Tag: food

  • Everybody Loves Buc-ees!

    Everybody Loves Buc-ees!

    You’ve heard the name, and you might have heard terms like “Beaver Nuggets” and “Romanian garlic beef jerky” and wondered what is this place and what are they selling? Well, it’s Buc-ees! The world’s largest gas station, truck-stop and convenience store chain, and it is incredible.

    buc-ees beaver convenience store
    We’d heard whispers about Buc-ee’s for a long time, and I was always curious about this super-sized gas station convenience store. Now, on multiple road trips to the beach, we’ve been able to really soak in the Buc-ee’s travel center experience in various locations and can confirm it’s one of the best places to stop on a trip.

    We are entirely smitten with the ever-expanding Texas chain of gas stations and truck stops.

    Fudge? Brisket? Home Decor? T-shirts? Beach towels and chairs? A jerkey counter? Christmas ornaments? It’s all at Buc-ees.

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    Freakishly clean public restrooms? Check! I can say in my multiple decades of life that Buc-ee’s restrooms are the cleanest public restrooms I have ever entered! I have three children, and we’ve frequented a lot of public restrooms over the years…some I’d like to forget, but Buc-ee’s? They win the restroom game. They win, period.

    The first thing you notice when approaching a Buc-ee’s store is the size. The campus is massive. When they say everything is bigger in Texas, Buc-ee’s took that to heart and is spreading it around the country.

    The New Braunfels, Texas, store is the largest convenience store in the world, boasting a massive 66,335 square feet. The one in south Alabama isn’t as big, but it’s nothing to shake a stick at. Here’s another fun fact, Buc-ee’s has a Guinness World Record for the longest car wash at its Katy, Texas location. So basically, Buc-ee’s took the good, better, best ideology and bested it.

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    Everything about Buc-ee’s is top-notch. The shopping experience, the customer service, and the interior signage are all on-point with Buc-ee’s brand–the biggest, and the best.

    During this latest trip to Orange Beach, I realized that I’d rather have the food items from Buc-ee’s than almost any fast food place I’ve ever stopped at on a road trip.

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    Although many people do, I’m not saying you should take the family out for a meal at Buc-ee’s, but the fact of the matter is Buc-ee’s is a great place to eat when on the road. No matter what your plans might be, Buc-ee’s is a great place to treat your taste buds if you’re traveling and don’t want to stop for a full sit-down meal.

    We even take requests from friends who know we will pass through this magical place of beaver nuggets and pickled quail eggs and bring them back their favorite treats from everybody’s favorite gas station.

    I’m not sure I’ve ever planned a vacation to visit a particular gas station or truck stop. Now, it’s a “must-do” whenever we have headed anywhere near a Buc-ee’s.

    A lot can happen in a visit to Buc-ee’s. Let me tell you a story, or rather, a real-life experience…

    It’s a Saturday afternoon, and my family and I stop at Buc-ee’s just outside Gulf Shores, Alabama. Naturally, it was hoppin’! We were anxious to get to the beach, so our goal was to get in and get out quickly. My husband offered to stand in line and get our food while I took our children to the bathroom. In minutes, my husband bought brisket, homemade potato chips, beaver nuggets, fudge — a lot of fudge — several kolaches, and some drinks.

    Meanwhile, I took our kids to the cleanest bathrooms in the country, and we somehow ended up with Buc-ee’s t-shirts and a Christmas ornament adorned with the famous beaver mascot on the front. Oh! I can’t forget that before we left the building, we took a family picture in front of the red Buc-ee’s truck, with the giant oversized beaver on it, in addition to another family photo outside with a bronze beaver statue. Again, all of this in just minutes!

    At this point, I find myself asking, “How did we get here?” “Why do we have so much fudge?” And, “Why do we love this place so much?” Everybody loves Buc-ee’s.

    The good news was with multiple cashiers working, we didn’t have to wait long to check out despite the massive crowd.

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    Why does everybody love Buc-ee’s? I think it’s because there is something for everyone, honestly. The Texas-based and Texas-sized gas station chain has developed a cult following since its inception in 1982 for its clean restrooms, ample snacks, kitschy gifts, and adorable beaver mascot, and we are here for it! It’s a fun place to stop and an added novelty to any vacation or day trip.

    There are 40+ locations in states all over the south, including its home state of Texas, plus Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, and Georgia. There is one coming soon to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

    More states are continually being added to the Buc-ee’s roster; you can check and see if there is a Buc-ee’s coming to an area near you on their website, where the welcome message reads “Potty like a rockstar.” Think about it, if you’re on the road traveling, there’s nothing you’d like to do more than potty like a rockstar and get a delicious snack and maybe a cool hat. Done and done at Buc-ee’s.

