Where's the chocolate bunnies?

Happy Easter!
We went to brunch at Muss & Turners today.
We were lured by their posted menu of meats, eats, and sweet treats.

Artisan Cheese & Charcuterie Display

Slow Roasted Berkshire Ham Brined with Coca Cola

Kippered Salmon with Traditional Garnish
Tilapia Ceviche with Lime, Cilantro, Red Onion and Jalapeño
Riverview Farm Truffled Grits (Eric's favorite)
Applewood Smoked Bacon

Scrambled Eggs with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
& Fresh Italian Herbs & Parmigiano
(this was ultimately my favorite offering of the day. I'm such an egg girl and you set out these perfectly scrambled buttery rich eggs, its heavenly. Ryan Turner is there to grate a fresh layer of Parmigiano)



White Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits with Berkshire Sausage Gravy
Sweet Polenta Cakes with Balaton Cherries & Maple Syrup
Chilaquiles (‘Traditional Mexican Lasagna’)
Chicken Pozole Verde with Traditional Garnish
Organic Mixed Field Greens with Balsamic & Champagne Vinaigrette
Seasonal Fruit Salad
Vegetable Antipasto Platter
Really Serious…Like We’re Not Kidding Mac n Cheese
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Melted Chocolate Bunny Tarts with Bacon Garnish
Pine Nut Tarts with Rosemary Whipped Cream
Assorted Cookies & Brownies

Sadly, no melted bunny tarts. No pine nut tarts. No rosemary whipped cream. The kitchen seemed hectic, so this could be the reason for the substitute of flour less ganache cake (which was whoa-so-rich) and a creamy key lime pie, whose acid cut right through whatever leftover bits you had on your tongue.

There was so much to choose from, and we were thankful the buffet style allowed us a smidge of just about everything. You had to feel bad for the folks who showed up dressed in their Easter finery, who had no reservations, only to be turned away from the door. We were truly thankful we were there. And got to celebrate a quiet Easter together.

Shaun's Restaurant... March Gluten Free Prix-Fixe

First Sunday of the month brings another wonderful gluten free prix-fixe menu at Shaun's in Inman Park. Dare I say that this month was better than last time?? And last time was simply stunning, but this blew me away.

Eric and my mother ordered a varied charcuterie board with speck, bresoala, coppa, cornichons, and dijon mustard.

I started with English pea soup atop garlic flan and a tasty crispy strip of applewood smoked bacon. This was paired with Green's "Discovery" Amber Ale. That soup was really that green - fresh liquid pea. And the garlic flan, a savory creamy surprise, hidden underneath the soup, brought a great texture contrast to this silky soup.

Next was a scottish salmon with star anise oil and ginger under julienned asain pear and endive. This was paired with Green's "Quest" Tripel Blonde Ale. You wouldn't think all those go together, but once that beer hits your tongue after a forkfull of the salmon, it all makes sense. I love anise, and it translated well with this fish delicately prepared and its sweet crunchy pear neighbor.

My third course was duck leg confit with champagne sauerkraut paired with Green's "Endeavor" Dubbel Ale. Now, this is my favorite beer in the Green's GF line. And can I tell you this sauerkraut was simply the best I've ever had (Germany included). The champagne left a couple of bubbles between the kraut shreds and it really had moments it danced on your tongue. The Dubbel went well with the duck, but I just love that Dubbel with anything.


Mom had Chicken Liver Fettuccini with organic free range livers smothered under marsala wine sauce. She really enjoyed it. Eric had the braised brisket with farro, brussel sprouts, and sweetgrass dairy goat cheese. Mom snuck a taste of the sprouts and she must have a small bowl all to herself. It was that good. Especially with the creamy slightly-melted goat cheese on top.

My dessert was divine: vanilla sorbet with strawberries and cinnamon cream. Paired with a glass of Riondo Pink Prosecco. Light enough to top off the evening and I really don't think you could get a more genuine vanilla bean flavor infused that in sorbet. In a world of chocolate -vs- vanilla, I usually choose the former, however, this sorbet was quite the contender. Good thing both Eric and my Mom were too full to dip their gluten-laden silverware in my bowl for tastes - hee hee!

Tasty China

We've been meaning to go to this place for m..o..n..t..h..s and it finally took Chang to create the opportunity. Luckily, Wendy came along to navigate the menu and help us decipher the heat scales. You see, this is the restaurant for genuine Sichuan Chinese in Atlanta. Blogs are written about this place. Folks travel all of the State of Georgia for a dish. In a crappy stripmall off Franklin Road in Marietta, GA. Behind a Burger King. Next to a Latin danceclub. We probably would have missed it from the road without these details from Chang.


The menu is really dominated by your traditional Americanized Chinese food, but look past it. Turn a couple of pages until you find their specialties. Eric and I had our preferred dish lists in hand, as we had done some pre-dinner research on what was worth getting like three plates of. Keep in mind, if you get sold on a dish description online, pick out a plan b, plan c, etc. Some menus are marked through with items no longer offered. Some menus aren't. So be prepared to be flexible.

We started off with "hot and numbing beef" which is an appetizer portion of dried beef strips sauteed in the reddest chili sauce. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and put atop shredded raw cabbage, which soaks up any lingering liquid spice. This really is the dish worth ordering four of. We couldn't get enough. Each piece was even more spicy and more numbing than the last, yet you can't stop!


We also ordered the Sichuan Beef, Beef Hot Pot, Scallion Bread, Green Beans with Olives, and a fish dish with homemade tofu. The bread is absolute necessity (although I did not partake; I was all about the rice) for balancing the heat. Eric was sweating in parts he didn't know he had sweat glands. The bread (and rice) takes the edge off slightly. But you still sweat. The green beans were amazing, and definitely worth ordering again. Not hot at all, but a nice crisp green diversion from the flaming meats. The Sichuan beef had a slight breading coating, not necessarily fried, but enough to soak up even more heat than say the "hot and numbing beef".


This restaurant is definitely worth the trip - especially on one of those cold winter weekend nights when a cold front wedge has set up from the Appalachian mountains and settled in metro Atlanta. Anyone game for burning off their tastebuds? Just give us a call and we'll be there in a flash!

Tasty China
585 Franklin Road SE
Marietta, GA 30067
(770) 419-9849

They have no website, but click here for the unofficial blog on Tasty China

Steak.... Argentinian style!

I'm a month late, but thought it worthy to still post our Valentine's Day dinner at Pampas Steakhouse in Alpharetta.

Our first trip was last year, for the annual work dinner. And we discovered quite the gem in our suburban midst. In an unassuming strip mall in North Fulton, these folks really know meats, wines, and the most divine sides. It was without hesitation we book it for our mid-week Valentine's dinner.

We ordered the Argentinian grilled meat plate, essentially chicken, homemade sausages, skirt steak, and short ribs, carved tableside and wonderful sides of grilled asparagus, cipollini onions, and sauteed wild mushrooms. I would say that my favorites were the skirt steak, cooked a hair under medium, and those juicy mushrooms.

It's definitely worth the trip, especially if you want a nice cut of meat from a non-chain restaurant by folks who really know how to treat beef. The flavor is just wonderful.

Pampas Steakhouse, Alpharetta, GA