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A few days ago, in the midst of a predictably busy Atlanta rush hour, I decided to drag a friend into Nectar, a fruit juice bar and smoothie shop over in Decatur.  Though their original location is in Oakhurst, this satellite spot is over on Clairmont Rd. sandwiched between Bohjanic, Nectar’s parent restaurant, and the much buzzed about Community Q.

Though Nectar offers a handful of Panini and a number of breakfast selections, the main focus of this small eatery is their juices, teas, and smoothies.  Since we had already consumed an ample lunch over at Café Agora, this was simply a pit stop to tryout a refreshing beverage.

As with many places of this ilk, there are a handful of pre-designed beverages and the option to mix and match your own.  Smoothies run $3.99 (16 oz.) and $5.29 (24 oz) for the custom constructions or simply $5.99 for their 16 oz pre-designed options (designated as Mega smoothies).  In addition, you can always add additional boosters (“superfoods”) for a nominal charge.

I made a beeline for a 16 oz Pomegranate based smoothie of my design.  Though my wimpy camera phone shot doesn’t look great, the drink actually had a rich color.  It was prepared quickly and with a very friendly smile, something that I’ve become accustom to while dinning next door at Bhojanic. 

To be honest, their really isn’t much you can do to screw up a smoothie, but that aside … I was quite happy with my beverage.  Everything inside was clean and given the handful of exotic items on the menu (Amazonian Acai, Acerola and Cacao), Nectar certainly did enough to earn my money.

Further exploration is needed, but for now … if you’re in the area, it’s a great place to grab a smoothie.  It’s also worth a mention that their Oakhurst location does have a sampling of Indian cuisine.

Nectar Clairmont Fruit Juice Bar & Smoothie Shop
1365 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA 30033 // 404.633.4400 // Nectar website // Nectar menu // Nectar facebook

Nectar Oakhurst Fruit Juice Bar & Smoothie Shop
707-C East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030 // 404.378.4006

One heck of a weekend if you ask me … lots of football, lots of food, and lots of food news.  What else is there?  Here are just a few of the rumblings and grumblings that got tossed around this weekend.

Top Chef: Las Vegas Reunites In The Dirty South
Several of the contestants on Top Chef: Atlanta Las Vegas were seen in town this weekend.  The group, comprised of ATLiens Kevin Gillespie and Eli Kirshtein, included out of towners Jennifer Carroll, Bryan Voltaggio, and Mike Isabella.  The gang was spotted at the Falcons game sucking down some buzztastic grub from the new “it” barbecue joint … known round these parts as Community Q.  Speaking of which, I grabbed a meal there last week, and I’ll definitely share in the next day or so (if not sooner).

The fun didn’t stop watching our beloved birds get tarred and feathered.  To get the full Atlanta experience, the kiddos spent a good amount of time sampling ATL’s food.  They took a  trip to Flip Burger Boutique to see TC alum Richard Blais, to Holeman & Finch for some libations, to Pricci, and to each of TC:LVC Atlanta restaurants. UPDATE: Atlanta’s best BBQ blogger was kind enough to recap the events on his blog, pictures and all!  Enjoy!

Holeman & Finch To Open Liquor Store
Speaking of H&F, long-standing rumors seem to be getting a little more traction.  Several “reliable foodies” have mentioned that the group behind ATLs most notable “gastro bar” are going to expand into the liquor store business.  All signs point to Bottleneck as the name of the establishment.  Andy Minchow, one of the proprietors of H&F, is scheduled to take the reigns.  For all you mixologists-in-training, this will most certainly be your store of choice.  The former Repast barista will be there to help you with recipes, ingredients, and drinking gadgets.  Atlanta’s masked videographer Rowdy just posted a clip of Andy … check it:

Some Bar In Some Place Opened
Some people just don’t “get it.”  They somehow take the idea of underground coolness and screw it up by going the snobby/elitist route.  Here’s what I’m talking about:

Everyone wants to be “Milk & Honey” but no one has the balls (or apparently the brains) to actually pull it off the way M&H did.  A bar hoping to copy take inspiration from the NYC underground destination is doing its best to do everything Milk and Honey did not.  It starts with the press release.

In this waste of digital paper, the owners were kind enough to provide the name of the bar.  Then, they told you what area of town to find it (no specific information – just a generic address – it’s a phone booth of sorts btw).  Oh, last but not least, they were nice enough to give out the name of their master mixologist (which everyone in the foodie circle already knows).  The cherry?  There’s a password to get in.  However, they won’t give it out.

One of the reasons why M&H succeeded is because they played the game.   They weren’t pretentious about what they were, and they didn’t try to have their cake and eat it too.  This establishment seems to want its feet on both sides of the line.  Not gonna happen here … You want to put out something in a press release … than do it … but don’t half ass it.  As such … not even a name mention from yours truly.  If you’re reading this and don’t know the story behind Milk and Honey … feel free to email me and I’ll elaborate.  And if you’re dying to know what I’m talking about … search some of the more notable food blogs here in town … you’ll find the 205.5 without too much difficulty.  They have a website already and … of course … A FACEBOOK PAGE!!!!!!  The website actually tells you where it is.  Grrrr …