Me and Joe are A-OK!

You'd think that by being the technology center of the Southeast and having the world's busiest airport and, being a civil rights mecca for so many people, well, you'd think Atlanta would have nearly one of everything.

Granted, we have a lot. More than most - but until recently we were missing something I never even knew I was missing to begin with.

Trader Joe's, baby.

For those of you who know, Trader Joe's is like a hybrid specialty store where granola crunchy folks shop right along with suburban foodies and ANYONE who loves a decent, inexpensive wine.

And I've become hooked - the Joe's next to my apartment opened a few months ago and I thought well, it's yet another Whole Foods and why should I go anywhere BUT Whole Foods when I love WF (I'm tired of typing it) so much.

Joe's ain't the WF. By a LOOONG shot.

From breads to produce to exceptionally good prepared (read, frozen) meals, Trader Joe's has it. Just tonight, while watching a special on sun-spots and solar storms (fab Wednesday night at the Villa) I ate a frozen flatbread tarte with ham, caramelized onions and gruyere cheese. And it was good. Quite good.

But best of all, and I think this is the best of all things about Trader Joe's, it was cheap.

I'm not above spending a wad o' cash on a good meal, just ask anyone who has ever made the mistake of letting ME make dinner reservations ... Arby's and The Olive Garden I do not. But I'm also not above saving a little here and there.

The "Tarte d'Alsace" was really inexpensive - like less than 5.00 inexpensive. And so is everything else at TJ's.

I've had great sundries (nuts, dried fruits, fancy rice and black sea salt) and great cheeses (my friend Courtney LOVES TJs cheese selection) and some really great prepared meals.

I totally recommend Joe's to anyone who has one near. The quality is great, the selection is a little limited for "family" grocery shopping, but for those of us who frequently enjoy dinner at home, Trader Joe's is fantastic.

Here's the website link - they don't have all of their products online but you can certainly get an idea of what it is all about:

http://www.traderjoes.com/

Craft at the Mansion!

Chef Tom Colicchio

Could it be? Really? One of my favorite chefs (newly the celebrity kind, too) is opening a high-end eatery in Atlanta in one of the new high rises going up on Peachtree Street in Buckhead.

Chef Tom Colicchio -Gramercy Tavern in NY, wichcraft in CA and head chef judge on Bravo's Top Chef - is opening "Craft at the Mansion" in a new, million-dollar-a-condo building in ritzy Buckhead!

Here's a link to the main site for Chef Tom's restaurants ... I can't wait!! Who's going with me? It'll be a spendy kinda supper but it'll be SURE to please!

http://www.craftrestaurant.com/

Mile High Great Coffee

Part of being a food lovin' guy is also lovin' the things that go along with a good meal - wine, still (definitely not sparkling) water, and coffee.

For me, coffee has two separate duties - wake me up, and round out a meal. And these duties are in fact mutually exclusive. I want the darkest roast, strongest, stiffest cup o joe in the morning as I can find, else I make it myself. For that, I prefer a French Roast - Starbucks, Caribou, Trader Joe's ... all are nice.

But - to end a great meal, I'm not necessarily looking for the strongest jolt I can find. I'm looking for something clean and bright - something I can sip and enjoy while I reflect on what I've just eaten.

There's nothing better than Peet's Peaberry for that - I love it. LOVE it. It isn't available year round and there are other peaberry coffees out there (Starbucks has a decent one) but Peet's is the top of the pile, so to speak, of beans.

The beans are grown waaay up Mount Kilimanjaro and harvested by a co-op of Tanzanian farmers, all of whom know how to grow a great bean. It's bright, sweet and has just a slight fruity bite - but don't fear, there's lots and lots of coffee in that cup, too!

Peet's is offering this limited edition of Tanzania Peaberry, but only by special order and only if you order before April 19th. Here's the site link if anyone is interested:

http://www.peets.com/shop/coffee_detail.asp?rdir=1&id=1332&cid=100&cm_mmc=Hdemail*07.04.16_TNP*hd*TNP_txt

Peachy-Keen

Yes, there are hundred of peach cobbler recipes out there. Some soupy, some with crispy crusts and some, like my Mama's, with that doughey goodness plump with peach slices and cinnamon.

I grew up with this quick and easy cobbler (she also made blackberry the same way) and thought I'd share it with whomever had interest.

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup of peach slices - if using home canned, 1 pint
1/2 stick of butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt butter in a medium sized casserole dish to cover the bottom of the dish.
Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and milk together and pour in over the melted butter.
Do not stir.
Dip peach slices all over the top of the dish, half-covering them with the batter.
Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

Restaurant Week in the OTP

Yes, it can be scary crossing 285 and going "outside" (those of you not in Atlanta won't understand), but I do it frequently (my favorite Target is OTP) and now there's a new reason - North Fulton Restaurant Week.

Here's a link from OpenTable on the participating restaurants:
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?pid=225&m=16&ref=2186

As for recommendations (cause I know y'all gonna ask) I can't offer much - I've eaten at Sia's and really enjoyed myself and I ate at *a* Sugo, though not the one in Duluth. And it was middle of the road good.

But I think, for the price - 3 courses for $25.00 - it might be worth a night to try some of these. I've heard Rainwater used to be a great place. But really, with all the fantastic spots "inside", why venture out?

Maybe these restaurants can give us a reason why.