Now through November 1, 2008 Jaemor Farm Market’s cornfield maze will be open to amuse you and attempt to get you lost. This year’s theme for the maze is “Wild West Adventure”
Not interested in wandering through the maze? Well, there’s a little something for everyone at the Farm Market. Take a hayride, tour the farm, bring your picnic basket and enjoy a picnic, buy a pumpkin, or some of the wonderful goods at their farm market. They offer a wide selection of jellies, jams, syrups, 5 types of cider, honey, pickles, hot sauces, chutneys, fried pies, ice cream, candy, fruits & vegetables, and pottery.
It is a bit of a drive… located north of Gainesville off of 985. 985 turns into Cornelia Highway. But, if you’re up for a drive… Check it out!
Echols Jaemore Farm Market
5340 Cornelia Highway
Alto, GA 30510
This Saturday in Glenwood Park the 1st Annual Hotoberfest will open at 12:00pm and continue through 7:00pm. The public area opens at 12:00pm and the beer tasting will begin at 1:00pm. And, to quote Hotoberfest’s website, “…no pets, no trouble, no kidding.”
The public area is open to everyone. But, the beer tasting areas are limited to those 21 years old & over.
Cost: Public areas are… as you would imagine… open to the public. And, a $2 donation for retail beer purchases will be donated to non-profit event affiliates.
“Beer Garten” tickets are $30 per person (in advance) or $35 on the day of the event — Beer Garten tickets offer one price for sampling any of the 110 beers available in the Beer Garten tents. The Beer Garten tasting will be from 1pm-6pm
“VIP Green” tickets are $50 per person (in advance) or $55 on the day of the event — Vip Green tickets offer access to the Beer Garten tents and the VIP Green Tent. Additional beer tastings of selections not available in the Beer Garten tents are just one of the VIP Green Ticket perks. Check out the Hotoberfest website for a full list of extras offered with the VIP Green Ticket.
Glenwood Park
916 Glenwood Park Drive
Atlanta, GA 30316
The Setting: Set back from Buford Highway and sharing space with an Asian market, bakery and assorted shops, Penang’s simple entryway conceals the culinary treasures that await you.
The Staff: Friendly and helpful
The Food: Standing the test of time, Penang’s rich exotic cuisine offers new delights and pleasures with each visit. Subtle flavors unfold and reveal themself with each sampling. Coconut curries, beef rendang, chili fish, roti canai, pineapple fried rice, satay and a fried taro bowl filled with shrimp, chicken, black mushrooms and cashews… This is just touching the surface of what Penang has to offer.
We’ve been frequenting Penang for over 7 years. And, still, we feel as if we’ve barely scratched the surface.
One of the reasons that Penang has maintained its position as an All-time favorite of ours is not only the extensive menu, but, the chronic reliability. There is never a doubt or fear that it won’t live up to its previous quality. The menu is not only large, but, also well rounded. From starter to coffee, there are numerous offerings to cover the spectrum of Malaysian cuisine.
Penang is like a breath of fresh air, when other Altanta area restaurants (who shall remain nameless) are letting a bit of tarnish mar their previous perfection.
Star of the Day: In a word…Penang. From start to finish, you can’t go wrong with this shining star.
Penang
4897 Buford Highway #113
Chamblee, GA 30341
770 220 0308
What: Caribbean Cook-off 2008
When: Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 12:00pm til 8:00pm
Where: Exchange Park — Decatur, GA
Why: To win some cash prizes and bragging rights… The categories will include: Brown Stew Chicken for a $350 prize, Chicken Roti for a $350 prize, A Vegetarian Dish for a $200 prize, and The People’s Choice award for a $400 prize. Contestants will be judged on taste, presentation and creativity.
Admission: Adults $5 per person, Children 6-12 years old $2.00 and children under 6 enter for free
Exchange Park
2771 Columbia Drive
Decatur GA 30034
The Setting: On the outskirts of downtown Decatur, Dancing Goats Coffee Bar offers plenty of seating. Take your pick of table in sizes varying from 2 person to 8 person, bar seating, comfy sofas, or arm chairs.
The Staff: Cheerful, friendly, and helpful
The Food and Coffee: Donuts, scones and bagels provided by Duck’s Cosmic Kitchen are superb as always. My cherry and toasted almond scone was full of flavor. Plump cherries and almonds were generously dotted throughout a perfectly buttery, crumbly scone. It couldn’t have been any better. Duck’s Cosmic donut… really a fauxnut… is baked in a donut shaped pan. It is then dipped in the lightest glaze for the sugar and cinnamon to adhere in a perfectly uniform coating. To me, it’s a marriage of donut, muffin and snickerdoodle all in one. I hate to repeat myself, but, it couldn’t have been any better. The bagel was both delicious and beautiful. It’s a thin golden-brown ring with a large hole. The benefit of the larger than normal hole appears to be the perfectly golden brown shell that covers ever inch of the bagel. No doughy inner pieces where the more bloated holes fuse together… perfection.
