Free Small Fries

FYI

Greater Atlanta McDonald's Restaurants will be giving away free small french fries from 10:30 AM to close this Tuesday, February 3rd.

Two New Atlanta Restaurants

There are always exciting new restaurants opening in Atlanta, and it’s hard to keep up with them all, but here are two I am looking forward to trying.

Serpas

Scott Serpas is an Atlanta chef, but he is originally from Louisiana. Building on his experience from NAVA, TWO urban licks, and other acclaimed restaurants, as well as working with Chef Kevin Rathbun, Serpas is opening his first eponymous restaurant this week (on January 26th), which will be based on the concept of “True Food.” “True Food” is fresh food with comforting flavors, and the menu will fuse Louisiana cooking with Asian and Southwestern ingredients. Serpas' innovative menu should be a hit on the Atlanta dining scene.

BLT Steak

Chef Laurent Tourondel is opening one of his BLT Steak ventures in the brand new W Atlanta-Downtown Hotel on January 27th. Tourondel was called the 2007 Restaurateur of the Year by Bon Appétit, and BLT Steak was named one of the “best new restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine. BLT Steak will serve an outstanding variety of steaks, including Kobe and Black Angus. Chef Tourondel is a classically trained French chef, and his restaurant will mix the best of French and American cuisine in dishes such as Tuna Tartare with Avocado and Soy-Lime Dressing, giant popovers with bubbling gruyere, and Caramelized Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote. Sounds delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookietini

Hi Guys,

Well, I got caught up in the Ultimate Recipe Showdown fun at Food Network. I just loved it that the nice older doctor, Harold Cohen, won the burger challenge. I looked at the www.foodtv.com site to see if there was a way to get on the show, and there is, but something else caught my eye. It was at this site -

http://www.foodnetwork.com/home/contests-and-offers/index.html

No, they are not paying me. I just thought it was neat. It was a drink recipe contest and I believe the top three will be posted for us to vote on some time around January 27th. I love contests like this - I won a trip to Boca Raton a few years back by writing a short essay on the virtues of Old Bay Seasoning.

So anyway, for this particular drink challenge, you had to send in a video of yourself making a drink in 30 seconds. After some brainstorming and research, I came up with a yummy drink I call a "Cookietini." I've posted the recipe below in case you're interested. I think I probably won't win anyway because my video was too long, and I had to split it into two parts to get it in. That's what I get for procrastinating. Oh well, it was lots of fun regardless. My parents helped me, and they were so sweet! Thanks, Mom and Dad!




Chocolate Chip Cookietini

1. Prepare martini glasses by crushing chocolate chip cookies, wetting rim, and rolling rim in cookie crumbs. Then drizzle chocolate syrup inside.

2. Mix 2 parts Godiva Liqueur, 2 parts Absolut Vanilia, and 1 part milk or cream over ice in martini shaker. Sing charming song while shaking.

3. Pour into glass, remembering to hold top on.

4. Drink and don't give any to your friends.

Holiday Spirit

Well, it's been a wonderful holiday so far here in Foodies world! We are very happy with our new Keurig coffeemaker. We drink a sleighload of hot beverages around here, and it makes them instantly available. How delightful!!! Also, I got an iPod Touch. I'm finally caught up gadget-wise.

I wish I had a new review to write, but we spent our Christmas dining allotment on our old standby, Fogo de Chao. You just can't beat it for a lovely meat-filled dinner that reminds you of childhood games of red light, green light. My husband's new favorite meat changed from bottom roast to the pork ribs, though. I still love the side dishes best. Polenta and fried bananas - omg!

I still haven't gotten to see Twilight, and I'm waiting for the third book, Eclipse, to come in at the library. We did watch Step Brothers again and cracked up the whole time. In the near future I'm going to try to find a great Greek restaurant nearby, and also a nice sushi place. I also need to try Goldberg's Deli which just opened a branch on Johnson Ferry near me. I have one recommendation to make before I do a full review on it as well -- Lahore Grill is wonderful for Indian food. It's located on Cobb Parkway/Highway 41 in a space that used to be a Los Reyes location. So if you want to try something besides Haveli without traveling too far, try Lahore!

