Knowing that the food and drink in Atlanta would be incredible, I was careful with caloric intake before I left Virginia, and I exercised every day during my trip. That turned out to be a good decision, as Atlanta cuisine did not disappoint! The only difficult part of the visit was choosing where to go and what to eat. So many choices, and chain restaurants were not part of the equation!
** Disclosure: I am not a food critic nor food blogger. I’m just offering some suggestions should you get to Atlanta anytime soon. **
My first meal was at Leon’s Full Service.
Housed in a former gas station, the owners “long for a time when you pulled up to a gas station and immediately about 4 people would descend upon your vehicle with smiles”. Their philosophy is to provide the restaurant version of Full Service.
My Trout Po Boy with house remoulade, b&b pickles, tomato,
baby iceberg on toasted ciabatta was so flavorful, and my cocktail, the Corpse Revivier No. 2
with ethereal gin, cointreau, lemon, cocchi americano, and la muse verte absinthe was divinely refreshing.
The appetizer? Goat Cheese stuffed Peppadews.
I love that the bartender dressed as if working at a Full Service Gas Station.
My second meal, at 4th and Swift also featured trout, a main dish frequently found on Atlanta menus. Evidently there are some wonderful trout farms in Atlanta. Pre-dinner cocktails were as creative at 4th & Swift as at every other place that I visited, and my Green With Envy cocktail (Clement “Canne Bleue” Rhum Blanc, Cucumber & Basil Syrup, Fresh Lime, Cucumber & Basil Cube) was the perfect summer drink, and incredibly refreshing.
(Photo Credit: 4th & Swift)
I have no photos from this meal, but my Bramlett Farms Trout La Plancha (Sauteed Green Tomatoes, Red Spring Onions, Smoked Shitake, Miso, Sunflower Seeds) was fresh and delicious. A dessert of Stickey Toffee Pudding (vanilla ice cream, candied pecans, toffee sauce) was the perfect birthday dessert for Andrew.
Saturday morning began at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. Originally started in Charleston, SC, the Atlanta restaurant opened late in 2015. Each biscuit is made by hand, baked while you wait, using simple, fresh ingredients including White Lily flour, buttermilk, butter and cream cheese. No calories here! The biscuits are insanely good!
Amidst all the eating and drinking, we visited Krog Street Market, a “destination for Atlanta’s intown culture; those who are always searching for unique, specialty creations. It’s designed to be as authentic as the 1920’s warehouse it’s built into”. You walk in, order your beer, and shop!
The Ponce City Market “breathes new life into the historic Sears, Roebuck & Co. building in Atlanta. The classic structure, which is the area’s largest adaptive reuse project, has been reinvented as a vibrant community hub housing the Central Food Hall, various shops, flats and offices, all while pointing back to the roots of its inception”.
The Beltline runs right next to Ponce City Market, and cyclists are able to leave their bikes with the bike valet, and step inside for lunch, a cold beer, and some shopping. The place was buzzing with energy, the smell of delicious food, and a diverse crowd of people. So fun!
Before heading home for the day, we stopped into the Brick Store Pub, “a neighborhood pub where conversation dominates, pints are served properly and in the appropriate glassware, service is friendly and knowledgeable and the food is made from scratch every day, all accented by a beautiful historic building located on a bustling town square”.
Almost done, I promise! Before leaving town on Sunday, we visted Rreal Taco, a casual Mexican taqueria. The chef owner wanted to create authentic Mexican flavors —all natural, local, and organic whenever possible”.
The food was so yummy that I didn’t even stop to take a picture 🙂 Photo Credit: Rreal Taco
Phew! You made it to the end. Are you hungry now?
Next Post: Green Atlanta
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 
Hope to get to Atlanta in September. Beginning to plan our get-away to the East Coast for a few weeks after Labor Day. Great post…..and, YES!, I’m hungry. (Breakfast shortly….hehe)
Oh how exciting! A trip to the East Coast. Are you going to multiple places?
I do love a road trip!
From south Atlanta up the coast to Maine!!!!
Oh how fun! I’ll be anxious to follow along!
