Creative Loafing "Best of Atlanta" Winners are Out and Showing the Love

  

We all have our ATL favorites! Blessed are those who share their favorite place to dine rather than try to keep it as their secret place. Creative Loafing's "Best of Atlanta" votes are in and tabulated, putting favorite places right out there for all to see. Gunshow hits the bull's-eye with the "Best New Restaurant" votes. The Optimist sails into the "Best Overall Restaurant," "Best Restaurant Design" and "Best Seafood" slots. Woodfire Grill on Cheshire Bridge Road ties for "Best Service." Decatur gets critics' nods for being one of the "Best hoods for Food Lovers," with No. 246 in the list of reasons to dine there. Love tasty tweets? @FifthGrouper tied for the title of "Best Foodie Twitter." Bold American Catering tied for "Best Caterer" - keep this in mind for your next event! Thanks for sharing, everyone! Where will you eat over the weekend? 

Ditch the Diet at Chocolate! 2009

On a summer diet? Well forget all about it tomorrow night at the 9th Annual Chocolate! 2009 event, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This is the one event where it's perfectly acceptable to eat as much chocolate as humanly possible! Funds raised at this annual indulgence will go straight to cystic fibrosis research and treatment. More than 1,000 chocoholics are expected to attend the event at Villa Christina, which also features a full dinner buffet, two live bands and a silent auction. Chefs from Aqua blue, Bold American Events & Catering, Kozmo Gastro Pub and Pacci Ristorante, plus other top bakers, chefs, vintners and caterers will whip up a plethora of chocolate delicacies. Tickets for the 6 - 10 p.m. event are $65 in advance and $75 at the door and may be purchased online or by calling 404-325-6973.

Chocolate! 2009 hopes to raise $100,000 net profit for cystic fibrosis research. Since its start in 1955, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has worked to find a cure for the aggressive disease and to improve quality of life for those with CF. As a result, the median survival age for people with CF has doubled from 18 years to the early 30s.

Georgia Leads the U.S. in Pecan Production! No Wonder Atlanta Chefs are Nuts About Pecans.

Wow, Georgia sure can produce the pecans! According to the Georgia Pecan Commission, Georgia farmers harvest 88 million pounds of pecans each year -- enough to fill 176 million pecan pies. Nutworthy news? Defi-nut-ly. Why should pecan pies be privy to all of the nuts? Atlanta restaurant menus are laden with a variety of pecan-infused dishes you'd be nutty not to enjoy!

Aqua blue has quite a catch: pecan-crusted trout served over sweet potato hash with sun corn, thin green beans and peach beurre blanc ($22).Aqua blue: 1564 Holcomb Bridge Road; 770-643-8886.

Eclipse di Luna tiptoes past the tapas to the dessert pages, where toffee, pecans and caramel sauce top chocolate fudge turtle pie ($6). Eclipse di Luna - Miami Circle: 764 Miami Circle; 404-846-0449. Eclipse di Luna - Park Place: 4505 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Suite 11; 678-205-LUNA (5862).

South City Kitchen® Midtown cracks out of the dessert section to create southern steak frites ribeye, which comes with sweet potato fries, creamed Georgia greens and Abita Pecan Harvest Ale jus ($28.95); and grilled Atlantic salmon, swimming alongside butternut squash hash with country ham, toasted pecans, spinach and cider butter ($22.95).South City Kitchen Midtown: 1144 Crescent Avenue; 404-873-7358.

South City Kitchen® Vinings starts the meal with a mixed field green salad showing off toasted pecans under a balsamic vinaigrette ($6.95), then ends with an individual pecan pie with buttermilk caramel and vanilla ice cream ($6.75).South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700.

Uncle Julio's Casa Grande scoops out scrumptious bowls of cajeta -- vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut and pecans, topped with homemade caramel sauce and whipped cream ($6.25).Uncle Julio's in Buckhead: 1860 Peachtree Road, NW; 404-350-6767.

Woodfire Grill loves Georgia pecans and candies them to mix with julienne local apples and local lettuce salad served with buttermilk dressing ($9). Woodfire Grill: 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road; 404-347-9055.

Bold American Catering® sends pecans your way in this party- pleasing recipe. 404-815-1178.

Candied Rosemary Pecans
2 lbs. pecans
5 oz. butter
3 1/2 oz. light brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Grind sugar and rosemary in a food processor. Melt the butter with the rosemary and sugar mixture. Pour over nuts and then drizzle with corn syrup. Bake at 325º for 15 minutes or until sugar crystallizes on the nuts.

Date Night With Diver Scallops

Periodically, the hubby and I try our hand at working cooperatively by cooking “together.” We systematically look for a recipe, shop for all the ingredients and spend an evening preparing it. Typically, this means he walks and talks to me while I shop for the ingredients, then, I cook and he assists. This is actually a great system for us since, in the end, it’s mostly about the time we share in the kitchen, and I tend to be more adventurous when it comes to tweaking the recipe.

Our next dish is courtesy of Todd Annis, executive chef of Bold American Catering. This week, his diver scallops with arugula recipe is featured in the “Key Ingredient” column of The Sunday Paper. I can’t wait to try it, since Annis notes that this is a quick and easy recipe, hopefully even we can’t mess it up. According to the chef, the most important things is to make sure to pick good, fresh ingredients, which works well with my effort to buy sustainable products.

Although I am sure they will not look as good as Annis', we're going to give it a whirl. I’ll be sure to keep you updated with photos when we try it…wish us luck!

Get Your Food Studio Fix Before July 19!

Fifth Group Restaurants'® Food Studio has reigned as one of Atlanta’s top choices for honoring special occasions for the past 12 years, but it's time for a new chapter. On July 19, Fifth Group Restaurants’ Partners Robby Kukler, Steve Simon and Kris Reinhard are taking Food Studio to permanent “occasion” status as a full-time event space managed by the company’s award-winning catering division, Bold American® Catering. The stunning space with flexible seating within the historic King Plow Arts Center will be the place to hold corporate and social events from rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions to business meetings and parties. Bold American Catering Executive Chef Todd Annis will meet with guests to customize menus specifically for their special events. While we're going to miss Food Studio's fare and yummy cocktails dearly, we're looking forward to upcoming events in the restaurant's unique space. Those who are interested in obtaining details and booking the space can call 404-815-1178.

Food Studio patrons: Perhaps you became engaged or marked a special occasion at the Food Studio. Come mark the occasion one more time before the restaurant converts to event space on July 19. From July 7 through July 19, Food Studio, along with all other Fifth Group Restaurants, will offer a special summer three-course prix fixe menu for $26.95 in addition to the regular menus. Make dinner reservations at Food Studio through July 19 by calling 404-815-6677 or visiting www.fifthgroup.com. Food Studio is located at 887 West Marietta Street, NW in the King Plow Arts Center.