Another visit to Alon’s… and we made another great find.

We were browsing with some interest at a rather nondescript vacuum-sealed package of ground beef.

Three-Cut Ground Beef of Hanger, Chuck, & Brisket

And, one of the Alon’s friendly staff volunteered a bit [...]]]>
Homemade BBQ-grilled Burger on Mini Ciabatta

Another visit to Alon’s… and we made another great find.

We were browsing with some interest at a rather nondescript vacuum-sealed package of ground beef.

Three-Cut Ground Beef of Hanger, Chuck, & Brisket

And, one of the Alon’s friendly staff volunteered a bit of information.  The package was a house-ground blend of hanger, chuck & brisket.  Then, he mentioned that Creative Loafing did a write-up.  And, it’s been a great seller.  We we were sold.  We grabbed a pack of 2 burgers ($9) and a few mini ciabattas.

An hour later…

Sha-zam! …quick week-night dinner.

It might not be our all-time favorite ground beef blend.  But, it’s REALLY good.  Creative Loafing mentioned a good amount of fat.  But, our meat was surprisingly lean for a burger (yet, still full of flavor) and tender.

Yummy.  We’ll definitely be buying these again.

Alon’s Bakery And Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781

Ginger and juniper extract add a pleasant jolt to this “botanically fermented orange drink”.

Almond Croissant

We are not early risers.  So, to reward ourselves for the first time we were up before 8am this year.  We decided to mark the occasion with a [...]]]>
Fentiman’s Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger

Ginger and juniper extract add a pleasant jolt to this “botanically fermented orange drink”.

Almond Croissant

We are not early risers.  So, to reward ourselves for the first time we were up before 8am this year.  We decided to mark the occasion with a visit to Alon’s.  We were there as the doors were opening at 7 am. (It’s a miracle.)  And, we were rewarded with croissants… still warm from the oven.  We were in heaven.  There is nothing more delicious than the taste of warm marzipan melting on your tongue.  Well, almost nothing…  The taste mingling with the rich buttery perfection of Alon’s croissants flaking and crumbling under your delicate bite makes it even better.

These might not be my favorite bagels in the city, but, they’re pretty darn good.

And, surprisingly, this one was enjoyable after sitting on our counter for two days in the Alon’s paper bag.

Alon’s Bakery & Market
1394 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
404 872 6000

With only a few bagels left, we were able to grab one of each remaining type.  One poppy, one egg and one everything, each bagel was soft and tender on the inside with a nice chew to the crust.  When asked where they got their bagels, they told us they make [...]]]>

With only a few bagels left, we were able to grab one of each remaining type.  One poppy, one egg and one everything, each bagel was soft and tender on the inside with a nice chew to the crust.  When asked where they got their bagels, they told us they make the bagels in-house.

There is a nice assortment of deli goods to accompany these bagels.  And, a handful of pre-packaged baked goods shipped in from Brooklyn.  Like these cinnamon dusted chocolate rugelach…

And, these black & whites…

The black and whites are a bit too dense.  And, i’d like the black side to have more chocolate flavor.  But, considering the fact that they’re pre-packaged, they’re not bad.  This chocolate babka with super-thin little layers of bittersweet chocolate is tasty, too.

The Kosher Gourmet
2153 Briarcliff Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
404 636 1114

Sawicki’s has a bakery case with most of the items made in-house.  Baguettes and a couple other items are shipped in from Alon’s.  We couldn’t resist a couple granola bars.  They were incredibly rich with plenty of oats and jam-packed with chocolate chips.  When you jam this many chocolate chips [...]]]>
Granola Bar

Sawicki’s has a bakery case with most of the items made in-house.  Baguettes and a couple other items are shipped in from Alon’s.  We couldn’t resist a couple granola bars.  They were incredibly rich with plenty of oats and jam-packed with chocolate chips.  When you jam this many chocolate chips in… is it still a healthy treat?

I wasn’t particularly crazy about these wagyu franks.  They were saltier than I expected them to be.  And, the saltiness buried most (if not all) of the beef flavor.  At $7.50 a lb, they’re reasonably priced.  Unfortunately, they are more than a little forgettable.

Served with sparing dabs of Moutarde de Meaux, the only identifiable taste from the dog was salt.  Every other flavor was lost under the mustard.  Granted, this is one powerful mustard.  But, we’ve served it successfully with other mild sausages.

There was a gorgeous slab of grass fed beef (ready to be cut into strip steaks) for $23 lb.

Aztec Cheddar

This mild cheddar made an attractive addition to our cheese plate.  Marbling streaks of guajillo pepper and coocoa powder are lovely, but, the flavor characteristics are quite mild.  The guajillo peppers impart a delicate hint of flavor. And, there’s a teeny tiny taste of bitter cocoa giving a glimpse of smokiness when combined with the pepper.

Sawicki’s Meat Seafood and More
250 West Ponce de Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030

This chestnut honey from Alon’s Bakery is incredible.  It has a richness and intensity I’ve never seen before.  I think it’s the best chestnut honey I’ve ever been fortunate enough to taste.  With a price tag just over $15, it’s no bargain.  But, the quality is obvious from the terra cotta [...]]]>

This chestnut honey from Alon’s Bakery is incredible.  It has a richness and intensity I’ve never seen before.  I think it’s the best chestnut honey I’ve ever been fortunate enough to taste.  With a price tag just over $15, it’s no bargain.  But, the quality is obvious from the terra cotta jar to the pure beeswax seal.  The true essence of honey could be defined by this Spanish artisan product.

