Pretty Southern

Tag: Taste of Atlanta

  • The Big Grill

    On Friday, Oct. 5, Atlanta foodies gathered in Tech Square to worship at the altar of The Big Grill. Dozens of Atlanta’s best grill-masters catered in slabs of beef, brisket, pork, chicken for a VIP kickoff event to start the 11th Annual Taste of Atlanta: Grills Gone Wild. Crisp fall weather and a starry sky surrounded the luminous white tent decked out with twinkling lights. Tables laden with some of the most creative concoctions to come off a grill satiated palettes. Libations provided by American Spirit Whiskey and Stella Artois got the crowd just as fired up as the numerous grills.

    Shrimp & Grit Cake from Leon's Full Service

    The proceeds from the Big Grill went to benefiting Georgia Organics. Many of the chefs chose to focus on using fresh flavors paying homage to their Southern roots. Spring Mountain Farms and Buckhead Beef were both proud sponsors for the event, along with Gas South. Throughout the night, chefs scurried back and forth from the grill pit with more than a dozen big grills to the tasting tables inside the tent. They sure worked their tails off for a good cause!

    Succulent ribs from Community Q BBQ

    Decatur’s barbecue hotspot Community Q BBQ supplied some of the best ribs of the whole weekend. Jay Swift of 4th & Swift wowed the crowd with his chocolate-pork concoction. Drew Belline and Ford Fry of No. 246 served up a grilled date wrapped in prosciutto and barbecue sauce. And Ron Eyester of Rosebud presented a “pickled chicken”
    Hangar Steak with scented rice (one of the best steaks ever!) was a very clever combo on behalf of STK.

    STK Atlanta's sampling

    Diners lined up waiting for their steak, hot off the grill then topped with a spicy pepper sauce. Another popular selection was the shrimp tacos served by famous Atlanta chef Kevin Rathbun. After dining, patrons danced the night away to the tunes of Yacht Rock Schooner and played games courtesy of sponsor Harrah’s Casino. Even the chefs got in on the fun!

    Zeb Stevenson with Kevin Patrick

    Chef Zeb Stevenson of Livingston, fresh from Yelp’s Ginger Fest the night before at Proof & Provision, took a moment to pose with Pretty Southern’s resident photo guru Kevin Patrick. Big Grill was a hot start to a weekend filled with fabulous food.

  • Taste of Atlanta 2012

    More than 90 of Atlanta’s best restaurants and thousands of the South’s loveliest foodies gathered in Midtown for the 11th annual Taste of Atlanta. On Oct. 5-7, taste buds were rocked in the ultimate food lover’s experience. The block between Spring Street and 5th Street was taken over by folks wanting to sample the best cuisine their city had to offer. Plus the historic Biltmore building at the corner of 5th Street and West Peachtree provided a perfect backdrop for foodies to linger among the tents trying sushi, grits, chili, pizza and everything in between. Cooking demonstrations such as Clean Eating (food prepared by chefs Linda Harrell and Terry Walters of Les Dames d’Escoffier), Chopped Challenge: Facebook Face Off, Creative Loafing’s $20 Dinner, were just some of the dozens of events hosted by the city’s renowned restauranteurs this year.

    Seed's savory yet sweet crostini

    Seed Kitchen & Bar won first place for Best Taste on Saturday serving up an delicious crispy crostini with all the right flavors. The pimento cheese, smoky ham and fresh crisp apple served on a grilled toast point was the perfect dish for this fall afternoon. Seed is a newcomer to the Atlanta dining scene located slightly OTP in the Merchant’s Walk of Marietta. But chef/owner Doug Turbush certainly rocked palettes ITP this year at Taste of ATL. On Sunday, Best Taste went to Mi Cocina’s Ceviche – a delicious seafood cocktail swimming in lime juice and seasonings.

    Chocolate Fondue from The Melting Pot

    Those with a sweet tooth weren’t tooth weren’t left hankering for more. The Melting Pot was on-hand providing chocolate fondue drizzled atop fresh strawberries, pound cake and brownies (oh my!). Sublime Donuts was also on 5th Street right down the road from their shop serving up fresh pastries. And foodie’s were delighted to sample some of the first treats from The General Muir – a deli and bakery concept opening in 2013 down in Decatur from the same folks who brought y’all West Egg. Check back at PrettySouthern.com for more news on their progress.

    Big thanks to the ladies at Bravo PR and to Taste of Atlanta for letting Pretty Southern join them for this year’s event! Until 2013, we’ll leave y’all salivating. We sure are!

    Here's a napkin from Woody's Cheesesteaks to wipe your mouth!

  • Taste of Atlanta Tickets

    We are so excited Pretty Southern has been invited to cover Taste of Atlanta again this year. This is the best opportunity to experience more than 80 of Atlanta’s premier restaurants. For those of y’all not on the media list, there are a few ways to get access into the events beginning Friday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 8. The first option is to purchase a Scoutmob Hand-Picked All Access pass for #TasteofATL. The Taste of Atlanta team has hooked up a pretty decent package deal for 50% off tickets for both Friday AND Sunday.

    The all-inclusive Friday night Big Grill kick-off event will feature live music from Yacht Rock Schooner, cold beer, wine, American Spirit Whiskey cocktails and tastings from some of the city’s best chefs. Ford Fry (JCT, The Optimist, No. 246) Kevin Rathbun (Rathbun’s, Rathbun Steak) and Jay Swift (4th & Swift) will be lighting it up at Grills Gone Wild. Scoutmob has two ticket options:

    $60: 1 Friday Night Big Grill Ticket + 1 Taste of Atlanta general admission ticket for Sunday

    $75: 1 VIP Friday Night Big Grill Ticket + 1 Taste of Atlanta general admission ticket for Sunday. It’s the same deal as above except entry to the Big Grill begins at 6:30 p.m. for more chef-mingling time.

    Get your tickets from ScoutMob or from Taste of Atlanta and we’ll see you there on Friday!

    If y’all only want to go for one day of the event, check out Taste of Atlanta’s website for more details. Friday night general admission is $60 and goes from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. However, with an upgrade for only $15 more to VIP status gets y’all in at 6:30 and more tasting tickets. Saturday and Sunday all-day passes general admission is only $25 and VIP is $75.

    Each Taste of ATL diner receives Taste Coupons which are used to purchase food from participating restaurants. Menu items are valued at 1, 2 or 3 taste coupons. A General Admission ticket includes 10 Taste Coupons, and the VIP Ticket includes 15 Taste Coupons. Additional taste coupons can be purchased: 10 taste coupons for $10 or 20 coupons for $20.

    So why is VIP so very important? VIP is a MUST for those of you who want access to the Wine+Beer+Cocktail Experience. It’s also one of the only areas at the event to cool off under the massive tent lined with bars pouring libations. Plus, the first 300 VIP ticket holders each day receive a Taste of Atlanta gift bag filled with special goodies.

    For more information, Like Taste of Atlanta on Facebook and Follow #TasteofATL on Twitter. While y’all are at it, Follow Pretty Southern. We’ll see you at Tech Square in Midtown this weekend!