    If you’ve heard fanciful tales about this large travel center with a beaver mascot that people just can’t get enough of, here’s the truth… it’s amazing. Buc-ee’s is larger than life, and The Guinness World Record-holding nirvana promises the cleanest restrooms, a plethora of fueling positions, plus road snacks that put other stations – with higher gas prices – to shame. What could be better than that?

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    Just for fun, Pretty Southern has included a list of Buc-ee’s most popular foods:

    • Beaver nuggets (puffed corn nuggets)
    • Buc-ee’s nug-ees (kind of like cheese puffs)
    • Dried fruit and veggies
    • Gummy candy
    • Trail mix
    • The Jerky Counter (enough said)
    • Breakfast tacos
    • Candied jalapenos, pickles, and jams
    • Hot sandwiches, the options are endless!
    • Popcorn and pretzels
    • Kolaches
    • Sizzlin’ saltines

    Everybody loves Buc-ee’s.

  • Concentrics Restaurants Opens Allora at TWELVE Hotel

    Concentrics Restaurants Opens Allora at TWELVE Hotel

    Located in TWELVE Hotel Midtown, ALLORA is now open offering Atlanta a taste of Italy!

    Celebrating the classic Italian flavors, guests are invited to slip into Allora where the art of dining and drinking is rediscovered. Blending quintessential Italian dishes with modern techniques and seasonal ingredients, Executive Chef Chris Maher offers an impressive menu filled with house made pastas, specialty pizzas, creative insalatas, small plates and more.

    ALLORA welcomes guests to sit and stay awhile in an inviting environment that showcases industrial design, warm leathers and woods, and rustic touches including an expansive central bar, chef’s tables overlooking an open kitchen, comfortable booths, and a spacious, covered outdoor patio. These sunrooms in Arizona here can bring the outdoors in, it can serve your family as a music room, game room, family room, or quiet room for reading and relaxing.

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    With a wealth culinary experience that includes The Ritz Carlton Buckhead, 4Th & Swift, and ONE. midtown kitchen, Chef Maher is best known for his outstanding handmade pastas and taking classic dishes and ingredients and reinterpreting them with a modern, and sometimes playful, approach.

    Highlights from the menu include a range of antipasto like Charred Octopus, Barlotto Bean Hummus, Peperonata, and Castelvetrano olives; Veal and Ricotta Meatballs with Parmesan Grits, San Marzano tomatoes and Grana Padano; and Whole Roasted Artichoke with Bagna Cauda and bread crumbs.

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    Also, perfectly cooked specialty pizzas such as the Carbonara with Pancetta, Cracked Pepper, Mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and a Farm Egg; Fennel Sausage featuring San Marzano Passata, Calabrian Chiles, Cherry Tomatoes, Sicilian Oregano; and a traditional Margherita pie are ideal for sharing.

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    In addition, house made Cacio e Pepe; Porcini Agnolotti; and Lemon Saffron Campanelle are among the pasta offerings while sumptuous entrees like the Roasted Branzini; Grilled Wagyu Flank Steak; and Pork Milanese are sure to please. Also,those looking to imbibe can explore a carefully curated wine list created by Todd Rushing, classic cocktails, and craft beers in cans, bottles and on draft.

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    Furthermore, complimentary valet up to three hours and two hours free parking in the parking deck are available. ALLORA will be serving breakfast Monday to Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; lunch Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; dinner and brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; and weekend brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Finally, for more information call 404.961.7370 or visit www.alloraatl.com. In addition, stay connected online via Twitter and Instagram @alloraatl and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/alloraatl.com.

    Also, for other happenings around Atlanta, visit https://prettysouthern.com/.

  • ONE. midtown kitchen Launches The Friday Hook Up

    ONE. midtown kitchen Launches The Friday Hook Up

    Friday nights in the city just got better thanks to popular haunt, ONE. midtown kitchen.

    Perfect for a date night or a GNO, ONE. midtown kitchen has introduced “The Friday Hookup” featuring wallet-friendly shareable favorites. Revelers can kick off their weekends with a shared appetizer, entrée, dessert and two glasses of beer or wine for just $35, plus tax and gratuity.

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    The Friday Hook Up will feature rotating, top menu picks by Executive Chef Matt Weinstein. In addition, ONE. midtown kitchen’s regular menu will also be available. The Friday Hook Up is only available on Fridays during dinner and is not available for parties over four or private events. In addition, this deal cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. ONE serves dinner seven nights a week and brunch on Sundays. To book a reservation or for more more information, call 404-892-4111 or visit onemidtownkitchen.com.

    Finally, for other happenings around Atlanta, visit https://prettysouthern.com/.

