A - Town and Love Potions .... You Gotta See This !

Good Afternoon ~

        It’s time for another post in the adventures of Atlanta eateries! I’m kidding, sort of. I imagined a booming, voice over in the background when I wrote that but since my blog doesn’t have audio … I fear that I just came off a little corny. Anywhoo, no matter …. On to the food!

          My brother’s birthday was coming and I figured this would be the perfect excuse to venture downtown and check another location off my list. Sublime donuts, located near the Georgia Tech campus, offers a wide variety of delicious pasties, including the A-Town Cream donut that is coming so highly recommended. What does that have to do with a birthday? Nothing really, except that they also have an epically awesome “BIRTHDAY BOX” that beats the pants off your traditional, boring birthday cakes. Who wouldn’t want donuts for their birthday? Well, I figured my brother would. He’d at least appreciate the effort and work that goes into battling downtown traffic in the early evening hours. I aim high here y’all! The location isn’t hard to find, albeit a little outside of my comfort zone. I would’ve snapped a picture but I left my phone in the car and I was in a bit of a rush. The location is a small, strip mall area…sandwiched between an Asian restaurant and I think….never mind, I didn’t pay attention, I have no idea what’s on the other side. Sublime donuts themselves is an adorably kitschy type location. It’s full of bright pops of colors and quirky decor. I felt as though this would be a super cool place to chill on a Saturday morning if I ever woke up early enough in college. The cooler off to the right is full of your typical options of milk and soda along with 2 cork-topped bottles labeled “Love Potion” and “Cool Potion”.

"Cool Potion" was minty, lemony, tea blend.
It was so delicious and refreshing

I picked up a couple of each, you know, for science and I stood in the line to pick up my order. I was there, not only for my Birthday Box, but also the recommended item known as the “A-Town Cream” donut. I guess you can’t have an “ATL” donuts so they just went with A-Town. Either way, it’s a fluffy, fried doughnut filled with (what I assume is) a vanilla pastry cream and covered in chocolate frosting. It’s apparently pretty iconic but I was, admittedly, not excited because I do not particularly like filled donuts. I have a thing about textures and the idea of some cold, squishy cream flowing into my mouth was not the highlight of this list. That being said … numerous reviews that I read online said that IF you were going to be converted, this would be the one to do it. So, I will do this for the sake of the list. 

"Love Potion" is strawberries steeped
a bed of roses, blended w. red tea.

     I took my completed purchase back out to my car. I had a couple A-Town Donuts, my Birthday Box, a couple "LOVE" potions and a couple "COOL" potions. I won't complain about the price because it hovered around $30 total for everything and it's really worth the premium to have freshly made, unique, and well flavored donuts as opposed to the every day 89cent special from wherever. First off, let me say that the "Birthday Box" is absolutely adorable. I remember they did give me the option of selecting the flavors but I was a newbie so I just asked for the assorted. If I had thought about it, I might've at least asked for one red velvet donut to be stuck in there along with a strawberry & cream but hindsight is 20/20.  I set my bag of "A-Town Creams" aside and headed on to the birthday party.

     Even if it's not the focus, let me just say that the birthday box went over really, really well with my brother and all involved. My sister in law had picked out a gorgeous birthday cake but he still had space in his plate to try one of the many wonderful donuts that were arranged in a the nifty "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" shape. Due to the specialty of this product, you do have to order at least 24hrs in advance but it's SOOOOO worth it.

That's the "A-Town Cream" as the "A" in Happy !

Once the party was done, we headed home with my other finds in hand. I wanted to go ahead and taste one that night so I could give an honest assessment while it was fresh and still in prime condition. That and I knew if I waited too long, I risked losing my opportunity to children bugging me for a flippin' donut at all hours. There are no guarantees in my home ! I sat down at my computer, holding the folded over bag of deliciousness in hand and thought long and hard about what this next move would entail. When I say I really don't like filled donuts, I really don't like filled donuts. Even the promise of exceptional flavor couldn't quell the anxiety of squish in my mouth. I took a deep breath, held the confection up and began by nibbling the bottom of my "A" leg. The donut was light and tasty. The frying process lends the outside crust slightly crispy and not at all soggy. I took a bigger bite, getting a bit of the chocolate frosting in with the crispy donut. The chocolate is well done and not the least bit plastic. Sometime I have chocolate iced donuts and they use a low quality of what I could only assume is chocolate coating....and it is more reminiscent of a snack cake wrapper then a tasty frosting. I happily nibbled all around the exterior, trying to pretend like I wasn't avoiding the inevitable. But...it was time. I took a sizable bite right in the center and sat completely still. Let me say ....

