A few weeks back, Brock wrote about his stuffed burger at The Nook. He didn’t enjoy it. However, he did take time to make note of Battle of the Burgers, a charitable food festival dedicated to gluttonous glory by way of the burger. I was one of the inaugural judges; however, I’m on vacation right now and I won’t be back in time to reprise my role. While you wait on me to give the event its proper write up, you should visit the BotB website and get yourself ready to attend. The event is scheduled for October 1st, 2011.
Soon after The Nook post, Brock paid a visit to Houlihan’s, that slowly dying food chain. Then, just as we wiped the juices from our grubby hands, Brock hit us yesterday with an opus to the Bocado burger. It’s a double stack delight that I adore even though I have less than stellar things to say about the rest of the food/service/etc. On the way out the door, Brock mentions the similarities between the Bocado burger and the Holeman + Finch burger. It’s a comparison chef Todd Ginsberg will continue to hear even if he refuses to acknowledges his rendition’s eerie similarities to that late night treat.
Bocado wisely employs the H+F bun and perhaps even the pickles. Even if it is a near copy … it’s a damn fine piece of meat. Big ups to Bocado for making this thing available all hours too. Personal feelings aside, if you are hankering for a double patty burger during regular eating hours … Bocado is your best bet in Atlanta.
[that delicious looking bite above is in fact the Bocado burger and comes courtesy of MelissaLibbyPR.com]
In the case of most trilogies, the third edition of a Hollywood picture series is often the weakest [See: Return of the Jedi]. Fortunately for foodies, festivals are not subject to that rule of thumb. As such, and to the delight of the masses, the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival returned yesterday in expanded form over at the Westside Provisions District. After a ragger of an event in 2010, I was all over this like a Cabbage Patch Kid in a tomato patch.
For those unaware, the festival is a slam dance mash up of booze, grub, and music that showcases both Atlanta chefs and that little round red ball of seedy goodness. Oh, hello belly … you are looking an awful lot like a tomato right now. Hosted by JCT Kitchen and sponsored by Georgia Organics, this year’s festival was the first to span both sides of the WPD bridge and went off in fine form. Despite young evil doers and their attempts to sway me with hints of pork festivals far far away, and obscene amounts of food, and a World Cup match to compete with, The Attack of The Killer Tomatoes was a whole lot of Deep South goodness.
UPDATES: It has been confirmed that only one vehicle was stolen from Bocado last night. This according to owner Brian Lewis via a third party. Twitter user @ETK1 has also said that only one was taken! However, 3 Sets of keys were acquired by the perp(s)
Last night, while some of you probably slumbered and others of you danced the night away (and I met up with Spark Plug), several customers were robbed at Bocado. My understanding is that the thief stole the keys from the valet and then took five automobiles from the nearby lot. I’ll see what else I can find out about this,
I still have not been able to confirm exactly how the theft took place, but my understanding is still that the keys were taken from the valet stand
For someone like me who usually doesn’t care for valet service, I wonder if this will make restaurants think twice about how they employ the service. Bocado does have a parking issue in that their lot is actually a block away, and it was a Friday night, but this can’t be good news for anyone involved.
In the meantime, be careful … even over in the ever popular Westside.
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!
Answer: Jay Swift, Anne Quatrano, Hugh Acheson, Chris Hastings, Kevin Gillespie, Bruce Logue. Question: Who are just a few of the awesome chef’s showing up at this years Attack of The Killer Tomato Festival?
Yes ladies and gents … it is that time again. Thanks to the good folks over at Georgia Organics, the Killer Tomatoes are back. Just like last year, the event will land at the Westside Urban Market, home to places like JCT Kitchen and Star Provisions. From 1pm – 5pm on Sunday August 8th, you’ll be able to indulge yourself in a sea of all things red.
To further wet your whistle, check out Savory Exposure’s recap of last years event. When you’re done with that, go check out Running With Tweezers flickr set. Tickets are $45 for Georgia Organics members and $50 for those of you who are not. However, prices go up this Saturday (to $65)… so I suggest you buy them now! Full details just after the jump!
Since my initial notations on Publik Social House and Bocado, I’ve made multiple return trips to both. Unfortunately, things weren’t as good on subsequent visits in either case. Keep reading for details on these two new Atlanta dining options.
A little busy/tired today – so here’s a sneak peek of some notations I’ll be making in the next few days.
Early this week, I made it over to La Pietra Cucina for the first time in a month or so. After hitting it up nearly 2x a week for a few months, it was a much needed fix. Chef Bruce Logue is still putting out some of the best food in the city, while the service and decor are still not up to snuff.
Hankook Taqueria has gotten some good attention and several people have already chatted this place up. After learning about it yesterday, Sparkplug and I decided to forgo our lunch date at Abattoir and hit up this new Korean taqueria.
Speaking of Abattoir, I hit that up again last night. After another mediocre experience at Bocado, we elected to go grab some drinks and snacks at the slaughterhouse. The chicharones where massive and delicious … the confit of mushrooms was a straightforward and simple delivery. The red wine reduction was top notch and the Star Provisions sourced bread was freakin’ sweet!
Yeah, after several meals at Bocado, I’m just not impressed. There’s potential, no doubt, but as it stands … this is a ho-hum, nice addition to the area. I’ll drop in over the weekend for a few quick hits/updates on the places.
After saying hello world last night, Bocado, which translates loosely to mouthful or morsel, opened for business earlier today on the Westside of Atlanta. As mentioned previously, B to the C to the ado is the brainchild of Brian Lewis, who comes to Atlanta via the southern comfort of Birmingham, AL. Designed by ai3 and staffed by a people I’ve previously seen working at some successful ATL restaurants, it seems there is a strong foundation in place.
Think we’re in a bad economy? Well you wouldn’t know by the ridiculous amount of restaurants brave enough to pull their heads out of the sand in recent months. One of the newest to put its name in the competition for restaurant with the biggest set of brass balls is Bocado.
Bocado, which translates loosely to mouthful or morsel, is going in on the Westside directly across the street from Octane, my favorite coffee shop in the ATL (savoryplug life). The opening seems to be set for sometime between the end of August and the end of September. I would venture a guess that the cuisine will be tapa-centric … but that’s nothing more than a SWAG.
According to their website and info on the net (pdf), Bocado’s owner is a gentleman by the name of Brian Lewis (facebook). Lewis’ most recent endeavor was Table, a now defunct restaurant in Birmingham that opened in 2007. Prior to that, he was the owner of a Moe’s franchise in Montgomery. For help with the design, Lewis employed the services of ai3, the local design company behind places like Holeman & Finch, 4th and Swift, and Inman Perk.
Meanwhile, I apologize for the rash of news bits and dearth of reviews the past week and change. Unfortunately, this will probably continue for another week or so as I jet set around the country for bidness. Today, I’m actually sitting up here in the Highlands, NC, only to return this evening for a trip that begins tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get in a restaurant meal while I’m up here.
