atlanta – Page 7 – Thirsty South

February 25, 2011

Ten Sinfully Southern Reasons to Consider the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival

Have you heard about the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, coming this May? I had heard a little bit, but not enough to understand the full scope of what this represents for Southern food (and drink) culture, and not enough to be willing to fork over the $$$ necessary to attend the full slate of seminars, tastings, and shindigs, but now…. well, let’s say I’ve heard enough to seriously consider it. It is not inexpensive, but the quality and breadth of seminars, tastings, and Southern talent that will be on display is simply mind boggling. Enough so that I feel the need, the desire, to share my top ten reasons for the Southern spirits (and wine and beer) fan to check it out. So here goes…

Classic Cocktails of New Orleans Seminar, with Dale DeGroff, “King Cocktail” – Sazerac anyone? Vieux Carre?? Yes, please. Participants will learn to mix, shake and stir the classic drinks of the South’s cocktail capital.
Reserve Tasting: Bourbon, with Julian Van Winkle, III, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery – Our love for all things Pappy has been well documented. Need we say more? (Please note, I’m pretty sure this reserve tasting is for high rollers only, unlike the rest of the seminars and tastings mentioned in this post)
Coke-tails Seminar, with Greg Best, Holeman & Finch Public House – How can you go wrong with Atlanta’s hometown carbonated beverage of choice, in the hands of Greg Best? Participants in this interactive demonstration will explore the flavor profiles of the South’s favorite soft drink, while mixing unique drinks.
Booze & Chocolate Seminar, with Scott Witherow of Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co., and Corsair Artisan spirits – Oooh, this should be good.
Build a Bar Double Demo, from the fine folks at H&F Bottle Shop – Participants will explore three perfectly-appointed bars – Whiskey Bar, Classic Cocktail bar and Southern Brunch Bar – and learn how to build their own.
The Bizarre Story of Southern Blue Laws, with Dr. Chris Baker, Ph.D. and moonshine expert – What could be more topical in the midst of the Sunday sales debate??
Noble Rums Seminar, with Ed Hamilton, “The Ministry of Rum” – Rum is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance right now, this should be enlightening.
Tasting Tent & Street Cart Pavilion – this includes a bourbon tent curated by Julian Van Winkle, III (not to mention a whole pig tent curated by Chef Kevin Gillespie). Hallelujah.
White Lightnin’ Seminar, with Junior Johnson – As a young man, Junior Johnson developed his driving skills while running moonshine on mountain roads in North Carolina, which led him to a hall-of-fame career as a NASCAR driver. He’s now doing the legal moonshine thing with similar success. Sure to be some good stories in this one. Junior was a key player in the book, Chasing the White Dog.
A Southern Boy Goes to France, with Jon-David Headrick – learn the story of how a boy from Nashville was inspired to become one of America’s most promising specialty wine importers. Good guy, good stuff.

Seriously, check out their website for more info – this is just a very small sample of what the festival has to offer, and there is more news to come in the next few weeks (heck, it’s only February, the festival is still three months away). In fact, here are TEN MORE great seminars you might be interested in that will be part of the festival:

Breakfast Cocktails, with Neal Bodenheimer, Cure
Wine Pairings Demystified, with Andy Chabot, Blackberry Farm
Exploring Argentina Wine, with THE Susana Balbo, Mendoza, Argentina
Southern Craft Brewers Spill It, with Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How to Taste Blind, with Michael McNeill, Gina Hopkins, Ryan Mullins
Escape to Greece (Wine), with Pano I. Karatassos, Buckhead Life
Beer & Cheese, with Tim Gaddis, Star Provisions, and Terrapin Beer
The Green Fairy (Absinthe) Resurrected, with Ted Breaux, Jade Liqueurs
Vitis Vinifera Down South: The Final Frontier?, with Mary Ann Hardman, Persimmon Creek, and Bernard Delille, Biltmore Winery
Sommelier Round Table, with Andy Chabot, Virginia Philip, Clint Sloan, and Stephen Satterfield

Full Disclosure: The folks behind the festival provided lunch to a bunch of bloggers and media, myself included, as they shared the details of the festival.

January 31, 2011

Snapshots: Condesa Coffee, Atlanta

The coffee culture is blossoming in Atlanta, and it’s a great thing to see. Not that it hasn’t been on its way for many years (thanks to places like Counter Culture, Batdorf & Bronson, and J. Martinez & Co. on the roasting side, and Octane and Dancing Goats among others on the coffee bar side). But it seems like we’ve reached a tipping point, with a stellar restaurant like Empire State South making a very concerted effort to have a stellar coffee program, with the boys in the van at Rattletrap / Steady Hand Pour House making waves, and with places like Condesa Coffee popping up in neighborhoods that could use a good jolt of java.

