So ya’ll are probably wondering where I’ve been all day. Well, intentions to post my next diatribe were summarily squashed about 3-hours ago when a certain gentleman danced across my horizon (literally – he did a jig). Ladies and gents, Hardy is back … but for a limited time only. Yes, I’m sad to say that I’m pretty sure we’ve lost this crown jewel (but don’t say I didn’t warn you). In any event, he’s back and he’s bad!
We spent the last few hours chatting each other up … and it’s just the type of conversation that gets you all warm and fuzzy. The dude is the tits, end of discussion. Remember to give him a follow as he cavorts around Cali. If you’re a man (or lady) around town, don’t be surprised if you see him at a hot spot near you. Back to the 9-5, until tomorrow when I’ll pontificate some more ramblings.
Today is a busy day for me, so I don’t have time to pen a review. However, that doesn’t mean I’m completely disconnected from what’s going down in the 404 (or 770 … or even the 678). Here is a snap shot of some stuff that I’m checking out.
30 Restaurants In 30 Days: Much to the delight of foodies around the city, John Kessler is pumping out some new content. The AJC’s food blogger extraordinaire is currently hitting 30 restaurants in 30 days. He’s already dropped in on La Pietra Cucina, Mary Mac’s Tea Room, and a few other places. You can follow the action over on the Food & More blog.
Martha Stewart Charity Dinner: I may be the only person in this world that doesn’t have a soft-spot for Martha Stewart. That said, this is pretty cool. You can bid on the Martha Stewart Dinner Party (currently just shy of 3k). It includes a gourmet dinner for six at Cantitoe Farm prepared by Pierre Schaedelin, chef at famed Benoit and one of Martha’s favorites.
It’s a place that Atlanta denizens want to love. It’s the type of place we should love. Ultimately, I’m not sure it’s a place that we do love. ENO restaurant in Midtown Atlanta has gotten a lot of attention in recent months. The majority of the hype has come on the heels of executive chef Eli Kirshtein’s recent trip to Las Vegas for season six of Top Chef. The restaurant got it’s second wind when word broke that Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia had come out of nowhere to purchase both ENO and the adjunct Barrelman Wine & Cheese Shop. Despite that potential boon to business, things haven’t really changed much recently.
That’s not to say that the restaurant as a whole has remained stagnate since its 1999 opening. Their days as a Mediterranean stomping ground are a thing of the past as the menu is now a cornucopia of highly conceptualized dishes that hint at the elements of molecular cooking. Though the menu is constantly in flux, the backbone of the experience is the wine. It is a constant point of pleasure for yours truly, and I’m not alone in that respect. [Amongst others, Atlanta wine blogger and current Murphy-Goode employee Hardy Wallace loves it!]
Still, this post is a little non-traditional as it is a balance between the singular experience of my most recent trip and the longstanding qualities that have been in place for the better part of the past few years. True to my modus operandi, I wasn’t totally sold on the experience. In fact, I walked away from the meal with one word on my mind: Interesting. Mind you, this isn’t to imply that ENO was a disaster, rather … it just didn’t snap together nice and tight.
This is the saddest news I’ve ever had to break! Sir Hardy of Wallace, known around these bits as Dirty South Wine, is leaving us (at least temporarily). Thanks in large part to community support, Murphy-Goode Winery chose Wallace to take over their social media position that I’ve talked about many many times.
The announcement comes on the heels of quite a little brew ha-ha. For those unaware, one Martin Sargent decided to throw his hat into the ring rather late in the game. Sargent is well-known to geeks like myself who spend our time frolicking around the world wide web on a daily basis. Though he was admittedly unqualified to talk about the topic at hand, Murphy-Goode’s decision to exclude Sargent from their top 50 was met with quite a backlash (examples here and here). I say kudos to MGW for not bowing to the pressure from people like Kevin Rose, Digg founder and Sargent fanboy. I for one, am glad they decided to hand the job to someone who actually knows a thing or two about wine… but what do I know.
Anyway, enough with the negativity. Congrats to Hardy, we’ll miss you and boy do we hope you return. You can visit Hardy directly at his website, dirtysouthwine.com
Anyone else think I’ve shoved Hardy Wallace down your throats? Even if the answer is yes … why don’t you sip on this a bit. Hardy can now be found on the AJC (here care of @John Kessler) and on 11 Alive (here). But before you jettison my site on your way over to those more reputable news sources, check out one of the video clips from 11Alive:
If you haven’t read Hardy, check out his blog and give him a shout out on twitter!
Congratulations to the one, the only Hardy Wallace. Hardy, the sommelier over at Dirty South Wine, recently entered the Murphy-Goode Winery dream job. The competition has been fierce, and after laying the smack down on roughly 2,000 other candidates, Sir Wallace of Dirty has earned a spot in the Top 10. Here’s to you Hardy, good luck and I hope you get the job! For those of you who didn’t see it – here’s his application:
In the last 24-hours, Hardy Wallace [of Dirty South Wine and Goode To Be First fame] has pulled an Inspector Gadget and surged into first place in the quest for his dream job. Some 25 points off the lead going into last night, Hardy now sits over 30 votes ahead. Still, anything can happen with eight days left in the voting … so keep it going!
If you don’t know what all this hub-bub is about – just click on the link over on the right or read this post from a few weeks back. You can also watch his submission video here:
