JCT Kitchen is one of my favorite places in general, but also one of my favorite places to take out of town guests for meals. I feel that it’s a reasonably priced representative of Atlanta’s great food scene. JCT Bar, located above the restaurant area, is also a fun spot for meeting with friends –live music, good drinks, skyline view. The food served at the JCT Bar has always been good, but here’s a new reason to venture out on Wednesdays: JCT’s Wiener Wednesdays. With Top Chef’s Richard Blais opening a gourmet hot dog restaurant in the coming months, we’re all hearing talk of hot dogs being “the new burger.” JCT’s Chef Ford Fry has also declared 2011 “Year of the Wiener.” Regularly $4 each, on Wednesdays, the gourmet dogs are only $2. Mario and I attended a Wiener Wednesday Tweetup hosted by Twitter personalities @ATL_Events and @AtlantaDish recently to try the new dogs. Our selections that night were the Smoked Coca-Cola BBQ with Vidalia onion relish, and the Pimento Cheese with Bacon, Pickled Cabbage and House Mustard:

Smoked Coca Cola BBQ Dog (back) and Pimento Cheese Dog (front)

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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

I recently visited Cafe Circa with ATL blogger Malika, a cool restaurant tucked into Downtown/Old Fourth Ward on Edgewood Ave. Armed with a Scoutmob coupon and empty bellies, we went in ready to try anything. Our meal, the service, and the ambiance were fantastic. I can’t find any photos of Cafe Circa’s exterior and forgot to take my own, so we’ll have to “settle” for this view of their cozy interior:

Cafe Circa

We started with the roasted lamb ribs in mango bbq sauce and the ackee and salt fish (red peppers, poblano peppers, onions, salt cod, ackee, hard dough bread).
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I thougt it fitting to write my last post before Thanksgiving on one of my last meals in Charlotte. I’m finding this bittersweet–sweet because Mario has now made a permanent move back to Atlanta, but bitter because I was actually kind of liking Charlotte and my monthly trips there. On this trip, Mario was being particularly generous in letting me pick restaurants I was interested in blogging about. After taking in a Bobcats game with friends, we decided to check out a new-ish addition to South End, The Liberty.

The Liberty

We decided to stop because of their sign outside the gastropub touting “Best Burger in Charlotte.” Aside from now-closed The Counter, we hadn’t found any much to go in Charlotte’s Best Burger category. Mario of course ordered The Liberty Pub Burger (natural beef, sweet grass cheddar, apple smoked bacon, herb aioli, hand cut fries), while I decided to order from the small plates menu and try the pork belly sliders (apple-vanilla butter, tomato jam, soy-ginger glaze, spicy slaw):
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For the most part, we love our families. We really do. But sometimes, you just need a little something to take the edge off. Thanksgiving is one of the most family-centric days of the year, so to get yourself ready for a day filled with turkey and in-laws … maybe you should just have a drink.

Whiskey Blue: There’s nothing like a fantastic view of Atlanta to help relax you before a hectic day. Situated on top of the W Buckhead, Whiskey Blue provides a panoramic view of the city complemented by swank decor and strong cocktails. In the winter, they keep the heaters pumping right along with the music, so go ahead and party the night away on the rooftop.

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Image Sifu Renka, Flickr

During Midtown Restaurant Week, Mario and I were looking for a restaurant we hadn’t visited with a menu that ventured beyond the chicken/fish/steak on most restaurant week menus. Enter Pacci Ristorante, a new-ish Italian eatery adjacent to the Hotel Palomar. The restaurant is so named for its signature carpaccios, none of which we actually tried on this visit (unfortunately). Despite that, we had a really excellent meal, which started with an amuse of watermelon and prosciutto with balsamic drizzle:

Melon/Prosciutto Amuse

Neither of us were particularly impressed with the amuse-bouche–the melon was sweet but the prosciutto was lackluster and a little overly chewy.

Luckily, from here our meal only improved, beginning with our appetizers: Watercress & Pear Salad (Parmesan tuile, Gorgonzola mousse, candied walnuts), and Papardelle Bolognese in a classic slow braised meat sauce.
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The day I left Atlanta was a hectic one, as I had to finish packing and wrap things up in the lab. Luckily, I had a temporary respite in the form of a media luncheon at Lobby Bar and Bistro in Atlantic Station, hosted by the Concentrics Restaurants. I convinced one of my girls’ breakfast buddies to be my +1 and we headed over to Lobby, housed on the ground floor of TWELVE.

Lobby

The purpose of the lunch was to introduce–or rather, reintroduce–new-old executive chef Nick Oltarsh. Oltarsh opened Lobby Bar and Bistro in 2005 and after a stint at Murphy’s in Virginia Highland, he has returned to Lobby. The menu contained a number of “New South” favorites on which I was excited to see Chef Oltarsh’s take, such as shrimp & grits and chicken & waffles. We started out with a variety of appetizers–chicken & waffles, seared tuna, pizzas, and gumbo–and this course included some of the favorites for the day:

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Before I get started, I must disclose that this meal was comped. Apparently the FTC can now fine me thousands of dollars for not letting my readership know about freebies. Mario and I were invited to Piedmont park-side restaurant The Nook by one of the owners, Adam, to check out new executive chef Michael Gogolin. Gogolin is former Chef de Cuisine at the Marlow’s Tavern franchise (which I hear good things about) and was head chef at the Vinings location. I hear The Nook has not gotten good reviews on its food in the past, but when Mario and I stopped in one drizzly evening, we were not disappointed.

The place was not especially busy when we came in, so we got a good look at the space, which we both liked. The bar area is the room’s focal point, with booths lining the walls for those who want a more “nook”-like experience. The main attraction is likely the large patio, which was available (though enclosed and equipped with heaters) that night, but we only saw one small group braving the cold outside. We decided to start with an app of “Ooh Ooh Bread” (topped with creamy Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic and mayo that is lightly toasted and served with homemade marinara sauce), which I think we chose based on the name alone:

Ooh Ooh Bread

Last weekend was full of graduation parties and holiday celebrations, but Mario and I wanted to sit down for a quick “real” dinner instead of filling up on hors d’oeuvres. We decided to try out Rosebud in the Virginia-Highland area.

Rosebud

Photo from Rosebud’s Facebook page

It was a cold, rainy evening, but Rosebud was nothing but warmth, from the host to the bar to the food.
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I planned a girls’ night out last weekend…sorta. I wanted to get together and do something, but couldn’t think of what. Luckily, one of us had tried and liked TWO Urban Licks, and the other 2 were interested in checking it out. There’s no pic of the facade because the outside of TWO is basically a warehouse. Inside, however, is a huge, busy space surrounding an impressive rotisserie. On our visit, we tried tons of tapas:

Lamb Flat Bread

Shaved Calamari

Oysters & Onion Straws