You may remember that I blogged about visiting the very first Urban Picnic at Sweet Auburn Curb Market last year. I was a little underwhelmed by the small number of vendors then, but since having gone back a few times, I can say that the offerings have only gotten better and more varied. I’m excited that the Urban Picnic is getting back into the swing of things!

Now that spring is in the air, the 2011 Atlanta Urban Picnic will return to Sweet Auburn Curb Market. The Urban Picnic is just about a year old, but if you didn’t make any of the 2010 meetings, you may be wondering: What is an urban picnic? It’s a chance for in-towners to meet up during Friday lunch hours (and sometimes early Saturday evenings) and sample the wares of Atlanta’s growing fleet of food trucks and other food vendors.

The Urban Picnics will again take place regularly at Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn Curb Market downtown. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market is “an urban farmers’ market that unites rural and urban Georgians through food and activities that celebrate local agriculture, the history of the Sweet Auburn neighborhood and the diversity of the city of Atlanta.”

Read more here

I looked at some fellow bloggers’ posts on this place from 2-3 years ago before I started writing and saw a few hits, but a lot of misses. However, on our recent visit to Bone Garden Cantina the restaurant seemed to have made it past its “awkward stage” and come into it’s own. Located in a mostly industrial area off Marietta Blvd. (on Ellsworth Industrial, fittingly), you could easily miss Bone Garden’s warehouse-like digs…or you could just keep an eye out for the giant skeleton out front. The restaurant markets itself as one of the only authentic Mexican restaurants in town (i.e. not Americanized and drowning in cheese) and touts its fresh, made from scratch dishes.

We started with our free basket of warm chips & salsa, which we both enjoyed. Both elements tasted very fresh and we kept snacking on them throughout the meal.

Chips & Salsa

Read the rest of this entry »

One of Atlanta’s most popular new restaurants is Local Three Kitchen & Bar, so named because of the partnership between the creators of Muss & Turner’s (Ryan Turner & Chef Todd Mussman) and Chef Chris Hall. Chef Hall answered a few questions to explain why “the three” encourage diners to “sit deep and stay long” to enjoy the full experience of this new dining destination.

Did you expect such fast success for Local Three?
We expected success, but we didn’t expect it so soon. We’re tremendously grateful and humbled by our quick start. It’s gratifying to know there’s great interest within the community about what we’re doing at Local Three. The challenge now is to exceed the expectations of every guest that joins us. We’re really focused on delivering what we’ve promised.

Besides your own restaurants, where do you like to take out-of-towners to eat in Atlanta?

Read the rest here

I had a random number generator pick the people who get to try the yummy new Banana Pudding Milkshake from Chick-fil-A, and the winners are:

Tonya
Lyn W.
Jenee (Facebook entry)
D’nae (Facebook entry)

Check your inboxes for an email from me, I’ll even be springing for the postage for you

Thanks everyone for entering…I’ve got to check out some of these great banana puddings y’all mentioned!

Here’s a little something to brighten up this rainy day (at least in Atlanta): I’m giving away coupons to try Chick-fil-A’s new banana pudding milkshake for FREE!

Free Milkshakes!

The milkshake is made with fresh bananas, real Nilla® wafers, a splash of vanilla, and is hand-spun with Chick-fil-A’s popular “home-style” Icedream® and topped with light whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. Woody Faulk, Chick-fil-A’s vice president of brand development, says “Our new Banana Pudding Milkshake is like drinking your grandmother’s recipe through a straw.” I’ve tried it, and I have to agree! Chick-fil-A’s PR folks were kind enough to send over some coupons for me to share with my readers, and since even I don’t think I can ingest this many milkshakes, I’m giving 2 coupons each to 4 people so you and a friend (or just you, I won’t judge) can try it for yourself.

All you have to do is comment here, and let me know who makes the best banana pudding you’ve ever had. You can get an extra entry by commenting on First Bite’s Facebook page. The contest ends at midnight on March 12, and I’ll announce the winners on Sunday, March 13.

*Update* The coupons can be used for any flavor Chick-fil-A milkshake if you don’t like banana pudding…but I think you should try it anyway