So the Keng Gang, aka Chinese Southern Belle … DOT COM [think Expedia] has graduated from Eggrolls & Sweet Tea and moved onto viral videos. So check out the video, and hit up their calendar to see where the mother/daughter team is heading next.
Yelp Pushes The Envelope: Augmented Reality iPhone App And Pissing People Off [Tech] 2
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 31, 2009
Yelp! can’t avoid trouble for love or money. It seems like almost everyday, the hugely popular review site finds itself in some sort of public hot water. Be it lawsuit, business backlash, or even bribery, they have their share of public relation problems. The latest snafu comes at the expense of Apple, and their seemingly ubiquitous iPhone.
This isn’t a tech blog, so I’ll spare ya’ll the techie talk … but here’s the long of the short. Apple has introduced something called Augmented Reality (AR) [Wikipedia] for the iPhone. In this case, AR allows you to utilize a mashup (tech talk for “combination”) of online maps, street view, and yelp reviews. Here’s how it works:
Looks and sounds pretty cool huh? The problem is … the developers of the Yelp App had to jump through some hoops to get it in place before the release of the upcoming iPhone update. The end result is the Easter egg described above. Now there’s been a lot of love bestowed upon the app and its makers (here and here), but a guest post over on TechCrunch raises some points that have some people scratching their heads.
Yelp isn’t a frequent stop for me, but I do shoot over there every once in a blue moon (foodiebuddha.yelp.com). It’s a site that absolutely has some utility … but I just can’t figure out why they keep pissing so many people off. Keep in mind, I’m not talking about the people who frequent Yelp or our very own Ambassador. I’m just sayin’ – the people calling the shots seem to have a pension for punishment.
Speaking of just sayin – here’s your laugh of the day:
Grindhouse Killer Burgers Coming To Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Curb Market [Openings] 6
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 31, 2009
My goodness are burger joints in Atlanta exploding! The latest entrant is Grindhouse Killer Burgers, scheduled to open September 8th 14th inside the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in Downtown Atlanta.
A few months ago, as I knocked back a nightcap at Top Flr, I stumbled upon a friendly gentleman and his quest for the most delicious burger. His name is Alex Brounstein and he’s the owner in question. A friendly chap, we had a pretty good conversation. Ever since that night, I’ve been watching the Grindhouse website like a hawk.
In the past few months, a facebook page and a twitter account have sprung up, the website has turned snazzy, and the menu (pdf) plays the role of teaser.
Midtown Restaurant Week Hits The Town 2
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 29, 2009
Another week comes, another “restaurant week” hits. Atlanta’s Midtown Restaurant Week, which drops for the 4th time, starts tonight (August 29) and runs through Sunday, September 6th. This one features a whopping 43 restaurants (if my math is correct). In what has become formulaic normalcy, you show up at one of the participating restaurants, ask for and order off a special prix-fixe menu, and get three courses for $25. Don’t forget: alcohol isn’t included, and neither is tax and gratuity. If you want the full on onslaught of information, check out the Midtown Restaurant Week official website. Otherwise, just keep reading for the list of menus and restaurants!
Corks And Forks Food And Wine Hits Grant Park Saturday And Sunday [Events] 1
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 29, 2009
Looking for something to do this weekend? Head down to Grant Park for the 7th annual Corks And Forks event. The event runs Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th (1-5pm both days). For $45/day, you have an opportunity to taste a lot of food and drink from a number of Atlanta restaurants. When you show up, you are given a bag of color-coded chips. The chips give you an opportunity to sample each eatery. However, food is limited, so get there early. Complete list after the jump!
Wonderful World Burgers & More Opens In Emory Village 3
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 28, 2009
Wonderful World Burgers & More, a chain from those behind Tin Drum Café, has opened in Emory Village. Unlike some other burger joints to show up Atlanta during the past year, WW seems focused on a more straightforward take on the American classic. However, I did notice a “teri-mayo” hot dog on the menu (pdf) … so not everything there is plane Jane. In addition, there are daily specials (which seem to operate on a fixed rotation). To date, there is a kimchi stew, home-style thai curry, and Chinese braised pork shoulder amongst the selections.
Early reports are that the overgrown slider burgers are half decent. Seeing as that I am a multi-hour car ride away, it’ll be a while before I get down there.
