Uncorking a Southern Tradition Wine Dinner

As a major sponsor of the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction* for the past 18 years, Wells Fargo holds an annual Winemaker Dinner with featured wines from elite vineyards. This year’s dinner, “Uncork a Southern Tradition,” featured a specially-designed menu by Executive Chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Joseph Lenn, paired with wines from CIRQ Estate, Kosta Browne Winery and Realm Cellars.

Chef Joseph Lenn

The evening began with a reception at Descante, the luxurious home of Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher, and the passing of canapés and glasses of Realm, Ibid.Farella, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014. Guests nibbled quail legs with Alabama white barbecue sauce and house-made potato chips topped with caviar and mingled while admiring the owner’s art collection with pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Carlos Nadal.

Tables were beautiful set in a transparent outdoor tent that allowed a fabulous view of the expansive landscaped property. Introductions and opening remarks were made followed by an appearance by the James Beard Award-winning Chef Joseph Lenn (originator of the refined and rugged “Foothills Cuisine®) made to describe his first dish to be presented: Smoked Sunburst Trout and roasted baby beets plated with yogurt and fresh dill sprigs served with Kosta Browne One Sixteen, Chardonnay, 2013.

Michael Browne, Founder and Executive Winemaker of Kosta Browne Winery shared the humble beginnings of his winemaking experience, which started with a half-ton of Pinot Noir grapes, a used barrel, and an old hand-crank stemmer-crusher. And while Pinot noir’s are his grand passion, this Montrachet-style chardonnay highlights the fabulous Russian River Valley region with its creamy, toasted citrus nuances.

Bowls of crispy, toasted buckwheat with grilled broccolini and roasted carrots with a brilliant red romesco were served with Kosta Browne Giusti Ranch Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2012 and CIRQ Treehouse Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2012 as Browne continued to regale diners with stories of days in the circus and golf cart antics with fellow winemaker Juan Mercado, founder of Realm Cellars.

The crowning moment was the arrival of Chef Lenn’s Ribeye Beef Cap served atop crème fraiche with smoked potatoes, wilted greens, goat cheese and leek ash paired with Realm, Farella Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012. As Chef described it, “the beef cap is by far the most tantalizing cut of beef; I love cooking with it.” Of course, he was working with meat from our friends at Brasstown Beef, so it was beyond perfect. And, with the blackberry aromas and elegantly structured tannins of the accompanying Cabernet; sublime.

After closing remarks from our gracious hosts and sponsors, the socializing continued as trays of macarons and a decadent milk chocolate hazelnut crunch were offered. A last minute “usie “ with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was an unexpected treat and a souvenir to show our football obsessed progeny. We were also generously gifted a bottle of Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2013 to cellar for a special occasion. Special thanks to Wells Fargo for including us in this truly amazing evening of food and wine.

*The High Museum’s Wine Auction which is the largest fundraising event for the High Museum of Art, is also the top charity fundraising event in Atlanta, the eighth largest charity wine auction in the U.S., and the number one charity wine auction benefiting the arts.

Food Should Taste Good at The General Muir

It is very exciting to see brands exploring innovative ways to promote and market their products. Our fellow food bloggers at eat.drink.repeat showed us one of these inventive campaigns when they partnered with the folks at Food Should Taste Good™ (FSTG) to co-host an exclusive brunch at The General Muir with a unique tasting menu created by Chef Todd Ginsberg, 2015 James Beard Award Semi-Finalist, using FSTG chips.

Of course what would an epic brunch be without some great cocktails? We started the festivities with a choice of a mimosas, the house signature General Mary, a Bloody Caesar made with Clamato, or a greyhound made with pink grapefruit juice and Absolut Ruby Red. Opting for the specialty of the house, I ordered a General Mary, which may have been the best bloody Mary I have ever had. Eager servers passed platter laden with canapés including Smoked Trout salad with chopped cucumbers and celery leaves atop FSTG sea salt crackers, nova and schmear with dill sprigs served on FSTG Peppercorn crackers, and egg salad with chives and slices of house-made pickles on FSTG multigrain chips.

