What do you get when you put a whole mess of sex inducing molluscas, a lot of libations, and a slew of sex-crazed party animals in to one open space? That’s right … you get the Spiral Entertainment OysterFest at Park Tavern. Not to be confused with the Steamhouse Lounge’s version of OysterFest, this one takes place right at the intersection of 10th and Monroe.
Hot on the heels of the much more fashionable, Fünke and I took a little ride to the just opened Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft, a Thai restaurant in the former Taurus location. Backed by the familial lineage of Nan and Tamarind Seed, daughter DD Niyomkul has taken the helm of the kitchen (and the restaurant) in an attempt to offer a “casual” experience powered by authentic Thai food via small plates.
You may have noticed the quotation marks encompassing the word casual. Most every press piece and notation that I’ve seen on Tuk Tuk mentions the casual nature of the restaurant. While the vibe here is far from the tie-wearing atmosphere of Il Mulino, it’s not any closer to that of the flip-flop and jeans places that dot our cityscape. What you have is an elegant room that banters back and forth between the intimate date night and the more friendly “scene” spot. To put it another way, Tuk Tuk is Buckhead casual, not BuHi casual.
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’m obviously not their target market (aka – I’m a dude), I’ve had TheQuickAndDirtyDirty.com in my reader since July. Run by a duet of ladies (one part Lauren, one part Lindsay), the majority of the content over there is geared towards the better half. However, the girls have been going a little foodie on us, and for that they get a follow (here and here) and a mention.
In a move that has seriously scared the crap out of me – turns out one of them popped up in my suggested friends thingy on Facebook the other night. As I knock back my latest vodka, I’m trying to get a grip on how one of them knows three people that I know … one of whom isn’t from Atlanta and one of them who is significantly out of my age bracket. Meanwhile, I am positive that not a single one of the trio knows one of the others.
Back on point, the girls write with a happy go lucky candor as they cavort around the city. It’s a fairly personal journal of sorts and they hit on a lot of topics. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is ultimately up to the you. I say give them a read.
Back to my booze and my football, Buddha … out!
