ted's Profile
Capital Culinarian Grill vrs. BlueStar Grill
Hey- didn't realize you have a kosher kitchen and have extra space (saw THS thread). Kinda in the minority to have the extra burners to use. Good luck with your search.
Capital Culinarian Grill vrs. BlueStar Grill
On a 36" range, I'd have a hard time giving up the real estate for a grill. Too specialized unless you grill every day, and it'll really add to the cleaning burden. Don't know where you are, but my preferred gas grill is the Weber out back. It's even a NG version so I don't have to worry about trading out tanks. I still use it in winter (admittedly pretty mild in GA). Our Bluestar has six burners.
Can you get eastern North Carolina style bbq and cole slaw anywhere in Atlanta?
One's on Peachtree Industrial near Clairmont. Original is on Roswell Rd ~1 mi ITP. No 3 is old Dusty's location on Briarcliff at Clifton.
I like their potato salad- no mustard, lots of black pepper.
Can you get eastern North Carolina style bbq and cole slaw anywhere in Atlanta?
Bob- I don't think Pig n Chik's typical pork plate is eastern NC style, though. It's been a while since I've been, so I forget if they have an NC-style sauce on the table. My experience with eastern NC BBQ is that it's pulled to threads and pre sauced.
Dusty's used to be the go-to place for that type of presentation. I'm not sure who does it these days. There are probably several places that have that style of sauce available for a chunked/pulled pork plate.
HELP! finally have two nickels to rub together - buying a new range
Our 36" 6-burner has been up and running since 2006. It's had a few issues (all out of warranty), but I've done the repairs myself and it runs just fine. I replaced the oven thermostat (which unfortunately picked Xmas to die on), the igniters and the spark modules (went from 2 modules to one).
Suggestion for fine dining near Sheraton Downtown Atlanta
I bet that's one of the events leading into the Food & Wine festival. We went last year and had a blast- courses by Frank Stitt, Ben/Karen Barker, and Hugh/Ryan. Not sure what the deal is this year.
Moving to Perimeter Mall Area
That'd be Goldberg's.
Uncle Julio's is OK- very chain-ish. Figo Pasta a few doors down is a good local pasta chain. Chequers is very good despite looking like a Ruby Tuesdays or whatever.
Haven't tried the Eclipse di Luna on Ashford Dunwoody but we're longtime fans of the original in Buckhead.
I was impressed by Com in Dunwoody for lunch- pho shop food plus nice atmosphere markup. And E 48th St Market in deep Dunwoody is a fabulous NY Italian deli.
Frigidaire vs. Subzero
We moved our older Amana to the garage when we re-did our kitchen and put in a KA there. Not the most energy-conscious choice, but we generally fill both of them. The Amana is ~13 years old and still chugging, though I think I need to figure out a way to tighten up the door seal in the fridge section. The Amana is a bottom freezer, and I honestly probably prefer that configuration to the SxS KA..
I haven't looked at the Frigidaire twins in a long time, but my recollection is that they had horrible energy guide ratings. Inexpensive but costly to run.
late night cheap eats
The first place that came to mind was Taco Cabana at Piedmont and Cheshire Bridge. Think they're still open 24 hrs. Not in the same league as El Rey del Taco, but more convenient. I play it safe and have one go-to thing on their menu- the green chicken enchilada platter. They make their own thick, chewy flour tortillas that are really good too.
Other than that, intown mostly bars come to mind- Vortex, Euclid Ave Yacht Club, Porter. Vortex in Midtown is close to 75/85. The others aren't too far if you take Freedom Pkwy to get to Little 5 Points. They will be smoky, though.
If you have a car with visible stuff in it, be extra careful. Actually, be extra careful in general.
And Holeman & Finch is open til 1 or so, but they aren't cheap. Good though.
Want Real 'Cue in ATL
I agree that "small batch" barbecue has a lot higher potential than somewhere that's churning out hundreds of pounds of "product" a day. That said, the caveat is that you don't necessarily get to try what the competitors are turning in to the judges. Some comps have competitors who vend too, some have folks who are just there to vend.
The other thing about competition Q is that it has to blow away the judge with just one bite. That's all they're likely to get. To me, that pushes competitors to turn out meat that's over-flavored (whether spicy, sweet, or a combo) relative to what you'd want to sit down and enjoy a plate of. Competitors also do unholy things like add margarine to the meat to help it stay moist. That and the whole muffin pan chicken trend is just nuts- I've tried this myself, and how could chicken that's smoke-poached in butter/margarine taste bad? It's good but I keep thinking I need to be running to get a Lipitor prescription when I've made it.