We then settled into our seats for the first of three amazing dishes. The first was a "Pozole Verde Style” chicken tortilla soup with sliced radishes, avocado, lettuce (yes, lettuce cooked in the soup), and queso fresco with crushed FSTG Cantina Chips on top. To say this soup was spectacular is an understatement. The broth was delicious alone, but with the added components for texture and layers of taste; it was nothing short of transcendent.

Gruyère grits with mushrooms sautéed in a madeira sauce topped with poached eggs with a side of rye toast were a rich and savory pleasure, again with a complex mixture of textures and flavors. The warm apple galette topped with shaved, aged white cheddar and red mizuna greens that followed was a homey and earnest finish to a lovely afternoon of food and friendship.

We all left with appeased appetites and FSTG swag of chips, recipe ideas and samples of the new Food Should Taste Good® Real Good Bars to extend our wholesome snacking experience. Special thanks go to both FSTG and eat. drink. repeat. for including us in this unique dining occasion.

While the food and beverage items we sampled were complimentary, I received no additional remuneration. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.

Inaugural Culinary Fight Club Atlanta

What do you get when you cross an “Iron Chef”-type cooking competition with a gritty Fight Club-esque setting? You get a hipster pop-restaurant with three chefs matching skills for a chance to contend in the 2015 World Food Championships in Kissimmee, Florida.

Culinary Fight Club, which began as a fundraiser for Fight2Feed, a Chicago non-profit organization with the mission to end to hunger, has become an overnight success in its home city of Chicago. Since December 2013, Culinary has hosted 14 monthly challenges in Chitown and has selected Atlanta as the second city in their ambitious plan to have competitions in four states by 2017. The inaugural Culinary Fight Club - Atlanta was held at the Doubletree in Buckhead with challengers Chef Rich Green, Executive Chef of the Buckhead Doubletree; Andrew Tokas, Co-owner of Domaine Wine Distributors; and, Sophia Lin Kanno, Legendary Events Design Expert.

For the first Atlanta challenge, “Fight Green – Go Stout,” each chef was required to create a dish using a “green” and stout, specifically Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour Stout. Each was allowed to bring three “secret” ingredients from their own kitchens that were checked with the judges at the beginning of the competition. Chef Rich had corned beef, Swiss cheese and tempura batter in his cooler; Sophia brought along dumpling wrappers, dumpling sauce and fresh cilantro; and, Andrew had carrots, collard greens and dried yellow lentils for his dish. In addition to their own ingredients, the chefs were given 60 seconds to select ingredients from the "pantry" of 15 ingredients which included peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, sauerkraut, eggs, cabbage, kale, and broccolini.

Each contestant was given 60 minutes to prepare their creations with the help of one sous chef and a single 10,000 BTU portable stove. As they got busy chopping and prepping their ingredients, ticketholders enjoyed wine and beer (Sam Adams, of course!), snacks (sliders and ribs) from The Green Leaf restaurant kitchen, and music by Spectrum Events. We were free to wander down onto the floor to watch the cooks at work and ask questions which they answered sporadically since they were a bit preoccupied. Emcee Kari Karch from Kenmore entertained attendees with interviews with the chefs, judges and food bloggers (that’s us!).

As the clocked ticked down the final seconds, each of the contestants put the finishing touches on their plates and prepared to present them to the panel of judges which included Mike McCloud, President of World Food Championships; Beth Peterson of 2013 World Recipe Champ; Wade Fortin, 2013 World Burger Champ; Domenick Buffone of  Mimo’s Bistro; and, Elite Yelper Anthony Martorina who served as “Cheferee” to ensure that contestants followed all the CFC rules.

As a Tastemaker, I had the opportunity to taste each of the final dishes prepared for the judge’s panel and knew they had a tough decision to make. They scored the entries on taste, originality and presentation. Each judge commented on the dishes and some asked questions of the chefs before leaving the room to deliberate. At the same time, I had to select my favorite from Chef Green’s Corned Beef Fritters with Spinach Colcannon, Andrew’s Collards Stuffed with Italian Sausage and Lentils, and, Sophia’s Stout-Braised Dumplings with Cilantro Dumpling Sauce. All the dishes were unique and appealing in their own way. The dumplings were delicate and zesty; the collards were spicy and complex; and, the fritters were crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside with layers of flavor. I made my choice and submitted my ballot for the Tastemaker Award, which is given to the cook whose dish is voted the best by Tastemaker ticket holders, just as the judges re-entered the room.

