As Captain Planet said, “By your powers combined…” big things happen to help the earth.
This Earth Day, April 22, Atlanta-based eatery Saltyard powers up with Athens-based brewery, Creature Comforts, for a beer dinner benefitting local non-profit The Farmer Fund. Atlanta’s favorite beer personality, Ale Sharpton, will be in attendance to host a raffle at the end of dinner.
Executive Chef Nick Leahy of Saltyard has put together a menu that even Captain Planet himself would want to enjoy.
Hors d’oeuvres: Passed house-made Canadian bacon with Creature Comforts beer mustard on cheddar crackers paired with a Bibo Pilsner
1st Course: Otter Bay oysters with Emergence & Meyer lemon granita paired with Emergence Limited Release Blonde Ale
2nd Course: Charred local squash, herbed Atlanta Fresh Yogurt, Athena-chile-honey, boiled peanut gremolata paired with Athena Berliner Weisse
3rd Course: Pan-seared scallops, field pea and sweet corn succotash, country ham & tomato butter paired with Tropicália American IPA
4th Course: Pastrami-cured smoked pork cheek, Vidalia onion champ, porter glazed baby carrots paired with The Kings Ransom Baltic Porter
5th Course: Strawberry & rhubarb pie with Brettomatic pastry cream and toasted oat crumb paired with Brettomatic Pale Ale
Want to join the party? Tickets for An Earth Day Beer Dinner Celebration are limited and may be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets. Cost is $69 per person plus tax and gratuity ($88 total) and includes dinner, paired beverages, and raffle entry. That’s an awesome night in the making! Dinner will be served on Friday, April 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Can’t make it? Follow Pretty Southern on Twitter and Instagram to see us post pictures of this delicious dinner.
For more information, pleas call Saltyard at 404-382-8088. Guests must be 21+ to attend.
The management team at East Andrews in the heart of the Buckhead bar scene has taken their massive complex and transformed it into several fabulous creative concepts. In one shared space, y’all have Cellar 56, East Andrews Upstairs, Prohibition, Stout, Czar Ice Bar, the Improv Comedy Club, and now Stillhouse. It’s a welcome addition to the scene serving up custom moonshine cocktails which pack a punch in the most delicious way, followed by a Southern-inspired menu to soak it all up.
The best moonshine cocktails in Atlanta
Pretty Southern and our pal at Kitchen Causual, Katy Deluca Lucey, were privileged to attend recent media tasting at Stillhouse. We sat at the bar where our bartender Nicholas Bustos took excellent care of us. He kicked up a Carolina Mule by adding some fall inspiration with apple pie moonshine, ginger beer, peach bitters, and lime juice. It was the best way to serve moonshine! After ordering a round of drinks, it was time for the food. The menu at Stillhouse aims to please.
Appetizers include devilled eggs, fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, pimento cheese, or mussels swimming in a moonshine-based broth. Burgers are the main focus of the menu, and goodness they are so good. A “Classic” burger includes two beef patties, cheddar cheese and bacon. The PB & J comes with the standard two patties plus a peanut humus, fig jam, a slice of peach, then the bun is topped with bleu cheese and pecans.
Bring your appetite! Featuring the PB & J burger, mac ‘n cheese, and gouda fries, plus regular or spicy ketchup.
As an homage to its neighborhood, the Buckhead burger is topped with duck confit, goat cheese, spinach, beets and a green tomato relish. Other menu high lights include burgers featuring crab cakes, black-eyed pea patties (for the vegetarians), fried oysters or the Augusta burger which is topped with pulled pork. For side dishes, sample the fries drizzled with gouda, mac ‘n cheese, cole slaw, or bacon-creamed corn.
For dessert, there’s an amazing assortment to choose from, including Krispy Kreme bread pudding, coconut cream pie, or flourless chocolate cake. But y’all have to save room for more drinks, as Stillhouse also serves up a bevy of housemade moonshine infusions. Ask for a sample of the Strawberry Basil, or try the crazy flavor of the Vidalia Onion & Jalapeno (which as Katy pointed out would be great for a moonshine Bloody Mary). There’s also smoke-infused cocktails, a custom creation from bartender Alec Dunlop.
