Robert and Sharon Carver (WILLIAM BERRY/staff)

“He never met a stranger.”

That’s how Robbie Carver describes his dad, Robert, of Carver’s Country Kitchen. Robert Carver passed away recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed last December.

Most people remember Robert smiling and joking at the cash register each day at this homey meat-and-three. Robbie laughs, “He couldn’t cook a lick.” Those duties were left in the hands of Robert’s wife, Sharon. Yet, Robert didn’t completely escape kitchen responsibilities. His jobs included cleaning collards, peeling potatoes, prepping rutabagas and making the iced tea.

According to his son, Robert was an entrepreneur all of his life. When he moved to Atlanta from his native Douglas, Georgia in 1979, he started a small grocery store here, which became a restaurant in 1990. Somewhere along the way, Carver’s Country Kitchen gained icon status as throngs of people jostled for parking spots just to grab a helping of …

Continue reading Memorial service for Robert Carver of Carver’s Country Kitchen »

Back in late January, rumblings and blog posts began to appear about what appeared to be the most ridiculous – and most genius – new restaurant concept Atlanta had ever seen: Bon Rappetite, the world’s first hip-hop restaurant. Opened in East Atlanta, the website included contact information, restaurant hours, a list of upcoming events, and a menu comprised of hip-hop themed puns, like the Wu-Tang Clams or Lil’ Kimchi. This looked too good to be true.

And, in fact, it was.

Bon Rappetite is the brain child of social media marketing firm Baby Robot Industries co-founders Everett Steele and wife Bunny Mcintosh. The website began as an inside joke a year earlier, the result of round(s) of beers and a list of rap-themed puns scribbled onto a bar napkin. Steele and Mcintosh emailed the joke site out to a few friends and then forgot about it.

Next thing they know, Scoutmob stumbles onto the site and posts about it, then Creative Loafing picks it up. Within days, CNN and The …

Continue reading Bon Rappetite: Inside joke goes viral, becomes a cookbook »

During a recent food safety inspection visit, a broken hot-water tank played a role in a poor score for Tin Drum Asia Cafe in Dunwoody, the owner and manager said.

The restaurant at 4530 Olde Perimeter Way, Suite 200, dipped below its normal A-B scores for the first time in the last three years, scoring a 75 (C), according to food safety reports.

Darryl Lewis, owner and manager, said the water heater broke the night before the exam. He also noted that the repair was under way during the inspector’s visit.

“The repair was complete about 15 minutes after the inspector left,” Lewis said.

Of the six violations written, three were related to the water tank issue, the report showed. The inspector, for example, advised the person in charge that “employees shall wash hands with warm water.” The restaurant was also asked to keep the facility closed until the repair was complete, the report showed.

Other citations included temperatures controls and placement of dispensing utensils – …

Continue reading Restaurant inspections, Tin Drum Asian Cafe »

Fans of delicious and artery clogging food will have some very hard decisions to make this weekend. In addition to Baconfest, this Saturday Ron Eyester celebrates the South’s most famous fried foul with the 1st annual Mother Clucker Fried Chicken Festival.

Eyester has enlisted a collection of Atlanta chefs, some of whom I know can make a killer fried chicken, to offer up their best fried bird for a panel of judges as well as the people’s choice award. Hosted in a tented lot next to Rosebud in Morningside (i.e. rain or shine), the event runs from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. and includes live music, bourbon, beer, and plenty of fried chicken.

Participating chefs include:

Asha Gomez, Cardamom Hill

Jordan Wakefield, Meehan’s Public House

Suzanne Vizethann, The Hungry Peach

Justin Keith, Food 101

The Fox Brothers, Fox Bros BBQ

Matt Coggin, DBA Barbecue

Matt Swickerath, Valenza

Stephen Herman, Haven

Terry Koval, Farm Burger

Darrell Rice, Tavern 99

Todd Richards, Ritz Carlton Buckhead

Tickets are …

Continue reading 1st annual Mother Clucker Fried Chicken Fest this weekend »

Bhojanic's thali (AJC Staff)

Decatur’s Bhojanic Restaurant has announced plans for expansion to Buckhead. Bhojanic is known for its home-style Northern Indian cuisine.

Owner Archna Becker will open the second Bhojanic location this summer at the Shops Around Lenox. In a press release, Becker explained the location, ““Buckhead has always been a great market for our customers and we are looking forward to being closer to them with an exciting new project.”

This new 135 seat spot is being designed by ASD, who has designed spaces for Cypress Street Pint & Plate and Lobby and Room at Twelve. It will feature a full bar, outdoor seating and a private event area.

Becker also announced that Charles Marvil will join the team as Director of Operations. Marvil has worked with Prime, Woodfire Grill and both Atlanta Ritz-Carlton locations.