the donut .... delicious
the chocolate .... delicious
the cream .... tasty and not too sweet

       All together ..... come on .... I said I didn't like filled donuts. I don't know who these people are that are able to grant oral exception to the likes of cream filled confections but I'm not one of them. I forced myself to swallow but I wasn't happy about it. This isn't any fault of Sublime Donuts ....all the components were well put together and quite attractive. I just can't get over my textural short comings. To their credit, the others who tried them enjoyed their "A-Town" creams and not a single complaint was heard from them.  My youngest, the cream filled donut fanatic, actually came in and begged for another and was quite disappointed when I said that we were out. Overall, I consider this a successful journey and I look forward to going back and trying their other selections. They have a red velvet with my name on it !

     The drive may be long but I think the secret to that is to avoid the usual high traffic times and maybe make this a weekend excursion for us all to go and experience together. The other high light of this trip that has no relevance to food is being able to drive past all the new construction on the Mercedes Benz Stadium for the Falcons. (#RiseUp) ... I rarely go down that way so I haven't seen it. The overall scale of the structure is breath taking. I was able to sneak a few pictures while I sat in perfectly still traffic (See, I was mostly safe). I can't wait to see it completed as I pass by to obtain more donut-fantasy worthy fare.

 

Krog Street Market ~ An adventure in good beer and fine pig :D

Good Evening Readers (...you know, me...)
 
This week was very, very busy but in a pretty good way. I thought that my first foray into culinary adventures would be a simple trip to the Varsity but it ended up being so much better then that. I previously had an appointment set for Wednesday evening to meet with my wedding photographer (hush, I know we're already married...doesn't mean you can't plan a ceremony after the fact) ... and it dawned on me that our meeting spot, Krog Street Market, was the home to not just 1 location on my list, but three ! Imagine my surprise (and joy) when I realized that I would be able to knock out 3 delicious selections in just one evening  ! The best part was that all the tastings we were after would be small plate style so it wasn't like I was trying to cram a full dinner on top of a full dinner on top of a dessert. It would be quirky and fun to basically graze our way through this section of our list. So, let the fun begin !
 
1st & 2nd -  The Cockentrice
&
The Spotted Trotter

              Our first stop (and adjoining second tasting) came from The Cockentrice Restaurant located inside the Krog Street Market. Touted as a mixture of traditional methods and modern flair, steeped in southern heritage, the Cockentrice has emerged as the brainchild of Chef Kevin Ozuts' desire to celebrate meat cookery. When you walk through the entrance, first thing you'll notice is the glass window that lets you peer through to a huge rack of beef, aging lazily under the light. Walk a little further and the lights dim enough to inspire intimacy while still providing guidance...immediately you feel as if you're walking into something far more hip then you probably dressed for.

          I was thoroughly impressed by the rich woods, the modern vintage appearance of the tables, and the way that everything looked effortlessly harmonized. The décor was accented by cured meats hanging in lit windows high above the dining patrons below. The ceiling gives the appearance of dust (but in a way that harkens a homespun feeling...it's far from dirty), the various cooks visible behind shiny stainless cooking stations along the far wall, and impeccable place settings placed gingerly as you are seated by your eager-to-please waiter. (the place setting was changed after each course so as not to cross contaminate flavors in any way). Looking up, you notice that cured meats are hanging in a lit window display high above....you know this place means business. Charcuterie isn't just a buzz word that this place is using to sound trendy, they've put a lot of thought into presenting the are of Charcuterie (cold cooked meats) to the people of Atlanta. 


Photo by: Sarah Dodge





         We sat down, mulled over the menu. We knew what our mission was but we wanted to see what was offered anyway. Elliott settled on some fancy sounding beer and I tried the vanilla orange cream soda. Our waiter brought our drinks along with a carafe of still water (you have the option of still or sparkling for $2.00 per person) Some people may scoff at the idea of paying for something as mundane as water, but anything billable to the restaurant, I have no problem paying for at the table. Frankly, if you don't charge, the cost gets added in anyway. At least this way, I can feel as though I pay for what I use, not what the company needs to make up for later.  The waiter explained the entire menu to us, showing how the price points of each dish gave some indication of the size, allowing for a more "shared plate" approach as opposed to pre set dinner options. There was so much that sound delicious and it was hard to stay focused.

