Tasty Tuesday: Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q and King of Pops

Two Saturdays ago, I sang harmony for my friend Tara at the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival. She did a set on the kids' stage, and I joined her for a few covers (including "Yellow" by Coldplay, "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift). After our set. I wandered the festival in search of the perfect summer lunch - and I found it at the Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q tent.

I've heard a lot about this restaurant, but I've never eaten there before. I love me a pulled pork sandwich, and this one did not disappoint. Plus, there were a bunch of sauces to choose from.

There are only three restaurant locations in Georgia (Marietta, Canton, and Douglasville), but they do offer catering. Plus, you can buy their sauces and fully cooked meats online. Anyone want to give me $100 so I can buy 3 slabs of spare ribs?

This past weekend, I went to another big event. There were two in town - can you guess which one? (Hint, it was in Decatur and featured lots of books)

Photo credit: Airan Chase

Some of the Hair cast reunited for a performance at the VIP party. We sang "Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine,"and then we had free admittance to the event. We ate delicious gourmet hot dogs, mac and cheese, and empenadas, sipped specialty cocktails, and (best of all) got free King of Pops. Normally, I'd get Chocolate Sea salt, but I was feeling adventurous, so I tried Raspberry Lime. And Peach Basil. And Key Lime Pie. 

And then I got a Bookzilla tattoo.

Temporary, mom - don't freak-out!

I'm sad that summer is ending, because so will the endless festivals. But I sure am excited for the leaves to change. 

Tasty Tuesday: WeGo to Figo (When We Want Pasta)

There's a great little chain called "Figo" that has seven locations in Atlanta, and you should probably go there the next time you're craving Italian.

When you walk in the door, the first thing you'll see is a giant menu - careful, it's easy to get overwhelmed. You'll probably stand there for twenty minutes trying to make the right choice. Then someone will point out that the chalkboard on the opposite wall lists the specials and you'll have a nervous breakdown. Relax - there's no need to worry. You could pick something at random and it would be delicious. In fact, just do that; live outside the box.

When you order at the counter, you'll be given a decorated pepper grinder. It's your table number, so don't lose or trade it!

They knew I was coming.

Once seated, you'll order your drinks (and any food you forgot to ask for up front). You'll get bread from the waitstaff, and if I'm not mistaken, the dipping oil is infused with roasted red peppers. I can't say how long you'll wait for your food, but once it arrives I can guarantee that you'll devour it.

Linguine with broccolini and roasted red peppers.

Lobster ravioli - delicious, but ridiculously decadent. Split it with a friend.

*Protip: keep an eye out for the coupon books at the front counter. Their monthly specials are just enough of a reason to go by, no matter how large the electric bill was.

Tasty Tuesday: Three Blind Mice

My new favorite restaurant is OTP. Actually, it's worse than that - it's in Lilburn.

(Outside-Atlanta translation: "My new favorite restaurant is in the suburbs.")

I know a lot of you didn't grow-up in Gwinnett, and neither do you live there now. That's okay - I forgive you your life of privilege in East Cobb. Out here in The Sticks, we had to travel to Bahama Breeze or Pappadeaux for a taste of city life (and let's be real, national chains are great, but they're not exactly City Livin'). Imagine my shock when I was introduced to Three Blind Mice. 

This place is in a shopping center in front of my old ballet studio. My Lifelong Bestie and I spent many hours in this neck of the woods, toe-dancing for our lives. The studio is still there, but we've long since left the neighborhood. I'm not sure exactly when this place opened, but if I'd known about it last year, I might not have left Snellville in such a hurry. 

Very Excellent and I came here last week with our friend Adam. He hails from these parts, and has returned home after a prolonged absence. Welcome home, Adam!

His parents live about five minutes from the restaurant, and he says they go there all the time. No surprise, since Boyfriend and I were all but licking our plates by the time we finished our entrees. Suffice it to say, I have never had better crabcakes, and I stole nearly half of the beau's steak. 

But then...THEN. Then came the Key Lime Pie. 

Oh, terribly sorry - seems an insane woman possessed me the moment she laid eyes on the dessert. See, the pie (already my favorite sweet) was delivered under a two-inch layer of toasted meringue. 

Not close enough?

Never close enough.

I must cut this post short, as I am now starving. 

The moral of this story: If you thought there were no good restaurants in Lilburn, you were wrong. Mom and Dad, check it out!

