copy of Joy of Cooking helped a lot. I also found this lovely instructional video for those of you who are feeling adventurous also.
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I love how Atlanta has hidden pockets of awesome. I felt I had discovered a new one on my first visit to The Shed at Glenwood. The Glenwood Park neighborhood is one of those live/work areas that is full of gorgeous single-family homes, condos, and neighborhood restaurants, like The Shed. Mario and I decided to check out their $3 slider night one Wednesday.

The Shed at Glenwood via Zagat.com

We thought the entrance was a little awkward, as you walk in and are basically standing in the dining room–no real host’s stand separates the room. A hostess did appear promptly, found our reservation, and led us to our table. You may or may not need a reservation though; while we were there, the dining room remained full, but not crowded. Our waiter brought over an interesting starter for us to share: popcorn! We also got an amuse of parmesean-stuffed dates and an olive:
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After an afternoon farmers’ market run and before a Mayweather/Mosely fight party, Mario and I decided we needed something to eat. Since we were driving through downtown Decatur, I suggested the newest purveyor feeding Atlanta’s burger frenzy, Farm Burger. Farm Burger’s claim to fame are its locally-sourced, 100% grass-fed, 2-week dry aged, daily ground burgers (which are as much of a mouthful as this sentence). We stepped into the lengthy line during what I assume was about midway through the dinner rush. It took us 30-45 minutes to reach the counter and place our orders and another 15 for the food to arrive. The line never got any shorter during this or the other 30min-1h it took us to eat. All I’m saying is, go prepared for a wait.

Farm Burger (via Farmburger.net)

Farm Burger offers a $6 “base burger” to which you can add toppings ranging from free to $3. There are also pre-made selections you can order fast-food number system style. We were told at the counter that all burgers are either cooked medium or well-done, and the cashier suggested everyone try medium to start. I believe this is a departure from the “medium only” rule that Farm Burger started with, and I’m guessing the change is due to customer complaints. Not everyone likes pink burgers. I’m a medium-well kinda gal, but I decided to go with what was suggested and was happy with the temperature of the meat. I decided to order a No. 1, the “Farm Burger” (grafton smoked white cheddar, caramelized onions, FB sauce) to try out the signature offering. Mario put together his own burger with cheddar and bacon:
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Hi faithful reader(s…maybe?)!

Just giving a heads-up that I’m away from my 2nd home of Atlanta for 6 weeks I’m doing top-secret if-I-tell-you-I-have-to-kill-you research for the Air Force at Wright-Patterson in Dayton, OH. Ok it’s really not so top-secret…but it sounds much more interesting that way, right? Not to worry, I do have a few Atlanta posts left to hammer out, and hopefully I’ll be able to whip up something decent from my extended stay hotel (“well” equipped with one pot and one pan). Any suggestions on things to eat/do in Dayton and surrounding areas are greatly appreciated! I’m already anticipating trips to Columbus and/or Cincinnati to spice things up.

Hit my inbox via the contact link above or leave your suggestions in the comments. Thanks for reading!

I was recently invited to attend a media dinner at Crepe Revolution in Smyrna. Interestingly enough, I had been trying to make it out for brunch a few weeks earlier but was unable to, so I was especially excited to receive the invitation. The purpose of the dinner was for us bloggers to try out some new menu items and summer sangrias. Co-founder Neel Sengupta let us know that he and his business partner are trying to make sure their menu stays fresh by making quarterly changes to their extensive menu of sweet and savory crepes.

Crepe Revolution

I was working with a camera phone that night so my pictures are less than stellar, but you can check out some much nicer ones at Atlanta Restaurant Blog and Amy on Food. We started out with a ginger crab roll and white peach sangria:
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Phew, finals are over, and I finally have a guilt-free chance to catch up on blogging. First up, I’ve been able to visit the newest tenant in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, The Greek, twice now. My first visit was for The Greek’s Grand Opening, when they were giving out free slices of pizza:

The Greek

Free Slice

I thought the pizza was only so-so–decent toppings and slightly dry crust–and also wasn’t too pleased that the owner referred to folks who stopped by for the free pizza he was advertising as “freeloaders” later on his facebook/twitter (come on guy, what did you expect? I did buy a piece of baklava though). Otherwise though, the owner is really friendly and was chatting up customers both on this first visit and when I returned about a week later to try a gyro:
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Last week I convinced Mario and his business partner to meet me for lunch at Hankook Taqueria. This Korean/Mexican hybrid is located in the industrial area of Collier Rd. off Chattahoochee Rd.

Hankook Taqueria

None of us really knew what to expect from this strange mix of cuisines, but I had heard great things about the taco stand and they decided to trust my judgement (thanks guys!). One thing I appreciated about Hankook was the friendly girl working the counter. It bothers me when places that serve ethnic cuisine aren’t accommodating to customers interested in trying out something new, but the hostess that day apparently recognized apprehension on my companions’ faces and made suggestions for first-timers interested in something “safe” or in getting a good idea of what a Korean taco stand has to offer. We got a variety of tacos: chicken (“dak gogi”), beef (“bull gogi”), and shrimp (can’t find the proper name for it); along with tempura fried Korean sweet potatoes (“ko-kuma”) and gogi-nachos(chips, jack cheese, & ribeye beef):
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I don’t eat a lot of eggs. And I know I totally should, but aside from scrambling them or making an omelette, I never really know what to do. Recently though, I bought a carton of eggs to bake with and decided to try my hand at making a frittata (basically a baked omelette) with the leftovers. I found a recipe for one combining some flavors I like and jumped in:

Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, and Caramelized Onion Frittata

My frittata came out thinner than I was expecting (I was expecting something like a layer cake), but this was likely just due to the size of my pan. And who cares about the thickness when it’s delicious??
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