Summer 2011 (Part 1):
This past year was kind of weird, but the one constant in it was some decent chow. Still, I haven't posted very often, and that is lame. So now that the Mercury got up into the 90's this weekend and it's the start of the summer season, I thought maybe I should revisit last summer and a few of its highlights:
One unusually hot-ass day in early May of last year, I was working on a Sunday and it sucked, but at least we were getting paid double-time. Still, I was exhausted and just wanted to get out of there. One of my crew said he was going to pick-up Jamaican food from a little spot in the neighborhood, so I asked him to get me the fish. I was thinking it would be brown-stew whiting or some other kind of filet. Imagine my surprise when this big bastard showed-up, complete with rice & peas, cabbage, and plantains. I swore I wouldn't do it, but I ended up eating the whole damn thing over the course of the afternoon. Of course, then I was even more miserable working in the heat, but damn, that was some good fish.
Here was the drill at my house last Memorial Day, and it was pretty good. I can't imagine this year being much better. Grilled brats, organic burgers, baked beans, tequila, and German beer. All your basics.
I like to do a saute of onions and sauerkraut in butter and said German beer.
Even broke in a new Weber in the process. Did I mention the tequila?
Finally found Kalik beer from the Bahamas in local stores, too.
Could only manage a half brat along with the burger and all the sides, at least for that round:
Then the food trucks rolled in. I'd heard a lot of chatter for the last couple years about how Atlanta had to change its laws to permit the use of mobile food trucks, and that this was the hipster food trend in other cities. Well, something happened alright, and for me at least, it seemed like 2011 was the summer of food trucks. In the following year they've become so commonplace as to become almost tiresome, even having there own designated "park" (a shadeless gravel lot off I-75 at Howell Mill). But those first few times were a lot of fun, no doubt...
I hit the Pup Truck that first day at the Arts Center and had the Bulldog: chili, cheese, onions, and mustard. Finally, a natural casing dog in GA!
My co-worker had that day's special, the Dalmatian: black beans, white cheddar, sour cream, and onions. Not my bag, but she seemed to like it.
King of Pops, an Atlanta institution in it's own right, was there too. I think I had Lime Basil and it was incredibly refreshing that sweltering June afternoon.
Another day, at Atlantic Station in July, I finally got to try Yumbii Korean tacos, an offshoot of the Hankook Taqueria. Every other time there was a brutal line that I did not have time for. They did not disappoint.
That time it was about the excellent Panko-breaded fish, and a Ribeye taco for me. I've had both many times since.
My companion hit the Sweet Auburn BBQ truck and got your standard pork sandwich plate with fries and slaw. Bold move in a parking lot in the summer.
I finished up with a mini-cheeseburger from Slider U.
Another day in August I visited the Tamale Queen for a pork and a chicken, with dueling red and green sauces.
Again, I finished strong with a pulled pork taco from Yumbii. These guys have a restaurant in Midtown now called Takorea that will be getting a post of its own shortly.
To Be Continued...
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