Last Atlanta post in the queue! For my graduation luncheon, my family and I visited JCT Kitchen for some yummy Southern style bistro food. With a large party, we had to eat off of their special event menu, which proved to be nearly as good as their regular menu.

We were able to choose from:

1st course

• Tomato Soup; Fried Grafton Cheddar
• JCT Salad; Green Beans, Romaine, Spiced Pecans, Apples, Buttermilk Dressing

2nd course

• Springer Mountain Fried Chicken; Macaroni and Cheese, Garlicky Green Beans
• Shrimp & Grits; Tim & Alice’s Red Mule Grits, crusty bread for sopping
• Sweet Water Battered Fish & Chips; Fries, “Sweet & Sour” Apple Slaw, ooo-eee sauce!!

3rd course

• Ginger Bread-Pudding; Meyer Lemon Curd
  
• Georgia Pecan & Apple Fried Pies; Caramel, Cinnamon Ice cream
  

I tried to get photos and first bites of everything, but a girl’s gotta eat too! Many photos and family first bites after the jump.
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We had a birthday celebration at our Midtown Melting Pot this weekend. I’ve been wanting to try this place out for a while, but it’s definitely not your casual dining spot. The Melting Pot offers a couple of different dining options, and we opted for a full four-course meal (with coupon for free dessert).  To start, a cheddar cheese fondue served with bread cubes and vegetables:

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

The fondue was made with Aged, medium-sharp Cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings.  Pretty tasty, as plain fondues go.  Made me want to try making my own.  Next was a salad, but it was a fairly generic Caesar, so we’ll skip over that.  For our entree, we chose the “Pacific Rim” entree for two: Teriyaki-marinated sirloin, white shrimp, marinated pork tenderloin, breast of duck, breast of chicken and potstickers.  At The Melting Pot, this all comes out raw and you cook at your table using the cooking style of your choice.  We chose Mojo (Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with distinctive flavors of fresh garlic with a citrus flair).

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This weekend we tried out Top Chef finalist Richard Blais‘ new restaurant Flip.

Flip

Flip is in kind of a weird location, on midtown Atlanta’s Howell Mill Rd.  Situated among auto repair shops and hardware stores, its chic decor definitely stands out.  Uber-chic begets an uber wait, and we waited about 45 minutes for a table.  However, this is not unusual for a new, smallish restaurant with a famous head chef.

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