Quicos de Chocolate

Chocolate Corn Nuts

These large kernels of corn are fried, dipped in chocolate and dusted with cocoa.  You might see these same kernels of deep-fried corn dusted with salt or chili powder at your local convenience store under the name of Corn Nuts or [...]]]>

Quicos de Chocolate

Chocolate Corn Nuts

These large kernels of corn are fried, dipped in chocolate and dusted with cocoa.  You might see these same kernels of deep-fried corn dusted with salt or chili powder at your local convenience store under the name of Corn Nuts or Beer Nuts.  But, we found these much more interesting.  The contrast of bittersweet chocolate with the mildly salty, toasted corn nut will keep you reaching for one right after the other.

Alon’s Bakery & Market
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE
Dunwoody, GA 30346
678 397 1781

You can’t beat a store full of freshly stocked herbs and spices.  From Aleppo to TienTsin, there’s a hot pepper here for you.  Or, would you like something a bit more exotic like ajwain seeds, epazote, galangal, kala jeera, sumac or mahlab?

Holiday season is right around the corner.  That’s [...]]]>

You can’t beat a store full of freshly stocked herbs and spices.  From Aleppo to TienTsin, there’s a hot pepper here for you.  Or, would you like something a bit more exotic like ajwain seeds, epazote, galangal, kala jeera, sumac or mahlab?

Holiday season is right around the corner.  That’s when the baker in the family slips into overdrive.  That brings us to…

What’s Our Favorite Section?

The baking section wins.  They offer 5 types of cinnamon.  From Ceylon to the powerful Vietnamese Extra Fancy with it’s rich flavor and high oil content. Then, throw in Korintje, Tung Hing, and a Penzeys Blend that offers a balanced mix of each for good measure.  There’s a selection of pure additive free extracts, too.  Almond, lemon, orange, or vanilla?   We’re giving the almond a try this time.  And, we’ll be back for the whole Turkish Mahlab some time in the not too distant future when the family baker kicks into gear.

They also stock dozens of spice blends, if you like that sort of thing.
(…Even we were tempted by their Herbs de Provence.)

And, every season they add a fresh handful of quick & simple recipes to their website.

Penzeys Spices
6235-A Roswell Road NE
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
404 256 7970

Everything Bagel

Loaded with…. everything!

We tend to neglect the bagels at Alon’s.  But, they deserve better.  There’s a gorgeous deep golden exterior that has a nice crunch.  The insides are tender, chewy and full of flavor.  Slice it open and add a schmear of triple creme brie.  Now, [...]]]>

Everything Bagel

Loaded with…. everything!

We tend to neglect the bagels at Alon’s.  But, they deserve better.  There’s a gorgeous deep golden exterior that has a nice crunch.  The insides are tender, chewy and full of flavor.  Slice it open and add a schmear of triple creme brie.  Now, that’s a fast food meal we’d happily eat any day of the week.

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

Vosges — Woolloomooloo Bar

Roasted macadamia nuts with salt, Indonesian coconut, hemp seeds and deep milk chocolate…

When you bite into this rich & creamy milk chocolate bar, you might be biting into an exotic chocolate truffle.  The flavor of roasted macadamia nuts, hemp seeds and coconut mingle to [...]]]>

Vosges — Woolloomooloo Bar

Roasted macadamia nuts with salt, Indonesian coconut, hemp seeds and deep milk chocolate…

When you bite into this rich & creamy milk chocolate bar, you might be biting into an exotic chocolate truffle.  The flavor of roasted macadamia nuts, hemp seeds and coconut mingle to create the likings of one yummy, nutty truffle-like center of what could be a high end truffle.  But, it’s not a truffle.  It’s one large bar of chocolate.

So rich, this is one great bar to share.  Break it into small pieces.  Then, take turns savoring each bite slowly.

Love it.

Vosges

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

It’s nice when a food claiming to be spicy turns out to actually be spicy.  These rich almonds had a lovely dusting of smoky, fiery spices.  We both agreed, a touch less salt would be nice.  But, they were still finger lickin’ good.

Humbles

These crispy hummus [...]]]>
Spicy Marcona Almonds

It’s nice when a food claiming to be spicy turns out to actually be spicy.  These rich almonds had a lovely dusting of smoky, fiery spices.  We both agreed, a touch less salt would be nice.  But, they were still finger lickin’ good.

Humbles

These crispy hummus chips are lower in fat than potato chips and offers 3 grams of protein in a one ounce serving.  Better than a potato chip?  Yes.  But, one ounce?  I hope you’re not too hungry.

Ultimate Plus Bar

Also known as black sesame brittle…  But, I love this clever packaging.  Black sesame brittle is high in calcium  and iron.  So, now, I don’t have to feel guilty eating it, right?

Ciabatta Rolls

These were a real bargain.  No, they’re not a day old (or, at least they weren’t at the time).  These were fresh rolls made that day.  They made too many.  So, there was a huge basket of rolls for sale.  They did lose the crisp exterior in the plastic bag.  But, they stayed fresh longer than any ciabatta we’ve ever purchased at Alon’s.  We finished the last one today.  And, it was surprisingly good.

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

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