Atlanta Food and Wine Festival 2012-tasting trails

I brought along my nerdy notebook to Atlanta Food and Wine Festival this year to write down my experiences with tastes. It was a well conceived idea but one not brought to fruition. I simply was having too much fun and making too many memorable experiences to take the time to write. I had even more fun than last year.

Foreshadowing that the festival experience was to be memorable was the moment I walked into the welcome center and saw my friends from The Chocolate Lounge in Asheville. We met at last year's festival over chocolate, Stella, and a hot tent. Since then I have become a frequent shopper of their delicacies and a devoted follower of their business philosophy. The biggest smile was thrust upon my face and we hadn't even clinked the welcome toast for the festival yet.

More on sessions and dinners later.


Here's a list of my favorite bites and sips from the trails within the tasting tents (And now I can read other recaps. I didn't want to be swayed):

Lamb from the lamb trail

Overall favorite from the tasting trails: lamb ribs from No. 246. Falling off the bone, tender, seasoned perfect lamb from Drew Belline. No photo, I ate it too fast.

Whole Pig Trail: (1) Scrapple from City House with sorghum poppyseed agrodolce.

                             (2)  Crispy pig ear tacos from Farm Burger and Farm 255 ...I had thirds.

The tacos were made from Anson Mills Carolina Gold cornmeal and fresh masa on site.

Loved talking to Terry Koval about his tour of Los Amigos masa. It gave time for Whitney Otawka to make me another too.

(3) Charcuterie from Table. I loved the slices of cured pig face.

Southern Sweets Trail:  Tie between the bourbon caramel and sorghum caramel from French Broad Chocolate Lounge

Beef trail: Beef tongue terrine with Swiss cheese espuma from One Eared Stag. Chef Robert Phalen said it was a play on a Reuben. I could have eaten 20 of them.

Seafood Trail: Smoked mussels with fresh cubes of watermelon from Lure. This simple dish with pure, fresh flavors makes me really look forward to this restaurant's opening.

Bourbon Trail: First, what a spectacular trail this was to sample. My favorite sip here was the American Spirit Whisky Southern Mule. Gingery and dangerously delicious.

Fried Chicken Trail: 3 way tie among Rosebud and Cardemom Hill's fried chicken and South City Kitchen's fried chicken livers.

Craft Beer Trail: Highland Brewing Razor Wit. Amazing on the nose and tastes of ginger, cumin and orange peel.  Such a great summertime beer. It was fantastic talking with owner Oscar Wong about it. I was recently in Asheville when he was announced Small Business Person of the Year. He is pretty beloved. When I described the flavors he nodded, noting that I missed only grains of paradise, something I had never heard of but what gives the beer its kick.

Farm Burger but more about the market salad

I can't count the number of times I have headed to Farm Burger since it opened. There is a line out of the door no matter what time I show up and I mean that in a good way. The crowd is always happily waiting, knowing that good food is prepared to order with fresh, local ingredients. On this particular Sunday I arrived at around 1:30 and stood in line for about 15 minutes. In that time I was able to fully read the menu, make some friends and read the fresh ingredients from the chalk board stand. The atmosphere is electric. There is action in the kitchen and there is a convivial hunger from the crowd. Tables are rustic with forks and knives in jelly jars and food arrives (promptly) in metal baskets after orders are placed. Your baskets sit on craft paper place mats with a simple Farm Burger stamp.

The first thing I saw on the menu of the day was fiddleheads. Fiddleheads! My market salad arrived and I gazed a while. Really. It was beautiful and simple and like nothing I had ever seen alongside burgers. It was lovingly composed of Moore's Farm mixed greens, local, sustainably grown green's I can order online and pick up at many convenient locations. Mixed into the greens were easter egg radishes that were crunchy, fresh and peppery. Most of the veggies come from Full Moon Farms, a community supported byodynamic farm or Dillwood Farms in Loganville. The cauliflower was out of this world tasty and fresh. I am not sure how they were marinated (maybe turmeric) but they were not ordinary and they were a terrific compliment to the dates sprinkled about. Slices of carrot rested on the top along with the star of the salad, braised celery. That's right, braised celery. Celery is usually an afterthought in salad, something extra for crunch, because it is in the fridge. Check out this blog about braising celery. My thoughts exactly. On top of it all was a grainy mustard vinaigrette (you could also choose farm Goddess dressing), Parmesan cheese and crunchy, perfect fiddleheads. Every bite was different, complex and savory.

Oh yeah, I had a burger too. The buns were soft, warm and held up. Meat is locally sourced and house ground. I ordered mine with house cured bacon and couldn't get over how thick, smoky and flavorful it was. In short, a tasty burger that i felt good about eating. Sustainability is a mission here and they even focus on materials they use to serve and wrap their products. Fries were hand cut and tasted like the ones I make at home. Onion rings are crispy and beer battered. They come with a paprika mayo that i did not try. I don't really do mayo unless it's hidden but others seemed to really like it. This is a complete aside, as it may pertain only to me, but I don't usually feel that great after eating a burger. Burger remorse is what I call it. It never came that Sunday nor the morning after. Is it the fresh, locally raised beef that is grass fed without hormones prepared thoughtfully?