Appetizing Aperture

Lunch with Mark Twain. The Southern Gentleman is his usual Atlanta lunch spot -- his larger-than-life portrait watches over the lunch crowd at the gastropub on Buckhead Atlanta’s top floor. Bet he’s wishing he could jump out of the canvas for modern versions of Southern beloveds such as this Low Country shrimp boil with spiced andouille sausage, corn on the cob, sweet onions and fingerling potatoes ($16). He’s so jealous of y’all, sipping classic Southern cocktails by the seersucker-curtained windows and lunching there Monday through Sunday on pimento beer cheese and cracklings, field lettuces with crispy black-eyed peas and grilled peaches, lacquered Virginia duck breast or crispy fried shrimp and oysters on a baguette with house-made hot sauce. Fiction? No, siree. Delicious reality, every day.

Holy Smoke and BBQ! The HOBNOB Patio is “Smoke’n” Mondays and Thursdays Starting May 28

The mouthwatering smell of grilled meats and those all-telling smoke signals hovering over the corner of Monroe Drive and Piedmont across from Piedmont Park speak the truth, barbecue time is here. HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern is stoking its grills and going “Smoke’n on the Patio” Monday and Thursday evenings beginning Thursday, May 28. They’ll start slicing and serving a variety of smoked meats and Southern sides from 5 p.m. while the supply holds. Guests can dine inside, on the patio or grab take out -- and they’re welcome to order off HOBNOB’s regular menu of popular dishes. Call 404-968-2288 for more information.

Peachy Pinterest Picks

It's been a long wait, but everything is peachy on Pinterest these days and we couldn't be happier. Peaches are hitting the stands at markets and produce departments across the region, and we've been filling our bags with these sweet Southern treats. We've pinned some perfect peach ideas for you to try with your fresh batch: Georgia peach pound cake, grilled peaches, peach margaritas, peach ice cream, peach mango pops and cornbread shortcake with ham and fresh peach salsa. Power to the peaches!

MLA Hearts JCT

It’s the time when I brag about how much I love my job, then flaunt our fun in front of all who dread sitting in traffic to head to an office they are still not quite sure they like. Last night’s episode: Drinks at JCT Kitchen. We got together to partake in the fun cocktails and catch up on the week’s events. JCT has a great bar on the second floor, which has both indoor and outdoor seating. Unfortunately for us, the weather was a little too chilly for us to sit outside, but as it gets nicer, I am sure this’ll be our second home (it’s only 3 ½ minutes from our new office – not that I was counting…) While a few of the girls took the safe route (wine), several of us tried the cool cocktails. Melissa and Caryn had the JCTea -- ice-tea infused gin, Grand Marnier, lemon, orange bitters, served up.

I had the Rough Rider -- vanilla-infused 10Cane rum, Mexican Coca-Cola, velvet falernum, served on the rocks – which, despite my girlish embarrassment from the name, was definitely strong enough for a man! Then, just to make sure we were hooked for life, the truffle fries came out. All I can say is I think we may need to do some studies to test the addictive properties of those fries…(In my best Schwarzenegger voice “I’ll be back!”)

Til the next episode, champagne wishes and cognac dreams! Don’t you wish your job was hot like mine!?!

The Lady and Sons (and The Women Who Loved Them)

First, I’d like to say that I tried really hard to hate it. I figured The Lady and Sons restaurant was a tourist trap, but, since I was a tourist, I felt obligated to go. Maybe that’s the best way to approach a celebrity restaurant; low or no expectations. There were five people in our party and two had been to the restaurant before. They were not impressed, but wanted to be team players. Also, as a disclaimer, I am generally not a fan of buffets. They always seem picked over and the food is usually lukewarm. Now that the formalities are over with…

My first impression of the restaurant came at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning. After a loooong Friday night in Savannah (St. Patty’s Day weekend, no less), we rolled out of bed to the revelation that we would have to leave right then to get in line to make a reservation for 1:30 that afternoon. Not a good start. We weren’t the only ones to get that memo because when we got there, the line was down the block. When we reached the front of the line, we were told that the restaurant was not serving parties of five that day. Also not good. So we reserved a table for four and went home to get some rest.

When we returned to check in for our reservation, the hostess went ga-ga for one of the crew’s boots. When she realized our party was actually (still) a party of five, she decided that since she liked our shoe game, she’s let us slide (thanks Steve Madden!).

Paula Deen and her (cutie pie) sons have given something great to Savannah! The Lady and Sons restaurant fed me the best Southern meal I’ve had outside my grandmother’s kitchen. Four of us ate from the buffet, but one of my companions ordered the fried shrimp from the menu. All of the dishes on the buffet were in small pans so fresh food was constantly replacing half empty pans.

On the buffet: fried and baked chicken, riblets (served naked with bbq sauce on the side), black-eyed peas, rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, baked sweet potatoes, lima beans, green beans, collard greens, a salad bar and the richest, most succulent, cheesiest mac n cheese I have ever had.

I know, it all sounds so ordinary. I don’t know what separates this restaurant from every other place in town that serves Southern or Soul food, but there was something special going on in the kitchen here! Everything was amazing. Even my girlfriends who had been to the restaurant before were surprised with how tasty every morsel was.

