The weather forecast for a while is blah but there are fantastic goings on around town that might not be on your radar. Here are three noteworthy food pop-ups to jump on and a save the date for early bird pricing for a food festival.
Ever had Swedish Thai food? Now is the chance. Inspired by a recent trip to IKEA, the guys behind Talat Market (Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter) and Swedish American chef Paul Westin came up with this unusual combination. On Thursday, Feb. 21 they collaborate at Ponce City Market’s Root Baking Co.
They haven’t released the proposed menu yet but we know the smörgåsbord will be tasty. Herring? Rye bread? Meatballs? Talat Market dinners sell out fast and Atlantans can’t wait for the anticipated spring opening of the brick and mortar restaurant (112 Ormond St. SE). Dessert will no doubt be fantastical. Westin is the Executive Pastry chef for Rathbun Restaurant Group.
Tickets are available here. Doors open at 6:30 pm and dinner begins at 7 pm. The folks at Root will have a curated menu of a la carte beer, wine, and cocktails. Perhaps Glogg? Put on your favorite Nordic sweater, and we will meet you there.
Root Baking Co. 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 470-639-8046, talatmarketatl.com.
Chef Alex Bolar hosts a private dining experience in an intimate space in Downtown’s Castleberry Hill Arts District. The Le Cordon Bleu grad focuses on local and seasonal ingredients to create a both visually stunning and creatively delicious six course tasting.
Bolar’s style is fitting of the Instagram hashtag #theartofplating, with plenty of tweezering placement of micro herbs and edible flowers. He plates pan roasted trout with claret ribbons of smoked beets, bacon mostards, crispy onions, and buckwheat. Similarly exquisite is a dessert of granny smith apple granite with Bavarian cream and fresh borage. Art on a plate.
Bolar’s next seating is Saturday, Feb. 16 beginning at 7 pm. Tickets are available via Tock for $65 per person.
Éclair. 249 peters St. SW. Atlanta. Eclairatlanta.com.
Curious about oysters? Author André Joseph Gallant stops by The Battery’s Garden and Gun Club this Saturday. Gallant’s book, “A High Low Tide,” will be available for purchase. Admission to the event includes oysters steamed, raw, and grilled, gumbo, and a drink ticket good for one draft beer or glass of wine.
Gallant’s book and his talk at G&G is the story of the Southeast coast, its oystermen of the past and its aquaculture future. Learn the biology and ecology of bivalves with a focus on the taste of place. Guests will no doubt walk away from the session using words like merrier, the flavor imparted by various areas of the ocean.
Chef Ann Kim will prepare the oysters and gumbo. Tasting is from 2-5 pm on February 16.
Garden & Gun Club. 2605 Circle 75 Pkwy., Atlanta. 770-726-0925, gardenandgunclub.com
Mark your Calendar
The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival returns this spring for its annual event. (AFWF launched in 2010.) Early bird tickets (with early bird pricing) go on sale Friday, March 15. The festival runs May 30-June 2 with over 150 southern chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists hailing from cities from DC to Texas.
This year’s theme is Off the Beaten Path with a focus on off the grid destinations and rising culinary stars. There will be hands-on Master Classes, unique dining experiences, and learning seminars. Tasting tents with unlimited tasting have a new home this year in Old Fourth Ward Park.
“This year’s theme was driven by our curiosity and desire to try new dishes and ingredients from places we might not think to normally visit,” said Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Co-Founder Elizabeth Feichter. “We are looking forward to everyone joining us on this adventure, and hope they enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed planning it.”
Atlanta food & Wine Festival, atlfoodandwinefestival.com/faqs/
Contributed by Angela Hansberger
