Umezono | Smyrna, Georgia USA
Outside Umezono
Ramen in a meat broth with slices of pork, spinach, boiled egg, nori and fish cake
Here’s the scenario: you just got off the plane, it’s a cold, raining, and a bit late. There’s a mixture of fatigue meets jet lag meets hunger and before you can get home to pass out, you know you gotta fill that stomach, else it’ll never let you sleep. One of my top 10 foods for such an occasion is a nice hot bowl of simple yet flavorful ramen. Chewy noodles paired with a hot broth, it’s a more elegant solution for such a situation. Mmm… so good.
Umezono (information gathered 2/2013)
2086 Cobb Pkwy
Smyrna, GA 30080
770.933.8808
Hours
Mon – Thurs 11:30am – 2:00pm, 5:30 – 10:00pm
Fri – Sat 11:30am – 2:00pm, 5:30 – 10:30pm
Sun 5:30 – 10:00pm
Parking:
Plenty of parking, generally, in front of the restaurant.
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The General Muir | Atlanta, Georgia USA
The General Muir
Spacious and open dinning area layout
The bar
General Muir deli counter
Chopped Chicken Liver – caramelized onions, toasted pretzel bread
Fish and Potatoes – smoked salmon over latkes, sour cream, apples, arugula, lemon
Corned Beef Reuben – sauerkraut, russian, Gruyere, buttered rye
A sister restaurant of West Egg Cafe (love that place) over in Howell Mill, The General Muir, led by Executive Chef Todd Ginsberg, is a Jewish deli type concept that is a little over a week old. Been meaning to go check out the eatery as the reviews from friends were quite promising. My personal experience with the service and ambiance was quite good and the food was simply lovely. If you can, order the chopped chicken liver because that thing is delicious. Probably meant more as a 4 person appetizer than 2, but wow, I think next time I’m going to eat a whole plate of it for lunch. Yes, it is that good.
Some fun facts I learned from Sonia Chopra’s article at Eater.com, the eatery got its name per the USS General C. H. Muir. During the aftermath of World War II, the owner’s mother and grandmother, both Holocaust survivors, were brought to the United States thanks to this ship; the name is to show homage to the vessel of their salvation. I really admire restaurants that give thought to the name. It adds so much depth and character, gives a sense of connection once you learn its history. A lovely place. I will be back.
The General Muir (information gathered 2/2013)
1540 Avenue Place, Suite B-230
Avenue Pl Atlanta, GA
678.927.9131
Hours – Dining Room
Breakfast
Mon – Fri 7:00am – 10:30am
Brunch
Sat, Sun 8:00am – 3:00pm
Lunch
Mon – Fri 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner
Sun – Thurs 5:30 – 9:00pm
Fri, Sat 5:30 – 10:00pm
Hours – Deli
Mon – Fri 7:00am – 5:30pm
Sat, Sun 8:00am – 5:30pm
Parking:
Free parking in the Emory Point Parking Deck. 2 hours during the day, 3 hours in the evening. Not sure the cost after that point. Also there are metered parking (max of 45 minutes at a time, credit card only).
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Happy Lunar New Year! – Home | Atlanta, Georgia USA
Rice Cake with mushroom, cabbage, dried shrimp, minced pork
Stir fried bok choy
Combination Platter – smoked chicken, roast pork, bbq pork, jellyfish
Steamed Red Snapper – soy sauce, green scallion, ginger, garlic
Tofu, mushroom, beef balls, oyster, black moss, sea cucumber
Curry Beef – tender beef, potato, lemongrass and spices
Stir fried shrimp and bell peppers
Braised Pork Trotter, snow peas, baby corn, carrot, mushroom
A Happy Lunar New Year to everyone! A little different format for this post as it’s all homecooked versus dishes you find at a restaurant. Perhaps this is a good segway to injecting some recipe type entries onto this site! 🙂 As you can see, we ate very well this past weekend with some people dear to me. What a great way to bring in the New Lunar Year! The dishes above are based on my family’s Malaysian Chinese decent, so what you may have could be similar in some while different in others.
For the most part, a lot of the dishes above have a strong symbolic meaning. And let me preface that such symbolisms are derived in part of the tones/pronunciation for the produce or protein. For example, the way you might say “fish” in Chinese/Taiwanese, has the same pronunciation to the word that is defined to be “surplus or remain”. Because of that similarity, it is very typical for families to have fish to consume the day before the new year, as it is just as important to leave some of that same fish for the first dinner of the new year; this action ties in the definition of “surplus or remain” in combination of the consumption of “fish”.
Some other dualities or foods we ate, symbolizing good meanings, were:
- Pork – a ton of blessings
- Rice cake – Is the official food of some forms of lunar new year celebration. Symbolizes compounded prosperity
- Black moss – good luck or exceeded wealth
- Shrimp – happiness and great fortune
- Black mushroom – longevity
- Tofu that is fried – gold
- Sea Cucumber – happiness
- Green leafy vegetables (bok choy) – close family ties
For those who celebrated, I hope this is a great year for you! As friends and families have hinted, if you were not successful with your resolution when Jan 1, 2013 had hit, maybe the Lunar New Year will be a good second chance 🙂 May the year of the snake bring wealth, good health, and happiness to all.
Thanks for swinging by!
-MW
Lunar New Year (information gathered 2/2013)
Cultures that celebrate this day:
Chinese/Taiwanese New Year
Japanese New Year (before 1873)
Korean New Year (Seollal)
Mongolian New Year (Tsagaan Sar)
Tibetan New Year (Losar)
Vietnamese New Year (T?t)
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Wikipedia website
Batdorf and Bronson Roastery | Atlanta, Georgia USA
Look at all that deliciousness in one drop!
