Ack! I’m falling behind on posts so that I don’t fall behind on writing my thesis. I appreciate anyone who is bearing with me anyway. But if I’m not updating here regularly, chances are you can find some of my features over on City’s Best – Atlanta, or see a few things that I post exclusively on First Bite’s Facebook page.

So, The Sound Table. I was both excited and a little wary about visiting this new-ish Old Fourth Ward eatery run by the same folks who brought us Top Flr. I was excited because I had heard raves about the place, but wary because 1) Mario and I had had a really dismal meal at Top Flr not a month before (our first–and likely last–visit), and 2) all the raves about The Sound Table were mostly about the drinks and atmosphere, with the food getting what collectively seemed like a “good, but not great” rating. But, I pushed aside my apprehension and decided the Scoutmob coupon we were using would make any meal a little better.

Mario and I arrived and were seated at our table downstairs near the bar. This location got to be a bit awkward as the night wore on, as bar patrons started spilling further and further back from the bar. There is an elevated area with tables downstairs–maybe this should be the only place restaurant patrons are seated, while the rest of the area is left to the bar? Just a thought.

For dinner, Mario decided on the pork chop, which contained many of his favorite ingredients–pork, apple, and sweet potato (to be exact, Eden Farms porkchop, apple cider reduction, and sweet potato puree). I went for a two-fer: the Chinese pork ribs (chargrilled with red chili, soy sauce, and scallions) and sunchoke puree (roasted mushrooms, poached egg, pecorino).

Pork Chop

National Margarita Day is Tuesday, Feb. 22, and since based on sales, Atlanta is one of the best metro areas in which to order a margarita (Source: Cheers On-Premise Handbook 2008), we know more than a few of you are excited about this upcoming “holiday.” With the great spring weather we’ve been experiencing, this Margarita Day might just be the perfect time to stop by one of these restaurants that are mixing up original versions of the ubiquitous cocktail.

4th & Swift: Mixologist James Ives at Midtown favorite 4th & Swift has concocted the Smoke & Flowers Margarita, an innovative combination of El Jimador Blanco Tequila, Lajita Mezcal, Lavender Agave, lime and smoked salt, served on the rocks.

Read the rest here

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Muir Glen Vine Dining Tour at Buckhead’s Aria a few weeks ago. The Vine Dining Tour is a pretty interesting concept: the folks at Muir Glen are going around the country showcasing their reserve tomatoes, kind of like you would with a reserve wine. Their reserve variety is specially cultivated and hand-harvested and changes every year, this year’s being the “Meridian Ruby.” The Dining Tour asked 5 chefs across the country to come up with dishes showcasing Muir Glen’s tomatoes, and Atlanta’s was Gerry Klaskala, chef/owner of Aria.

We started with a number of passed hors d’oeuvres, including grilled cheese with bacon and tomato (OMG), tomato, blue cheese, and prosciutto bruschetta, fire roasted tomato burger sliders (missed these, sad face) and bloody mary’s. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the hors d’oeuvres, but I can assure you they were delicious, especially the grilled cheese. I won’t go into extensive detail on each dish because 1) I don’t think they’re offered on Aria’s regular menu, and 2) everything was perfectly executed, anyway.

So, once we were seated, we started by sampling Muir Glen’s regular and fire-roasted tomatoes straight from the can. Our first course quickly followed: fire-roasted tomato & shrimp bisque:

Tomatoes for sampling

Fire-roasted tomato & shrimp bisque

Read the rest of this entry »

West Midtown, or “the Westside,” as some inhabitants like to call it, has been an epicenter for hot new Atlanta restaurants for about a year now — and for good reason. Many of these restaurants are headed by prominent, award-winning chefs who decided the Westside was the place to plant their talents. Since this ‘hood is located just minutes from midtown/downtown office buildings, much of Atlanta has access to these lunchtime hot spots.

Bocado: This contender in Atlanta’s “burger wars” has much more than just a delicious burger to offer. Bocado emphasizes seasonal ingredients in its delicious dishes, and they almost never disappoint.

Read the rest here