The crowd fell silent as the winner was announced (pause for dramatic effect)… Chef Richard Green would be headed to Florida in November for the World Food Championship competition! Chef Green was also awarded the Tastemaker Award for his amazing corned beef creation.

It was very exciting to be a part of such a thrilling and worthwhile event! Watching and participating in a dynamic cooking competition while raising money for Fight2Feed was most definitely an evening well spent. So forget “the first rule of Fight Club,” and talk about this fantastic event and be among the first to buy your tickets when Culinary Fight Club returns to Atlanta in June for the next #TastebudChallenge – BBQ!

Genki Keeps It Lively in Virginia-Highland

Excerpted from this post originally appearing on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on March 2, 2015:

Genki, Virginia-Highland’s favorite sushi restaurant, has been serving fresh, creatively presented sushi rolls and noodle bowls since opening in Atlanta in 1996. The restaurant lives up to its name, which means “energetic, and full of life” in Japanese, with an enthusiastic wait staff and lively clientele. Genki has expanded from its original Buckhead location to two other restaurants, and is also the sushi purveyor for the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and the World Congress Center. They recently added a food truck to their inventory with the hope of reaching every neighborhood in Atlanta.

Genki owner, Reid Zeising, strived to create a friendly environment for residents by combining 100-year-old reclaimed wood with high ceilings, and hanging original artwork influenced by his childhood in Tokyo on the brick walls when renovating the Virginia-Highland location.  This location also serves as Genki’s headquarters and is the name of one of the most popular sushi rolls on their menu: “The Virginia Highland Roll” which is made with spicy tuna and mango topped with escolar, avocado, fresh jalapeño and roe. The plate is handsomely garnished with fresh oranges and spiraled beets. All dishes are hand made at each location and because each piece is sliced a bit thinner than the usual ½-inch roll, each morsel is perfectly bite-sized so that you taste all of the harmonizing components in one mouthful. The “I ♥ Sushi Roll” with shrimp tempura and cream cheese, topped with tuna, avocado, chili sauce, and wasabi cream is equally fantastic with its consummate flavor and texture combinations. To add to the experience, the TV’s playing in the background are frequently tuned to NatGeo’s “Wicked Tuna.”

In addition to amazing sushi, Genki also serves a variety of appetizers including Tiger shrimp sautéed in spicy garlic chili sauce, served over house made guacamole with wonton chips, which is a whimsical play on guacamole and chips with a spicy shrimp complement. And, what Japanese-style restaurant would be complete without a selection of noodle bowls? Yakisoba is the most popular street food in Japan and Genki’s version is proof of its status with stir-fried ramen noodles topped with super thinly sliced grilled beef and shredded cabbage, sprinkled with nori and served with red ginger and spicy mayonnaise.

Genki, located at 1040 North Highland Avenue, is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week with daily specials like “Tokyo Tuesdays” with deals on sushi, sake and beer, or Sundays when children eat free with the purchase of a parent’s entrée. Their Monday night “Genki Gives” program allows charitable organizations to earn 10% of each dedicated check. Genki also has a wide range of catering options for corporate functions and weddings.

While the food and beverage items we sampled were complimentary, I received no additional remuneration. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.

Celebrating National Peanut Month

This month celebrates one of America’s favorite foods! While many cultures worldwide have a history of including peanuts in their cuisine, we have covered the waterfront on ways to use these amazing groundnuts from roasted in the shell for a ballpark snack, ground into peanut butter or tossed in a salad or stir-fry, peanuts find their way into everything from breakfast to dessert. Maybe that is why we have been celebrating National Peanut Month since 1974. Here are some of our favorite ways to use peanuts:

Colonial Peanut Soup
Soba Noodles Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
Couscous with Cranberries and Toasted Peanuts
Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Another of our favorite ways to eat peanuts is in this Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce:

Source

¼ cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon mirin
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 small clove of garlic, minced
½” nob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add all ingredients and pulse until completely combined and smooth. Add more water by the tablespoonful if needed to thin to you desired consistency. Transfer the sauce to a small bowl, cover, and chill until ready to serve. You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance, but bear in mind that the garlic flavor will increase as it sits. Bring to room temperature before using.