Mason Tavern, Decatur GA

You know how that first week after the time change, it feels like the middle of the night when it’s only seven o’clock? And how the rain doesn’t help? Well, a couple of weeks ago, Daylight Savings Time ended and Marie and I accepted an invitation to visit Mason Tavern, the newest restaurant from the Concentrics Group. It opened earlier this summer, on Clairmont in the same strip mall as Community Q. They’re aiming for an above-average “community gathering place,” and, with Chavez Hernandez, formerly of Saltyard, in charge of the kitchen, they’ve assembled a new Southern menu with many of the usual suspects in this category of late – hot chicken, pork belly, brunch – and a particularly interesting beer menu. All of the beers they have on tap are from Georgia brewers, which is wonderful. Continue reading “Mason Tavern, Decatur GA” →

The Brickery, Sandy Springs GA (take three) (CLOSED)

We have a crowded schedule at the best of times, and November and December are just about the worst of times, so we made sure to get over to the Brickery Grill and Bar for what will probably be our last supper there a few weeks ago. After a quarter of a century, the Sandy Springs institution will be shutting its doors in a few weeks. Developers have bought the dying strip mall where the restaurant currently resides and will soon be erecting some gigantic thing or other, apparently because the traffic at Roswell Road, Hildebrandt, Hammond, Mount Vernon and Johnson Ferry isn’t terrible enough already. Continue reading “The Brickery, Sandy Springs GA (take three) (CLOSED)” →

Mickey Pigg’s BBQ, Alto GA

In the previous chapter, I mentioned that a couple of barbecue places along US-23 in northeastern Georgia had been patiently waiting for us to give them a visit. Tomlin’s was one, and Mickey Pigg’s was the other. From the city limit signs, it would appear to be in the town of Baldwin, but it claims an Alto mailing address. It’s about fifteen miles north of the far end of I-985, and it’s celebrating 21 years in business. Continue reading “Mickey Pigg’s BBQ, Alto GA” →

Tomlin’s BBQ, Rabun Gap GA

Last month, Marie and the boychild and I took a little day trip up to the mountains to enjoy the fall colors. This is the sort of trip that we might have made every fall before we had a baby; we’ve agreed that our son is a little too prone to racing ahead of us and not hearing “stop” to be quite ready to visit Tallulah Gorge, but we hope that we’ll be comfortable with taking him next year. Continue reading “Tomlin’s BBQ, Rabun Gap GA” →

Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern, Atlanta GA

Earlier this year, we visited the popular 10th & Piedmont in Atlanta and learned that this restaurant is the third and newest of three owned by Sean Yeremyan and his brother Gilbert. Hobnob, their second venture, opened in 2009 in the home of a former Caribou Coffee at the corner of Piedmont and Monroe, across the street from Ansley Mall. You know where Metronome Music used to be? That corner. Although don’t park in the old Metronome lot; Hobnob employs a valet as their own lot is quite small. Continue reading “Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern, Atlanta GA” →

Penzeys Nicaraguan-style Red Beans with Pulled Chicken

This is Marie, contributing a recipe from one of our beloved Penzeys catalogs. This one comes under the easy-but-not-quick category. As with any recipe involving dry beans, you will want to take your time in order to ensure that the beans reach that level of buttery softness that makes them so good – nothing spoils a bean like a crunch in the middle. Continue reading “Penzeys Nicaraguan-style Red Beans with Pulled Chicken” →