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

There were some serious imperfections with our bar.

Either it was tempered improperly or it experienced some form of mishandling in distribution.  This bar was badly discolored with crystallization and tasted more than a little bit stale.  It was mealy and crumbly [...]]]>
Mast Brothers Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs

There were some serious imperfections with our bar.

Either it was tempered improperly or it experienced some form of mishandling in distribution.  This bar was badly discolored with crystallization and tasted more than a little bit stale.  It was mealy and crumbly with no snap at all.  A serious disappointment for an $8.50 bar of chocolate.  We’ll probably give them one more chance to win us over in the future.

Zingerman’s Original Zzang! Bar

What’s the easiest way to describe this bar?  It is everything I’ve always wished a Snickers bar to be… but, isn’t.  The nougat was fluffy and super soft.  It melted almost instantly on our tongues.  The nuts were nicely roasted.  And, it’s all coated in a tasty dark chocolate shell.  Yum.  We’d happily buy this candy bar again.

Star Provisions
1198 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
404 365  0410

We found Gobal Food & Nuts a few weeks ago.  And, we were happy to find a source for green almonds, high quality nuts, and preserves.  Finally, we’ve had a chance to open a jar of their white mulberry preserves.  And, it is unbelievably good… ok, it’s awesome.  At [...]]]>
White Mulberry Preserves

We found Gobal Food & Nuts a few weeks ago.  And, we were happy to find a source for green almonds, high quality nuts, and preserves.  Finally, we’ve had a chance to open a jar of their white mulberry preserves.  And, it is unbelievably good… ok, it’s awesome.  At the time, one of our purchases was a nut blend with cashews, pistachios, dried chickpeas, four kinds of raisins, walnuts, a mix of dried fruits (including dried mulberries).  We instantly noticed that the dried mulberries reminded us of a sweet & tender dried fig.  In the preserve, that taste is magnified.  It tastes of caramel and sweet figgy mulberries.  In fact, the sugars are so deeply caramelized they taste of honey.  It’s ridiculously good.  If you like fig jam, you’ll love mulberry preserves!  Seriously.  And, I know it will be one of our pantry staples for many many years to come.  White mulberry preserves might just be our favorite for all time.

Love it!!

Global Food And Nuts
11235 Alpharetta Highway
Suite 111
Roswell, GA 30076
770 619 2966

These hats are genius.  We bought one.  Within minutes, we were fighting over it.  It’s light, practical and highly effective.  For $3.99, it’s a bargain.  And, we’ll be back for another one… soon.

Cassava Chips

While the actual chips are much smaller than those illustrated in [...]]]>
Nón lá (Leaf Hat)

These hats are genius.  We bought one.  Within minutes, we were fighting over it.  It’s light, practical and highly effective.  For $3.99, it’s a bargain.  And, we’ll be back for another one… soon.

Cassava Chips

While the actual chips are much smaller than those illustrated in the above photo, they’re quite interesting.  They taste like a cross between Pringles potato chips and Funyuns.  We devoured the whole bag trying to decide whether or not we liked them.  I think that means we like them.  But, we really should buy another bag… just to be sure.

Hoa Binh might not be the prettiest Asian market in town.  But, it’s a snap to get in and out… quick!  We stocked up on a dozen or so pantry items…. including some of the most gorgeous (and fresh) chrsyanthemum tea blossoms.  And, we were out of there in 10 minutes.  Try doing that at Buford Highway Farmers Market.

Hoa Binh Market
4897 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30341
770 457 3383

Don’t feel guilty.  There’s a fig wrapped around your caramel.  I love these individually wrapped candies.  One makes a perfect little treat.

Walnut!

Creamy walnut pops… genius!  Love them!

Juice of the Cashew Fruit

I’ve found frozen cashew fruit (cashew apple) on Buford Highway. [...]]]>
Figs Stuffed with Caramel

Don’t feel guilty.  There’s a fig wrapped around your caramel.  I love these individually wrapped candies.  One makes a perfect little treat.

Walnut!

Creamy walnut pops… genius!  Love them!

Juice of the Cashew Fruit

I’ve found frozen cashew fruit (cashew apple) on Buford Highway.  But, the flavor is significantly better in this juice.

Super Mercado Jalisco #5
440 Pleasant Hill Road
Lilburn, GA 30044
770 381 9215

Patel Brother’s new space a few doors down from it’s old location is larger, easier to navigate, and stocked with tons of fresh, new stuff.  The produce was incredibly fresh.  The ginger was some of the freshest I’ve seen in a grocery store.  And, the kantola gourds (pictured above) were new [...]]]>
Kantola

Patel Brother’s new space a few doors down from it’s old location is larger, easier to navigate, and stocked with tons of fresh, new stuff.  The produce was incredibly fresh.  The ginger was some of the freshest I’ve seen in a grocery store.  And, the kantola gourds (pictured above) were new to us.  So, we thought we’d give them a try.  In a way, their flavor is similar to that of a bitter melon.  But, they’re much more mild… a bit like a bitter zucchini.

Mace

The powerful scent of this mace was evidence of its freshness.  I predict spice bread in our near future.

Pakistani Pink Salt

We also purchased a large bag of pink salt crystals for $3.99.  Doesn’t this look remarkably similar to the pricey Himalayan Rock Salt being offered for sale at a number of high end markets around town?  It’s lovely… and salty.

