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.