FoodieBuddha.com

As bloggers, we all try and do something to stand out.  Creative juices flow and the result are things like Tami’s Eat On 30, Jimmy’s pizza thang, and Kessler’s new found 30 in 30 (note: that’s a link to twitter and it should fill in as the days pass).  Those all require a lot of work, heavy organizational skills, and a lot of time.  I wanted to go for something a little more lighthearted and a little less time intensive.

As a result, starting this week, I’ll be running the first post in a series I’m tagging as “Inside The Chef’s Kitchen.”  Though the name isn’t super original, many of you may make the immediate connection to the über cool Bravo TV show – Inside the Actors Studio.  At the end of each episode, host James Lipton prods his guest into answering the following questions:

1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
4. What turns you off?
5. What is your favorite curse word?
6. What sound or noise do you love?
7. What sound or noise do you hate?
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you not like to do?
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Borrowed from French talk show host Bernard Pivot, the list is essentially a twice removed take on the Proust Questionnaire (wiki).  Using that as the inspiration, I’m going to track down a few chefs from the Atlanta area (and nearby), and put them to the task (with a modified list of course!)  Hopefully, I’ll be able to do this every Friday … so we’ll see how long I can stick to that.  You’ll be able to follow the action on the blog or via my twitter account using the hash tag #itck.  Meanwhile, if you’re a chef or if you know a chef, feel free to contact me!  I can always use the people.

Okay gang, this is really just a teaser post to get your whistles wet.  The details are this: a well-known NYC foodie hit town this week and that has been confirmed by at least four people in one form or another.  He’s been cavorting around town with at least one of the more respected members of the ATL food community, so I’m pretty sure this will go public soon.  Rest assured, when it does, I’ll be sure to point ya’ll in the right direction (though I doubt that will be necessary).  The food in question includes, but may not be limited to, our now hot-button pizza joints.  How cool is it that NYC is coming to Atlanta for pizza?  Say what you will about this whole hub-bub, it’s pretty cool to hear about something like this.

BTW, I stole the photo above from Eat It Atlanta because his pizza days series rocked!  Go check it out.

A lot of people have postulated as to why Hankook Taqueria, the one part Korean cafeteria and one part taqueria, has opened on the Westside.  Whatever the reason, the addition of a Korean inspired restaurant over yonder helps to expand the culinary landscape.  While there are a handful of establishments that serve Korean cuisine, not a single one of them is in ears shot of Hankook.  Further to the point, I’m pretty sure this is the first foray into Korean tacos in the ATL.  These facts alone make HT a valuable addition to the neighborhood, even if the food isn’t anything wonderful.

The man behind Hankook is Tomas Lee.  Lee, an accomplished chef, has already tried his hand as a restaurateur.  Unfortunately, his eponymous Tomas in Norcross and Wok-In Wok-Out in Lawrenceville are both a thing of the past.  Now this former Buckhead Diner executive chef finds himself much closer to the heart of the city in a very unassuming location.

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In my evening web perusal, I stumbled on a new blog by the name of Live To Feast (website).  It looks like the person behind L2F, whomever they are, is setting up shop as a restaurant notation maker, a twitterati, and a pretty solid writer (unlike my own rantings, I haven’t found an grammatical error in the two posts I’ve read).  Thanks to a little help from Eat It Atlanta over on twitter, L2F took note of Hankook Taqueria in one of his/her earliest posts.  Apparently, owner Tomas Lee has made Hankook an odd mixture of Korean food and Taqueria style tacos. Even with just a few posts to date, I’ve already deemed L2Fs barren feed worthy of a follow. Check it out!

In these tough economic times, there is nothing like a good, budget conscious foodie whosiewhatsit to keep you on your toes.  Earlier this year, Running With Tweezers decided to try and eat for an entire week on a budget of just $30.  Well, she’s back at it again, and this time, with quite a bit of help from people like The Broke Socialite (website), Trouble with Toast (website), and Eat It Atlanta (website). 

Before we get ahead of yourself, please read the thoughtful post she put together. It will give you some much needed perspective on the event. You can follow the full details over at RWT or on twitter at #Eaton30.  Unfortunately, I have to many business lunches next week to participate … sucks!!!!!

Tucked away in the depths of Decatur’s town square, a new food-stop has emerged to beckon the foodies, the adventurous eaters, and the hip.  Backed by a wealth of internet buzz (here, here, & here – just to name a few), The Iberian Pig supposedly opened this past evening.  Truth be told, the restaurant found themselves accepting business over the weekend; hence the inclusion of the word “supposedly” in the previous sentence.

