TASTE OF ATLANTA 2012
- aliciathompson61
- May 10, 2019
- 3 min read
One of the many reasons I love Atlanta is the plethora of Foodie events we have an opportnity to enjoy. This weekend the city hosted the 11th annual Taste of Atlanta Festival. The event featured 80+ restaurants, a handful of food trucks, cooking demos and wine/beer/cocktail tents and seminars. There was an abundance of grilled beef and pork, seafood and items with Cajun influences, Mac & Cheese in every configuration, Barbecue … pulled and sauced, and tacos … beef, pork, fish, tofu…you name. The weather was gorgeous and THOUSANDS of Atlantans came out to sample the tasty fare.
After doing a walkthrough to get our bearings, we set our strategy. Since I love Shrimp and Grits and there were several offerings, I decided to start with a comparison. First up…downtown Atlanta staple, Max Lager’s. Two nice sized shrimp over fairly bland grits. The sauce was listed as having a BBQ profile, but I got nada on the BBQ front. In fact, the sauce too was very bland. I give it a C!
Next up was a new restaurant I wasn’t familiar with, Bottle Bar & Bistro Buckhead. Let’s just say that based on this sample, I feel no need to add this restaurant to my must try list. Two tiny, over cooked shrimp on a bed of runny grits and a flavorless “cheese” sauce that overwhelmed everything. I give this an F … enough said!
Finally I tried Shrimp and Havarti Grits with Cajun Andouille Butter from Hob Nob. Now we are getting somewhere! A dollop of creamy, cheesy grits was topped with a large, perfectly prepared shrimp. The entire dish received a nice serving of Cajun Andouille Butter. Now this is the one are of opportunity for Hob Nob. If you tell me it has Andouille, I expect some heat of spice. This was woefully lacking in that area. If they can turn up the Andouille flavor significantly, this would be a totally hit! I give it this one a B-.
This was by far my favorite of the festival. Bricktops in Buckhead was preparing perfectly roasted artichokes on an open grill. The smoky flavor was a perfect complement to the dollop of tangy aioli. I could have used a lot more of the aioli, but the artichoke was perfect without it. This one gets an A+.
I didn’t actually taste this one, but my friend did and she said it was a winner. Based on the very long lines waiting for these little gems, I believe it to be true. Grilled to perfection and with the right amount of parmesan, not too much as to overpower the oyster, and not too little as to not complement, these were a true festival winner.
The Corn Nuggets were light airy pillows of heaven with the added bonus of roasted corn kernels hidden inside, I could have eaten my weight in these. The Hush Puppies weren also prepared with the slightest had, not too dense, with the perfect seasoning. All they needed were a few catfish bites! The Mac & Cheese poppers were the only disappointment of this trio. More cheese than mac, they were a bit of a let down, though still yummy. If give this one a B+.
I already loved Morelli’s and this was the perfect end to my Taste of Atlanta day. The Ginger Lavendar was subtle but provided a hint of something that you wanted more of. The Blueberry was by far my favorite. It delivered a flavorful punch and I think I could have eaten a whole pint by myself. A+ for sure!
Well there you have it, one woman’s topline of Taste of Atlanta 2012. The event gets bigger and better each year and this year was in the top three. I am already looking forward to the 2013 event.
As always …. I am the Tasteless Gourmand!
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