And, the coffee was also top notch. Smoky, rich, complex and powerful. We sampled the Dancing Goats blend coffee and an espresso drink. I believe the Dancing Goats blend was superior as a coffee. The iced cafe mocha had a lot going on. With the distraction of chocolate, cream and generous slathering of whipped cream, it’s hard to be sure if it makes an equally superior espresso. We’ll just have to make another trip to sample the espresso. It’s only fair.
Also worth noting… the bag of freshly roasted Dancing Goats blend is possibly the freshest bag of coffee I’ve ever purchased. The smell has permeated every room of our house. It’s a wonderful thing. The sweet scent of coffee fills the air as I sit here… tempting me with each breath.
Weekly Event: Coffee cuppings with a company roaster take place every Friday at 10am and are open to the public.
Art: Local artist’s work decorate the walls. Most… if not all of the pieces are for sale. I love a little art with my morning coffee.
Star of the Day: Impeccably fresh Dancing Goats blend coffee… Mmmm
On the agenda for sampling ASAP: Java Estate (Indonesian), the Mocha Java blend and Kenya AA Ruiru Tassia Estate
Dancing Goats Coffee Bar
419 W. Ponce De Leon
Decatur, GA 30030
404 687 1100
Hours:
Mon-Thurs 6 am to 7 pm
Fri 6am to 8pm
Sat 7am to 8pm
Sun 7am to 7pm
Today in Stone Mountain park, 300 teams from across the U.S.A. participated in The Great Miller Lite Chili Cookoff. Prizes will be awarded for chili, Brunswick stew, cornbread, showmanship, and people’s choice. First prize in the chili contest takes home the biggest award at $5,000.
Check out their website for this year’s winners…
Then head on over to 5 Season’s Brewing Company and sample one or more of their great beers. Currently offering 9 variations… Lager, ale, stout, ale, tripel and barley wine. It shouldn’t be hard to find a beer or two to fit your taste.
Nibble on a braised brat or sample the platter of artisanal cheeses with sopressata, fruit and home baked spent grain bread. 5 Seasons Brewing proves the fact that quality beer can be produced locally.
5 Seasons Brewing Company
The Prado
5600 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
404 255 5911
Billed as a Maxatizer, Max Lager’s GA Peanut Strips are a meal! Their generous serving with 3 skewers of peanut coated chicken on top of an equally generous serving of dressed udon noodles are my new favorite thing! YUM!!
But, who needs food, when you have four different types of Max beer to sample.
Max Lager’s
Downtown Atlanta
320 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
404 525 4400
The Setting: Wildfire is oddly located on the north side of the Perimeter Mall, just north of the Perimeter Dillard’s parking area. I say oddly, because, they have $6 valet parking for their lot. And, yet, parking is plentiful just a few feet away….for free.
The Staff: A bit inexperienced
The Food: Sadly, our first experience was dreadfully mediocre. The prime rib, while tender, was more than a little bit salty. A prime rib French dip sandwich arrived with the au jus spilled. Over half of the au jus had spilled onto the plate leaving the entire bottom of the sandwich soggy. And, not just a little bit soggy, so soggy that it appeared to have been sitting in this liquid for quite some time.
The biggest disappointment of the night was a porterhouse steak. I’m not sure what was more disappointing, the fact that the porterhouse arrived considerably under-cooked… or the sub-par quality of the meat itself. I believe it was the toughest and most gristly steak we have ever been served in a restaurant. And, at $30+ dollars, there is no excuse for this. In a restaurant that bills itself as a steaks, chops & seafood restaurant, we found this completely unacceptable.
Normally, we’d give a restaurant at least two chances. But, our meal was such a poor value for the cost, I don’t think Wildfire deserves a second chance.
With shows on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, there’s no excuse… You’ve got to check out one of their shows!
Whole World Improv Theatre is located at 1216 Spring St. NW (30309), Midtown, between 16th St. & 14th St., on the right. Spring St. is a one-way street that runs south off Peachtree St.
There are several parking lots available within a one block radius of the theatre. Please use only lots that are marked paid parking.
Whole World Improv Theatre
1216 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
404 817 0880
3rd Space Theatre
1226 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
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