  • STK Atlanta Introduces a 5-6-7 Happy Hour for Fall

    STK Atlanta Introduces a 5-6-7 Happy Hour for Fall

    Happy hour in Midtown Atlanta just got better thanks to STK

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    In the spirit of fall and getting back into our regular routines, we can’t think of a better excuse to get embrace the art of happy houring. Of course, STK Atlanta is taking Happy Hour to the next level with its new 5-6-7 offerings every Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.

    Known for its high-energy atmosphere and exceptional, signature and seasonal offerings, imbibers can enjoy $5 craft beer, $6 wine and $7 cocktails – including house favorites – that are perfect for the season, such as the Not Your Daddy’s Manhattan.  Furthermore, don’t forget every Thursday, Midtown’s sexiest steak and seafood house hosts a weekly Oyster Happy Hour featuring raw bar specials handpicked by Executive Chef Andrea Montobbio that includes $1.50 oysters and clams, $3 shrimp, $4 ceviche, and $4 snow crab claws. Eat up!

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    Find out how to make STK Atlanta’s signature Not Your Daddy’s Manhattan by following the recipe below.

    STK Atlanta’s Not Your Daddy’s Manhattan Recipe

    STK Atlanta cocktail Manhattan

    Ingredients

    • 2.5 oz Bulleit Bourbon
    • .5 oz Fernet Branca
    • .5 oz Carpano Antica
    • 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
    • 2 Dashes Peychaud Bitters
    • 1 Luxardo Cherry

    Procedure

    First of all, rinse martini glass with Fernet Branca. Add bourbon and vermouth into mixing glass, add ice. Stir and strain into martini glass garnish with a luxardo cherry.

    For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.stkhouse.com or call 404-793-0144. STK Atlanta is located at 1075 Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta on the corner of Peachtree and 12th Streets in the 12th & Midtown development. Stay connected on Twitter and Instagram at @eatstk #stkatlanta.

    Finally, for other happenings around Atlanta, visit https://prettysouthern.com/.

  • Southern Chefs Unite! Cat Cora, Celebrity Chef Mentor (Part 1)

    Southern Chefs Unite! Cat Cora, Celebrity Chef Mentor (Part 1)

    Y’all know celebrity chef Cat Cora.

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    Cat Cora is Food Network’s first female Iron Chef, the brains behind restaurants Ocean by Cat Cora and Cat Cora’s Kitchen. She’s half of the hosting team on the upcoming Fox series My Kitchen Rules, which takes her and co-host Curtis Stone (Top Chef Masters) to Hollywood to judge celebrities’ cooking skills.

    Cat is also the 2017 Honorary Chef at Atlanta Taste of the Nation, a fundraiser to benefit No Kid Hungry.

    Y’all know Cat, but you don’t know her like Atlanta Supper Club founder Ben Portman knows Cat.

    Ben Portman Cat Cora

    Ben knows Cat as his celebrity chef mentor. The leader of Porkman’s Table, Ben appeared on the 2014 Food Network show America’s Best Cook, competing in Kitchen Stadium on Cat’s Team South. For other celebrity-related news, you might want to take your time reading blogs like Jimmy John Shark.

    Over the course of one month, he competed against 15 other chefs from across the country with their mentors: chefs Tyler Florence (Team West), Alex Guarnaschelli (Team East), and Michael Symon (Team North).

    In honor of Cat’s upcoming visit to Atlanta, we sat down with chef Ben to talk food (of course), kitchen injuries (really), and what it’s like to cook for an Iron Chef.

    Pretty Southern: Ben, thanks for talking with Pretty Southern! Tell us about America’s Best Cook.

    Ben Portman: The way I described the show was, “Almost like the show The Voice, but for cooking.” There were 16 contestants brought in. We did not know the format of the show, we had no idea what to expect. We knew it was cooking and we knew we’d be competing. That was it.

    Halfway through the first day, they announced to us on camera that we were going to have mentors, announced who they were, and we met them for the first time. The general consensus from everybody was that we were just flabbergasted. These were people we had idolized for our whole lives! I mean, I had grown up watching Cat Cora on Iron Chef, and all of a sudden she’s standing next to me and going to be my mentor.

    From that moment on, they threw us straight into our first competition, where half of us would be eliminated. You meet your mentor and then you are thrown into Kitchen Stadium and told, “Go cook for your lives, because half of you leave today.”

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    PS: That is so intense!  How did this even get started? When did you start cooking?

    Ben: I started cooking when I was a little kid – I just cooked with my mom. That was something we just did together because when she was home, she was always cooking and I would just spend time in the kitchen with her.

    We went on vacation, and I saw one of the omelette bars on the end of the buffet line for breakfast, and I just thought that was the coolest thing in the world watching them flip the omelettes.