Since I wanted to give a fair and balanced report ;-), I felt obligated to try everything. I was trying to be cute and sat down after I got my salad, so my food did not get cold while I ate the salad. My friends were not so discriminating and finished off the last of the lasagna that was on the buffet. It was the last batch and was, apparently, delicious (they didn’t want to share, so I guess I missed out). The chicken was juicy; the naked ribs and accompanying bbq sauce were reminiscent of grilling out with friends on a hot summer afternoon; the collard greens were spicy with a hint of Southern charm; and, as previously stated, the macaroni and cheese was TO DIE FOR!

We ate much more than our share and then continued to try to force food down; it seemed like such a waste to even leave the juice from the greens on the plate. We briefly discussed the etiquette of licking the plate, but in the end decided that although we could probably get away with it, there was just no more room in any of our bellies. Just one thing… dessert comes with the buffet! Dessert was a choice of banana pudding, peach cobbler or the rotating dessert, which, for us, was a chocolate chip gooey cake. I just wish I had room in my jeans or my shoes for another bite…

Needless to say, The Lady and Sons is a winner. A great deal of our conversation the rest of the day was devoted to justifying just one more plate. After I finished being miserably full, I dreamed that I had taken a plate to go. None of us were hungry until breakfast the next morning.

Take a bow Ms. Deen and sons, you have created a masterpiece!

*I think I actually drooled when I was posting the pictures!

Guest Post - Southern Cookin' Makes Ya Good Lookin'!

Our friend Sara C. recently attended a cooking class at The Viking Cooking School and shares her experience below...

I'm a chef, y'all!

Okay, so I'm not a real chef, but I am an avid Atlanta Dish reader and southern food eater extraordinaire. Now, after attending the finger lickin' Southern cooking class at Viking Cooking School in honor of my birthday, I'm also a master chicken fryer and collard cooker.

To celebrate entrance into my 24th year, my beau and I considered many options. I asked for a puppy, yacht or European vacation, but he had something more practical in mind. Knowing his love for fried chicken and my love for everything Southern food related, he used the Viking Store's easy online registration and ordered two tickets to the hands on Southern cooking class with Chef Chip. I put on my cooking shoes (closed toes only for the state-of-the-art Viking kitchen) and got ready for a southern fried experience. The evening began by gathering around the table to drink some fresh sweet tea and snack on delish cheese straws, then we started the class by preparing the southern style banana pudding, giving it time to chill while we cooked the rest of the meal. The addition of banana liquor and rum made the pudding mixture decadent and several layers of Whole Foods fresh bananas and organic vanilla wafers were the perfect topping.

Although I could live on dessert alone, we still needed to prepare our main course. The men of the class enjoyed making mashed potatoes using a large construction-like implement called a potato ricer. Although the ricer was manly, it helped make the potatoes some of the creamiest and most delicate I've ever tasted. The addition of fresh sawmill gravy and cracked black pepper make the Viking taters a crowd pleaser. Next, we heated canola oil and got to chicken frying. The art of keeping the oil at the perfect 350 degree temperature is difficult, but well worth the hard work. Our chicken, brined in buttermilk and breaded with organic flour, cayenne pepper and garlic was crispy, yet juicy.

The best dish of the evening was the collard greens. Wilted in bacon grease and cooked in balsamic vinegar and chicken stock with a ham hock made these greens better than any I've tasted. Chef Chip personalized the recipe with fresh pressed garlic and crushed red pepper to add an extra kick. Even my grandmother agreed her time-tested greens recipe may change after hearing about this gourmet version.

After making the meal, we enjoyed our fare with a glass of white wine and a toast to a job well done. My grade for the Viking Cooking School: A+. This food is so good, it'll make ya wanna slap yo' mama!

What Does Virginia Willis Do On A Girl's Night Out?

She shares her flair and signs Bon Appetit, Y'all at Whole Foods Markets and Harry's Farmers Market!

Virginia Willis wants to do something she loves when she snags a girl’s night out or two: talk about Southern cooking, show how it’s done, and pass on the word through her new cookbook so fellow Southern food lovers can carry out and carry on! Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking ($32.50) gathers recipes passed down from Virginia Willis’ grandmother and mother and adds plenty of Willis’ own flair as a French-trained chef, food writer, kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living Television and executive director for The Discovery Channel’s Epicurious! The cookbook is flying off the shelves, but you can catch a copy and have it signed at the following Whole Foods Market and Harry’s Farmers Market locations this week. Still struggling to find the perfect Mother's Day gift? Now's your chance, do Mom proud!

Thursday, May 8 - Whole Foods Market in Duluth-Johns Creek
If you have an hour, come from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. for Virginia’s book signing and recipe tasting. Two hours? Join Virginia from 7 – 9 p.m. in Salud! Cooking & Lifestyle School as she prepares gougère with Georgia goat cheese, fettuccine with mushrooms and country ham, quail with red wine sauce, and peach cobbler with bourbon crème fraîche. $60 per person; includes signed copy of Bon Appétit, Y’all. Harry’s Farmers Market in Alpharetta: 1180 Upper Hembree Road; 770-664-6300. Whole Foods Market in Duluth-Johns Creek: 5945 State Bridge Road; 678-514-2400.

Wednesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. - Whole Foods Market in Sandy Springs
Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m. - Whole Foods Market in Buckhead
Purchase Bon Appétit, Y’all and Virginia Willis will sign your copy! Whole Foods Market in Sandy Springs: 5930 Roswell Road; 404-236-0810. Whole Foods Market in Buckhead: 77 West Paces Ferry Road; 404-324-4100.