Gifted Gourmet

From everything I have read about various forms of pepper jellies, they are almost exclusively a southern form of condiment. They combine the heat and sweetness we southerners crave alongside our entrees or even on a bagel with a cream cheese .... Do you like pepper jellies? Do you make them? Variations on the standard green bell pepper jelly? Sugar and heat .. do you make them with habaneros for that special "je ne sais quoi" it gives your tongue?

Back to the burning question of the day for us Atlanta food fanatics, as micropundit asks, is Buckhead "soo over"? or merely "resting on its laurels of bygone glory"? and in Midtown, the newest place to eat and be eaten? Don't fashions in restaurants rather come and go quickly in Atlanta?? Moreso than elsewhere? I think this is a question which I personally would answer in the affirmative.

Just read an LA Times article which offers a possible explanation for this "nouveau phenomenon" of small plates, or, as it was formerly termed, grazing (too bovine for me!): So, my question to you eGulleteers out there, is simply this: do you "buy" this explanation? Or is it merely that people's tastes have changed and evolved? Or are we all tired of hearing "drive around please"? Or are you tired of those cute little styrofoam take home doggie boxes because everything was just "too much"??

My long lost sister reunited with me after so many years??? Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles?? Or is it even halfway possible, that there are sooooo many of "us" out there, who grew up on Swansons TV Dinners, that we are now totally obsessed with food as a result?? food, and my passion for it, is my raison d'etre for living .... In all confidence, I still can't pass the frozen food section of my local grocery and not feel a gut-wrenching twinge of "noshtalgia" when I see those boxes of Swansons ....

There is absolutely nothing I could say here that isn't said in a better thought out, wittier, more insightful way, than this passage from Jeffrey Steingarten (who is certainly obsessed with food): That pretty much sums up my feelings oh, yes, buy the book from Amazon, of course, entitled Consuming Passions by Michael Lee West ... you won't feel so alone ...

Here you will find the collection of digests for a number of media which are located in the Southeastern states. Note to SE readers: If you live in a city which is not normally covered in this digest, please send me a PM to look into their media and the food articles there. This week's Southeastern Forum Digest includes, in alphabetical order, by city: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a story which actually comes from the New York Daily News on caesar salads and the numerous changes which they have recently undergone: Access Atlanta (AJC) this week is all about a chef who has struck out on his own to create a new restaurant named for him, Rathbun's: New food critic Meredith Ford's take on Fandango Atlanta Creative Loafing has a terrific variety of incredibly interesting articles: There follows a long detailed list of so many new ethnic eateries which have opened here, that my mind spins with delight!Yet another article on the oldies of Atlanta's dining scene: Classic! Eight ATL old-timers worth a visit, if just for the experience and reminiscences they evoke: In the same edition of Creative Loafing, an interesting, no, actually riveting, article on several Southern cookbooks: Out of the frying pan: Four books that belly up to the Southern table .. well worth a look. The Charleston Post and Courier has a marvelously invigorating article by noted cookbook author and celebrity, Natalie DuPree: The Charlotte (NC) Observer has a piece on fruit salsas which are perfect for summer accompaniments to warm entrees: Charlotte Creative Loafing, like Atlanta's CL, has a number of great articles worth checking out: and then this, wine myths: and do read on ....Memphis Commercial Appeal has an edgy story this week: The Nashville Tennessean is all about: The Triangle.com has articles of local interest, one of which is about: and then there is the completely unexpected, but most welcome bonus, complete with great links: USA Today article on Atlanta dining

Now this I have actually done with no small amount of pleasure ... people here know about my gravlax obsession from TDG back in December of 2003 .... and I use the grapefruit spoon much as you have described ... this is rather like stuffed celery boats, no?? also stuff with something not too dissimilar: a caviar and chive stiffly whipped cream mixture.

No, the one I bought was coated with a silicone lining .. entirely different from your description ...

Well, I wouldn't bet my last dollar on it, but also would not be exactly adverse to such grand and glorious happenings in the town I have grown to love and cherish!! It would be a definite "lift" to the dining scene here! and, my old friend, Richard Blais, would no doubt welcome the company of such culinary talents ...

Have read and used some of these cookbooks, from either my used bookstores or the local library, when I was interested in middle eastern cooking some time back. Delights from the Garden of Eden : A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine by Nawal Nasrallah Feast from the Mideast : 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible by Faye Levy Food from Biblical Lands by Helen Corey - A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History (Syria and Lebanon) by Helen E. Corey and Kadel-Chin From the Lands of Figs and Olives : Over 300 Delicious and Unusual Recipes from the Middle East and North Africa by Habeeb Salloum, James Peters, Lynn Peterfreund, and Neal Cassidy (I lived in Morocco for two years!!) and, of course, the Claudia Rhoden book and some of Paula Wolfert's as well, are marvelous, which you have seen in other posts here. Good luck in your search!

