Taste of Atlanta Set for September 25-27

One of my favorite moments ever from my favorite food festival ~ Francine Reed belting out "Let the Good Times Roll" with the Mean Chef, Chef Ron Eyester of Rosebud, looking on, and Tom Sullivan taking a break to wet his whistle. This was the Gospel Brunch, and what a time we had.

Lucky me, I only had to wait 11 months for Taste to come back to Midtown at Tech Square. This year it will set up September 25 through 27.

As Atlanta’s only food festival where attendees can find bites and brews from neighborhoods both inside and outside of the perimeter all in one place, Taste of Atlanta is a true representation of the city’s culinary culture. New to the restaurant scene and festival this year, Community Smith, Noble Fin, Southern Gentleman and Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall will make their debuts alongside seasoned restaurant veterans such as Fox Bros Bar-B-Q, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse and Saltyard.

Here's what Chef Eyester had to say in a Taste press release: “Participating in Taste of Atlanta has become somewhat of a tradition for me, and it’s always a privilege to return each year and cook alongside top culinary talent in the city. What I love most about the festival is that it brings together such a diverse mix of chefs and restaurants to celebrate Atlanta’s vibrant food scene.”

To allow attendees to pinpoint local favorites and discover new dining treasures at the festival, participating restaurants will once again be organized by neighborhood. This format takes attendees on a culinary journey through Atlanta and highlights the city’s individual neighborhoods and the restaurants that call them home.

Stay connected to Taste of Atlanta 2015:
• Sign up for the Taste of Atlanta newsletter: www.TasteofAtlanta.com
• Follow Taste on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TasteofAtlanta
• Like Taste on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TasteofAtlanta
• Follow Taste on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/TasteofAtlanta
• Follow Taste on Instagram: www.instagram.com/TasteofAtlanta

I hope to see you at Taste this year. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for more Taste of Atlanta news. Here's hoping for another Gospel Brunch with Francine this year - can I get an "Amen?"

Midtown Restaurant Week 2015

Just one weekend left for the 2015 Midtown Restaurant Week, your chance to try some fantastic food with a prix fixe menu. I walked along with some food blogging friends and tasted the goodies at four restaurants that are part of #MRW2015. For a complete list of participating restaurants, check out Open Table's list.

Above and below, are from Einstein's on Juniper:

This is the bar at STK ~ impressive.

This was stir-fried rice with duck confit from STK. Very fancy Chinese takeout.

At Mi Cocina, they fed us guacamole and chips and we walked around this beautiful space ~

Our final stop was Lure, where we had delicious fried catfish and a memorable cheeseburger. The available light was pitiful, but the food was fantastic. You'll have to make do with the sign.

Check out Midtown Restaurant Week and let me know what new places you've discovered ~

Taste of Atlanta 2013

The many delicious bites of Taste of Atlanta 2013. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 A clear and cool October Sunday afternoon was the setting for Taste of Atlanta, a party with 90 of Atlanta's favorite restaurants set up in Midtown at Tech Square. You might assume, as I did for many years, that Taste is a grown-up event, but it's actually great for kids. My teenager enjoyed shooting photographs of food and people, and my 8-year old brought along her "autograph book" and snagged a few celebrity signatures. Both enjoyed trying new foods, from exotic produce like dragonfruit to deep-fried chicken and waffles on a a stick. My designated photographer assembled the collage, above, documenting all the bites from the afternoon.

Here are a few more pictures from our afternoon. I love street festivals where you can walk where there are usually cars.

Taste of Atlanta, Midtown at Tech Square. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 Little Bit tried her hand spinning Whole Foods' wheel of fruit and got a taste of ...

Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Dragonfruit! She did a dance right there in the street, she was so happy!

Dragonfruit. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

In the kids' section, sponsors such as Legos and Dixie Crystals made sure that young ones were entertained with crafts including painting with apple stamps and making necklaces from candy.

Legos/Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Apple stamps. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Apple stamp art. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

In addition to restaurants, many food products were present, including Southern favorite Duke's mayonnaise. Community Coffee gave away copious cups at their cafe.

Duke's Mayonnaise. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Chocolate mousse with salted nut brittle from The Spence. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

A Top Chef and a fan. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

The highlight for Little Bit was meeting Top Chef Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga. The chef kindly signed her notebook and posed for a picture. Looking forward to Taste in 2014!

Text and images copyright 2013. Lucy Mercer.