Wonderful World Burgers & More Restaurant Address & Information
1561 North Decatur Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30307 // 404.373.8887 // Wonderful World Burgers Website // Wonderful World Burgers Menu (pdf)
Technorati Tags: wonderful world burgers,emory university,emory village,burger joints,burgers,tin drum cafe
Neptune Oyster Review -The North End, Boston, MA: Even Lauded Restaurants Disappoint [Out Of Town] 2
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 28, 2009
With a name inspired by the gods and a reputation that follows, one should expect big things from Neptune Oyster in the North End of Boston. The famed oyster bar, owned by Jeff Nace, seats just 18 bar-side and roughly 25 at the tables … which aren’t more than an arms length away from that bar. Judging by the crowd the other night, Neptune’s past accomplishments have earned them quite a bit of business. Unfortunately, not much about the meal leads me to believe the reputation isn’t a bit mythic.
Hug It Out At The Prelude To Staplehouse [Sneak Peeks] 3
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 26, 2009
Tommy: Brothers don’t shake hands. Brothers gotta hug.
That’s the kind of atmosphere at an event hosted by Jen & Ryan Hidinger (the line of course is a quote straight out of Tommy Boy). In fact, we tried to get out of there on a handshake, and the better half insisted we hug it out. For those of you not privy to my past posts on Staplehouse, let’s get ya’ll up to speed.
Ryan Hidinger is the Chef de Cuisine at Muss & Turner’s. He, with the help of his lovely wife Jen, hope to open their own joint sometime in the foreseeable future. The restaurant will open under the name Staplehouse (formerly two words – now one). The concept will be a neighborhood eatery backed by fresh, staple-driven food. In the meantime, what we have is A Prelude To Staplehouse. Prelude is quite simply a small gathering where a handful of diners get together, sample a good amount of Ryan’s food, and then are given an opportunity to give him some feedback. PS … before you hit “read more” you may want to brace yourselves. This is another post that’s far too long for the net. 
Wylie Dufresne Loves His Balls Covered With Cookies – Liquid Nitrogen And Ice Cream Make Fun
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 25, 2009
When you strip away the fame and the talent, Wylie Dufresne is really just another boy with his toys. Of course, it just so happens that Wylie is talented, famous, and really good with his toys. Recently, the techies behind Gizmodo took a scamper down to wd~50 in New York City to visit Sir Dufresne.
Dufresne was nice enough to bring the guys back into the kitchen to talk a little bit about liquid nitrogen and to demonstrate how he prepares cookie-covered ice cream balls. In addition, Adam Frucci has a series of videos he’ll get up this week. In the meantime, here’s the transcript from the video as the sound recording wasn’t ideal:
What’s getting a lot of sway right now with urban chefs is liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen, much the same way you can a use hot oil to fry things at 375 degrees, with liquid nitrogen you can freeze things at about minus 275 degrees. And you know, people get excited because it’s so cold that when it’s exposed to the air it turns into a gas, which is a very Hollywood or rock and roll sort of thing.
[Pastry chef Alex] takes more or less sort of a cookie, he would kill me if I said this, but not all that far off from sort of an Oreo cookie, purees it, adds some fat to it, purees it into a liquid phase. Then they take ice cream, milk flavored ice cream. They pipe the milk ice cream into a bowl of liquid nitrogen. So it gets super frozen and from there they drop it into the liquid cookie and they roll it after that in cookie crumbs. And what happens is the ice cream is so cold it instantly sets a shell, even though its in a liquid, on the outside and then they can scoop it out and roll it in some crumbs. And then you get, you know, whatever they call those Dibs or Dabs that you get at the movies. This is a much better, much more high end version.
If you are a fan of molecular cooks, you might want to check out my post on the Art of Deconstructed Food. I wrote it many moons ago, when I was just getting started. It’s still one of my favorite posts to date.
[via Gizmodo]
The Burger Lounge Becomes The Burger Club [Still Not Open] 5
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 24, 2009
On the 10th, I ran a post about an upcoming burger joint from Paul Albrecht and his Great Food Inc. restaurant group. Turns out, the restaurant has already gone through a name change. What was once the Burger Lounge is now The Burger Club. Yeah, not the most earth shattering blurb ever, but it is what it is.
Technorati Tags: paul albrecht,great food inc,burger joints,burgers,vinings,vinings jubilee,the burger club
