Atlanta Food & Wine Festival 2014 Inspires

Cooking is as much about food and technique as it is about experiences. Atlanta's Food & Wine Festival 2014 in Midtown provided memorable lessons that I had to apply quickly or risk forgetting.

Sous vide, pickled seaweed, escabeche, thin fillets of fish cured in a sugar/salt mixture . . . the topics intrigued and inspired immediate imitation.

Corvina Escabeche with Spring Vegetables, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

Let's start with the escabeche, (es-kah-BECH-ay), a classic Spanish preparation often paired with oily fish such as mackerel, corvina, or bonito. Its Mediterranean at its essence. Add olive oil to a saucepan at medium heat and the following:

• 3 - 4 tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/5 inch thick 
• 1large onions, thinly sliced into half moons
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• bay leaf (remove when finished) 
• 2 Ts of combined basil, oregano, 
• 1 t. of cumin, coriander each 
• salt, pepper
• carrots or turnips (optional, cubed into bite sizes)
• 2 Ts of Espelette Basque Vinegar (or something unique from Whole Foods)

and cook very slowly (3 - 4 hours), covered, over lower heat (I use a 2 out of 10 setting on my induction range so that it cooks caramelized from the inside out vs. fried and charred from the outside in).  At the very end a splash of your best Spanish vinegar tops it off. This makes enough for 6 people.

Prep for fish:

• Portion the fish into 4 - 5oz pieces, 3/4 inch thick (no more) - ask fishmonger for 30oz if serving 6.
• Mix a 1/4 cup of equal parts salt and sugar. Use a tablespoon to spread the mix on a flat dish upon which you'll place the fish. This is now considered face down. If there is a skin on the fish, it is now facing you. Leave face down for 15 minutes.
• Either sous vide the fish at 53 degrees C for 20 minutes or you can prep a pan with medium-hot olive oil and sear with the skin side down for 3 minutes before completely removing from heat.
• If your fish has no skin, make your own! I use sheets of dried seaweed you can get at Trader Joe's and place 1 or 2 on what I designate the skin side. Continue as in the previous step. Delicious.

The whole thing, escabeche and fish, are served cold or at room temperature on a hot day.

It'd be a shame to not eat this al fresco.

This dish and the recipe is what I derived from notes taken during the Food & Wine demonstration and conversation with Asheville NC's Katie Button who is the talented Executive Chef of Cúrate, the authentic Spanish tapas restaurant continually earning rave reviews since its open in March 2011. Many thanks Katie!

Here is an image of the gazpacho I made to introduce the fish:

Tomato & Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Swiss Chard Dolma, Carrot Halva Over Avocado Aioli, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

So long as they don't start patenting food recipes, imitation is the highest form of flattery. How else are you going to learn? Let me hear how you fare and what you choose to pair with the fish!

Atlanta's Most Creative Foodie Festival: Attack of the Killer Tomato

One of the best ways to enjoy Atlanta in the summer heat happens when the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival roars into town.  The festival sticks to a formula that works:

• a simple, creative theme:  food or drink or both - incorporate tomatoes
• a great location (JCT Kitchen and its culinary atrium of neighboring restaurants in the White Provisions development, Westside, Atlanta)
• a great band (the Spazmatics from Austin, TX: seeking asylum, covering everything and appropriately killing it) 

and each year some lyprocene-deficient soul is sacrificed to the Man-Eating Tomato to assure cloudless, sunny skies.

Here's the story as I saw it "cherry-picking" some of my favorites.  Enjoy.

Lara gets things going smoothly.

A cocktail as delicious to drink as amazing to watch Kellie craft.

Kellie & Co. on the assembly line.

Kellie's pour of Alegria Vital ('Joie de Vivre')!

Straight-forward can be as delicious as imaginative.

Ford Fry's entry delivered on taste.

The Host, Ford Fry, JCT Kitchen.

Slapping herbs with flair to release oils. 

Asylum seekers: The Spazmatics.

Tyler Williams, Abattoir, making 'salad-of-the-future'.

Drops of each ingredient goes in, pearl sized dots of goodness come out.

The only item for which I returned for seconds.  Delicious and imaginative.

Unforgettable popsicles.

Mixologist Stuart White with one of the best in show cocktails.

Loosely translated as, 'Bad Ass'.

La Tavola

Best makeup.

Best costume.

Still Hungry?

More photos of the festival (and from years past) appear in this set: Killer Tomato Festival Photos

Related Articles

Read the review of the 2010 Killer Tomato Festival.

Read the review of the 2009 Killer Tomato Festival.

The Annual Event Too Fun to Miss in Atlanta, GA

Why Last Night's "This Is Market" Is Good for You

This Is Market, Georgia Organics, Atlanta, GA, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.


Georgia Organics - can't say enough about them.  If you appreciate the provenance of food and you care about what you eat (wherever in the world you live), give Georgia Organics a look. They're playing with your food - for your benefit.

They make a fine model for any region across the nation looking to improve community involvement in the food chain, lives of local farmers, school lunches, and basic understanding of healthy eating.

Last night's This Is Market Event, a spring fundraiser to benefit Georgia Organics, celebrated spring's arrival and offered a preview of who, what, and where the local farmer's markets around town will be selling this season.  What better place to hold the event then the neighborly local Sweetwater Brewery?  The brewery entertains in a beautiful, expansive loft-like space that features an outdoor deck for grilling and a long bar for tasting - all of which overlooks behind glass panes the production assembly line where beer meets bottle.



