While the Food Network seems the likely destination for all the best food TV shows, that heavy weight belt might actually go to The Travel Channel. In addition to Tony’s food porn-erific No Reservations, TC is home to Man v. Food, Adam Richman’s tribute to all things gluttonous. The competitive eating show lands in Miami tonight, February 3rd, for a 2-hour special that starts at 9pm EST.
Included in the festivities is a live broadcast of Richman trying to take down a 48 oz. steak from none other than Don Shula’s eponymous Shula’s Steakhouse. As the Super Bowl hits Miami on the 7th, it’s no surprise that Man V Food decided to incorporate grub from the restaurant of the only man to ever lead an NFL team to a undefeated season through their super bowl (my Pats were still better yo!).
For the past few weeks, Travel-C has been bringing the media blitz. Like the slave to trends that I am, I’ll ride that wave and grab you a copy of the gratuitously bikini clad Nori … who has 3-minutes to down three milkshakes in Babe v Food. If you want more Adam, be sure to check out 411 Mania’s interview with the dude.
I love people who are kind enough to help me out with my blog. It usually results in the ideal combination of less work for me + great content. What’s not to love? When fellow foodie and blogger Michael Fenster (Doc) offered to chime in with a review of the lauded Bone’s Steakhouse, I was all over that like white on rice. What follows is Doc’s recap of a recent trip. Doc didn’t have a camera, so that juicy steak appears courtesy of the Bone’s website
Last night was date night. Since it was restaurant week (3 courses for $25 at participating restaurants), we decided to hop on MARTA and head over to BLT Steak for dinner. After a quick 2 stop jaunt on the train and a 1 block walk to the W Downtown, we arrived at our final destination. We were briskly seated at our table and presented with two menus. The regular menu and the abbreviated restaurant week menu (entrée options included hangar steak, roast chicken or wild salmon).
Hot on the heels of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Tom Colicchio, highly acclaimed Laurent Tourondel has come to Atlanta to plant his flag. BLT Steak, Tourondel’s entry into this market, arrived with a great deal of fanfare. BLT Steak serves as the flagship restaurant at the W Hotel in downtown Atlanta. Supported by Drinkshop, the ultra chic bar just around the bend, BLT offers those of us not staying at the hotel a taste of the bling life.
Despite the name, you won’t find any bacon lettuce & tomato bargains here (BLT actually stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel). This place has expense account written all over it. So it is no surprise that opening night came and went for me. I reluctantly sat on the sidelines and waited for an invite. Last week, that invite came in the form of a lunch date with pops and a friend of the family. WOOT!
Dantanna’s Downtown is fully operational. I was at the Hawks game last night, so we hit them up for both pre and post game beverages. There are plenty of big TVs and the decor is almost identical to that of their Buckhead location. The upscale sports bar is still polishing their routine; however, their employees were all super friendly.
The kitchen is run by Bill Hogan and Keoko Turnerr; it is nice to see Dantanna’s using a dedicated chef team at each location. Pastry chef Joshua John fills the role at both places.
I was surprised to see the place nearly empty; however, I suspect that will change after people realize they are open. I did not try anything off the menu; but it is close relative of the menu from their other location.
Today I find myself burdened by guilt, embarrassment, and pain! I was going to let this go … not mention it … hide it away … let it slip into the annals of history without so much as a puff. But I have sinned like never before and I cannot keep this bottled up any longer!
So the past few weeks have been very busy for me. I’ve finally finished all the planning for the Atlanta Sub & Sandwich Tour (details tomorrow), and work is *almost* back under control. As luck would have it, I’ve still been eating my meals and taking notes. I thought this would be a good time to share some thoughts on three Atlanta destination restaurants, all of which I visited in the past two weeks. Let’s start with the Shed at Glenwood. I’ll share my thoughts on the other two spots over the next couple of days.
Rachael Ray does food porn like there is no tomorrow (NSFW vid after the jump!). However, she also has quite a following for her show entitled “Every Day.” Recently, she organized a bracket busting tournament that included 17 critics, 20 meals, and two Atlanta steakhouses.
Philadelphia is the self-proclaimed Cheesesteak Capital. I’ve traveled to the most well-known spots (Pat’s King of Cheesesteaks and Geno’s Steaks) and I’ve been to each several times over. Trust me when I say that they are essentially crap on a bun. You go to those tourist traps for the “experience;” there are better steaks to be had in Philly (and better experiences). Most locals would acquiesce – if you’re a steak connoisseur, you just don’t go to those spots. Don’t believe me? Go see what yelpers have to say. Unlike Champagne, you can have an authentic steak and cheese outside the 215. Which brings us to Woody’s, a local joint that stacks up just fine to those Philadelphia institutions … thank you very much.
As I just finished explaining all the various cuts of steak, I thought a video would help the learning process. Luckily, a quick jump over to YouTube and I was good to go:
