Green Street is Grrrreat & Quick Cooking Tip

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Jeff and I made a trip to Green Street in Roswell to try Swallow at the Hollow for ourselves. It is as good as everyone says, maybe better, and we didn’t even stay for the live music! It was probably the best BBQ pork I’ve ever had.  And since Swallow at the Hollow was so good on Friday night, we went to Greenwood’s the next day for lunch! (Same owners.)

Greenwood’s was also wonderful, but probably a little heavy for lunch. Jeff had meatloaf, and I had a chicken pot pie. I couldn’t eat another bite when I was done, which is always a good sign! We have a date to go back and try the fried chicken and homemade pie! We sat on the porch. The whole experience was very Southern and really calming and peaceful.

(I can’t find a Web site for Greenwood’s. Odd. Just Google it to find reviews and such. Or, it’s right across the street from Swallow at the Hollow.)

So, I found a quick cooking tip in a the Publix (grocery store) monthly magazine that is worth sharing. It is a list of substitutes for alcoholic beverages found in recipes.

• 1 T bourbon or sherry = 1 T apple or orange juice
• 1 T coffee liqueur or chocolate liqueur = .5 t chocolate extract or .5 t instant coffee in 2.5 t water
• 1 T Grand Marnier or citrus liqueur = 2.5 t orange juice plus .5 t orange extract
• .25 C white wine = .25 C chicken broth in savory recipes OR .25 C apple or white grape juice in dessert recipes
• .25 C red wine = .25 C beef broth in savory recipes OR .25 C cranberry juice in desserts

Happy eating and cooking!

Cooking Expo Product Review

The first weekend in May, I attended a Cooking Expo in Atlanta. We walked around, watched a few demos, sampled some food products … well, it never occurred to me to share my top food picks from the show!

So, here are my favorites!

1. Tootie Pie Company (www.tootiepieco.com) – Known for their apple pie, but try the buttermilk pie too!
2. Merrilily Gardens (www.merrililygardens.com) – Gourmet jams, salsas, and grill sauces. I tried the Five Pepper Jelly, Frog Jam, and Jammin’ in Georgia – loved them all.
3. Blazers Specialty Foods (www.blazersspecialtyfoods.com) – Excellent pimento and jalapeno pimento cheep dip.
4. Garden Fresh Gourmet, Jack’s Special Medium Salsa (www.gardenfreshgourment.com) – One of the better salsas that can be bought at the grocery store.

While I didn’t try this item (because they were out of samples at the time), it was creating a buzz … POP! (Passion Over Popcorn) by 3 Sisters Creative Specialty Foods, LLC. They look like gourmet truffles but instead, they are “Simply Fabulous Popcorn Truffles”! (www.popon-line.com)

All of these would make perfect gifts for a special friend or family member. Tootsie Pie Company would be a great corporate gift. Enjoy!

 

New Look and Feel

Check out the new look and feel of my blog! This theme has lots more options!

From The Alpheretta-Roswell Revue & News

Another list … 2008 Restaurant Awards, The Alpharetta-Roswell Revue & News - May 22, 2008

• Best Appetizer / Salad – 5 Seasons North
• Best Fast Casual Entree – FieldGood
• Best Fine Dining Entree – Tuscany Italian Restaurant
• Best Dessert – FieldGood
• Best Presentation – FieldGood
• People’s Choice Award – Dee Thai Restaurant

What this list says to me … Where is this FieldGood place? I need to try it! And, the people always know best. I will be trying Dee Thai Restaurant too.

Also this week, I found an ad from Vinings Inn. It caught my attention because it was advertising a very specific Four Course Dinner event, and it also introduced their Twilight Menu. It told me when to be there and why. I liked that!

Just Some Lists …

Shortly after starting this blog, I realized how much I hate to read restaurant reviews. So, I am switching up the way I approach these posts.

While I rarely read a restaurant review, I am drawn to lists, short recipes, and such. If a restaurant makes a “list” (assuming it’s not one of worst places or restaurants with rodents), it’s usually worth exploring myself.  

The only problem with these lists, they lay around on my counter or in the office for weeks. Then, I file them and never see them. But when I am looking for a great place to eat, I sit down in front of the computer and start searching!

So now this blog will be more than just an explanation of my dining experience, it will be a collection of my food “lists.” Let’s get started …

I was home in Topeka, Kansas for the weekend. While most people think that Topeka is “trashy,” I think it has some hidden restaurant treasures. Here is a list of my favorite restaurants and why (in no particular order):

• Kiku (hibachi) - Best ginger and mustard sauce.
• Classic Bean (coffee shop) - Best Italian cream soda. Best pasta salad.
• Lassio’s (coffee shop) – Best three cheese panini, ever!
• Seabrook Bar and Grill (sports bar) – Best fries and gravy (and they serve a hamburger that feeds 8 people … homemade bun and the whole works). Plus, they serve Squirt soda.
• North Star Steak House (steak house) – Best place to have a steak in an atmosphere that hasn’t changed in decades. You’re sure to run into someone you know here.
• Spanky’s (sports bar) – Best bar food combined with beer and memories. Try the grilled cheese with tator tots, corn dog puppies, and spinach dip. 
• Pepe and Chili’s (Mexican) – Best low-fat veggie burrito. Add salsa.
• Taco Casa (Mexican) – Best fast food Mexican restaurant. Get the cheese dip!
• Casa (Mexican) – Best Mexican buffet. You may go there and disagree, but there is something about it that brings back really good memories.
• Casey’s General Store (convienence store) – Best taco pizza. Best BBQ pizza. Some of the best cake donuts.
• Blind Tiger (Brewery) – Best place to get a beer at 3pm on Friday.

If I put some more time into it, I probably could find a few more places to tell you about. But, I think it is better to leave it at only the places that come to top of mind.

‘Til next time. 

My Return Trip To Denver

Last week, I made a return trip to Denver for work. Because I was “just visiting”, it seemed like a great idea to eat out alllllll weeeeeek looooong.

While there, I hit some of my favorite restaurants as well as a few places that aren’t necessarily my “favorites” but they are at least consistently good. So, let me tell you about my adventures in eating in Denver.

1 – Whole Foods in Cherry Creek. Some of the best guacamole ever, paired with their homemade tortilla chips – OMG! (And, the chips should be worth an “OMG” since they are $9 a bag!) This was Tuesday dinner.

2 – Chili’s in Littleton. For someone who doesn’t typically like chain restaurants, Chili’s is one place that I am a-okay with. My order is pretty consistent … chips and salsa and kid’s chicken fingers w/ mash potatoes and gravy.  Sometimes, I go for the nachos instead of the chicken fingers. Wonder how many calories that is?! (Nobody tell me!) This was lunch on Wednesday.

3 – Lime on 6th Street. I was so happy when Lime opened a place on 6th so I didn’t have to battle parking downtown. Lime may be one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. It’s just the style of Mexican I like. A Mexican restaurant is all in the chips and salsa. This was dinner on Wednesday.

(Don’t worry, I ate raw veggies for lunch of Thursday.)

4 – Sushi Hai in the Highlands. I use to think this was one of the fresh sushi places, but then I had Sushi Planet in CA a couple weeks ago. Sushi Hai’s sushi did absolutely nothing for me. I was very sad. But, I did share their mango and green tea ice cream tempura for dessert, and I left Sushi Hai very content. This was dinner on Thursday.

5 – Winchell’s on Broadway. By Friday morning, I thought I might get ill if I ate out one more time. But, I absolutely could not leave Denver without having Winchell’s. I LOVE WINCHELL’S DONUTS ON BROADWAY! This was breakfast on Friday.

6 – Los Dos Portillos in Littleton. I ordered a beef taco and enchilada. While they were okay, it wasn’t really what I was looking for. I was rushed when I ordered which usually means a tragic meal to follow. It may be mental. What I wish that I would have gotten was Guacamole Tostadas. I always forget about them. After this mistake, I think I will remember them more often (and the fact that I ate them twice this week to make up for that mistake). This was lunch on Friday.

And that, was my return trip to Denver. A bit tragic to my body, but that’s what running is for the week after, right?!!