Shortly after arriving, how awesome to be asked if I’d like a cup of cappucino!
Made by Jason!
mmm….
Le Nez du Cafe; a box of aromas to train your senses.
All sorts of new things to learn about! Have my eyes set on that Bonavita variable temp thermal kettle!
Beans from the world. Free Trade / Organic
Roasting, having fun using the 90-kilo Probat roaster from the 1960s. What a beast! Oh and let’s make sure to note, Batdorf and Bronson was green before green was green! 100% renewable. Wow.
Roasted.
Packing station
What a treat! I had been chatting with Jason Dominy from Batdorf and Bronson regarding all things coffee, and he was nice enough to ask if I wanted to swing by to have all my questions answered. A very informative tour that took about an hour; he pretty much set aside as much time as I needed to get all my coffee related questions answered. Also, if you happen to follow him on twitter, he is really quick to reply to your questions! Oh and don’t tell anybody, but not only does he make you an amazing cup of coffee upon arrival, he teaches you how to do it for yourself when back at home – because let’s face it, we don’t have a Jason Dominy to make us delicious cups of coffee at home :(,
A really fun room was definitely the one with all the awesome coffee equipment. Every coffee related item I’ve ever seen and more; the best part of it all? Jason was open to show/tell me what they were all about. My favorite part of the tour was seeing all the workers happy to be there. The interaction between everyone just made you feel even better drinking the amazing coffee that had been roasted right here in Atlanta, Georgia!!
Tips and Tricks:
– Clever Dripper – best tool a home consumer can buy to brew a wonderful and clean cup of coffee
– Use filtered water to brew a more impurity free cup of coffee
– Rinse your filter before use; reduce the filter’s flavor imparting into your java
– Best temperatures for extraction is 195-205 degrees
– Conventional coffee brewing machines never get water to optimal temperatures for extraction
– A Le Nez du Cafe is a cool tool to train your sense of smell; expensive though
– Light, Air, and Moisture strongly reduces the lifespan of roasted coffee
– Best to use a burr grinder; more even grind
– Grounded coffee should be used for brew within a week’s time
– Bloom your coffee! To bloom is to wet the grinds for a short duration, allowing degassing to take place; then, it’s best to pour the remaining water, optimizing water to grounds exposure – imparting more flavor per water.
After the short visit to Batdorf and Bronson, I have to say.. I’m a true believer! Did I mention I didn’t really drink coffee too much previously? And when I did, it was just for the caffeine? Trust me… try it and it’ll change you for the better. If you live in Atlanta, do yourself a favor and setup a tour with Jason. Actually, if you are available Feb 27th or 28th, go check out the Team Hidi tour via Atlanta Culinary Tours. Your favorite coffee guru, Jason, is leading both sessions of coffee 101! Check out the event here. Not only will you learn, you’ll also help an amazing cause!! Read up on Team Hidi, it’ll make you want to do your part; heck, a huge part of great Atlanta based restaurants and businesses are!
Thanks!
MW
Batdorf and Bronson (information gathered 2/2013)
1530 Carroll Dr NW #100,
Atlanta, GA 30318
404.351.0071
Hours
Mon – Thu 9:00am – 5:00pm (tours only between 7:00 – 10:00am)
Parking:
Plenty.
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Blue Heron Restaurant | Sunderland, Massachusetts USA
Blue Heron Restaurant
Oysters
Mini Mason Jar with Housemade Ricotta and Local Honeycomb
Pan seared Blue Fish with seasonal vegetables, garnished with local strawberries.
While driving through the North Hampton / Amherst, I passed by this interesting looking house who had been converted into a restaurant. Upon looking online at their menu, it looked quite promising and decided to stop by for a bite. Little did I know, this would become one of my favorite restaurants in the Western Mass area. Also, if you’re a big localvore, you’ll be pleased to know that there is references to the likes of 44 different local farms!!
If there was one dish that I favored and if you are in the area, please please please do yourself a favor and try it out. Mini Mason Jar with Housemade Ricotta and Local Honeycomb. Absolutely delicious. A cool smooth ricotta with a textured honeycomb on a warm toast. Holy smokes is it amazing!
Blue Heron Restaurant (information gathered 1/2013)
112 North Main Street, Route 47 North
Sunderland, Massachusetts
413-665-2102
Hours
Tues – Sun 5:00 – 9:00pm
Fri – Sat until 5:00 – 10:00pm
Parking:
A few parking spaces at the front of the restaurant.
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Craigie on Main | Boston, Massachusetts USA
Sweetbreads
Roasted grass-fed beef bone marrow
Vermont Pork Three-Ways
Craigie on the Main, Chef Tony Maws
On Assignment for Chefs Feed!! 😀
This was a great opportunity to meet Chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main. Was setup with a lucky one to many session where Chef Tony Maws and staff worked hard to get each dish out for me. Shot an array of dishes and each one looked even more mouth watering than the first. Don’t they look absolutely delicious!? Favorite was definitely the sweetbread. What a fabulous dish! Will definitely need to make another trip out to Boston soon to try more of Chef Maws’ cuisine.
Until next time.
Craigie on Main (information gathered 1/2013)
853 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617.497.5511
Hours
Closed Mon
Tues – Thurs 5:30-10:00pm
Fri – Sat 5:30-10:30pm
Sun 10:30am-1:30pm
Parking:
Parking deck nearby.
Please be advised, all images and content are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Got questions? Email me: mweats <dot> info <at> gmail <dot> com
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