Condesa recently hit the ground running, with big bags of Intelligentsia beans under their arms, some serious coffee know-how, and a Scoutmob offer to sweeten the deal. Their shop is just off Freedom Parkway, across the street from the “Homage to King” sculpture that is a beacon of hope and optimism in this city. And while their dreams are much more modest than those of Dr. King, it’s great to see the optimism in a small local shop like Condesa trying to give the people of Atlanta some great coffee, one cup at a time.

A few snapshots of Condesa Coffee:

condesa

Also, check out some great shots of Condesa over on Savory Exposure.

Condesa Coffee
480 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
(404) 524-5054

January 7, 2011February 1, 2012

In the Parking Lot with a Rattletrap

It’s a bitter cold January morning. The sky is gray, slightly ominous even. In an empty parking lot off N. Decatur Road in Atlanta sits a rattletrap, one of those old VW vans, a Westfalia the perfect junky color of orange rust, just like a jacket I had back in the ’70s. Three guys are hanging out inside the crowded van, puffs of smoke (or is it steam?) appearing every few minutes. Surely they’re up to no good, right?

Well, turns out, they are up to good. That VW Westfalia is packed with a nice old La Marzocco churning out espresso from Intelligentsia Black Cat beans (one of my favorites). Jordan and Dale and friends are staked out in the parking lot, serving up stealthy shots of espresso while their nearby coffee shop awaits the slow progress of city inspectors. You can feel their eagerness, anticipation, to graduate from the tight confines of the Westfalia (christened “Rattletrap Coffee“), parked catty-corner to Emory, into the full time space that used to be occupied by Octane Emory (and Method before that). The new spot will be named Steady Hand, which surely they are perfecting as they stretch to pour a perfect shot of espresso inside that little van. Despite the turnover from Method to Octane to Steady Hand, this space is a proven spot for a neighborhood coffee joint, and Jordan and Dale’s experience with Method previously has paved the way for some improvements that will make the new shop even better. The space is almost unrecognizable from Method days, in fact, as they’ve opened up a wall of windows and reshaped the counter to allow more seating and light. And these guys are clearly coffee addicts/enthusiasts/geeks – they are dedicated to making a great cup for folks who have figured out that they can do (much) better than the Starbucks just a few doors down.

Once Steady Hand is open, look for the Rattletrap around town as a mobile dispatch of deliciousness, but in the meantime, go hang out in the parking lot around the old VW van, and bring your best ’70s jacket to keep warm.

Rattletrap Coffee / Steady Hand Pour House
1593 N. Decatur Rd.
Atlanta, Georgia

December 14, 2010December 14, 2010

Local Three, Atlanta: Elvis, The Dude, & a Big Pig

Who knew that the “three” in Atlanta’s new bar and restaurant, Local Three, referred to Elvis, the Dude (from The Big Lebowski), and a very big pig? Some have surmised that it refers to owners Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner (of Muss & Turner’s), along with chef Chris Hall. Heck, the menu even says as much. But just get a load of all the artwork around the restaurant, and it’s clear that there is a serious devotion to Elvis, the Dude, and all things pig. That’s three for three in our book. And the Elvis/Dude attitude is one thing that sets Local Three apart from the crowd of local/Southern/farm-to-table restaurants all over town these days. We’re certainly fans of places like Miller Union, Cakes & Ale, Empire State South and Sprig, but chances are that black velvet Elvis won’t be making an appearance in those joints any time soon.

“In Hungry” and “Out Happy” grace the wall by the kitchen at Local Three

The fine folks behind Local Three have done a beautiful job of converting the old Joel space off Northside Parkway into a warm and comfortable environment that fits the restaurant’s down-home, locavore menu perfectly. Boiled peanuts, a charcuterie plate nicknamed “the Notorious P.I.G.,” and so many other dishes that shout amped-up Southern goodness all seem right amidst the wood, the funky art, and the fine collection of bourbons lining the bar.

bar

While Local Three is surely a restaurant first and a bar second, the bar offerings already fit nicely alongside the cuisine and the general feel of the place. A concise but (mostly) classic cocktail list, for example, features a Whiskey Sour, a Julep, and a “Caucasian” lifted as carefully as possible from the Dude’s drink of choice in The Big Lebowski. In the spirit of sharing, the menu even includes the basic recipe for each cocktail – a nice touch more bars would be wise to follow as a way to engage curious cocktail drinkers. Like the restaurant side, the bar hopes to keep things as house-made and local as possible, always a sign of a bar that takes their craft seriously.

