Green Olive Media

Momofuku Ssam Bar - Not Just Pork

2012-01-27T09:11:00.003-05:00

When we go to Momofuku Ssam Bar, it's generally all about pork. It's hard to resist a plate of Benton's ham, pork buns, crispy pig's head terrine, or, if we can get ten people together, the bo ssam. But while there last week, we wised up and planned accordingly for the full day of eating we had ahead of us. Starting the day off with a decidedly lighter duck dumpling soup (see below) was one of the better decisions we've made recently. And it was indeed every bit as good as any of the pork offerings you'll find there. Oh, they're also serving Little Kings beer...

Green Olive Wins American Package Design Awards

2012-01-25T17:06:00.002-05:00

We're excited to announce that we've won American Package Design Awards for our work on both the Goo Goo Cluster and the Olive & Sinclair packaging. Definitely a good year for chocolate around our office...

21st Amendment - 'Allies Win The War' Beer

2012-01-20T15:43:00.002-05:00

On Fridays, we like to knock off an hour early, pick up some beer from Hop City, and sit around with the staff and have a cold one. 'Beer Friday,' we call it. Today's selection was chosen purely for the packaging:

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-20T10:44:00.004-05:00

Chinese New Year - The Year of the Dragon Some of GOM's poster handiwork courtesy of the lovely and talented Meggan Talley

Green Olive Featured In Print Magazine Design Annual

2012-01-13T09:21:00.002-05:00

We're proud to be featured in the 31st Print Magazine Design Annual for our design of the Boxcar Grocer logo, a newly-opened market in Atlanta.

Packaging - Numero Group Records

2012-01-13T08:57:00.005-05:00

We're suckers for both vinyl records and beautiful packaging, so it should come as no surprise that we're big fans of the Numero record label. See below for some photos of their recently-released six-LP set documenting the work of the Boddie Recording Company. A little background:
"From 1958 to 1993, Thomas and Louise Boddie’s industrious Boddie Recording Company issued nearly 300 albums and 45s, recorded 10,000 hours of tape, and remained in operation longer than any other studio, pressing plant, or label group in the history of Cleveland. Long forgotten even by the standards of the chronically overlooked northeastern Ohio music scene, Boddie was a fusion of its owner’s engineering genius and his limited economic means; its DIY recording studio housed in a humble barn, churned night and day to capture the sounds emanating from Cleveland’s east side neighborhoods."

Photo Shoot - Seed Kitchen & Bar, Marietta, GA

2012-01-13T08:46:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of shots from our recent photo shoot for Seed Kitchen & Bar. See a nice writeup from the AJC's John Kessler here.

Doughnut Burger

2012-01-11T14:00:00.001-05:00

Today's lunch from Cypress Street Plate & Pint in Atlanta. According to Wikipedia: "A Luther Burger, or doughnut burger, is a hamburger or cheeseburger with one or more glazed doughnuts in place of the bun. According to legend, the burger was named for and was a favorite (and possible invention) of singer-songwriter and record producer Luther Vandross. The Daily Telegraph reported that Mulligan's, a suburban bar in Decatur, GA may be progenitor of the burger, as the owner substituted the doughnuts when running out of buns." The version below features 'buns' courtesy of our beloved Sublime Doughnuts.

Menu Design - Livingston Restaurant & Bar

2012-01-10T15:15:00.003-05:00

We've redesigned the menu system for Livingston Restaurant & Bar at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta. See below for one of the menus:

Big Apple Inn Coming To Atlanta

2012-01-06T15:30:00.006-05:00

Big Apple Inn, the little restaurant in Jackson, MS, known for serving pig ear sandwiches, is opening a location in Atlanta. Learn all you need to know by checking out the Southern Foodways short film "Smokes & Ears."

Doughnut-Ice Cream Sandwich

2012-01-06T13:07:00.003-05:00

Here's a finished shot from our photo shoot at Sublime Doughnuts last week - behold the Oreo doughnut ice cream sandwich:

Pimento Cheese, Please

2012-01-05T16:33:00.002-05:00

More food films...here's a movie about pimento cheese, featuring a whole mess of Green Olive friends, clients and conspirators:

Di Fara Pizza

2012-01-04T16:02:00.002-05:00

Got 20 minutes? Check out this short film about "The Godfather of Brooklyn Pizza."