The Buckhead location will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

3400 Around Lenox Drive, Buckhead.

–by Jenny Turknett, Food and More …

Continue reading Bhojanic to open Buckhead location »

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When Bacchanalia’s Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison first opened Abattoir in 2009, many bloggers and writers mistakenly spelled the name “Abbatoir.” I’m not sure what made me more squeamish: a restaurant that went by the French word for “slaughterhouse” or the thought of a chamber where you’re forced to listen to “Dancing Queen” over and over.

John Kessler is the chief dining critic for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Set in the White Provision space that was indeed part of a massive meat processing plant back in the day, Abattoir opened then with a “whole animal” spin on the menu. It seemed like it would develop into a Westside answer to Holeman & Finch Public House — the influential Restaurant Eugene spinoff that first plumbed the viscera of whole-animal cookery in Atlanta. But Holeman & Finch was (and is) a bar — an honest-to-badness joint where you want to eat head cheese and hamburgers and have one or two more cocktails than you should.

Abattoir wasn’t that. The …

Continue reading Abattoir Restaurant Review, West Midtown »

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Roswell’s Canton Street has blossomed into a bustling hot spot of restaurants and bars, and it is a rare weekend night that doesn’t find traffic at a near halt as diners hop from one place to the next.

Review by Jon Watson

The strip of historic Roswell has a warmth not often seen in the city, and on a nice spring evening few tables and bar stools are empty for long.

One of the latest spots to join the roster is Slate Table and Tap, the second from owner Brian Martin of the nearby Indigo, currently closed for repairs after a fire in October.

Like many of the neighboring Canton Street restaurants, Slate occupies a renovated historic home. It’s been made over into a cozy pub with a multi-tiered enclosed back porch and a central bar downstairs.

If crafting a friendly neighborhood watering hole was the goal, Slate is surely a success. With 18 beers on tap, live music on the weekends, ample HDTVs, and a sprawling patio so nice that you can’t help but stay for just one more drink, …

Continue reading Slate Table and Tap restaurant review, Roswell »

Coming soon: King of Pops + Batdorf & Bronson coffee.

Hello, match made in heaven.

Popular Atlanta ice pop maker King of Pops has teamed up with Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters to produce a line of coffee-based treats. Jason Dominy, Batdorf & Bronson’s “Coffee Evangelist” and the driving force behind this collaboration, says he hopes the pops will “break preconceived notions of iced coffee and make specialty coffee more accessible.” He also says that collaborating with King of Pops was a no-brainer since they don’t take shortcuts, also handcrafting their products.

The coffee pops will come in three flavors: coffee, latte and mocha. Coffee pops are made of freshly brewed Dancing Goats coffee. A touch of agave nectar is added to counter bitterness heightened by the freezing process, but these are not sweet pops. They taste of pure coffee — rich and refreshing.

Both the latte and mocha pops are made with hand-pulled espresso shots. The Batdorf & Bronson team prepare these by …

Continue reading Coffee pops: King of Pops, Batdorf & Bronson collaboration »

courtesy of www.moxieburger.net

There’s yet another new burger place on the map — one that has the makings of a local hangout. Chas D’Huyvetter, an East Cobb native and Pope High School graduate, recently opened Moxie Burger in East Cobb’s Paper Mill Village with a small group of local investors.

Moxie, meaning vigor, spirit and gumption, strives to play host to every palate with a variety of burgers made from ground beef, lamb or turkey, chicken breasts and portobello mushroom caps. Accompaniments include zucchini fries that will nearly fool your children, fried pickles, sweet potato fries and pimento cheese bites.

Judging by the crowds I observed on a recent visit, I’d say Moxie strikes a chord with the locals. Maybe it’s the lively patio complete with a children’s area. Or, maybe it’s the wine and beer they serve while you’re waiting in a line 20 people deep. Whatever it is, it seems to be working.

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily. 255 Village Parkway N.E., Marietta. 770-627-3201. …

Continue reading Moxie Burger opens in East Cobb, two restaurant weeks and more news »

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Good Monday to you!

I have gone through your comments thus far on my choices for the Atlanta 50 in our Spring Dining Guide, and I will try below to excerpt your opinions and answer your questions in a way that can make sense of this complex but interesting dialogue.

Major thanks to commenter Ryan who made this awesome checklist for folks who want to make the rounds.

Here’s what I’ve got:

Questions about procedures:

1. “Will you publish your rankings in order?” (David): No way. The nice thing about a list of 50 is its breadth and inclusivity.
2. “You’ve got 38 3-stars, and 7 4-stars — wouldn’t all 3-stars make the list, then? For example, La Fourchette would fulfill your French quota.” (RK): I chose to highlight some of the best 2-star restaurants to make the list look more like Atlanta. There are some absolutely spot-on neighborhood places that serve crowds …

Continue reading The Atlanta 50: The Readers Have Spoken »