        We were there to taste the charcuterie board, and our waiter explained that we could either select our own board selections or leave it up to the chef's expertise and go with "The Chosen One". 













It was a composed selection of three meats and 2 cheeses, Genoa, Iberia Salchichon, Toscano, accompanied by Taleggio and French Crottin, served with a crostini drizzled with honey and olive oil. Decorating our board was an array of shmears and accoutrements. There were some drunken muscadine grapes, a smear of what tasted like a delicious apple sauce-style mixture, pickled onions and juicy plump golden raisings. There were also tiny pickled berries but I can't remember the name (forgive me).

     Wrapping the slivers of cheese inside the thinly sliced meat, adding in the various culinary trinkets and popping them in my mouth was such an eye-roll-worthy experience. The cheeses are rich and well paired with the perfectly seasoned meats. The cures are on point and the fats lend the right amount of juiciness once it starts to melt in your mouth. My husband and I silently (save a few yum-yum noises) sliced, smeared, and matched up the various options until it was all gone. That was a pretty sad realization that we were out of food. We opted to not "be" out of food for long. Since "The Spotted Trotter" was the beginning of the Cockentrice story (and since their crepinettes were on my list), the Mr and myself opted to sample the lamb crepinettes which came with delicious local field peas, candied celery, carrot gel and a crispy soft boiled egg. Let me start by saying this .... the food was cooked perfectly (Elliott was most excited about this fabled crispy egg) and the peas were DELICIOUS. That being said, I was not a fan of this lamb. No, I will correct that ... I'm not a fan of lamb. I was trying something new and it just didn't work out. Elliott seemed to enjoy his (though not nearly as much as the peas) but the overall lamb'y flavor was just not doing it for me. (Sorry I don't have pics of that dish)

      Overall, we enjoyed a wonderful selection at a place that pays attention to the details. At this price point, I can say that I wish I received a little more for my money but what I did get, was quite delicious. Overall, we spent about $87 total for 2 plates, 2 drinks, and my water. Would I go back to the restaurant ? I'm not quite sure. Not because it's not good ...just because it's not good enough for what I paid (although I would love to go back and try that hatchet steak...on someone else's dime lol). What I WILL do, though, is hit up The Spotted Trotter again at a later date and try the other variety of crepinettes so that I can get a better feel for what's offered. They have a peach & pork flavor that I'm totally on board for trying !

3rd stop  - Gu's Dumplings

     Immediately on exiting The Cockentrice, you are face to face with Gu's Dumplings. Since we only had the small plates between both of us at Cockentrice, I thought it would be a good idea to stop in at Gu's and sample these dumplings I had read about on my list. There was a line at the register but service was swift, and I was soon placing my order for six pork dumplings to go (they also have a vegetarian variety). The guy taking my order wrote down my name and told me my order would be out in about 8-10 minutes. You know what that means, right? Our order was made fresh ! No steam trays and cafeteria styles here !  I stepped back, rocked on my heels a bit and people watched ... waiting for my name to be called. After about 10min, I was summoned to the counter and presented with a bag and a smile from the girl across the counter. With my package in tow, my husband and I made our way to our car ...anxious to get home to both our children & our bed.

      After a leisurely drive home, I unpackaged our treasures and breathed in the deep aroma of soy, spices, and porky deliciousness. Seriously, these are some gorgeous dumplings. They're bathed in a very savory, heavily seasoned  sauce. They're large and full, no measly portions here, and at the bargain price of $6.00 for 6 dumplings ($12.00 for a dozen) it was easily one of the best deals of the night. (the BEST deal was the 3 beers for $15 that we shared earlier at Hop City during our meeting but I digress) These were some seriously stuffed dumplings.

The pork was juicy,  well seasoned, and perfectly cooked. The sesame perfectly complimented the soy and spices. It all added up to an experience that fully lived up to the hype. My only regret is that I don't live closer to the city, or else I'd be popping in on a regular basis to score these babies. Do yourself a favor, and try these dumplings !





 



All in all, we had a wonderful evening meeting new people, enjoying new food, and finding ourselves smack dab in the center of one of Atlanta's hottest culinary collections. I look forward to stopping in at Krog Street Market again and I especially look forward to trying Gu's dumplings again. If I have a client or a future customer to impress, I could see myself hitting up the Cockentrice, but just for now, maybe my palette just isn't refined enough to fully appreciate what they're going for. Until next time .... stay classy !