While people have shuttered at the meat-centric name bestowed on that relatively new joint over on the Westside, the reference to Iberian pigs has seemingly drawn a great deal of praise.  The truth behind the name is that Iberian pigs are the source of Iberico ham, aka pata negra, aka jamón ibérico.  As the restaurant has made it a point to include the delicacy on the menu, the name seems apropos.  Why the French word for slaughterhouse caused such a ruckus, whereas the reference to a slaughtered piece of pork brought praise, is an unsolved mystery.

But we digress.  Back on point, good press will only get you so far.  For a restaurant to succeed, they need to deliver.  Like the clockwork that is my life, the Ambiguously Foodie Duo (one part me, one part this guy) set out last night to see how things were starting off.

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Let’s keep this short but sweet.  Atlanta is full of foodies, full of bloggers, and full of foodies who blog. (I’m looking at you ChowDownAtlanta.com, EatBufordHighway.wordpress.com, EatDrinkMan.blogspot.com, EatItAtlanta.com, TheQuickandDirtyDirty.com, SavoryExposure.com)  The list goes on from there (this is where you take a look at my blogroll about halfway down the page), but those are just a few.

Not surprisingly, more than a handful of local restaurateurs and chefs also put their thoughts down on digital paper.  I have a long list of those that I follow, but here are just a few that grease my monkey (in alphabetical order):

Marla Adams : Babette’s Cafe : http://www.chefmarla.typepad.com/
Adams, who may be the most sporadic of the bloggers listed here, only posts once every handful of weeks.  The blog seems to double as both a inside into some of the goings on at her operation and as a place for her to express herself.  The posts are often deeply personal and it’s always interesting to read someone who puts their plate on a platter (so to speak).

Taka Moriuchi :Taka Sushi : http://sushiandpassion.blogspot.com/
Moriuchi, who has been a fixture in the Atlanta sushi scene since his day’s at Soto, now runs his own joint on Pharr Road in Buckhead, aptly named Taka.  His postings used to be somewhat sporadic, but he’s really picked up the pace since March.  Though there are intermittent stray posts, the majority of them focus on sushi and his restaurant.  He is even kind enough to share a few recipes with us … like this one for okra tempura.

Todd Richards : Lush Life Group : http://cheftoddrichards.blogspot.com/
Richards, who has several establishments around town (Rolling Bones BBQ and One Flew South), drops in about once every couple of weeks.  His posts range from the deeply personal to the deeply off topic.  While it may not always be NSFW, it’s always entertaining and enlightening.

There are a whole bunch of them out there folks, but that list is a good place to start.  Buddha … OUT!

While I found myself out of town much of August, I didn’t make it too far west of the mighty Mississippi.  On the other hand, several Atlanta foodies followed Hardy’s lead and made a beeline for the Left Coast.

It started with EatItAtlanta, where joined Viking Hardy at the 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference.  Luckily, he was kind enough to give us a potpourri post covering the food (previously mentioned here).  A few weeks later, the jet setter decided to go camping outside Seattle.  Forever the dedicated blogger, Eat It made sure to capture some of the scene-age and advise us as to how a foodie gets a proper meal while in the great outdoors.

Shortly thereafter, Eat, Drink, Man decided to continue the torture with a trip of his own to Washington state.  Joined by June Shin (twitter), of June Shin Designs, the duo holed up in some of Seattle’s best eateries.  While many people tell me how much they love good food photography, I have a more love-hate relationship with the activity.  Much of the hate is now directed at Eat, Drink, Man … as his pictures are fantastic and I’m left wondering why I didn’t go visit my peeps in Seattle.

While the trip culminated with a day of sea creatures, EDM hit up the famed Pike’s Place Market, dined at Maximilien, and skipped on over to Whidbey Island.

The pictures from the trip are plentiful and painfully appealing to even the most casual glance … if you’re a glutton for punishment, take a gander at the full set of 112 pics!

And with that, I begrudgingly sign-off.

So Eat It Atlanta decided to head out to Cali for a little visit to the Wine Bloggers Conference.  Turns out, he ran into Mr. Dirty South Wine and the two of them cavorted about, teasing those of us stuck in the ATL with tweets and status updates.  To further rub it in – he took a number of great pictures and put together a nice little food-centric post.  My ire grows stronger with each second as I come to grips with my decision to stay here and work.

Oh Atlanta S&S Tour, how I have missed you!  Travel, temporary sandwich burn out, and life in general caused me to miss a few weeks.  What better way to get back in the saddle than with a trip to Star Provisions.  In the realm of high-end gourmet shops, SP seems to garner a near godlike appreciation amongst Atlanta socialites.  I myself am a big fan; over the years I have enjoyed everything from their wine and cheeses, to their sandwiches, to their eating accessories.  But alas, this is the sandwich tour … so with my blinders firmly in place, my camera in hand (UGGHGHGHGHGH), and some help … off to the principal’s office we go! [Sorry – my childhood rears it’s ugly head!]

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