    My mom had “taught me” how to make breakfast for myself so that I didn’t wake her up. I decided, instead of peanut butter and crackers that she thought I was capable of cooking, that I was going to make an omelette. After sufficiently destroying our kitchen, I was successful and made an omelette. I surveyed the damage I had done, realized I was in a lot of trouble, and decided instead of eating the omelette, I would give it to my parents as breakfast in bed.

    They were so touched and moved that I made them breakfast in bed, and they couldn’t believe how great their son was, and then they came into the kitchen and realized exactly what the motives behind the breakfast-in-bed move were because I had absolutely made a mess of everything.

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    PS: Now you run Porkman’s Table out of your house, possibly destroying your own kitchen. How did you start the supper club?

    Ben: When I got to Atlanta, I had pretty much stopped cooking in restaurant kitchens in favor of another career. I ended up realizing what the underground food scene in Atlanta was like just by seeing those who had done it before me and decided that was something that maybe I could pull off.

    A few friends of mine and I were, I guess, ambitious enough or foolish enough to think that we could do it, and just put up a website. We started sending emails to people that we knew that we were going to throw a dinner, and there was a suggested donation. A few publications picked us up, Urban Daddy wrote about us as well as several others, and all of a sudden it became real. Strangers started showing up to our dinners.

    We donate all of our profits to charity, and at this point now instead of doing weekly dinners, we do monthly dinners that are auctioned off at Atlanta charities.

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    PS: How did running a supper club in your house translate into being on a Food Network show?

    Ben: Food Network actually found me. I didn’t know the show existed – it was brand new. I got an email from a casting director about six months before the show. A couple months later I did a Skype interview. I didn’t hear anything for a couple weeks, then all of a sudden, they sent me an email that said, “Hey, we’d like to have you on the show. Can you be in New York in three weeks and be there for a month?”

    PS: A month?

    Ben: And I said, “Probably not.” So I talked to the folks at work, and luckily they were extremely generous and extremely flexible with me and my schedule, and let me go to New York to film the show. I ended up being there for three and a half weeks, so pretty much the whole time.

    PS: Cat is coming to Atlanta for the Taste of the Nation benefitting No Kid Hungry on April 20. You knew of Cat from when she was on Iron Chef. What was your impression of her before you met her?

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    Ben: Cat was always one of my favorite people to watch on Iron Chef because she had such an incredible focus in the kitchen. She was such a spark plug with her cast of cooks on the show, and you could just see that she operated and was thinking on a different level about food, but then also was able to not lose sight of the fact that food is supposed to be fun. Even just finishing her dinners, she would finish cooking with her signature shot of ouzo – she kept it light at the same time.

    She is a badass cook. It’s very hard, especially when she came up in the industry, to make a name for yourself as a woman chef because it’s such a male-dominated industry, yet she just bulldozed through it and took no prisoners. She became my mentor, and all the mentors are great and are giants in their own right, but she is absolutely the person that I would say I looked up to the most, even though she was the shortest mentor.

    PS: It sounds like the moment when you actually met her was kind of hectic. Do you remember what you said right when you met her?

    Ben: When I first met Cat, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to say much other than brief hellos and pleasantries. She, of course, was extremely warm and welcoming and excited. About that same time, we found out that we’d be cooking for our lives [in Kitchen Stadium], so we were also deer in headlights. Realizing that we just met this person who we have watched for years, and we may be going home in an hour. We didn’t know what we’d be cooking, we didn’t know how it would all work, and it just was a very nerve-wracking experience.

    I remember meeting her, and thinking about techniques that I saw her do, or learned from her, or basic flavor profiles that I remember her valuing. I had a feeling it would be something Southern. I knew she was from Mississippi, so I just tried to figure something out that may be Gulf Coast-oriented. You know, what people don’t realize about Southern food is it’s in large part a study of vegetables. So, thinking about how she treated all of those things with such respect, and used every bit of every product she could and had no waste…but really I was just a total mess, and I had no idea what I was doing.

    PS: The idea at the beginning is that there are four people vying for spots on each region team, and then Cat picks out who she wants to have on her team.

    Ben: Correct. She had to pick the two people that she wanted to go “into battle with.”


    In our next installment, Ben cooks for his life to get into Kitchen Stadium, tries to make chef Cora proud, and has to make a quick trip to the emergency room, mid-filming. Look for the next Southern Chefs Unite

    AND Ben has a special message for Cat!

    Editor’s note: join Ben, Cat, and yours truly at Pretty Southern for Taste of the Nation in Atlanta on April 20! Tickets are $175 per person using code LAURENPATRICKNKH

    The Best Event in Atlanta – Taste of the Nation