FoodieBuddha.com

Supper clubs aren’t new.  Supper clubs in Atlanta aren’t new.  What is new is all the mainstream attention being dolled out on these underground dining destinations.  While the inertia behind every supper club can be as unique as the food served up, almost all of them carry an absolute truth:  to give people a chance to throw an Eephus pitch curve ball in their dining experience.

                                                                                                                         ryan, his sister, and mom

A few days ago, Bob Townsend of the AJC wrote a little piece on the phenomenon.  In it, Townsend recapped a recent meal with chef Ryan Hidinger at his Staplehouse dinners.  With help from his wife and partner Jen and sous-chef Ben Barth, Ryan is hoping to spread the word about his upcoming restaurant.  They are come as you are people, so don’t be shy about contacting them through the Staplehouse website/blog.  Their 10-seat dinners are so popular that they often sellout inside of a minute or two, but if you can score a seat, they are well worth it.  I was lucky enough to sneak into one of their earliest dinners, it was a dinner worth remembering.  But don’t take my word for it … you can trust the daily candy vote for all things cool in Atlanta. More reading … so clicky clicky por favor!

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Last night, I posted on a troubling website that was trying to sell reservations to some of Atlanta’s most notable restaurants.  Well, a lot has happened since then.  Thanks to some amazing internet word of mouth, 911Reservations.com went offline within a few hours.  Then, the owners tried to get another scam site up under a sub-domain at mybigcommerce.com, but that too was soon killed off.  Not be be deterred, the owners still have a another site up, but it’s thin on the reservations (see below).  However, the story isn’t done there.

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It’s getting darn cold out there, so what better way to ease the pain of the dropping thermometer than with a visit from Jenny Levison, Atlanta’s soup queen.  [Errr… well, the conversation is nice … but actually, her soup is what will actually do the trick].

Levison’s Souper Jenny has long garnered the attention of the Buckhead dining scene.  However, that notoriety extends beyond the scope of the 30305.  In fact, in the recent Best of The Big A series, AJC readers named Souper J’s the best soup in the Dirty.

On most any given day, you’ll see SJ cavorting around her shop with a carefree and friendly manner.  Meanwhile, she manages to put together some very cool underground dinners, get on national TV (video below), and put out a cookbook.  Oh yeah, she tweets as well!

She took the time to answer our little questionnaire, and in doing so, Levison’s approach to good tasting, straightforward food really shines.  Jenny has been swinging a ladle since ‘98, so like they say: “The woman knows!”  Alright, take a few minutes out of your day and check her out.  And with that, welcome to ITCK!

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Last week, I mentioned that a well respected NYC foodie and a local heavyweight were scampering around town to try some of the best Atlanta has to offer.  Yesterday, Ed Levine, the NYC dude of Serious Eats fame, posted a writing by John Kessler, the AJC’s food dude.  Topics included the delicious pizzas that we all talk oh so much about.  Yes, that’s Varasano’s, Antico Pizza, & Fritti, for all you rock dwellers.  Though there isn’t a great deal of “review” details in the post, the article does seem to tip its hat in the direction of Antico.

Kessler goes on to discuss Atlanta’s burgeoning farm-to-table scene, BuHi’s Korean BBQ and ramen, and checks out with a tip of the hat to Woodfire Grill’s Kevin Gillespie and The Hil’s Hilary White.  I’m not sure if Levine actually went anywhere other than Antico and V’s, and his opinion is notably absent from the piece.  Still, it’s great to see Kessler pushing us on the national scene, and it’s a well-written summary piece for anyone trying to get a lay of the land.

[via Serious Eats]