Most Southern salads are packed full of fatty goodness. I love pasta salads slathered Duke’s mayonnaise just as much as the next gal; but, in trying to whip my body into summer-ready shape, I’m cutting back on the fats and carbs. I took my favorite ingredients from pasta salads then combined them with cannellini (or white kidney beans) plus oil & vinegar for a salad I can snack on throughout the week. This recipe is also inspired by another all-time Southern favorite: cucumber, onion & tomato salad.
Not-Yo-Mama’s-Substitute-Pasta-Salad
1 can (15.5 oz) Bush’s Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup red onion (chopped)
1 cucumber (quartered)
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
3 TBPs red wine vinegar & olive oil dressing (or your favorite vinaigrette)
2 TBPs lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh dill (removed from stems)
Pinch of Tex Blair’s seasoning
1/4 cup feta cheese (well hell I couldn’t cut out all the fat but it’s )
Fresh ground black pepper
Combine beans, onion, cucumbers and tomatos in a large bowl or tupperware container. In a separate bowl, whisk your dressing with lemon juice, dill, and Tex Blair’s seasoning. Pour over veggies then top with feta and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours to let the flavors blend.
Check out our recipe for grilled donuts with ice cream.
You bought a dozen fresh glazed donuts, and now it’s the next day and they don’t taste as good. For those folks whoever wondered what to do with leftover donuts, try this recipe for grilled donuts. Grilling your pastries then topping them with ice cream and other accompaniments is an easy and resourceful dessert solution. Grilled donuts are a sweet treat to end any meal. We topped ours with vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce, but any flavor of ice cream or gelato (or drizzling hot fudge) would be equally scrumptious. In the spring and summer, fresh berries would be a lovely addition. In the fall, consider topping your grilled donuts with baked apples. To grill a donut, cut it in half, and slather both halves with butter. Place donut cut-side down on the grill for 30 seconds (or use your toaster oven for 2-3 minutes). Top with ice cream and other accompaniments, then serve immediately.
For more fun foodie recipes and concoctions, follow Pretty Southern on Twitter and Pinterest.
If y’all are fishing for a good brunch spot in Atlanta, get ready to be sucked in hook, line and sinker. Lure, an upscale bait shack in Midtown, has a fabulous offering from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Executive Chef David Bradley’s creative menu features signature coastal cuisine and is a refreshing change from the typical brunch fare. Bradley, formerly the chef de cuisine at Ecco, oversees the kitchen at Lure. Bradley has worked with Fifth Group Restaurants for more than a decade. His passion for sourcing and preparing amazingly fresh seafood and his love of seasonal produce is definitely reflected in the menu at Lure.
The weekend menu is broken down into five parts including sharable snacks, soups & salads, biscuits, mains, and sides. Here’s a taste of what y’all can expect on for delicious brunch entrees:
· Lobster benedict: fresh lobster, poached eggs and sauce cardinal (featured above)
· Hangtown fry: egg crepes filled with leek, spinach and bacon and topped with fried oysters
· Carolina gold rice porridge: warm buttered shrimp, grilled pork belly, ginger, aged soy, scallions, and slow-cooked egg
· Dulce de leche French toast: served with muscadine syrup and toasted almonds
· French horn mushrooms a la plancha: soft polenta, eggs, pumpkin seeds and aged balsamic ($11) Not in the mood for brunch? Opt for Lure's delish fish n' chips
In addition to these items, Lure favorites like the River View Farms burger and the fried oyster slider trio are also offered to ensure a wide range of options for every appetite.
Of course, brunch is a perfect excuse to imbibe in a well-crafted libation. Try the delicious bourbon-based Breaking & Entering to kickstart your weekend. Lure also offers prosecco on tap for just $6 a draft, and there are even punch bowls available (ranging from $40-$80) for your whole party sip on. Especially now that spring time is arrived, the gorgeous patio nestled on crescent avenue is a pretty spot to soak up the sun while sipping a cool drink.
No brunch is complete without a cocktail!
Lure is housed in the space where Vickery’s Crescent Avenue Bar & Grill was formerly located. This particular spot holds a special place in the hearts of the restaurant’s partners. Fifth Group Restaurants’ history began in Midtown with the opening of South City Kitchen (right down the block on Crescent Avenue) almost 20 years ago. Lure’s opening signifies Fifth Group Restaurants’ successful expansion over the past two decades and the company’s commitment to Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood.