Cuisine and cocktails!! Two of my favorite things and so I enjoyed this post very much ;o) I know now where to go when visting Atlanta! Xo Johanna
So glad you liked this post, Johanna. I’m already looking forward to the next visit and new places to explore.
I love the biking valet at Ponce Market. What a great idea! The Brick Store pubooks so inviting, but the place I’d like to go is the Mexican restaurant. That plate of food looks so scrumptious!
Oh my gosh, those tacos were so yummy! Fresh, flavorful, and authentic, which from my limited experience of authentic, means that it didn’t taste like all the typical mexican-american places around the county (not that I mind those either 🙂 )
I guess I should have eaten breakfast before reading this Laurie because now I’m really hungry. You are so great at promoting the places you visit that I see a new career after you retire from you current one. Cant wait to see what you post after your trip to New York 🙂
Oh, you know I’ll be posting all kinds of fun things from New York!
👍😊
I agree with Joe!
LOL
These photos are fantastic, Laurie! I love your perspective of the places you visit.
Thanks, Lori! It’s all about exploring new things, and that just makes me happy.
Glad you like the photos!
A gastronomic and alcoholic [?] delight 🙂 I haven’t had a cocktail in years – you made me remember the days when we used to experiment with all the fun flavours and get just a little toasted along the way – and I’m still on first coffee!! Atlanta is obviously a delightful place to visit!
Such a fun place to explore, Pauline. I think you’ll like the “Green Atlanta” post coming up next, which also includes photos of Andrew, Jon, and the dogs 🙂
Sounds like some good eating. I have to tell you that White Lily flour is the best for biscuits. I mix cake flour with regular flour when making biscuits, but with White Lily, you don’t need to do that!
As much as I love to bake, Lisa, I’ve never used White Lily. I was led to the website, which has a lovely video about the product. Then I noticed that one of my photos includes a row of White Lily flour in it.
http://www.whitelily.com/
I’ll have to get some when next I purchase flour.
You really know how to pick ’em, Laurie. White Lily flower…I’ve never heard of it but it sounds wonderful. I love a good biscuit and always think of my mom when I eat one (she made them fresh too, back when we still sifted flour). The gas station restaurant is a brilliant idea. What terrific fun.
I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Alys, I was just telling Lisa that I’d never used it either, even with as much as I love to bake. The discussion led me to the website, which has a lovely video about the product. Then I noticed that one of my photos includes a row of White Lily flour in it.
http://www.whitelily.com/
Didn’t you love the philosophy that the owners of Leon’s have? They retained some of the original detail, windows, and wall structure. So cool!
Thanks for the link, Laurie. What a fun website. We used to bake more when the boys were younger (and I was thinner). It’s an art form. How lucky that you’re good at it and also enjoy it. I’m more of a “can I lick the bowl” kind of gal. 😉
Yes, Leon’s philosophy should be shared far and wide. Would does like wonderful service with a smile?
Gosh I miss you.
Glad I ate before I read that 😀
I did not have a mediocre meal, I’m telling ya! Thank goodness I kept up my exercise while there. So yummy!
Good food can have that effect..
I think it’s so interesting how some cities just seem to do food and drink SO well. With Atlanta, it seems like there’s a ton of creativity and they make the setting as special as the food itself. The look and feel in some of those restaurants is so inviting!
You are so right! It is so much more than the food, although the food was so yummy. Glad I continued to exercise!
*says to self* be strong, it’s only food, resist raiding the fridge… *meh* there goes the diet… hello fridge. *Sigh* it’s not quite the same…
Its your fault Laurie, you made me hungry 😉
Ha! The food was seriously good!
So glad I read this right after having breakfast. I love the full service station – how clever. If I ever go to Atlanta, I’m checking in with you first.
Oh my gosh, there are so many great places to explore! And so much food to try 🙂
I am nearly speechless. All I can think to say is, OMG!! Excuse me while I go peruse the *menu* again. 😉
Mary, I love your enthusiasm! Someday I hope we can enjoy a meal together
Thanks for the review. Being active stimulates the appetite, so that is a win-win situation. I’m not a food blogger, so I don’t blame you for just digging straight into the meals, rather than stopping to take photos first.
I definitely enjoyed every drop and every bite. Thank goodness I kept up the walking regimen!
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