Gus's Fried Chicken - Memphis, TN

2012-01-03T09:37:00.001-05:00

Continuing our chicken research this week, we of course had to include a visit to the legendary Gus's Fried Chicken in Memphis...

Photo Shoot - Sublime Doughnuts

2011-12-29T13:38:00.002-05:00

Just a sample of some of the doughnuts we're photographing for our shoot at Sublime Doughnuts today:

Eagle Brand Knife

2011-12-29T10:08:00.005-05:00

So can anyone tell us anything about Eagle brand knives? My grandfather gave me one of his old knives as a Christmas gift this year, and I don't know anything about it or the company. I do know that he told me that his company gave him a knife (including this one) as a bonus whenever he "did some extra work." We may implement that policy around the Green Olive offices next year.

New Year's Queso

2011-12-29T09:36:00.006-05:00

We have a long-standing tradition of eating greens, black-eyed peas and pork on New Year's Day. I can never quite remember what they symbolize - I think the greens are for for money, peas for good luck, and pork...maybe it's to assure you'll have plenty of bacon and BBQ in the new year. Regardless, we have the Homesick Texan to thank for this year's New Year's meal. I couldn't wait until Sunday to try this one, so I went ahead and made the Queso Compuesto (recipe here) last night (see below). A definite winner.

Jeff's 12 Best Meals Of 2011

2011-12-28T09:20:00.010-05:00

Here's my annual list of the best things I ate this year, in chronological order:

The John Dory - New York, NY
Oyster Pan Roast with Uni Toast
This newish place has served us well when The Breslin next door is too crowded. Run by the Breslin/Spotted Pig folks, the food here is every bit as good as at their other places.
Minetta Tavern - New York, NY
Black Label Burger
Yes, Minetta Tavern makes my list every year, but there's no better burger anywhere than this. Check out a video about it here.
Pier 76 Pizzeria - Staten Island, NY
Cheese Pizza
While the pizza here was absolutely worth a ferry ride from Manhattan, what really sold us was the staff, mostly made up of family members related to the legendary Joe & Pat's in Staten Island. Easily some of the friendliest folks in New York, they seemed genuinely happy to welcome a couple of Southerners who'd made the trek over to sample some of their pies. Here's a writeup.

Graham Elliot - Chicago, IL
Whole meal
The food here certainly veers toward the molecular side of things, but there's not a lot of seriousness here, what with the loud music and casual service. Fine dining can still be quite fun when done like this.
Uchiko - Austin, TX
Whole meal
Some of the best fish I've had in recent memory, and the beef tongue nigiri (pictured) may have been my favorite thing I ate all year.
P. Terry's - Austin, TX
Double Burger
Like an In-n-Out burger, but better.
Black's BBQ - Lockhart, TX
Brisket
Every time we're in the little Texas town of Lockhart, we eat at Smitty's. This was the year that we finally branched out and tried Black's BBQ, which replaced our old Smitty's standby after a few visits. We've taken to ordering from them online when we need a fix, or when we want to have a nice staff lunch at the office.
Memphis In May - Memphis, TN
Fatback Collective Whole Hog
A bunch of pitmasters and James Beard award winners (Sean Brock of McCrady's/Husk, Donald Link of Herbsaint, Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon, to name a few) formed a competition BBQ team and took third place in the whole hog world championship. Pictured here is the Mangalitsa hog they cooked. We were there to shoot a bunch of pictures during the competition that you can see here.

Maialino - New York, NY
Mushrooms
Just a plate of mushrooms, but sometimes all you need is a top-notch ingredient and a skilled kitchen (and a fair amount of butter and stock, I suspect).

St. John - London, England
Langoustines and Mayonnaise
See above, re: simple ingredients and not much else.