Sure do! Aside from the Varsity, which we dearly love but which is enough already, there are Vortex, Einstein's on Juniper, Nickiemoto's. and Zocalo. Here is a bit more info on what there is to eat in the area you want: what is happening between 5th and Spring Streets

Swaddling clothes? More like toddler t-shirts and shorts ... in my dreams! I absolutely see what has been growing and indeed flourishing in midtown Atlanta, and, while Buckhead ain't nowhere near "over", it is facing some stiff competition since it was "King of the Hill" here. Buckhead Life Group is still a very big part of the dining scene there and relinquishes supremacy quite grudgingly. I personally see the metro area as big enough for all of the "players" in this business .. but that is just my opinion, from my own miniature historical perspective ... and, while "big money" is investing heavily in midtown, some of it has filtered outward as well to the 'burbs. Time will tell, as you so correctly mention.

Bought a silicone-lined tube pan to make spongecake last April .. $20 ... when I went to remove the cake, there was no appreciable difference to warrant the extra expense ... just my personal opinion .. I had expected much better results ...

I have lived in the Atlanta metro area for some 27 years now and have watched the chic Buckhead area change in a number of respects. The congested traffic has also contributed to some of the problems with the area. The areas around E. Paces Ferry Road where Chef Richard Blais opened his restaurant, have significantly deteriorated from the exclusive and fancy places they once were. Clearly, Midtown Atlanta has become the new place to locate one's restaurant it would appear. Why? Perhaps because it can honestly boast of upscale residential neighborhoods, major arts venues, marquee office towers, some of the city's very best restaurants, and Piedmont Park -- could anyone ask for more? Have to agree with you, micropundit, this is going to be, and is presently developing into a five star place to see and be seen ...

This is terrific, enrevanche! Slamdunk, yet once again!

I love this comment, Brooks! It is so very appealing and makes me want to go out and stock up on this "Nectar of the Gods" ...

Dixie Beer comments Although I have yet to taste the stuff, I must admit, in all honesty, that my appetite is whetted to try it! Comments here made me curious as to the taste and range from "I can't imagine having boiled crawfish with anything else. The juniper aftertaste contrasts well with the spicyness of the crawfish or any other spicy food", "better beer than the German beers", to "I love it!', to "smells like vomit" ... quite a range of opinions!! still pondering "the juniper aftertaste" comment ...

and how about burpless cucumbers? anybody bought them for their ability to be easily digested? non acidic?

We have literally mega-gallons of it here during March and April in Atlanta (duh!) for Passover, as you correctly note ... I don't find the taste of that Coke so terrific and prefer the regular Coke Classic any day ...

What are your favorite ways of using this vegetable in the heat of summer? Chilled soups, salads, ladylike tea sandwiches, canape base? Hope to hear your version of your favorite recipes .... Your favorite types? Kirby, English, Japanese, common ... and what about "burplesss"?? another question: why are they 'waxed' so highly?? In looking back at the title of this post, I apologize for any possible double entendres ... completely unintentional ....

Now that must have really been something worth editing out! Upon reading this article, I know I personally will be watching Food Network with a much more critical eye ... thanks for bringing it to eG, fresco!

Tell me this wasn't actually another Lucy episode in which the rice pours out of a pot on her stove and out the kitchen door or even the "assembly line chocolate factory" speeding up ... I know these stars didn't write about their own cooking but simply choses dishes they enjoyed .. I thought the bizarre collection I have mentioned here was hysterically odd ... Who would buy and cook from a book by the Three Stooges???

This is hysterical, bloviatrix!! Looks as if getting my degree as a "Water Sommelier" ain't gonna be quite as challenging and complex as I thought after all! (above links for the aspects of this job)

This was my list for Budapest and here are the excellent places where I wound up eating: Restaurant Citadella Restaurant Monarchia Mátyáspince Restaurant Gundel Suggest you read the guide on this website for more details and directions ....

thread on a favorite of mine, Christopher Walken and then there were Danny Kaye and Vincent Price, both terrifically talented chefs! Not particularly recommended cookbooks by these celebrities (Lucy, Grannie on Beverly Hillbillies, Aunt Bee, Elvis, Three Stooges): Cookbooks with movie star authors: did they actually cook anything??