Happy Holidays from Atlanta Foodies!

Sweet Tomatoes Review

Sweet Tomatoes
1125 Ernest Barrett Pkwy.
Kennesaw, GA 30144-4534
770-429-5522


Restaurant Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.



My mother and I dined at Sweet Tomatoes on Barrett Parkway on Thursday, December 8th, 2008.

What did you order? How was your food?

Sweet Tomatoes offers a buffet dinner for around nine dollars per person. The unique thing about Sweet Tomatoes is that their buffet is a healthy buffet, well, mostly healthy. You start off with salad, but you can also have a variety of soups, baked goods, hot pastas, and frozen yogurt. The food is good, but if you crave meat, this is not your restaurant. Salad-lovers, however, will adore it -- and their chocolate brownies and muffins are under 200 calories each and less than 10 grams of fat!

Describe your impressions of the service. Was anything exceptionally good (or bad) about the quality of service you received?

Service was great. Since this is a buffet restaurant, service was mostly confined to bussing, but everyone seemed genuinely friendly.

What do you think of the décor and atmosphere?

Clean and bright. A typical family-friendly atmosphere.

Do you consider this a good value for the money you spent? If no, why not?

Yes, it is a good value if you want a healthy meal and are not looking for meaty, hearty fare.

This restaurant is best for...
Families, Business Lunches, Casual Dining, Healthy Fare

Atlanta Foodies gives Sweet Tomatoes 4/5 peaches for a family-friendly, healthy buffet.

FOODIES FUN!

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I will be keeping up with this site much better in the future. I love my blog! Today I want to share a little Foodies fun with you all. Enjoy!


1. This is cool! Check out my awesome new GeekLogik widget on the sidebar! :)


2. As a Youth Services Librarian and someone who gets caught up in movie mania, I am very excited to see Twilight! Loved the book! And who better to play Edward than Cedric! ;)

3. Mini Review of Sugo in Roswell -



Very nice atmosphere - posh strip mall. Food was delicious, complimentary wine, service outstanding. A bit pricey, but worth it. The strange Italian cured pig rind in my special dinner was the only thing I didn't care for. Dan thought the preparation was very well done, but some items were slightly heavy. :) Romantic, good for special occasions. Sugo Rocks!!! :)



4. Mini Review of Soba Asian Bistro on East Piedmont Rd. in Marietta -


New sushi restaurant and bar. This restaurant was disappointing because it was overpriced, the food had some major flaws, and the decor was almost trendy but came off a tiny bit cheap. The food flaws consisted of shredded lettuce beneath our dim sum, still frozen-in-the-middle cheesecake with four flavor accents, and very mediocre miso soup. Come on guys, you have to step it up or reduce those prices before we'll go back! I don't know, maybe everyone else loves this place. Soba, I wanted to like you. Let me know when you can prove yourself, and I'l give you another chance. :(


5. Some Good News for the Rainforest! Yay!

Having lost the password for my other blog, Rainforest Resources, I am putting up a news blurb here.


Legal battle over forest is victory for Paraguayan Indians

(CNN) -- A small tribe of Indians in Paraguay who have had virtually no contact with the outside world won a legal battle this week when rights groups stopped a Brazilian company from continuing to bulldoze the forest to clear land for cattle ranches.
The Totobiegosode tribe, said to number no more than 300, is the last group of uncontacted Indians in South America outside the Amazon River basin, indigenous rights groups say. Indian rights proponents see Thursday's ruling as an important victory.

That is so cool! Here is the link for the entire article -
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/11/14/paraguay.indians/index.html?iref=newssearch

Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce

Atlanta Foodies recently tried out Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce, and we really liked it! It's a great, tangy sauce you can use on anything. As their site says, "It is more than a steak sauce, because of its unique flavor and the variety of uses. You can grill, cook, and marinate with it, or put it in your soups, stews, baked beans, and your other favorite dishes." You can get it at many retail locations - check out their website to locate the nearest retailer, or order online at www.countrybobs.com. :)