I still think there are places in ATL that do really good Q- Community, Fox Bros, and Heirloom Mkt are my favorites right now.
Need a reliable rec for early Friday night dinner Downtown
We went to the Biergarten a month or so ago before a show at Philips. It's over by the Aquarium on Marietta St and next to Stats. They have a good German beer selection. Food was pretty good too- we picked it in part b/c they serve sausage from Patak (great sausage/salami place out in the ex-urbs). I recall one person getting spaetzle that wasn't very good, but the rest of what folks had was good (for being in walking distance and after putting away a liter or so of maibock).
It's easy cab distance (1 mi or so) to either 5 Seasons or Bocado on the Westside. Little further to Six Feet Under, Yeah Burger, Abattoir, etc. Bocado would be worth it for the food. 5 Seasons would be worth it for the beer in addition.
I was curious and looked at the schedule- are you really going to see Joe Rogan? Sorry, reality TV not my thing (exc. Top Chef) even when it's "free" on the tube.
Can anyone help me find a store in Delaware/NJ (live in Philly burbs) that carries these spirits (can't get in PA)?
Not my neck of the woods, but back in the day (when you could carry on a case of out-of-state beer and put it in the overhead for the flight home), I picked up some good beers at State Line Liquors which is just into MD. That was on a trip from DC to the Philly area. Just looked at their site quickly, and it looks like they have much of what you are looking for:
http://www.statelineliquors.com/liquor/liquor.htm
Restaurants near Atlanta airport?
We hadn't been to The Brake Pad in College Park in a long time until just the other day. Didn't eat, but it still has a great setup if the weather's nice. Think basic pub food and a small-but-decent beer list.
Smoker. Is it worth it?
I'm going to be a little contrarian. Rather than respond to each post suggesting you "graduate" to an offset, I'm going to just say NO, please don't.
An offset (Smoke n Pit, Silver Smoker, etc) may be better than an El Cheapo Brinkmann, but I wouldn't recommend one over a WSM. In terms of controllability and fuel use, the WSM wins hands down. The only downside is its capacity, but the 22.5" ones help with that a lot.
One problem I see with the consumer grade offsets is that you don't have nearly the airflow control you need. Especially now that some include an ash pan for convenience in the firebox, since that's just a great big hole with no damper. They also generally need a few mods to get more even heat distribution in the cooking chamber (baffle at entrance, lowered stack outlet, e.g.).
What that means is that you'll end up burning a bunch of fuel for the average cook, and you'll be constantly tending the fire to hold temperature. OK for folks who are psyched (and have time) to sit around and maybe get schnockered while cooking.
I used to have a Bandera with all sorts of modifications to it. The telling thing to me was that I could close it up completely and it would take at least 24 hours for the fire to go out. That's indicative of how little control you have, even before they started adding the ash pans.
The WSM is so much tighter and will run with little intervention straight out of the box. Invest in one of the fan setups and you won't have to touch it.
I agree that folks spend lots of time tending even the great big pro offsets (Klose, e.g.). Again, fine if you want to stay up all night cooking. I rationalized getting an insulated smoker (Stumps) when the Chowpup was a baby b/c it didn't matter how late I was up, the day still started at the same time for her.
The big bottom-line bonus is that, when you have control of the fire in hand, you can worry about changing other things. Like flavoring woods, rubs, injections, etc. And you can actually see how they affect the final product independent of everything else.
Is Blue Star still as good as ever?
FWIW, they aren't pilot lights like you'd see on a commercial stove. They're spark igniters (electrodes). If this is what you want, I'd go for it and replace them when they need replacing. The Viking ones I replaced mine with seem a lot less susceptible to problems from getting wet.
That said, if it's truly a commercial use, and you can meet the commercial requirements (clearance, fire suppression, etc), a commercial range would cost a lot less.
Visiting Atlanta with 10 year old.
Miso Izakaya and Sound Table come to mind for not-too-far away with good/funky food. The Porter in Little 5 Points would be a good place for that plus a great beer menu.
Want Real 'Cue in ATL
I agree. I also remember watching local news stories as a kid where Dreamland was feeding a free Thanksgiving dinner to the less fortunate because they hadn't paid their taxes. That was when there was just the one, so I'm pretty familiar with where it is. Roll Tide!
Best hole in the wall in Atlanta
Hong's is gone now, right? I remember driving by a while back and noting that. I still tend to hit Nhu Y Deli and enjoy their banh mi.
I ate at the Com in Dunwoody for lunch several weeks back and was impressed by their banh mi (and by the lunchtime crowd- it was pretty packed).
