FoodieBuddha.com

Been busy, camera MIA, and focused on a few other things … be back soon … lots of eating to discuss!

It’s good to know that people still have a sense of humor these days.  Here’s the drill: first call 1-800-295-0051 (that’s the Nestle Crunch hotline).  Then, when asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, just wait.   That’s when you’ll get a third option … HA! Then just follow the trail by pressing 4 … then 7.  It’s one of those “Easter eggs” that’ll just bring a smile to your face.

This little tidbit is actually all over the net right now, so it’s hard to get through.  Perseverance will be rewarded and Nestlé Crunch is your Pied Piper.

Doesn’t that doughnut look good?  It’s a Reese’s doughnut from Sublime Doughnuts in Midtown.  Now Sublime looks as good on paper (or in this case … the computer screen) as it does in person.  You see, I got a nice little surprise when I dropped in on the Sublime Doughnuts website just a few minutes ago.  Turns out, it got a big facelift and is now all nice and snazzy.  Regardless of who your favorite doughnut maker in metro Atlanta happens to be, Kamal Grant’s place is always in the discussion.  So take a gander at his food porn, and then go get one (or two, or three, or two dozen) for yourself.  For all you digital fiends, it looks like Kamal is updating the Sublime twitter page with some frequency.  Video time:

A new sandwich shop by the name of the Crazy Cuban is getting all nice and did before opening its door to customers.  Though Google maps may be off a smidge, it’s going in at 290 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta.  Steadfast and ardent fans of Cuban food may remember a place on Terrell Mill road that went by the same moniker.  I have no idea if these are the same owners.

This all comes towards the tail end of a very tumultuous time for Cuban restaurants in our city.  In reality, the Cuban restaurant scene has been a wasteland of turmoil for the past year +.  It really started back in the middle of ‘08 when the Kool Korners closed up shop and went to Birmingham.  Coincidentally, the old KK location is just a few blocks from where Carzy Cuban is going in.  Soon after that happened, Havana on BuHi was burned to the ground.  Though places like Papi’s and Las Palmeras kept on trucking, we were without our beloved flagships.  Recently, Havana returned, but in a different location and with a whole big drama in tail.  We’ll see what happens when this latest Cuban spot finally goes loco.

The James Beard Awards are the United States’ version of the food Oscars.  Today, the JB Foundation announced their semifinalists for this years awards.

The neat thing about the awards is that have nationwide categories as well as regional categories.  Much like last year, Atlanta area chefs has a handful of entrants. Pano Karatassos, Scott Peacock, and Kevin Gillespie got some national attention … as did Miller Union.  In the Southeast region, locals Linton Hopkins and Billy Allin are in contention … so too is the soon to be local Hugh Acheson.

The winners will be announced in May, so for now all we can do is wait.  You can find the full list on the JB website (warning: that’s a pdf).  However, we’ll highlight the Atlanta standouts right after the jump!

Continue reading…

If you’re an oyster lover, don’t mind braving mildly inclement weather, and don’t have a lot going on this weekend, make it a point to hit up the Midtown area right around 11th and West Peachtree.  The reason?  This weekend, Steamhouse Lounge is hosting Oysterfest 2010, their annual celebration of all things oyster.

At the Steamhouse, you’ll find droves of people enjoying live music, roasted oysters, and cold brewskies.  $20 gets you in on Saturday, while a ten spot will do the trick on Sunday.  If that isn’t enough to motivate you, a portion of the proceeds goes to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  So buy some tickets after you check out the flyer over there on the left.

Saturday, things kick off at 11am and will last until sunset.  Justin, Swami Gone Bananas, Unzipt, and The Sundogs will take the stage.  On Sunday, you get started an hour later, but things still go until sunset.  The talent for the day includes the curiously named Miss Kitty (with Ménage a Trios), Olde Dog, and Gary Pfaff and the Heartwells.

Have a blast!

The Steamhouse Lounge
1051 W Peachtree St NW Atlanta, GA 30309 // 404.233.7980 // Steamhouse Lounge website // Steamhouse Lounge menu

Back in November, I mentioned that Shaun Doty and Erik Maier were set to open a burger joint over in the Westside.  At the time, the tentative name for the establishment was Good Burger.  However, it appears that name is now a thing of the past.  The new name is YEAH! Burger and this information appears to satisfy the journalistic bar for fact.  Surprisingly, there’s already a Facebook page for the restaurant, so you might as well be a fan!  Meanwhile, things still seem on track for a Spring opening in the old West Egg building, but take that with a grain of salt. There are other rumors floating around, but nothing even worth mentioning at this point.

Mention the name David Chang to any food craved fan boy (cough … me), and you’ll probably hear a one word response: Love!  The dude just kills it.  His Momofuku restaurant empire is one of the most talked about restaurant groups I can think of.  Meanwhile, his food is just freaking great.

Luckily for us, Creative Loafing’s Besha Rodell, our resident Aussie critic, had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Chang.  On the heels of her jealousy inspiring Changian meal at Lantern, Rodell laid down a pretty quick interview, so there’s no good reason to skip it.  Chang answered questions about his overall badasseness (sic), his incredible book (BUY IT!!!), and our long lost Sotohiro Kosugi (aka Soto).  You may remember that Chang cooked with Soto during Madrid Fusion 2009.

Like I said, go give it a listen!

When Joia Restaurant & Lounge opened last July, it blew.  Less than six-months later, owner Marco Betti decided to throw in the towel … sort of.  With bad reviews permeating the desolate dinning space, Betti gave up on Joia and decided to reinvent the place … sort of.

Here’s what we know:  The new name seems like a veiled attempt to actually make this something it’s not.  The Joia website is still live (FAIL!) and the concept (part restaurant/part ultra-lounge) seems unchanged.  Not only is the phone number the same, but so is the menu (well, pretty darn close). That said, the Enigma website definitely emphasizes the heavy bass beats more than the last one.  As for the digs? I couldn’t see inside, so a lame exterior shot is all I can offer.

Enigma Restaurant Address & Information

1100 Crescent Ave, Atlanta, GA, 30309 // 404.537.5000 // Enigma website // Enigma menu

Those that read this know I’m just a techie moonlighting as a foodie.  Knowing how to download music for free, especially MP3’s, is a hot topic in the technology world these days.  So while I like to keep things here focused on food, I can’t help but venture outside my plate a little.  After mentioning this tip via twitter, my inbox just blew up … so I’m going to save myself the trouble and show everyone how to do this … COUGH COUGH … completely legal and legitimate activity.  I’m not in any way telling you what is or is not legal, only what is possible.

For those of you on Firefox or Chrome, you just need to create a bookmarklet (explained on wiki).  If you’re still using Internet Explorer, ditch it and ditch it now (okay, I lied, this will still work, but get away from IE anyway).  All you need to do is click on the link that follows and drag it to the bookmark bar: Music Download

As I know my site isn’t geared toward the techies out there, if dragging this to your bookmark bar is confusing, do not be deterred.  If you use chrome, here’s a video for you.  If you use Firefox, here’s another one.  Note about those videos, all you need to do is the first part of it where you see the link being dragged.

Last but not least, I did not write this – I don’t remember where I saw it … hit me up if you know where I did.