Andrew Michael - Memphis, TN
Whole meal
Our travels lately have brought us to Memphis, but sometimes with only enough time to eat one meal. You'd be crazy to eat anywhere but at Andrew Michael if that's your situation. I don't know of any chefs who seem to enjoy what they do as much as Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. Get here quick so you can say you ate here before these guys were huge.
Southern Foodways Symposium - Oxford, MS
Mike Lata "Lowcountry Idyll" Lunch
We all know that Mike Lata is an amazing chef, and we kind of miss the moustache, but we were amazed to see the quality of food that he and his staff were able to cook for a group of several hundred people at the Southern Foodways Alliance symposium in October. Looks a little similar to the John Dory Oyster Roast from the first entry in this list. Let's hope this dish is the next trend.

Wool & Whiskey - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2011-12-24T11:48:00.003-05:00

While we enjoy the bourbons they offer when we shop at Billy Reid, our favorite full-on bar located within a clothing store has to be at Wool & Whiskey in Jackson Hole:

Il Villaggio Osteria - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2011-12-24T11:43:00.003-05:00

After several days' worth of 'research,' we can say that our favorite place in Jackson Hole was Il Villaggio Osteria. We ate at least a pizza a day here, and see below for the Foie Gras Ravioli with braised oxtail, mushrooms, roasted butternut squash and truffle cream:

Website Design - Seed Kitchen & Bar, Atlanta, GA

2011-12-15T13:22:00.003-05:00

Check out our website design for Seed Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta - that's our logo design as well...

Yet More Food At The Green Olive Offices

2011-12-15T13:17:00.001-05:00

The holiday season means that there is wayyyy too much food around the Green Olive office - cookies, pies, candy...
Today we're adding spreads to the smorgasbord - here are a couple from Inland Market: Maine Lobster Torta with corn & basil; and Smoked Salmon Torta with ginger, sesame and wasabi.

Prince's Hot Chicken

2011-12-15T11:03:00.003-05:00

We were doing a little hot chicken research earlier this week, so there was nowhere else to go except Nashville. As usual, Prince's Hot Chicken Shack was the clear winner. This is the 'medium' - more than enough to make you literally sweat after a single bite. No sane person should order the 'Hot,' or God forbid, the 'extra hot.' And we always take any opportunity to mention this short film about Prince's - click here.

*Thanks to the new iPhone for having a fairly decent lens!

Poster Design - Meehan's, Atlanta, GA

2011-12-15T10:49:00.001-05:00

Here's our design of the poster for Meehan's "Soup Wars" coming up in January:

Logo Design - Blue Eyed Yonder

2011-12-08T10:09:00.002-05:00

Here's our logo design for our friends at Blue Eyed Yonder...

Package Design - Olive and Sinclair Chocolate

2011-11-16T09:22:00.004-05:00

Check out our new package design work for Olive and Sinclair Chocolate - based in Nashville, but of course available everywhere online. The smoked nib brittle features cacao nibs smoked by the one and only Allan Benton, he of Benton's Bacon fame. And you know that Variety Pack would make a great holiday gift.

Vending Machine Card Design

2011-11-16T09:16:00.002-05:00

"A variety of American sweet vending machine cards from 1950s to 1970s. These unique and colourful signs were inserted into the front of the machine to entice teens to part with their hard earned money."

Sushi Yasuda

2011-11-16T09:12:00.004-05:00

This week, the New York Times gets around to reviewing Sushi Yasuda for the first time since 2000. The two best sushi meals I've ever had have both been here...

Chicken Liver Taco - Taqueria del Sol

2011-11-14T11:45:00.003-05:00

This week, the folks at Taqueria del Sol bring you the chicken liver taco. Have we mentioned we love this place?

Logo Design - Pasture Restaurant, Richmond, VA

2011-10-26T10:21:00.003-04:00

Here's our logo design for Richmond's Pasture Restaurant, opening in November. This is a new venture from Jason Alley of Comfort Restaurant, also in Richmond. Check the website soon for menu and opening info.