Tasty Tuesday: smitten kitchen Book Signing

Last Thursday, Deb Perelman came to Atlanta. If you don't know who that is, then clearly you haven't been paying attention, and we will have words after this class is over, young lady.

Deb is the incredible cook (and woman) behind smitten kitchen. Hers is not merely a food blog - it's a blog about perfect food. Deb's recipes are painstakingly tested, and then tested again and again by her family, and then posted on the internet so we can all be amazing home chefs. Whenever I need a fail-safe recipe - something that I know will be a hit - I head to smitten kitchen.

I bought myself a copy of her cookbook for Christmas - it's beautiful, just like the online version, and when you open it up, the pages stay open. It's a miracle of cookbook engineering.

Deb hosted a Q&A and book signing at Manuel's Tavern last Thursday. We were there early, but not early enough.

Very Excellent and I got Blue Moons while we waited.

You see, we weren't the only fans there.

Not by a longshot.

Standing-room only!

I was thrilled to see the Atlanta support! I'm rarely ever happy that I have to stand for an event, but I was for this.

After a fight with Buckhead traffic, Deb arrived and answered our queries for a while.

Horrible, grainy, close-up cell phone pic!

Rapt.

She was just as charming and silly in real life as she is on the internet. 

Delightfully, I ran into a couple people I knew - including an old high school friend, Lucy!

Lucy and I

She has her own corner of the interwebs - Flowers are Lovely. Stop by sometime and tell her I said hey. 

Deb and I

When Deb signed my book, I told her that her recipe for kale chips has thoroughly changed my life. She dropped some knowledge in the form of a verbal recipe for brussel sprout chips. GUYS, you KNOW how much I love brussel sprouts! I could have died! Instead, I asked for a picture while my heart fluttered. 

Crazy-eyed with the cookbook

We finished the evening with dinner in the next room - I got black bean nachos, Very Excellent got a French dip sandwich, and we switched meals halfway through. It was a very tasty night. 

Tomorrow, I'll recount my second blogging meetup from last week. Magical!

Tasty Tuesday: Pete's Polar Parlor

Have y'all been listening to the new 24-Hour Comedy channel? It is now the only radio station I listen to (besides WABE [I'm an adult!]). Today, I heard a bit that resounded deeply with me: this comic was saying that he loves hot dogs, despite their dubious ingredients. "I love rat lips. I guess their feces is one of my favorite things." I hear you, man. I know that I'm not supposed to eat them, that they're made of all the extra parts of all these animals, but I really don't care. Hot dogs is so good.

Up til now, I may have given you the impression that I am a Very Healthy Eater. Homemade juice, leafy soups - yeah, I make some good stuff. But that's only part of my profile. See, the reason I eat healthy at home is because anytime I leave the house, I'm liable to eat red meat or high fructose corn syrup. Taco Bell, Chick-fil-a, and QT call me with their cheap and easy options; I will stab somebody for their Angus Burger from McDonald's. And yes, I have seen Food Inc. and read Fast Food Nation, and they both scared the ever-loving tar out of me. But I am nothing if not weak-willed, and I am a sucker for delicious, delicious chemically-altered "food."

So I overcompensate on the home front. I cook vegan/vegetarian dishes, eat reasonable portions, and avoid sweets. That way, if I eat half a Bloomin' Onion when I'm out with friends, the damage won't be too great.

If you like to eat healthily, then we have that in common. But if you don't, then you and I will also get along just fine. 

Today's post is not the healthiest - but it is delicious. It's all about a magical hot-dog-and-ice-cream joint: Pete's Polar Parlor.

Is that mascot cute, or what?

Scoutmob, beloved deal-creator, brought me to this little corner of paradise. It's only a couple miles from my apartment, and that's great, because it'll give me lots of opportunities to go back. 

See that little sign for fried pickles? I did, too.

The first time I went to Pete's, I had an offer for a free hot dog. I thought I'd get a dog on a bun, slap some mustard on it, and call it a day. But no! The wonderful people at Pete's know what they're doing, and so they pro-rated the cost of my Chicago Dog. After $2.35 for the dog was subtracted from my total, I only owed 40 cents. But then the pistachio ice cream caught my eye...

Seriously refreshing.

A new deal went up a few days ago for a free cup of ice cream. Guess they'll see me again soon.