YEAH! Burger Opens Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day - FINALLY! I have been patiently waiting to try out Chef Shaun Doty's new burger joint and after pouring over the menu I already know what I'm trying first - a White Oak Pastures local beef patty on a whole wheat bun (I heard the buns are so light they actually bounce in your mouth. That is a quote.) with YEAH! sauce. I'm also saving room for a side of fifty-fifty (fries AND onion rings) and a peanut butter cup Concrete (a Concrete is very similar to Dairy Queen's Blizzards, and as a girl who can't pass a Dairy Queen without stopping for a fix, you can imagine I'm pretty excited...).

As I leave you anxiously waiting for lunchtime tomorrow, I thought I would share a few photos from Chef Doty's appearance on Good Day Atlanta this morning. As Good Day host Suchita Vadlamani said, "you can taste the love."

Perfectly Poached Eggs and Practical Dating Advice

We learned alot this morning on the set of FOX5's Good Day Atlanta. First, Chef/Owner Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar talked about the restaurant's "Farm to Table and Back" guest chef dinners and demonstrated how to prepare a poached farm egg salad with black radishes and smoked bacon that had the entire station drooling and wishing for "smellevision," as Host Karen Graham so perfectly put it. Click here for a glimpse of Ford's cooking and call 404-355-2252 to make reservations for tomorrow night's guest chef dinner featuring Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten and The National in Athens. Hugh's menu (five courses paired with wine for $75) looks amazing and it will save you a drive up 316! Plus, all proceeds from the special menu benefit Georgia Organics.

As an added bonus, we got to hear Ford give great relationship advice along with Vincent McCant of Atlantahapps.com and John Gidding of HGTV's Curb Appeal for the male perspective on dating during Good Day Xtra's "The Male Bag." All the men out there who are hungry for a healthier relationship can get tips here.

It's Tomato Time at JCT. Kitchen & Bar!

It’s prime time for tomatoes, and they'll be dangerously good this Sunday, August 9 at the first annual “Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival” at JCT. Kitchen & Bar. From 1 - 6 p.m., some of Atlanta’s best chefs and mixologists will pair up with local farmers to turn tomato varieties into tasty dishes and cocktails to benefit Georgia Organics. Guests will get to sample these tomato creations and see how their palates compare with those of the high-profile judges in attendance, including Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appetit, Donna Florio of Southern Living and Kate Krader of Food + Wine, who will be choosing a winning dish. Cold beer from 5 Seasons Brewing and free Bionade organic soda from Germany will also be available, along with live music from The Spazmatics.

JCT. Kitchen & Bar's Chef/Owner Ford Fry organized the event and gave us a sneak preview of the festivities this morning on WAGA-TV's Good Day Atlanta. Check out the video below to see how he takes tomatoes to the next level at JCT.


Tickets can be purchased at www.georgiaorganics.org ($50 per person/$45 for Georgia Organics’ members/$90 VIP package includes entry and access to an expanded open bar). Buy yours today!

JCT. Kitchen & Bar is located in Atlanta’s Westside Urban Market at 1198 Howell Mill Road, Suite 18; 404-355-2252.

Chef Tony Ballester of Morton's Makes The Million Dollar Burger

Last week, Chef Tony Ballester of Morton's The Steakhouse in Buckhead demonstrated how to make the restaurant's "Million Dollar Burger" on the set of WAGA-TV's "Good Day Atlanta." This is the hamburger that Klaus Fritsch made for Arnie Morton when they both worked for the Playboy Clubs in the early 1970s. From that day, they started the business partnership that has become Morton's The Steakhouse. Pictured above is Chef Tony teaching tricks of the trade to Good Day Atlanta Co-host Mark Hayes. The "Million Dollar Burger," which only costs $19.78 - the year that Morton's was founded, is available at both Atlanta locations of Morton's (Buckhead and Downtown) every Sunday in July, August and September. And the best part - $5 of each burger sold will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation as part of Morton's 30th Anniversary partnership with the Foundation. For those of you brave enough to try and replicate the burger for yourself, here's the recipe:

Morton’s “Million Dollar” Hamburger
Ingredients (serves six):
4 pounds coarse-grind ground sirloin
4 large eggs
3/4 cup tomato juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large hamburger buns
3 tablespoons clarified butter
Six 1/2-inch-thick slices tomato
Six 1/4-inch-thick slices Spanish onion
6 large leaves iceberg lettuce
Ketchup or another topping, for serving

Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil and position the rack as close to the heat source as possible.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sirloin, eggs, tomato juice, salt, and pepper. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Divide the meat into six equal portions and gently form them into patties. Transfer to the broiler pan, and using a small sharp knife, make a crosshatch mark on the top of each burger about 1/8 inch deep. (This lets the juices percolate through the burger, and we also like the way it looks.)

3. Brush the inside of each bun with butter. Toast the buns in the broiler for about 30 seconds on each side, or until lightly browned; be careful that the buns don’t get too browned. Remove the buns and cover to keep warm. Reposition the broiler tray so that it is about 6 inches from the heat.

4. Broil the burgers for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes on each side for rare, 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare, and 4 1/2 to 5 minutes on each side for medium.

5.To serve, put the bottom half of each bun on a plate. Top with a burger and then a tomato slice, onion slice, and lettuce leaf. Add the top of the bun. Repeat to make five more burgers. Serve with ketchup, if desired.

Chef Craig Richards of La Tavola Trattoria Wakes Up the City on Good Day Atlanta

Last Tuesday Atlantans making their way toward coffee, cereal and remotes turned on Good Day Atlanta to find Chef Craig Richards of La Tavola Trattoria waking them up with mouthwatering pear and squash bruschetta. If you slept in or didn’t grab a pen and paper in time, you can still get the recipe for Chef Richard’s savory fruit, veggie and ricotta dish here.
The Pear Bureau Northwest recently awarded Chef Richards a “best original recipe” award for his pearl of a pear creation, which is one of several award-winning recipes given on the web site.




La Tavola Trattoria, Fifth Group Restaurants’® friendly, Southern Italian-style eatery, is open for dinner nightly and Sunday brunch at 992 Virginia Avenue, NE in Virginia-Highland; 404-873-5430.