Cliche Pun on Book Title

4th & swift

I convinced my mom to try 4th & Swift a few weeks ago for a pre-theater dinner (we saw Jersey Boys). It’s a little off the beaten path, not quite in midtown, but definitely worth a visit.  They have a deal going right now where you can pick any appetizer, entree and dessert for $35 if you come in before 6:30.

This blurry pic is my salad, with clementines and vanilla.  I liked it, but my mom’s salad (below) was tastier.

My mom’s salad included some crispy fried oysters perched on a bed of lettuce.

For my entree, I picked one that had been well-reviewed.  The three little pigs.

This dish included house-made pork sausage, pork belly, and a pork tenderloin.  The side was the best maccaroni and cheese that I’ve ever had. (high praise, i’m a connoisseur).  The pork was delicious each way it was presented, but the dish as a whole was heavy.  I had a hard time finishing it, and I was saving room for dessert.

For dessert, I had a banana napolean.  The dish included peanut brittle, carmel and delicious bananas.  I love bananas in dessert dishes, so I was completely happy.

The space is clean and modern; it’s a re-do of an old dairy building.  Service was perfectly fine, nothing notable, but nothing bad.  We were one of the only tables in there at 6, so that’s unsurprising.

food- 24

service- 20

decor- 22

richard blais at variety

Last weekend I took my mom to see Richard Blais do a cooking demonstration at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta.  I always loved watching Blais on Top Chef, and I was happy to see that his reality tv persona was pretty similar to how he acts in real life (or as much as being on stage can be real life).  I observed to my mom that few people come away from reality tv experiences looking good.  Richard Blais managed to not look like an asshole on Top Chef, and I respect that.

The cooking demonstration was accomplished with the help of Blais’s team, the Trail Blaisers.  He made four different courses: oysters and pearls (a play on Thomas Keller’s famous dish), chips and salsa, grouper “filet o’ fish,” and a pork belly BLT.

Because we were sitting close to the stage, we got to try the oysters.  I forgot to take a picture (bad food blogger!).

Blais was affable and charming, making fun of himself and sharing anecdotes from his life as a quasi-celebrity chef.  He had a helper walking around with a mic taking questions from the audience.  All in all, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.

sugar cakes

Sugar Cakes is my favorite lunch spot on the square in Marietta, GA.  Our intern work crowd goes here every Tuesday for “Dainty Sandwich Day.”  The joke of it is, the sandwiches aren’t that dainty.  I usually get the ham and cheese croissant (1/2 sandwich) and a half caesar salad.  The real winner, though, are the desserts.  The chef used to work at the Ritz Carlton, and he brought the good stuff with him.

My cupcake.

lemon meringue tart

Both desserts were delicious.  I highly recommend the place if you ever find yourself up in Marietta.  It’s a bit of a hike for an average lunch.

hopleaf for wine? yes please.

After a long negotiation, Michael Roper of Hopleaf (5148 N. Clark St.; 773-334-9851)has purchased the La Donna (5146 N. Clark St.; 773-561-9400) property next door to his Andersonville beer haven, which he will turn into a charcuterie/wine-oriented spot with a wood-burning grill. “It’s going to be more straightforward grilled fish and meat and house-made charcuterie,” says Roper, who plans to gut the space and reopen it by early winter. “We’re going to have fun with things that we can’t do at Hopleaf because it doesn’t fit our concept and our kitchen is very small there. Ben Sheagren will be executive chef over both kitchens, and the new kitchen will be a much bigger playground for him.” As if the news could not get better, the larger kitchen will enable Hopleaf to open for lunch. Meanwhile, La Donna’s last night is July 15th; Tony and Antonella Barbanente, its owners, plan to open Deseo, a “creative” Mexican cantina with a margarita bar at 6340 North Clark Street in September.

(via my Chicago mag Dish weekly email blast)

why i don't do yard work

original iphone warning

Just a note, if you have an original iPhone, don’t use a firewire-based charger.  I did and it fried my power port on the bottom of my phone.  Now, my phone won’t charge off of a USB charger, and it won’t sync with my computer.

This isn’t a problem with 3G and later models, as they no longer support firewire chargers.

Consequently, I’ll be getting a new iPhone 3GS for my birthday this summer.