Some highlights:

• A reminder that David Sweeney of cherished Dynamic Dish fame, serves his style of lunch at the Bakery that's part of Cakes & Ale in Decatur. David served an amazing Kale and spelt salad with a grapefruit vinaigrette and toasted pecans.   
• Local brews from SweetWater Brewing Company
• Wine from Atlanta-Based Two Friends Imports, specializing in Macedonian produced wines. Interesting! However, the Sauvignon Blanc disappointed. It was too cloy, tin and Manischewitz-tasting for my liking.  The red Cabernet blend, however, was layered and cassis-flavored with a nice body. Very enjoyable.
• Local music from Smokey's Farmland Band
• Local Farmers Markets including East Atlanta Village, Grant Park, Peachtree Road, Urban Farmer and others

This Is Market, Georgia Organics, Atlanta, GA, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

Excellent timing for this event - hats off to Steven Satterfield of the great Miller Union for conceiving and executing on the idea, as it serves as a great preview of what farmer's markets exist in Metro Atlanta and who you are likely to see smiling when you visit them over the summer and fall.

Wine at High Tide

 I like wine tasting events.  Having organized such events for individuals and groups of all sizes, I enjoy the 'buzz' I get from interacting with the occasional wine maker at the larger events or even fellow attendees who are there to taste new flavors and exceed their expectations.  Sure, you can find some ugly behaviors (Hint: there's no such thing as getting your money's worth at a wine tasting). You can also find plenty of people who are 'label drinkers' - set on tasting what's familiar or scored the highest.  I don't begrudge them, I just throw my lot with the flavor drinkers.  My problem is in the pursuit of flavor, I can get carried away a bit - almost literally - by not having a good gameplan. Until now.

Here's my successfully tested strategy for navigating large wine tasting events like yesterday's kickoff to the annual High Museum Wine Auction weekend.  Any of the forthcoming festivals coming to Atlanta or your corner of the world this spring, summer, and fall will benefit from this approach:

1. Eat a gut bomb beforehand.  Never show up at an event on an empty stomach or relying on what may be served: it's never enough, you don't want that kind of attention, and it's never the right kind of food.  I've violated this rule more than I care to admit - usually from a busy schedule leading up to the event.  I ate a burrito to soak up and help absorb the alcohol. Pizza beforehand would work as well.
2. Get there late.  It's hard to tear yourself away from the fun so get there and let someone else say the show's over.  Showing up after the first wave of eagerness let's you use a more relaxed crowd to your advantage.
3. Go with a trusted partner.  Divide and conquer. Pick a spot to reunite every 15 minutes or so to compare notes and help each other taste the gems and avoid the dreck.
4. Find a sherpa.  If I don't see an acquaintance or a wine buyer/retailer at such an event, I find anyone approachable enough (reason again to show up later) and ask them to point me in the direction of what's good.
5. Spit, don't sip. Surrender fast and often.  If the attack or first impression of the wine in your mouth is not hinting at fireworks, spit it out if there is a dump bucket provided.  This gets harder as the event goes on, but keep trying!

Surprising Muller Thurgau from Henry Estate, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

My sherpas at the event yesterday were Chris and Andy from Hop City Beer and Wine on the Westside!  It's one of my favorite stores.  

Chris and Hop City also made an appearance at the more intimate wine tasting the previous day with Henry Estate Wines at one of Atlanta's great restaurants.

This wine was also at the larger event yesterday and I was tempted to try it again.  It will definitely be the "porch pounder" of the summer.  The Muller Thurgau grape is widely grown in Germany, but it has a wonderful home in the Umpqua Valley in Oregon too. It's low in alcohol and high on zest, lemon peel, and peaches.

More on this wine can be found here: http://www.henryestate.com/our-wines/semi-sweet-wine/muller-thurgau/


Chris, knowing I'm a flavor vs a label drinker, directed me to several amazing wines.

Seamus Wine Duo, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

Like Seamus Wines and their captivating Sauvignon Blanc from Russian River Valley, CA (not pictured).  Crisp, green apple notes, peaches, and honey dew melon - Melon! Really alive in the mouth.  It was a cruel thing to spit and dump the rest of glass.

My definition of a wine's finish is: Would I take another sip?  I considered tucking the whole bottle under my jacket.

The Seamus Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands makes the area and the finicky grape proud.  But wow what an effort to make it.  There are 3 different pinot noir clones in the bottle after being bottled for 10 months in a mix of new French oak and neutral (i.e., used) French oak.

I paid a visit to a perennially good winery Niner and tasted with Dick Niner, the owner.  I haven't tasted his wines in a couple of years, so I wanted to see if things were as good as I remembered.  After tasting their popular Sangiovese from their BootJack Ranch in Paso Robles, things are great.  In this case great means strawberries, cranberries, cherries, and some vanilla , caramel notes.  All singing in harmony and delicious in my belly.

That sip made it past my spit reminder.

Niner Sangiovese, a photo by atl10trader on Flickr.

Other wines that grabbed my interest were from Kosta Browne, Arkenstone (Howell Mountain), and interesting blends from a winery called the Scholium Project.

Chris mentioned the importance of flavor drinkers and label drinkers to events like this and especially to his retail store:  "We make our money from the people who come in and want the label that's won the awards.  We enjoy talking to and engaging the ones who come in looking for flavors."

At different times I exhibit both of these behaviors.  Yesterday was a good day to be in a flavor state of mind.