The Little Things

Woodfire Grill

At my last trip to Atlanta for Market, I was more than thrilled to get a reservation at Woodfire Grill.  The past two times I've been, they haven't had any openings during the time I was in town, so this felt like a "win" to me!

If you're a fan of Top Chef on Bravo, then you might already know who Chef Kevin Gillespie is.  I was so intruiged by his dishes while on the show (and I'm not gonna lie, his cute red hair), that I wanted to make it a point to eat his food at some point while in the ATL.

Now, I can say that I have.  And it was wonderful (totally met my expectations).  I was also glad that I had two, very fun and easy-going girls to go with (because most of my friends aren't as adventurous as I am with food).  Since they were the perfect gals to go with, we braved the Chef's Five Course Tasting Menu (sigh... as I remember how delicious it was.  All of it.).

Here's the menu from that evening.  It was just too good not to share:

Chef's Five Course Tasting Menu (July 16, 2011)

Amuse

local nectarine with crispy tasso, onion relish and aged sherry

First course

local tomatoes. marinated cucumber.srawak green peppercorns. fried bread. smoked aioli. micro basil.

Second course

pan fried north carolina catfish. creamed summer squash. confited tomato vinaigrette.

Taste **

watermelon pearls. mascarpone. cyprus black lava salt.

Third course

wood grilled honey laquered local quail. potato emulsion. oven roasted summer squash. pickled padron peppers.

Fourth course **

wood smoked berkshire pork loin and slow roasted belly.  BLT salad.  stewed turnip greens. tomato jam. basil powder.

Dessert

blackberry blueberry pie. blueberry lemon puree. blackberry sbabyon. sour cream ice cream.

 

While the entire meal was divine, my two favorites were the watermelon taste (I think it was the black lava salt) and the pork belly (which I have never had before but will definitely be ordering again).

Here's to good food and good friends, and may they always surround you!

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

We hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July weekend- full of friends and family, food, and fun! (Boy, that sure is a lot of "f"s!)  Well, what's one more then?  Fruit Salad!  That's right, we discovered this dish and just had to share.  It's the perfect summer recipe because it's super easy and delicious!  Although the fourth has passed, this dish proudly sports the red, white and blue- and it's beautiful!  Give it a try at your next cookout or summer picnic and let us know how you like it!

Macedonia (aka - Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salad)

INGREDIENTS

1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered 

1 pint blueberries

1 pint blackberries

1 pint raspberries

Juice of 3 oranges

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tablespoons sugar

Small handful of fresh mint, leaves picked and coursely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Chop the strawberries and add to a large bowl with the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.  Add the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and chopped mint.  Toss.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to marinate for at least a couple of hours and serve.

Recipe and photo credit: cookingchanneltv.com