I guess it’s time for my once a year, “one month in a single post” recap. July has been busy, especially with hosting the first Si Fang Cai (Secret Supper). Nonetheless, I was able to get out and explore a little…
I’m not sure who had more fun at the first Si Fang Cai (Secret Supper) – me or the guests. The menu was based (mostly) on Asian hawker food – or “street” food.
The weather cooperated, allowing for drinks and cooking outdoors, before moving inside for an intimate dinner peppered with great conversation.
One of the more memorable “restaurant” meals I had in Hong Kong was at a si fang cai (Cantonese for “speakeasy”) – a private dinner club. The experience was intimate, memorable and best of all, unexpected.
Once again, Atlanta area food bloggers are invited to get together in a casual, informal environment, grab a bite to eat and get to know each other. This isn’t limited to just food bloggers – we’ve got some devoted followers and food fanatics that hang out with us online and you’re welcome too.
This is a free, informal gathering. We’re trying out Eventbrite to see if we can have a better handle on how many people will show up. Please SIGN UP HERE if you think you’ll attend – let me know if you have to cancel (I don’t make reservations, but it will help the restaurant out if I can let them know how many people will be there).
This time up: Colombian! We’re going to La Casona. The only downside I’ve found to this place is that they close kind of early (around 8PM). The upside is the food – a great introduction to Colombian if it’s your first time. La Casona also serves beer and aguardiente!
The is an open social gathering. There is very little planning, no management and no control. The meeting place is public – the environment is what it is. When I did the first dinner I posted a few rules (some people told me they were pretty harsh), but they were intended to minimize the discomfort of meeting strangers in a strange environment. They don’t all apply here, and I’ve softened them for this “eat up” but some are common sense.
Atlanta wants food trucks. The city/state has made the process of starting a mobile food truck concession pretty much impossible. Fortunately, there is a group that is looking to get the laws revised – The Atlanta Street Food Coalition. Their mission is pretty simple: “To campaign for safe, affordable, and legal access to street food in Atlanta, Georgia and the surrounding metro area”. Drop by their site and sign the petition to legalize street food in Atlanta.
On a related note, I was recently in Florida, and on a drive through Seaside, I found a burgeoning street food scene. The photos are up at Christiane Lauterbach’s Atlanta Food Carts blog – another great resource for info on street food in Atlanta.
Escabeche de Pescado
From the pictures, you’d be excused for thinking this was a Peruvian festival. This just happened to be my first time trying food from Machu Picchu in more than 15 years. I didn’t like in on my first visit. What I tried at the festival blew me away. The escabeche was by far my favorite, followed by the Peruvian tamale (surprising, given my obsession with papas a la Huancaina). Yes, there was a lot of food there, from many other countries – I was just too busy eating to take too many photos…
I’ve learned that the rule of thumb in ordering a Cuban sandwich us to ask the provenance of the bread used in the making of your sandwich. Even if you’re not entirely satisfied with the answer, this is your warning shot across the bow that they had better step up to the plate.
Ruh-roh, Shaggy – that ain’t what I ordered! (yes, I’ve mixed two cartoon idioms in one post…)
I have a dilemma. I received the message below from the Food Network the other day, asking for help publicizing their casting call for “Worst Cooks in America”. To the best of my knowledge, every blogger in Atlanta got the same. I know they’re just running a list and not really reading any of the blogs, because they posted this message on our old site – completely ignoring the prominent post on the old site that we’ve MOVED. Now, no offense to Sarah – she’s got a job to do, and I doubt it’s an easy one. So I’ve copied her message below.
Hello,
My name is Sarah and I am on the casting team for the second season of the Food Network’s hit series about disastrous home cooks, Worst Cooks in America. Our casting team is headed to Atlanta to find all those people out there who have a hard time in the kitchen and really need help!
We know that most of your readers are probably excellent cooks, but we thought that they might know some people who need serious cooking help! We’d greatly appreciate it if you could help us spread the word about our search in Atlanta – please see more information below:
Who: We are asking people to nominate themselves or someone they know who is a hopeless home cook. We are seeking people with a genuine inability to cook, but a need and desire to improve.
What: Worst Cooks In America is the high stakes elimination series where the “recruits” (worst cooks) will be put through culinary boot camp to learn one of the most important life skills – how to cook!
When: Saturday, May 1st, 10am to 3pm
Where: The W Atlanta Midtown, 188 14th St. NE Atlanta, GA 30361
Why: There are truly are a lot of people out there who don’t know how to cook, and are dying to learn. We believe that your readers will be interested in this great opportunity to work with the best chefs in the country, and to learn to cook like professionals.
To Apply: Those interested in attending the casting call can e-mail us at worstcooksatlanta@gmail.com. Tell us why you (or the person you are nominating) are the most disastrous cook in the country. Include name, age, hometown, occupation, contact phone number, and a recent photo of the hopeless cook.
We’d greatly appreciate it if you could help us spread the word about our search in Atlanta by posting this on your blog. I have attached our flyer and any other information you may need is available at http://www.worstcookscasting.com.
Thanks for your time and we can’t wait to meet everyone!
Warmly,
Sarah
If you’re interested, get in touch with Sarah, and best of luck! And one more thing – READ NO FURTHER!
I’ve been itching for a reason to get the smoker going for the first time this year when it hit me that I’d never smoked any beef – only pork and chicken. So chunk o’meat in hand, the plan was laid.
Here we go again! It’s been 4+ months since the last time we got together, braving pre-Xmas traffic and raging thunderstorms – far too long. We had a great time and good food, plus I think we all came out feeling pretty positive about what we do.
Atlanta area food bloggers (actually, it doesn’t matter where you’re from) are invited to get together in a casual, informal environment, grab a bite to eat and get to know each other. Pretty much a similar deal to the last one, just a different location and I’m no longer using the words “Eat Up” (this was co-opted by someone else after our last event :< ). This isn’t limited to just food bloggers – we’ve got some devoted followers and food fanatics that hang out with us online and you’re welcome too.
Details are after the jump…
Eating, cooking and exploring ethnic food in Atlanta, especially on and around Buford Highway.
@EatBuHi Twitter Feed