Fette Sau - Brooklyn, NY

2011-10-26T10:15:00.004-04:00

We've yet to see a better restaurant mural than the one on the wall at Brooklyn's Fette Sau:

M. Wells Cooks In Atlanta

2011-10-26T09:19:00.003-04:00

The folks from New York's M. Wells came down to cook in Atlanta the past two nights at Gato Bizco in Candler Park. See here for a bit of background on the restaurant. What we ate:

Apples with kimchi; Oysters with coffee sabayon; Oxtail soup; Foie gras bread pudding; Beef heart tartare:Also, notice that one of the ingredients in the tartare dish was 'fun:'

Today In Record Cover Design

2011-10-25T12:46:00.002-04:00

Behold the classic "Pardon My Blooper!" - there's nothing about this cover that I don't like:

Web Design - Passion Food Hospitality Group

2011-10-17T09:14:00.002-04:00

We've redesigned the websites for the Washington, DC restaurant group Passion Food Hospitality, including DC Coast, Acadiana, Ceiba and PassionFish. The sites for the newly-opened District Commons and Burger Tap And Shake are coming soon as well.

New York Food Film Fest

2011-09-28T08:55:00.004-04:00

We're beyond excited for the New York Food Film Fest coming up October 13-16. So many great friends are involved - thanks to Festival Director George Motz for putting the whole thing together; and congrats to filmmaker Joe York for being included - his film 'CUD,' about grass-fed beef rancher Will Harris is an absolute can't-miss.

Green Olive 13th Anniversary Party

2011-09-21T15:55:00.003-04:00

Join us on Sunday, October 16 at 2:00 at our Atlanta office to celebrate our 13th anniversary. We'll have all the stuff we like - BBQ, tacos, cocktails, music, etc. Any and all are welcome - just email us at rsvp@greenolivemedia.com , and mention the anniversary party in your subject line.

Green Olive Wins Nine American Graphic Design Awards

2011-09-14T10:33:00.005-04:00

We're happy to announce that we won nine American Graphic Design Awards for our work on the following:

Olive and Sinclair - website design
Bocado Restaurant - website design
Bayou Bakery - logo design
Boxcar Grocer - logo design
H. Harper Station - website design
H. Harper Station - menu design
Goo Goo Cluster - stationery design
ai3 - website design
Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint - menu design

Frito Pie

2011-09-12T12:19:00.003-04:00

Now that Frito Pies are in season, we partook of our first of the year this past weekend in Knoxville, TN:

Hotel Havana - San Antonio, TX

2011-09-08T16:32:00.001-04:00

Some fine examples of type at the Hotel Havana in San Antonio:

World's Greatest Butcher

2011-09-08T16:24:00.003-04:00

Spotted in Patrick Springs, VA on the way to Lambstock at Border Springs Farm - they'll cut you a nice steak, install a new hard drive:

Hatch Chile Festival At Taqueria Del Sol

2011-09-08T15:56:00.004-04:00

Only a few more days until the annual Hatch Chile Festival at Taqueria del Sol on Howell Mill Road in Atlanta - come join us on Sep. 11...details here.

Empire Mayonnaise Co.

2011-09-06T14:38:00.004-04:00

Check out Empire Mayonnaise from our pal Sam Mason on Saturdays at Brooklyn's Smorgasburg...and look for the Mayo Shop to open this fall at 564 Vanderbilt Ave. in Brooklyn:

Mexican Coke

2011-09-02T10:34:00.002-04:00

Check out Serious Eats today for an exhaustive tasting of Mexican vs. American Coke:

Identity and Web Design - The Bakery At Cakes & Ale, Decatur, GA

2011-09-01T09:58:00.002-04:00

See here for our logo and web design for the new Bakery At Cakes & Ale...

Web Design - Parlor Market, Jackson, MS

2011-09-01T09:52:00.002-04:00

We just launched the website for Jackson, Mississippi's Parlor Market - check it out:

Jim 'n Nick's at White Oak Pastures

2011-09-01T09:47:00.002-04:00

We're already huge fans of the barbecue at Jim 'n Nick's, but they also know how to make a burger. Check out the ones they were cranking out at the grand opening of White Oak Pastures' new poultry abattoir last week:

Design - Cakes & Ale Bakery

2011-08-19T12:21:00.003-04:00

Decatur's Cakes & Ale made its move to a bigger space last week, and the new location includes a separate bakery. We're putting the finishing touches on the bakery's website and print materials, but here's a preview of a bit of our design work:

Party + Blue Crabs

2011-08-19T12:14:00.003-04:00

We never got around to posting about the dinner we had in June from our man Eddie Huang. The restaurant LTO hosted him for a week and let him cook whatever he wanted - the menu included things like "ice box duck wings" and "DMV crabs." But the real reason for writing about this now is that we just came across the poster from opening night - if only we'd designed this:

Texas' Best Barbecue?