“Hey man, there’s a beverage here” – two views of the cocktail and beer menu

The spirits list goes heavy on the bourbon, with startling variety at the affordable end of the spectrum, and a wonderful collection of bourbon and whiskey flights that allow for tasting and contrasting three different whiskeys that share some common traits – a group of ryes for example, or a trio of top shelf selections including Pappy Van Winkle 23 (for now, though their stock is being depleted rapidly by eager Pappy devotees!). The prices are nice as well. In addition to the bourbons, a few less-often-seen whiskeys from abroad fill out the selection, from the Pig’s Nose Scotch Whisky (5 years old) to Redbreast Irish Whiskey to the Yamazaki 12 year old single malt whisky from Japan.

Matthew behind the bar has also assembled an enticing beer and wine menu: 11 beers on tap with a Southern center of gravity, and about 90 more by the bottle; 100 wines covering a nice spectrum, focused on fitting the food and shifting with the seasons. The folks at Local Three clearly want the drinks to find a harmony with the food, but also aim to please by offering a broad enough selection that will offer something for everyone. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine walking out of Local Three without a big smile on your face, from the salt and pepper shakers to the paintings to the ingredients and menu to the drinks and staff – Local Three aims to please.

In the spirit of aiming to please, here’s a taste of the Local Three experience in photos, featuring more Elvis, pigs and peanuts (and be sure to check out the videos on the food at Local Three over at TheHungrySoutherner.com) as well:

pigs nose
peanuts
notorious PIG
pig
elvis
shakers

December 7, 2010December 14, 2010

A Tour of SweetWater Brewery, Atlanta

building

If you happen to find your way down the industrial dead-end of Armour Drive in Atlanta, keep your eyes open for a set of large tanks and some bright tie-dyed trucks. Sitting in this somewhat desolate stretch of warehouses, machine shops and random businesses is SweetWater Brewery, home to some of the South’s best selling craft brews and a bevy of beer awards (like a recent World Beer Cup gold for their Dank Tank series “the Creeper”), not to mention some pretty outrageously outfitted vehicles. SweetWater has grown its way into being a major regional player in the craft beer movement, trailing only Abita among Southeastern breweries by volume. The best way to experience SweetWater and their combination of great beer and a distinctly laid-back attitude is at one of their tours, which include your chance to belly up to the bar and sample the brew. The crowd, up to 2000 beer lovers on a nice week, is a happy mix of SweetWater regulars, beer tourists, and locals out to experience what is becoming an Atlanta institution (of beer).

Thirsty South recently met with SweetWater’s “Minister of Propaganda” Steve Farace, who filled us in on all the great stuff brewing at SweetWater. Most prominently on the horizon is their “Brew Your Cask Off” cask ale festival in March, which will be even bigger (and better!) in 2011 than it was for last year’s inaugural event. For this event, SweetWater partners with an array of special guests (from bars and restaurants, to retailers and local charities) to create unique individual casks.

cooler

Also on the horizon for SweetWater is continued growth – SweetWater moved into their current brewery location back in 2004 and now has more than 25,000 square feet of tanks and beer necessities. If they were to run non-stop, their capacity would be roughly 100,000 barrels per year, but watch for some serious expansion to help manage the growth at the brewery in 2011. To date, they’ve kept distribution focused on a select group of cities in the six state area around Atlanta, both to keep a good handle on delivering fresh beer frequently (their beer is unpasteurized and freshness is a mantra for them) and due to the fact that adding new markets would quickly lead to demand outrunning supply. SweetWater has done a great job of balancing growth with a strong focus on their craft beer, with a core of year-round mainstays like 420 and Georgia Brown, a small group of seasonal specials like Festive Ale and Happy Ending, and the decidedly more adventurous, limited release “Dank Tank” series.

The SweetWater tour is a great way to taste all that’s currently brewing – Exodus Porter and Festive Ale are among the harder-to-find releases that are currently on tap. So, get on over to the SweetWater brewery to experience one of the South’s leading craft brewers firsthand. In the meantime, here’s a photo tour (best accompanied by a SweetWater 420, dressed in tie-dye):

Entering the brewery, the mood is quickly set…
sign