Kevin Rathbun is rolling out a new restaurant. The acclaimed chef plans to open KR SteakBar in the ADAC West building in Peachtree Hills. Not just for shoppers at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center showrooms, this restaurant will feature a menu of “small plate steaks meets Italian fare” according to the website (linked above).

I’m not sure what a “small plates steak” is, but I’m intrigued. I love the thought of ordering a few bites of  beautiful beef without committing to a monster porterhouse.

Rathbun’s partners in the new space will be the same folks who team with him at his flagship restaurant and Kevin Rathbun Steak — manager Cliff Bramble, pastry chef Kirk Parks and Rathbun’s wife, Melissa Rathbun.

Johnson Studio will design the restaurant, which is slated for a late summer 2012 opening.

- by John Kessler for the Food & More blog

Continue reading Kevin Rathbun to open new restaurant »

Chef Nick Melvin

Nick Melvin, chef de cuisine at Rosebud, has left his post to venture out on his own. Rosebud is located in Morningside and is owned by Ron Eyester (a.k.a. “The Angry Chef”).

Melvin confirmed the move and said,

Rosebud has been an amazing team to be part of for the past year and a half, but the time had finally come for me to back out of the daily operations and focus on getting my new restaurant open… I’m very grateful to Ron for giving me the opportunity to work and be a part of his team.

Before joining the team at Rosebud, Melvin worked a brief stint at Empire State South. He’s also spent time in the kitchens of Bayonna in his hometown of New Orleans, Frank Stitt’s Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham and Parish Foods & Goods in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward.

Melvin had no additional details about his new restaurant to share at this time.

–by Jenny Turknett, Food and More blog

Continue reading Chef Nick Melvin leaves Rosebud to open own restaurant »

Southside Wings in College Park recently rebounded to a 90(A) after dropping to a 56(U) this month – a pattern observed since October 2010, according to food safety reports.

Southside Wings’ infractions include several repeat violations and a host of new ones. While the repeat violations weigh heavily on its score, they also fall into the “foodborne illness risk factors and public health interventions” category established under the Georgia Department of Public Health regulations.

The repeat violations include “leftover food and meats not in original packages with no date marking,” “raw meats in food storage bags (chicken and shrimp) with no labels” and “dirty food container lids and packaging (food encrusted on lids and flour package),” the inspector wrote.

Other citations included temperature-control inadequacies, date-marking infractions and cleanliness issues, such as “wiping cloths stored in dirty sanitizing water and bucket,” according to the …

Continue reading Restaurant Inspections, Southside Wings »

My siblings and I each had our favorite snack cakes during the early 1970s. My sister liked her girlie Hostess Sno Balls, with their springy jackets of coconutty pink marshmallow encasing devil’s food cake and a center of white cream. My brother was partial to Butterscotch Krimpets from Tastykake. These snack cakes were flat, with corrugated edges and a generous layer of frosting over a crumbly yellow cake.

Me, I was a Drake’s Yodel kid, which in my mind was vastly superior to its near-twin, the Hostess Ho Ho. The Yodel I loved was a roll of dense chocolate cake and white cream encased in a hard chocolate shell. They came wrapped tightly in shiny foil and stacked in the box, like cigarettes. My mom would let me have one when she got back from grocery shopping. I would sneak more when she wasn’t looking.

We weren’t really a Twinkie family, though there was usually a box somewhere in the kitchen as a kind of snack of last resort. I was never a fan for several reasons: 1) The …

Continue reading The disappearing snack cake »

(image credit: Vino Wong)

Brad Kaplan, a contributor to Creative Loafing’s food column, tweeted earlier today about Atlanta’s Sublime Doughnuts opening a new location in Bangkok, Thailand.

Check out the doughnut shop’s most recent Tweet for a picture of owner Kamal Grant standing outside of the Thailand store.

Congratulations to Grant and the rest of the folks over at Sublime.

by Gene Lee, Food and More blog

Continue reading Sublime Doughnuts opening a location in Thailand »

From last year's Great American Baking Contest: Key lime cheesecake with lime curd brulee and white chocolate macadamia crust

Do you bake? Whether you’re a student, amateur or a professional, you’ll soon have a chance to strut your stuff at the Great American Baking Contest. The contest benefits Share Our Strength, a national organization devoted to ending childhood hunger in America by 2015. It will be held on Feb. 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Le Cordon Bleu Atlanta.