2011-08-10T09:34:00.002-04:00

This marks our third meal this year from Black's BBQ in Lockhart, Texas (although one of them was eaten at our office in Atlanta)...if there's better barbecue anywhere in Texas, can someone let us know? We'd happily go there to see if you're right.

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen - Memphis, TN

2011-08-10T09:26:00.005-04:00

Take a look at this great piece on our friends Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman of Memphis - they're fresh from cooking a dinner at the James Beard House, and their restaurant Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen is profiled in Garden & Gun:Photo: Bob Bayne / Garden & Gun

Fullsteam Brewery Turns One

2011-08-10T09:13:00.004-04:00

Congrats to our friends at Fullsteam in Durham on their first anniversary. See details here about the party this weekend.

Web Design - Romaine's, Northborough, MA

2011-08-04T15:16:00.001-04:00

We've finished the design of the website for Romaine's restaurant, near Boston:

Cathead Vodka - Jackson, MS

2011-08-03T16:40:00.002-04:00

Say hello to our newest spirit client - Cathead Vodka, based in Jackson, MS, and found throughout the southeast:

Canoe Party / Poster Design

2011-07-27T10:41:00.003-04:00

Join us at Canoe in Atlanta on August 13 for their End Of Summer Riverside BBQ. Check out our poster design while you're there:

Environmental / Signage Design - Cafe Mims

2011-07-27T09:31:00.003-04:00

Some quick shots of the menu boards that we recently designed for Cafe Mims at the Georgian Terrace hotel:The 'before' version of the sign:

Rodney Scott, Barbecue Man

2011-07-27T08:27:00.003-04:00

Our main man Rodney Scott is everywhere these days. You may have seen him in Saveur last month. You should definitely see this short film about him. He and chef Sean Brock won 'Best In Show' at last weekend's Meatopia event in New York. And now he's the subject of a feature in Time magazine. We're lucky enough to spend a good deal of time with him at various BBQ festivals around the country, so keep an eye out for him if you're not able to make it to his Hemingway, South Carolina shop for a whole hog sandwich.

At this year's Memphis In May festival:

Barbecue Sauce Label Design - Southern Soul

2011-07-25T10:41:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of the labels we recently designed for Southern Soul Barbeque on St. Simons Island, GA:

RIP Alex Steinweiss

2011-07-21T14:37:00.002-04:00

We're sorry to hear of the passing of "the inventor of the album cover." Read a bit about him and see some of his work here.

Texas BBQ in Atlanta

2011-07-21T13:15:00.002-04:00

Big thanks to the good people at Black's Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas for the shipment of brisket, sausages and ribs. The stuff travels through the mail incredibly well, and our office currently smells pretty amazing:

Wrapping Up The Design For Cibo e Beve

2011-07-14T12:52:00.003-04:00

With the opening of Cibo e Beve coming in the next couple of weeks, we're putting the finishing touches on most of the design elements (painting the door graphics, putting the menu books together, etc.). Here are some of the business cards, hot off the press:

On The Boudin Trail With The Southern Foodways Alliance

2011-07-05T10:45:00.005-04:00

We recently spent a couple of days in Louisiana with our friends from the Southern Foodways Alliance. A few of the many highlights are below.

Dinner at Cochon, New Orleans:
Thanks to Stephen Stryjewski and Donald Link for the dinner below, and for having Paul Prudhomme come by and chat for a while:
After a quick stay in New Orleans, it was off to explore the boudin trail. First stop was Bergeron's meat market in Port Allen, LA for boudin links, crawfish pies, meat pies and jerky:

Then it was on to the Mowata Store for more boudin, courtesy of Bubba Frey:
Dinner was at Hawk's for huge plates of crawfish. For those that have never been here's it's as if they tried to make sure nobody can find the place. We've never been to a more out-of-the-way restaurant.

