Restaurant Review: Six Feet Under

We had dinner Wednesday night at Six Feet Under.  The Mister and I had dined there this past April, and we liked it so much we wanted a return trip.   The occasion was the Mister’s birthday and our grown children would be joining us. 

Six Feet Under has two Atlanta locations……437 Memorial Drive, S.E. and 685 11^th Street.    We have only been to the Memorial Drive/Grant Park location so far, but love the atmosphere.   It’s a great restaurant…..tavern……and hang out spot with lots of beer choices and interesting food.

  

First of all Six Feet Under is located in a great historic place with a  Grant Park address….close to neighborhoods like Cabbagetown and Glenwood Park, PLUS it overlooks historic Oakland Cemetery making my history loving toes curl. 

In fact, the reason why the Mister and I ended up at Six Feet Under in the first place had to do with the fact we were enjoying a Sunday afternoon wandering through the 48 acre cemetery visiting the graves of folks like golfer Bobby Jones, Gone with the Wind’s author…Margaret Mitchell, and various other Atlanta notables.

The complex that houses Six Feet Under is known collectively as The Jane and it’s more than just a restaurant.   The complex offers office and retail space and loft condos are in the mix as well.

Second, the restaurant is housed in a reclaimed Atlanta manufacturing company.  The building used to be the home of Southern Elevator Company as far back as the 1920s.   A blurb on the Six Feet Under menu states, “According to local old-timers the factory produced everything except those ‘really fancy cabs’.  A former controller at the factory enjoys ‘sitting in his old office’ now that [the restaurant has moved in.]”  

While the space was renovated for the restaurant there are still signs that the space was a manufacturing spot with exposed pipes and factory windows.  There is a bar downstairs 

…along with a main dining room.   Notice all of the old beer signs along the walls.

Take a walk up the beautiful staircase and you find yourself with one of the best views of Atlanta’s skyline where you can dine and drink on the rooftop.

During our afternoon visit in April the place was packed and we had to wait a few minutes for a table.  The Mister sampled the oysters….

….while I ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes.   I’ve tried everyone’s from Savannah to Asheville….so why would this be any different?   We joke that we are on an extended Fried Green Tomato tour across the South.   

I pronounce these to be yummy.   The tomatoes are dusted with a cornmeal rub and deep fried…then brought to you drizzled with a horseradish-dill sauce and a few chopped tomatoes scattered about.

I then opted for the Fried Chicken Tacos.   The waiter delivered three soft flour tortillas to the table stuffed with fried chicken, cotija cheese, shredded lettuce, roasted corn.  Each taco was drizzled with spicy salsa drizzle and a fried jalapeno.  A little salsa verde was served on the side.

The mister had the Black n’ Bleu Slider which consisted of a honey wheat bun, bleu cheese crumble, fried leeks and chopped spinach.  

Everything was great!

Wednesday night's dinner was great as well…..

Dear Daughter had to sample the Crab Cakes…..four sautéed crab cakes served over fresh spinach and topped with corn, micro greens and mustard sauce.

She also sampled the Chilled Cucumber Soup…..served with a crab cake and topped with micro greens and Sriacha – a Vietnamese hot sauce.   I admired how the soup was presented with dots of the Sriacha on the lip of the bowl.

Dear Son followed in his father’s footsteps and enjoyed the Black n’  Bleu Slider while the Mister and Dear Daughter enjoyed Crab Legs which were described as being a fisherman’s pound.   

I had the Fried Shrimp basket and the one word I could use to describe my meal would be……LIGHT.     Yes, it was fried, but I didn’t leave the restaurant feeling like I had just ingested a greasy meal.   The basket came with several shrimp, homemade chips, and two hushpuppies which were unique.   They seemed to be a mix of flour and cornmeal….with the end result being more like a cake than the normal hushpuppy.   While I didn’t rave over them…..it was a nice change, and I try to be open to new ways of preparing food.  The menu stated the hush puppies as well as the tartar sauce were prepared with chopped jalapeno, but they weren’t hot at all.

As I mentioned above one of the enticements of visiting Six Feet Under has to do with Oakland Cemetery……check out some of my pictures I took at the cemetery in May and one of my favorite Oakland stories over at Georgia on My Mind.

Setting a Lovely Table

If you had to query some of my friends for my weaknesses I venture to say that a majority of them would mention jewelry as a top weakness.  They would be right.  I do love my baubles, geegaws, and trinkets. 

My friends may say I have a weakness for dining out, and they would be correct.  I love to try a new restaurant, to try different versions of the same dish, to experience the different décor in various restaurants.

