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The food festivals are coming fast and furious these days. Thanks to Georgia Organics, who just BLEW YA MIND with the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, we have another one this evening.  Entitled “To Live And Die In Atlanta,” tonight’s event features stalwarts like Hugh Acheson and Carvel Grant Gould.  While I don’t expect Richard Chance to pop up and start blowing people away, the event does sound like a big deal.

There’s an emphasis on farm-to-table cooking, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have room for food trucks.  The Incredible Flying Soup Mobile will be there as will the bursting at the seems Yumbii Taco Truck.  Details after the jump!

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                                                                                                                    (the dining room at Abattoir)

In today’s edition of the NYT, Shaila Dewan decided to talk up the burgeoning art scene on the west side of Atlanta.  Despite a few journalistic faux pas, it’s a nice summary piece on the neighborhood.  What’s especially neat for us foodies is that Dewan took the time to point out some of the ‘hoods culinary adventures that have garnered so much attention locally.

In the spirit of the article, I must say that if forced to identify the in-town neighborhood with the most action, it would undoubtedly be the Westside.  Centered around the intersection of 14th street and Howell Mill, you’ll find casual eateries, upscale dining options, and several of Atlanta’s hottest new restaurants.  The article draws special attention to Octane, Flip Burger Boutique, Abattoir, Hop City Beer, and Sublime Doughnuts (with a nice quote from owner Kamal Grant).

The article is really just the tip of the iceberg.  If you intend to spend anytime over in that neck of the woods, then you’ll also find the highly regarded Antico Pizza, sandwich shop Tiny Bistro, and popular breakfast spots like The West Egg and The Silver Skillet.   And that list is far from exhaustive.

So if you’re a bit of a homebody and looking for something new … take some of your free time and donate it to the Westside.

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]

A little over a week ago, as I scuttled home from the office, I took an unusual turn down Hemphill Ave.  Traffic was thick, and I like to keep moving.  So down the side streets I went and as I peeled off of Northside Dr, I noticed that Jaqbo Bakery & Café had a whole new paint job.  Something was up, so I pulled over.  As I got out of my car and approached the building, a small, solitary word caught my eye: Antico.  Jaqbo was no more!  I had, completely on accident, stumbled upon the newfound home for Enrico Liberato (and on day freaking one no less).

The story goes like this: Liberato arrived in Atlanta just a few short months ago.  Brought in to resurrect the tragically bad pizza that was being served up at Riccardo Ullio’s Fritti, Liberato helped put Fritti back on the map.  Some months later, the marriage was over.  It’s worth mentioning that I think the ‘za is a tad better since Liberato’s departure.  Whatever the reason for the split, word around the campfire was that Liberato had teamed up with a Brooklyn native who got his start in this world back in Naples, Italy.  That much was and is verifiably true.  So here we stand.

I passed on the opportunity to immediately share my delight for a number of reasons.  One of them being that I was confident Antico would remain off the radar for at least a few days.  BUZZ … WRONG!!!  Within a few short hours, news of the place darn dun blewed up and foodies, pizza passionistas, and bloggers alike have started talking up the place like a trending topic over on twitter.  While nearly everyone to write on Antico has painted an idealized picture of halcyon times, in true Foodie Buddha fashion, I can’t say everything is peachy.  That’s not to say that this chat of Antico Pizza will approach any semblance of the tongue lashings I’ve been known to hand out.  If you decide not to continue with this post, take this one opinion with you: this pizza is really tasty.

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