Can't remember if this is Spuds McKenzie or Alex from Stroh's:
A plate lunch, featuring smothered rabbit, smothered cabbage, smothered okra, and rice & gravy:

A small-town bar in Eunice, LA - we met up with Donald and Stephen from Cochon again and proceeded to spend a good $20 on the jukebox:
And the final destination, Best Stop, for fried boudin balls and cracklins:

Web Design - Cibo e Beve, Atlanta, GA

2011-07-05T09:42:00.002-04:00

We've launched the website for Cibo e Beve, a new Italian restaurant slated to open in mid-July in Atlanta. Check it out:

Hot Chicken Festival - Nashville, TN

2011-07-05T09:31:00.003-04:00

Just in case you don't know, everything you need to know about Nashville's claim to fame, hot chicken, can be found here, thanks to our friend, filmmaker Joe York. We stopped by the 5th annual Hot Chicken Festival yesterday and visited the usual suspects (Prince's, Bolton's), but were happy to see East Side Fish represented...the 'crunkest' fish in town.

LeRoy's Fried Chicken - Atlanta, GA

2011-06-29T12:13:00.002-04:00

We tend to eat certain foods in waves at Green Olive - two weeks ago we ate all manner of pork in New York with 16 pitmasters from around the country at the Big Apple BBQ fest. Last week was spent on the 'Boudin Trail' in Louisiana. And this weekend we're gearing up for the Music City Hot Chicken Festival. In preparation for the chicken fest, we just stopped by the newly-opened (and in our neighborhood!) LeRoy's Fried Chicken for a snack:

Green Olive Wins SEED Awards

2011-06-21T10:09:00.002-04:00

We're excited to announce that we won three AIGA SEED Awards (Southeastern Excellence In Design) for our work on:
Goo Goo Cluster identity rebrand
Boxcar Grocer logo design
ai3 website design

Big Apple BBQ Block Party With Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q

2011-06-21T09:49:00.002-04:00

Check out our photos of the 2011 Big Apple BBQ Block Party, taken at the Jim 'N Nick's rig. They served 8,000 sausage links and 200 gallons of pimento cheese to the 100,000 hungry New Yorkers who attended the event. Can't wait til next year.

B&G Oysters - Boston, MA

2011-06-21T09:39:00.002-04:00

New client work has been bringing us to Boston lately, which always means a stop at one of our favorite restaurants anywhere - B&G Oysters. The only thing that can prevent us from ordering their lobster roll - fried Ipswich clams:

The Grazing Goat - London

2011-06-21T09:35:00.004-04:00

We heartily recommend The Grazing Goat not only for the hotel rooms above the pub, but also for their signature drink, the 'Basil Fawlty' - vodka, basil syrup, and apple juice:

London's Best Fish And Chips

2011-06-21T09:31:00.004-04:00

We sampled our fair share of fish and chips in London while searching for the best version. This one was the hands-down winner, unfortunately there's some confusion with our notes, and we're not sure which pub this was. It was likely called The Cask & Rooster or something similar:

St. John - London

2011-06-21T09:23:00.004-04:00

We visited a couple of Fergus Henderson's restaurants in London last week - the new restaurant in the St. John Hotel, and Bread & Wine:
Langoustines and mayonnaise:Pig ear salad:Proper gin and tonic:Bread & Wine:

Green Olive Wins Four Design Awards

2011-06-08T18:08:00.002-04:00

Four of our websites received recognition from The Communicator Awards: ai3, Olive & Sinclair, Blackhawk Grille and The Chocolaterie.

Roux - Montgomery, Ala.

2011-06-03T11:26:00.005-04:00

Summer is here, and everyone's a-travelin'. Next stop on my road trip wish list - Roux in Montgomery, Ala. Check out the restaurant the next time you're in the area. The photos online have us drooling already...yes, I admitted that.

Red Truck Bakery

2011-05-25T15:27:00.003-04:00

Huge thanks to our new friends at Red Truck Bakery in Virginia for shipping us a bourbon cake with cherries, almonds and root beer. Extra thanks for having it delivered right after lunch. We polished off most of it in about 5 minutes.

Hamburger America

2011-05-16T15:54:00.003-04:00

It's like Christmas today at the office - the revised version of George Motz's Hamburger America just arrived. This new edition adds a whopping 50 entries to the 100 that were included in the first version. Jeff even gets a credit in the book as an 'Expert Burger Taster,' a credential he's already planning to add to his business card.