Rye Whiskey Report - A Time of Transition
I bought a bottle of Sazerac 18 in MD not long after it first came out (haven't looked, but I'm guessing over 10 years ago). That was the best-tasting, easiest-drinking whiskey I'd ever had at that point. I've gone to great lengths to get followup bottles. The quotes on Ebay pricing make me feel a little better about grabbing the only bottle I've ever seen on the shelf in ATL b/c it was priced about $25 more than I have paid in the past.
I like the Russell's Reserve a lot for a big, spicy whiskey. Something about the younger Sazerac has always been offputting- almost too grassy for my preference.
The explosion of ryes has been fun to try. Just wish the demand was enough for all these distilleries to add a second day of rye production a year.
Lately have been working on a bottle of Jefferson's Rye that a buddy got me for my birthday, and I have a Templeton that I brought back from CA but haven't opened yet.
which half sheet pan to get?
Mine all have the open, rolled edge. Have had them for over 10 years. The only thing is not to wash in the dishwasher (aluminum + caustic detergent = etched pans).
I'd go with wherever you can get a decent deal, but prices are likely similar among the less-expensive outlets.
Honestly, unless you're going to actually put them on the hot grill and leave them, or run under the broiler, I don't think warping is an issue either way for the use you describe.
Are there any bourbons available that are independent (not owned by massive conglomerates)?
FYI, Hudson was bought by Grant, so somewhat less indepependent now. I believe I saw their stuff in a couple places in CA (Cask in SF, definitely).
http://www.tuthilltown.com/reviews/news/william-grant-sons-takes-on-hudson-whiskey-range
which half sheet pan to get?
I'm kind of missing the difference, other than the sheet metal gauge. Is it that the rolled edge is solid on one (2nd) and not on the other (1st)? If so, we have all ours with the rolled edge. You have to let the water drain out when you wash the backside but otherwise they're fine.
Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Hit your local restaurant supply to check them out (and to support them instead of the-online-retailer-who-will-crush-all-others).
Bluestar 36" Range, Burner arrangement vs. griddle
Maybe you need to adjust the low flame on your burners. Mine will go out if you look at them funny when they're turned all the way down. Will do the barest of simmer if the pan isn't too small.
Vegan Friendly Fine Dining?
I'm not sure about Empire State South, but The National in Athens (also from Hugh Acheson) has a great veggie plate at lunch (the "power lunch"). Not sure if it's vegan, but ESS may have something similar.
Restaurant Eugene might also be able to accommodate.
I'd check with wherever you decide on to let them know you're coming.
Found it! Hard to find ingredients and where to find them
I was there about 10 days ago (tagging along with the wife on a work trip). I was pretty overwhelmed by the selection. Ended up going with a bottle of Templeton rye (that I haven't seen in GA) over the small (and frankly quite expensive) bottlings of local whiskeys. I'm doing a poor job of utilizing the bitters I have, so I didn't grab any new ones.
Also visited St George and got to see monster punchbowls going out from the bar at Rickhouse on a Thurs night. Definitely a trend that hasn't made it here.
Best beer to pair with waffles?
To me it depends on which lambic you chose. I'm strictly going off a mental picture, but I think too much sour would really clash with waffles, assuming you're having them breakfast style (i.e. with syrup). One of the sweeter lambics (Lindeman's, e.g.) might do well, but a Cantillon would be tough. The Flander's brown is a good idea, but I'd go with Rodenbach Grand Cru over the regular. Duchesse or the Monk's Cafe sour are other good ones.
I like the idea of malty/sweet. The only downside of a doppelbock is that I'd drink enough with my waffles that I'd just want to go to bed afterward. Maybe a tripel for some fruitiness, not quite as filling, and enough alcohol that you'd enjoy it rather than just get weighted down.
Smaller bottles of Luxardo Maraschino (and others)
I have picked up miniatures of Absente and a 375-ml bottle (IIRC) of St George Absinthe. Haven't seen small bottles of any that you mention.
Any hope for parts for Frugal/Atlas pepper grinder?
That's good stuff. I tried getting one from Pepper Mill Imports, but their mills weren't close enough for it to fit. Ended up buying a spare mill off Ebay and stealing the handle from that. Soldering is a good idea, though. Can't remember whether I kept the broken handle or not.
It does work reasonably well in the cordless drill at low speed. Puts out LOTS of pepper.
Visiting Bourbon Country
So, where in Chattanooga should I arrive so that you can pick me up and take me with you?
My Dad and I have been talking about going and visiting some distilleries for a while but haven't managed to firm up a trip.
Don't forget Jack Daniels and/or Dickel on your way up from Chattanooga.
Best place to eat lobster in Atlanta?
The shrimp roll at Leon's in Decatur is a great poor-man's substitute.