Enter in one of four categories: amateur, children’s culinary student or professional to win prizes ranging from $125-500. Entry deadline is Feb. 10 and the fee ranges from $35-95.

Instead, you may just wish to sample the sweet treats. Tickets to the Great American Baking Contest are $35 include a dessert and wine reception with emcee Jenn Hobby of Q100’s The Bert Show. Tickets are available online and are tax deductible.

In other news:

• Baci, the new restaurant by Nellie Chudnovsky and Cafe at Pharr owner …

Continue reading Calling all bakers (and more news) »

Credit: Bravo

Ok, so I know I’m a day late with this week’s recap, but travel plans kept me away from the tube on Wednesday and I had to catch up on the ole’ DVR.

With only six chefs remaining, we open with the survivors reflecting on Beverly’s elimination last week. Surprisingly, Grayson comes to her defense, saying that she would actually miss her. Sarah and Lindsay are too busy celebrating to notice.

While everyone is suiting up the following morning, Chris comments on how he really hopes this week is a solo challenge (presumably, so that he can show off his creativity unhindered by teammates). Be careful what you wish for…

The chefs enter the kitchen to find this week’s guest judge, Cat Cora, waiting for them with Emeril and Padma. The Quickfire will test their speed and precision. The teams of two (Chris/Grayson, Lindsay/Sarah, and Ed/Paul) have to peel and butterfly two lbs of shrimp, make a pound of fresh fettuccine, and strip a pile of corn. If their work …

Continue reading Top Chef Texas recap, Episode 12: More exciting than meatballs »

$$-$$$

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to be a chef in this town.

Not because of anything to do with the diners in this town, but my heart goes out to anyone who knocks off work at midnight on a Tuesday in Atlanta with an empty belly.

Review by Jon Watson

With a few exceptions, late-night dining choices often consist of little more than a few drive-thrus or your neighborhood Waffle House. While those certainly can do in a pinch, especially a drunken one, finding a meal worth remembering in the wee hours is a daunting task.

Well, restaurant industry types, night owls, and famished partiers in East Atlanta have one less thing to complain about. Nhan Le, owner of So Ba Vietnamese restaurant in EAV, has teamed up with former Miller Union chef Angus Brown to create a late-night dining destination unlike any other in town. This culinary odd couple revamped the patio at So Ba as Octopus Bar, serving a completely different menu catering to adventurous late-night diners …

Continue reading Octopus Bar restaurant review, East Atlanta Village »

Will you continue to frequent traditional farmers markets or try The Atlanta Nosh? credit: John Spink,AJC

There’s a new kind of market headed to Atlanta — one that founder Michaela Graham refers to as a “playground for foodies.”

Beginning in April, The Atlanta Nosh will feature 150 food-related vendors each Sunday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. In addition to a farmers market, it will offer a selection of ready-to-eat items in sample sizes and “take-homeables” (prepared foods). According to Graham, they are working to make beer and wine available for purchase.

For now, the venue is secret, but we know it will be outdoors. Graham says that it will be in the “best, most central location in Atlanta you can imagine.”

To partake in this food fest, you’ll have to register on the event’s website. The Atlanta Nosh will function as a private club and attendees will be responsible for an entry fee. Season passes will also be available.

The Atlanta Nosh is designed not only …

Continue reading The Atlanta Nosh: ‘Playground for Atlanta foodies’ »

Atlanta chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis took to her blog this week to voice her opposition to National Geographic’s new reality series, “Wicked Tuna”. The show, produced by the same team behind “Dirty Jobs”, follows the lives of tuna fisherman in Massachusetts.

At the heart of Willis’ anger at the new show, aside from her personal passion for sustainable seafood, is the fundamental discord between the usually environmentally conscious National Geographic and their previous statements against the overfishing of Bluefin tuna, and this show airing on the National Geographic Channel, which is a joint venture between the National Geographic Society and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. She calls this a “veritable pact with the devil.”

It seems that her post stirred up some emotional responses on both sides of the argument. The comment section of her blog got pretty heated, with many passionate responses from what seems to be fisherman or families of …

Continue reading Local author Virginia Willis blasts Nat Geo for new reality series »