Inaugural Atlanta Food & Wine Festival

Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, a three-day celebration of Southern culinary culture. (Read about the preview article I wrote for Points North’s May issue here.) Since it was such a big weekend, what with Lila’s 25th birthday to celebrate, I only attended a select few seminars and sessions; still, I came away from the weekend with a greater level of appreciation for Southern food, wine and spirits, and a renewed sense of pride in Atlanta as an epicurean destination. I have to commend founders Elizabeth Feichter and Dominique Love for pulling this off with such success. Though there are certainly a few improvements that could be made in the details next year, I have a feeling this Southern tradition that has started out strong and will only get better and better with age. 

A few weekend highlights…

A Booze & Chocolate tasting seminar pairing three Nashville-based presenters: Olive & Sinclair southern artisan chocolates with Corsair Artisan Distillery cocktails mixed by James Hensley of The Patterson House:

If you’re a fan of whiskey and bourbon, check out Hensley’s recipes on his blog, The Spirit Monkey. Though the libations were a bit strong for my personal tastes, I loved considering how the flavors were intended to work well with the chocolate, and they even served a 102.5-proof chocolate bourbon made from cocoa hulls, which is otherwise a waste product for Olive & Sinclair. The chocolate itself, however, was simply phenomenal. Olive & Sinclair is a bean-to-bar chocolate maker, which means they slow roast and stone ground their own cocoa beans before combining them with brown sugar for bold flavors:

It was fascinating to taste the different flavors in each bar depending on the origin of the beans and the style in which it was made: rich, fudgy chocolate from Ghana, bright, citrusy chocolate from the Dominican Republic, a sweet ‘n spicy Mexican-style chocolate blended with cinnamon and chili, and a sneak taste of smoked nib brittle, a collaboration with Tennessee’s famous Allan Benton that will become available to the public this summer.

The Connoisseur Lounge, which was accessible only by top-level ticket holders (and media!) was an extra-special treat, indeed:

Located in an empty retail outlet connected to Loews Atlanta, the host hotel, the space was miraculously transformed by entertainment writer Danielle Rollins and designer Mallory Mathison Glenn into a beautiful and comfortable space to relax between sessions, chat with top tastemakers and indulge in the goodies coming forth from an immaculate Viking test kitchen along with freely flowing wine and spirits.

I hadn’t intended to attend the festival on Saturday, but simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to experience a Breakfast Invigorated learning experience led by Chef Laurent Geroli of The English Grill at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky. After serving up a decadent French toast kebab with tempura bananas, caramel and chocolate sauces (stay tuned for the recipe), Chef Geroli prepared a demonstration dish of the Kentucky Hot Brown, an open-faced sandwich of turkey and bacon covered in Mornay sauce, a Louisville tradition made famous by none other than The Brown Hotel itself:

On Sunday, Lila and I went back to the festival together to hit the Tasting Tents and Street Cart Pavilion as the last hurrah for her big birthday weekend. A few of our favorite vendors from the Tasting Tents included Becker Vineyards from Texas Hill Country, whose Claret was the hands-down favorite wine of the day, an Indian-spiced chicken and waffle from Atlanta’s Spice Route Supper Club, feta ice cream by Morelli’s in Atlanta, and French Broad Chocolates from Asheville, N.C., with flavors like lavender & honey and garden mint, featuring fresh mint harvested by kindergartners from Asheville’s Vance Elementary School.

While the energy in the tasting tents was exciting, I do believe the best part of the day was a leisurely stroll through the Street Cart Pavilion, which wasn’t nearly as crowded, making it easier to enjoy the treats coming from food trucks from across the Southeast. A few of our favorites:

 Barbecue sliders from STK, a female-centric steakhouse coming soon to Midtown... possible site for Lila's bachelorette party next spring?

Popsicles from Atlanta's own King of Pops were so refreshing on this hot day! Here, Lila poses with a Peach Basil Margarita pop, made with Patron.

Mini cupcakes from "Pinkie" Atlanta's Yum Yum Cupcake truck were almost too cute to eat... almost, but ultimately, I immensely enjoyed this bite of vanilla cake filled with dulce de leche and topped with white chocolate buttercream.

Hungry yet? Save the date! Atlanta Food & Wine Festival returns May 17 – 20, 2012.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In honor of ... well, whatever it is we're celebrating on Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d share my top five favorite Mexican and pan-Latin restaurants in north metro Atlanta.

Cinco Mexican Cantina

Hunter and I have spent every Cinco de Mayo for the last three years here with our friends Caroline and/or Bryan (because rarely are they both in town at the same time). With locations in Suwanee and Cumming, there’s always a party and a good crowd at this hip, trendy restaurant, but the Cumming location also happens to have one of my favorite spots for al fresco dining in the suburbs, so we spend a lot of time here when the weather is right. There’s live music on weekends, a great view of the horse pastures across from Vickery Village, smooth agave margaritas and smoky salsa.

Tara Humata

Caroline and I first ate here for a review I wrote for Points North a few years ago, and went crazy over their tapas sampler, a selection of smoked salmon tostadas, grilled hanger steak with chimichurri, prawns in chipotle butter sauce and more. Now that Andrea is working in Alpharetta, the restaurant’s location on Windward Parkway also makes a great meeting point for our frequent lunch dates. We always sit in the same booth and order the burritos especial (the very best in town) and Jose margaritas – heavy on the orange and a little creamy, this is one of my all-time favorite libations.

INC Street Food

As the name suggests, this restaurant in downtown Roswell brings to life the street food culture of Latin America, with bright, bold graffiti decorating the walls (That’s me and the hubby at INC in my profile picture) and a menu inspired by roadside fare. I love the fried hominy in adobo seasoning with truffle oil that graces the table as soon as you sit down, and the exotic cocktail list is fun to explore. Favorites to date include the Tres Chiles Margarita with house-made jalepeno candy and Thatcher’s Pomegranate Paloma with Herradura, organic pomegranate liqueur and grapefruit juice. Read my past Points North review here.

Cheeky

I reviewed Cheeky when it first opened at The Avenue Forsyth, but with locations convenient to both work (at the Avenue) and home (on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Suwanee), Cheeky is quickly becoming one of my favorite hangouts. And no matter how many times I pore over the menu, considering trying something new, I always go back to a few tried-and-true favorites – the stuffed poblano pepper with mixed cheese and cherry tomato sauce and the taco trio (my favorite fillings are the crab cake and the veggie). There’s beer on tap at a few special tables, and a “Tricked Out” margarita list with unusual offerings like the Pink Lady (Asombroso “pink” tequila that has been aged in red wine barrels, lime mix and muddled strawberries).

Los Rios

This is definitely one of those hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints, but Los Rios in Cumming honestly serves up the best Mexican food around, plus it holds sentimental value because this is where I gather with a multi-generational group of some of my favorite women in the world - we even have a group picture on the wall! (Sadly, I don't have a copy of it to share here.) Los Rios makes a mean Texas Margarita, which we order by the pitcher, and delivers delicious chicken fajita quesadillas, black bean soup and pollo fundido.

Where will you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?