However, one of my major weaknesses I try to keep under control….mainly because it can be so expensive….is I adore decorating a table.  Plates, cups, saucers, various pieces of silver, crystal, mixing and matching things, using unusual items to decorate a table….I adore all of it.   I have several different sets of dishes and glassware.   When I’m out shopping I will pick up a set a of dishes or items that might make a great table-scape like folks pick up a new shirt or pair of pants.

 If I ever win the lottery I will have a room….not a closet….but a ROOM devoted to table linens, glassware, china, silver, napkin rings, and objects to use on dining tables.  

However, until I win the lottery I’ll just have to keep my weakness under control. 

I  went to the Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival today and one of the sections of the flower show including table decorations…..I snapped up several pictures to refer to later for ideas. 

You can click on each picture to enlarge it a bit and see it isolated on a page by itself.  Then hit the "back" button to return to the post.

Here they the tables I loved:

I need a set of red glasses like these.....

Notice the greenery tucked into the napkin.....

Look at the plate on this table.  I love the deep red....

I don't particularly like the table cloth for this design, but it does stick to the horsey theme.  

This picnic scape is one of my favorites.   The trunk, the basket and the hat all add to the theme for a country picnic while you are out gathering a bouquet of hydrangeas.

Some of the entries were for buffet tables....my preferred way to serve a large crowd.   I love the mix of flowers here......

This is another buffet setting that caught my eye.   

It's hard to tell in the picture but placed along the table were peacock placements or a runner of some sort.   I'm really coveting these napkin rings.  Love them!!!

This was an interesting table, too!   Greens and tans......    Loving the simple basket to prop the plates up with the napkins draped over....

                                     

There were flowers and lanterns all down this buffet table.....

The center bouquet was interesting.   Yes!!!!  They used green apples in the bottom of the glass container to keep the flowers stationary.  

This is the same arrangement from the top....

Another section of table designs has to do with breakfast trays.  I loved this particular one because it's so simple yet elegant with unique plate choice.    Love!!!!    

What's more elegant than white and silver?   The theme for this year's festival was The Royals tying in types of hydrangeas with the Queen of England's Jubilee.   This table designer picked up on the theme as well.  The napkins rings were rhinestone tiaras.

This is from the table above....I loved the detail of wrapping the wine bottle in white.

And the last table I snapped pictures of.....lovely china.   Too lovely not to get a picture.  I was very tempted to turn over a piece to see what it was....but I didn't.  :)

The same table as above but showing the full detail.....notice the small box on the table next to the flowers.  It had the wedding portrait of the Queen of England and Prince Phillip painted on it.

Former UGA football coach Vince Dooley was the featured speaker for this year’s hydrangea festival.   He shared his love of gardening with us as well as some pictures of his gardens. 

You can see some pictures of him and his gardens I've posted over at Georgia on My Mind

Restaurant Review: Meet Me at Marlow's Tavern

I’ve always wanted to own a little neighborhood bar and grill.  You know….the kind of place where everyone knows your name….

Seriously though…it would be nice to have a place with great atmosphere to share good food and beverages with friends, but I’ll probably never have my own place.  Why invent the wheel when the Atlanta area has SO many great places to enjoy?

I love to try new places, but one tavern with a neighborhood feel keeps drawing me back time and time again, and I’m fairly certain that if I owned a place it would be very similar to Marlow's Tavern.

What’s not to love….

The décor is simple with dark woods and walls filled with black and white prints in simple frames of all sizes.  Booths, tables for two, and high-tops for large groups fill the dining room along with a bar that begs for your company.

Along the back of the Vinings location – my regular haunt though I have ventured into the Kennesaw location, too – is an open kitchen where you can see the staff in an orchestrated frenzy as they prepare your meal.

As bar food goes Marlow’s is the top….I’ve tried the Truffled Pamesan Fries and the Asparagus Fries with Citrus Aioli.

Asparagus Fries with Citrus Aioli

My husband enjoys the Grilled Atlantic Salmon while one of my personal favorites is the Shrimp and Grits….a white cheddar grit cake with spinach, tomato shallot and sauce Beurre Blanc.

Shrimp and Grits....

As far as drinks go they have all the usual drinks, but I tend to go with many of the more unsual offerings such as the BLT Blood Mary featuring house made bacon vodka with caraway and thyme infused spiced tomato juice or the Grapefruit Ricky with Smirnoff vodka, grapefruit juice, lime juice, St. Germaine and fresh grapefruit.    The other night I tried the Cream Soda which was a tried and true cream soda mixed with vanilla flavored vodka.   Yum…….

An adult version of Cream Soda

My husband and I have stopped by Marlow’s for dinner at the normal dinner hour as well as dinner on a Saturday night as late as 11 p.m.  We’ve stopped in for a drink or two on our way home from various events.   In fact, our family ended up there last year for my Mother’s Day brunch when our first choice proved to be a little too busy.