Lure is located at 1106 Crescent Avenue NE in Midtown. For more information, check out Lure’s website, Like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. While y’all are it, follow Pretty Southern too. Special thanks to Melissa Libby & her team for contributing to this article.
Some people turn to chocolate and ice cream when they need culinary comfort. Others may go for a bowl of creamy soup. But for Southerners, comfort food has a whole different meaning. It’s warm, smoky, tangy goodness with a side of gooey, cheesy delight. There is very little that a plate of barbecue and mac and cheese won’t fix. For Brett Wolfe, bbq edmonton is more than a dish. It is a way to share Southern hospitality and provide a setting where families can spend quality time together.
Wolfe, a Virginia Tech alumnus and Marion, Va., native, owns Log Cabin BBQ in Blacksburg. He and his wife Jill bought the establishment in August of 2010 after they moved back to the area from Raleigh. Log Cabin is home to Blacksburg’s best barbecue pork, as voted by the Collegiate Times’ “Best in Blacksburg” survey in 2011. The menu also includes barbecue chicken, ribs, salads and sandwiches, and mouth-watering sides like mac and cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes, fried okra and more. Log Cabin offers catering and takeout services, which are popular on tailgate and wedding menus. Barbecue is an ideal addition to any menu.
A finger food catering company in Sydney is the perfect solution for any party or event. Whether celebrating a special moment with family, bringing together friends and colleagues, or creating an unforgettable night out, finger food sets the tone. From seasonal produce to mouth-watering desserts and tarts, finger food catering companies have all the ingredients to make your celebration an unparalleled success. Whatever type of gathering you’re planning, whether it be intimate or grandiose in scale, Lunch in a Box finger food caterers have something for everyone. Plus, with delivery services that can arrive quickly within hours of ordering no matter what time it is or where you are located in Sydney, Lunch in a Box finger food catering provides a hassle free way of feeding guests fast.
Roasting meat…yum!
What sets Log Cabin apart is that all food is smoked, cooked, and prepared in-house. The scent of North Carolina-style barbecue is deliciously pungent the instant you walk through the door. Although the barbecue is cooked Carolina-style, Log Cabin offers sauces to please all tastes: Lexington vinegar, sweet and smoky Eastern, South Carolina mustard, and even an Alabama white sauce. I’m an Eastern girl myself, but I can’t wait to try the Alabama sauce next time I visit Log Cabin. I’ve never had white sauce before!
Coupled with its fantastic food is a relaxed, small-town atmosphere where students can go for comfort food and locals can enjoy a tasty Sunday lunch. Log Cabin draws in loyal customers and Tuesday regulars from other local businesses. As I stood in line during my first visit, the gentleman in front of me said it’s the “best barbecue in town, and the whole area,” and that’s what keeps him — and hundreds of other customers — coming back.
Brett & Jill Wolfe smiling outside Log Cabin BBQ
When Wolfe is not running the daily operations at the restaurant, he and Jill are involved in the community. As avid animal lovers, the Wolfes devote time and fundraising efforts to the Humane Society of Montgomery County. During the month of March, Log Cabin hosts a food and donation drive that benefits the Humane Society. The money raised goes toward cancer research in companion animals, a cause the Wolfes joined after losing their beloved dog to cancer. They also spend time volunteering at the Montgomery County Christmas Store during the holidays. Right now Log Cabin is undergoing some revamping, and soon Wolfe will introduce new menu items. Maybe next time I eat at Log Cabin, I will order my Pick-a-Plate special with fried chicken instead of pork.
Or maybe I will give the chicken and waffles Sunday Special a try when that is launched. No matter what I order, I know I will get the full Southern Comfort experience. As a student away from home, sometimes all I need is a plate of barbecue soaked in smoky Eastern sauce, a cheesy pile of mac and cheese and a tall glass of sweet tea.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/KR-headsot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Kate Robertson is a junior at Virginia Tech, studying communication and English. Although she currently resides in the Philadelphia suburbs, Kate calls Atlanta home. After graduation, Kate hopes to return to Atlanta and work in corporate public relations. In her free time, Kate enjoys playing guitar and hand bells, reading, watching football and basketball, and sharing her love of the South through writing in any form.[/author_info] [/author]