Patel Brothers
Suite F
1709 Church Street
Decatur, GA 30033
404 296 2696

Yet another visit to Patak Meats… No matter how many times we visit, we never tire of their Black Forest ham.  It’s simply divine.  Tender, sweet and smoky… it’s just about perfect.  When the weather starts to warm up, we enjoy sandwiches for dinner.  Only deli meats [...]]]>
Mortadella & Black Forest Ham

Yet another visit to Patak Meats… No matter how many times we visit, we never tire of their Black Forest ham.  It’s simply divine.  Tender, sweet and smoky… it’s just about perfect.  When the weather starts to warm up, we enjoy sandwiches for dinner.  Only deli meats from Patak could turn sandwiches into something really special.  (And, they offer an amazing peasant-style rye perfect for the occasion.)  The smoked liverwurst is another must-have item.  Love it!

Andouille, Bohemia Smokies, and Kabanos

Perfect for grilling… and snacking.

Hungarian Salami

This ultra-rich salami is surprisingly good.  It’s a perfect blend of sweet and salty with a peppery bite.  (Salami has never been one of my favorite things.  But, this one is good enough to convert me.)

Patak meats are more than worth the drive.

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

Global Food and Nuts sits in the same strip mall as Veranda Greek Taverna.  Attracted by the variety of Hookah pipes lining one of the front glass windows, we had to check this place out.  We were instantly greeted by tall rows of candy, tea, nuts (lots and lots [...]]]>
Fresh Green Almonds

Global Food and Nuts sits in the same strip mall as Veranda Greek Taverna.  Attracted by the variety of Hookah pipes lining one of the front glass windows, we had to check this place out.  We were instantly greeted by tall rows of candy, tea, nuts (lots and lots of nuts), spices, jams, preserves, olives, and an assortment of Persian groceries.

But, sitting in a big box on the floor, we found the real jackpot…. fresh green almonds!  They’re perfect… fresh bright green shells with their lovely white fuzz.  And, for $2.99 a lb, they’re a real find.

Then, we spotted a nut blend chock full of cashews, 4 kinds of raisins (huge sultanas, green raisins, and 2 types of dark raisins), roasted chickpeas, pistachios, dried pineapple, fried bananas, dried papaya, and dried mulberries!  (The dried mulberries are also available for purchase in small containers and a freezer off to one side has a variety of frozen mulberries.)

Dried Fruit and Nut Blend with Dried Mulberries!

The freshness of the dried fruits were obvious.  They were all so soft and tender.  We LOVE this blend.  The huge sultanas are super sugary sweet.  And, the roasted chickpeas add a nice smoky toasty complexity to the blend.

Huge Hazelnuts

One of our relatives has a farm with a number of hazelnut trees near the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  So, we’ve eaten some great (fresh) hazelnuts in our lives.  We can’t remember the last time we’ve seen hazelnuts this big.  These are HUGE… and roasted to perfection.  Love them!

And, a few more great finds:

Cornelian Cherry Preserves
Mulberry Preserves
Grapeseed Oil
Spiced Olives

We can’t wait to go back to this great little shop.

Global Food And Nuts
11235 Alpharetta Highway
Suite 111
Roswell, GA  30076
770 619 2966

Previously distracted by the blends of deep fried chick pea chips and nuts, we’d overlooked the individual offerings.  But, the black chickpeas (kala chana) caught my eye on this visit.  We’re so happy they did.  They’re awesome!  Rich with nutty flavor and a toasty complexity [...]]]>
Fried Black Chickpeas, Cashews & Peanuts

Previously distracted by the blends of deep fried chick pea chips and nuts, we’d overlooked the individual offerings.  But, the black chickpeas (kala chana) caught my eye on this visit.  We’re so happy they did.  They’re awesome!  Rich with nutty flavor and a toasty complexity added from the frying, the flavor is perfect with the fiery blend of spices.  The spices are similar in all three (shown above).  But, the fried black chickpeas seem to be slightly more mild than the other two.

This was our snack food of choice for the week (and, given the massive quantities left… the next couple weeks, too).  Each one pound package ranged in price from $4 to $6.99 for the cashews.

Chana Chur

Gokul Sweets
763 Dekalb Industrial Way
Decatur, GA 30033
404 299 2062

We first discovered this sandwich at the opening of the Perimeter Mall location.  And, it’s been on our favorites list ever since.  I don’t know why we ignored the prepared foods section of the Highland’s location.  What a mistake.

The ciabatta is perfect for a to-go sandwich.  The [...]]]>
Lamb on Ciabatta

We first discovered this sandwich at the opening of the Perimeter Mall location.  And, it’s been on our favorites list ever since.  I don’t know why we ignored the prepared foods section of the Highland’s location.  What a mistake.

The ciabatta is perfect for a to-go sandwich.  The exterior stays pleasantly crisp, while the interior maintains it’s soft, chewy texture without getting soggy.  It has the needed durability to handle most travel times.  We’re always pleased with the tender lamb, as well.  Roasted to leave a pink core, it’s always moist and tender.  Red onion marmalade makes the perfect sandwich dressing.  I don’t think there’s a way to improve this near-perfect sandwich.

Yum!

This sesame brittle has lovely depth of flavor.  The date syrup adds complex sweetness.  While, the black cumin adds an added layer of lovely flavor.  The distinctive smoky bite with a hint of earthiness keeps this brittle from crossing the line to overbearing sweetness.  Love it!!  For just over $1, they’re a crazy-good bargain.

Dark Chocolate & Mixed Chocolate Callets

The white chocolate callets might be prettier.  But, the dark chocolate callets are the real winners.

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