The Vinings location has live entertainment Wednesday through Sunday….and the patio is now open.  Their full menu is always available until closing….Sunday through Thursday until midnight and Friday through Saturday until 2 a.m.

See you there!

Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Tangy Broccoli Slaw

One night last week I decided I wouldn’t go to the store.  I had things in the freezer I needed to use, so I rummaged around and found a pork loin roast.  Well, actually it was half of a rather large one I had picked up from the grocery store when they had them on sale. 

I had seen a particular recipe in Simple magazine earlier in the day and it called for broccoli slaw….and I happened to have a package, and didn’t want to waste it.   To make this recipe even more interesting to try it involves the crock pot…..I was rather busy, and anytime I can work straight through and STILL have something cooked for dinner I jump on the opportunity.

1 medium red onion, sliced

8 T. cider vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 12-ounce package broccoli slaw (4 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

¼ cup tomato paste (1 small can)

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 T. Dion mustard

1 T. Cajun seasoning

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2 pieces

4 thick slices sandwich bread, toasted

In a medium bowl, mix together the red onion, 4 tablespoons of the vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of the remaining vinegar, and ¼  teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Fold in the broccoli slaw and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

In a 4-to 6-quart slow cooker, mix together the yellow onion, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Cajun seasoning, the remaining 2-tablespoons of vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Add the pork and turn to coat.

Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Using two forks, shred the pork and mix it into the cooking liquid.   Serve the pork and onions on the toast with the broccoli slaw.

Drunken Gummy Bears

Finally!   A reason to buy Gummy Bears even though my children are grown and grandchildren are far, far down the road.

What you will need:

Alcohol of your choice

Bowl….with a lid to prevent alcohol evaporation

Fridge

Gummy Bears or any other type of gummy candy can be used

That’s it for ingredients.   Simple, huh?

Put the gummy bears in the bowl.  Pour the liquor you are using in the bowl and cover about a ¾ inch over the top of the gummy bears.

Put the lid on the bowl.

These MUST be left in the fridge, if not they will fall apart and turn into a huge glob of goo.

The minimum to soak these is about 5 days, but the longer the better for them!

Make sure to stir them 1-2 times daily to get them evened out.

Per this source website here are some interesting facts:

You can use ANY kind of alcohol to make them.

Alcohol by volume:  7-10 gummy bears equal one shot of the liquor you are using.

Yes, they will get you drunk – they are soaked in alcohol.     Keep them away from children!

They will stay good in the fridge for a very long time.

Serve them with a toothpick for cleaner eating.

Herb and Garlic Roast Pork Loin with Honey Mustard

1 ½ pounds boneless pork loin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

1 T. chopped fresh thyme

1 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 ½ t. minced fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/3 cup plus 2 T. Dijon mustard

2 whole heads garlic

3 T. honey

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.  Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.   Transfer the pork to a cutting board.

Return the skillet to medium heat.  Add the butter, thyme, rosemary, garlic; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the panko and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until the panko is golden, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a piece of wax or parchment paper.

Brush the pork with 2 tablespoons of the mustard and roll in the toasted breadcrumbs to coat.  

Return the coated pork to the skillet.  Halve the garlic heads crosswise and add to the skillet. 

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees, about 45 minutes.  Transfer the pork and garlic to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the skillet over medium-low heat.   Add the honey, remaining 1/3 cup mustard, and ¼ cup water and stir until combined.  Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Slice the pork and serve with the roasted garlic and the mustard sauce.

I served the pork loin with green beans and pierogies (Polish potato dumplings) filled with mashed potatoes sautéed in a little olive oil.

Balsamic Glazed Carrots

Yellow carrots.

Yep, that was one of the veggies I served up with dinner tonight.   I found them at Trader Joe's in the freezer section.....a bag of sliced yellow and the more familiar orange kind.

They have yellow carrots?   Who knew?

Colored carrots aren't anything new.  

The Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have raised carrots that reflect every color of the rainbow.

Purple and yellow carrots were eaten more than 1,000 years ago in Afghanistan and 700 years ago in western Europe.

However, in earlier times carrots were grown for their leaves and seeds.   The roots weren't as popular as they are today.  

Tonight I tried this carrot recipe...and it's a keeper!

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute carrots in oil for 10 minutes, or till tender.  Stir in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.  Mix to coat and serve.  

Serves 4

We served these carrots along with grilled boneless pork chops and aged Indian basmati and wild rice with garden herbs and vegetables from Trader Joe's and a glass or two of their Charles Shaw Pino Grigio.  The Charles Shaw label is often referred to as Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck...very nice table wine at an affordable price!!!