We compared the taste against an outstanding bottle of tupelo honey we happened to have on hand (a winner in it’s own right).  The flavor of the tupelo left us with thoughts of buttery sweetness.  This chestnut honey, by comparison, was screaming HONEY at us.  This is my favorite food find of 2009. (We found this item just before Christmas.)  And, it really is worth the splurge.

Sadly, on our last visit to Alon’s we couldn’t find  a jar to purchase.  I hope they plan to restock it… soon.  (Dean and Deluca was charging over $20 a jar for this honey.  They’re currently out of stock.  La Tienda has it for $19.95.)

Website:  Alon’s Bakery

Rose Hip Jam

Buford Highway Farmers Market 5600 Buford Hwy NE Atlanta, GA 30340 770 455 0770

Teawurst, moskowska, beef salami, smoked liverwurst, kabanos and a bacon roll with crushed black pepper are just a few of the options.  There are dozens of smoked meats, deli meats, sausages, fresh meats, and specialty products available at Patak Meats.

Patak Meat Products, Inc. 4107 Ewing Road Austell, GA 30106 770 941 7993

Hours: Monday         10:00am – 5:00pm Tuesday           9:00am – 6:00pm Wednesday     9:00am – 6:00pm Thursday         9:00am [...]]]>

Teawurst, moskowska, beef salami, smoked liverwurst, kabanos and a bacon roll with crushed black pepper are just a few of the options.  There are dozens of smoked meats, deli meats, sausages, fresh meats, and specialty products available at Patak Meats.

Patak Meat Products, Inc.
4107 Ewing Road
Austell, GA 30106
770 941 7993

Hours:
Monday         10:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday           9:00am – 6:00pm
Wednesday     9:00am – 6:00pm
Thursday         9:00am – 6:30pm
Friday               9:00am – 6:30pm

Saturday — The first Saturday of the month ONLY (usually from 9am-4pm)

Big Tree Farms — Single Origin Peppers

While shopping at Alon’s Bakery prior to Christmas, we found a box of these gorgeous long peppers.  The smell emanating from the box was powerful and rich.  We had no doubt to the freshness of the long peppers inside.

I was unable to find the long peppers at my last [...]]]>

Big Tree Farms — Single Origin Peppers

While shopping at Alon’s Bakery prior to Christmas, we found a box of these gorgeous long peppers.  The smell emanating from the box was powerful and rich.  We had no doubt to the freshness of the long peppers inside.

I was unable to find the long peppers at my last visit to Alon’s.  But, luckily, Big Tree Farms has a website selling four different single origin peppers, Balinese sea salt and single varietal tropical honeys.

Big Tree Farms

Our favorite stops in Little Italy:

DiPalo’s (established 1925):  200 Grand St.  — An incredibly popular Italian specialty foods shop that offers an assortment of cured meats, cheeses, honey, vinegars, and coffee.

Alleva [...]]]> A holiday trip to NYC was just what the doctor ordered.  It was delightful, hectic, nostalgic, jam-packed with activities, and making us hungry for more… soon!

Our favorite stops in Little Italy:

DiPalo’s (established 1925):  200 Grand St.  — An incredibly popular Italian specialty foods shop that offers an assortment of cured meats, cheeses, honey, vinegars, and coffee.

Alleva Dairy (established 1892):  188 Grand St.  — A fabulous Italian specialty foods shop that makes fresh ricotta & mozzarella. 

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe (established 1892):  195 Grand St. (between Mulberry St & Mott St) – America’s first espresso bar offering the best  lobster claw & chocolate covered cannoli in Little Italy.  Their gelato is also quite good.  The hazelnut and tiramisu are worth mentioning.  (Do not confuse this cafe with La Bella Ferrara down the street, which is good, but, not as good)

Lombardi’s (established 1905):  32 Spring St. – Chronic lines of tourists and a need to rush service make pizza quality inconsistent from one visit to the next, but, still worth trying… at least once.

Our favorite stops in Chinatown:

Green Tea Cafe:  45 Mott St.  – Incredibly high quality teas and tasty, unique bubble teas  –  They also offer an interesting assortment of food for late night dining or snacks.

OK 218 Restaurant:  218 Grand St — One of our favorite restaurants from this trip.  This incredibly casual Chinatown restaurant offers up surprisingly high quality food.  We enjoyed Peking Duck that was perfectly golden brown and crisp, snails in black bean sauce, and deep fried salt & pepper frog with a deep fried cilantro, garlic and green onion garnish.  Everything was cooked to perfection and full of flavor.

88 Palace:  88 East Broadway – They offer dim sum specializing in pork and an amazing lunch buffet stocked with freshly made dishes.  Our favorite dim sum items included fried pork in a sweet and spicy sauce that was phenomenal, tender sui mai and sticky rice in lotus leaf made with fresh chinese sausage.  This was the most tender and delicious chinese sausage that I’ve ever tasted.  We ended the meal with deep fried mantou served with a sweet condensed milk glaze for dipping.

Ping’s Seafood:  22 Mott St.  – A bit of a hit and miss, the har gao and shrimp & scallop dumplings were overcooked.  But, the shrimp sui mai were perfect.

AjiIchiban:  37 Mott St.  –  An amazing Hong Kong based shop that offers sweet and savory snacks.  Candied kumquats, candied sweet plums, sesame brittle and fried sesame prawn rolls were our favorite treats.