Memphis In May With Fatback Collective

2011-05-16T09:21:00.004-04:00

We were honored to spend the weekend at Memphis In May with the Fatback Collective team. Despite this being their first time cooking at a BBQ competition, we're proud to say that they took 3rd place in the world championship for whole hog cooking. See our recap of the weekend in the tent here.

Package Design - Taste Of The South

2011-05-06T15:44:00.003-04:00

Here's our design of the hand-stamped, limited edition Southern Foodways Alliance DVD Box Set from the Taste Of The South event at Blackberry Farm:

Poster Design - Kentucky Derby Party

2011-05-06T10:12:00.001-04:00

Our poster design for the Kentucky-O-Rama at H. Harper Station:

Logo Design and Food Photography - Cibo e Beve, Atlanta, GA

2011-05-03T09:58:00.002-04:00

Here's the logo that we designed for the soon-to-open Cibo e Beve restaurant:
And check out the tomatoes from our recent photo shoot with them:Coming soon - a website for the restaurant...

Web Design - Bocado, Atlanta, GA

2011-04-28T16:03:00.002-04:00

Our latest restaurant web design work - Bocado Restaurant in Atlanta:

Logo Design - Seed Kitchen & Bar

2011-04-26T13:14:00.001-04:00

We've finished the logo for Seed Kitchen & Bar, a new restaurant from Chef Doug Turbush, opening soon in Atlanta:

Wine Label Design - Pinot Eugene

2011-04-26T12:58:00.003-04:00

Run on over to H&F Bottle Shop and pick up a bottle of Pinot Eugene - great wine, and you can check out our label design:

Web Design - Scratch Bakery, Durham, NC

2011-04-26T12:55:00.001-04:00

We've designed the website for Scratch Bakery in Durham - take a look:

Game Jerky

2011-04-13T13:31:00.003-04:00

Meat week at Green Olive continues...yesterday it was beef from White Oak Pastures - today's treat comes to us courtesy of the Jerky Wagon in Dillon, Colorado. On the menu here is elk, venison, buffalo and salmon jerky.

Burger Tuesday At Green Olive's Office

2011-04-12T14:42:00.004-04:00

What to do when the office gets a big shipment of grass-fed beef from White Oak Pastures? Make burgers. Our recipe:
Chuck / Sirloin / Short Ribs:
Chop:
Grind:Salt & pepper, don't cook too long:

Elk Nigiri - Foxnut, Beaver Creek, CO

2011-04-11T09:22:00.003-04:00

Visit Colorado and you can get your fill of elk - we partook in elk tenderloin, elk jerky, and a new one for us - elk nigiri:

Black's BBQ - Lockhart, TX

2011-03-22T10:28:00.004-04:00

Just around the corner from Smitty's (see post below) is Black's, another Texas brisket shrine. This was our first visit to Black's, and while I'm not quite ready to declare it better than Smitty's, it was certainly just as good. Another visit with food of this quality may move them into our #1 spot...

Smitty's BBQ - Lockhart, TX

2011-03-22T10:23:00.003-04:00

If we're in a two-hour or so radius of Lockhart, we have no choice but to make a detour to Smitty's. Always a favorite, but see the post above for a newly-discovered (for us) competitor for best brisket in Texas.

Uchiko - Austin, TX

2011-03-22T10:18:00.004-04:00

Go ahead and mark Uchiko down as one of our favorite meals of 2011. Some of the best fish I've ever had, and see the cocktail below that featured grilled thyme as the star. Did I mention beef tongue nigiri?

Gene & Georgetti - Chicago, IL

2011-03-22T09:54:00.004-04:00

We decided on the oldest steakhouse in Chicago while looking for a nice piece of beef. Definitely the right call:

Gino's East - Chicago, IL

2011-03-22T09:50:00.002-04:00

I think it weighed about six pounds.

Longman & Eagle - Chicago, IL

2011-03-22T09:43:00.004-04:00

Longman & Eagle is one of our new favorites, for a variety of reasons - great food (see the croque madame below), nice design, creative cocktails, and they have six killer rooms above the restaurant where you can stay for the night.

Seed Store - Maxwell, TX

2011-03-22T09:27:00.004-04:00

Spotted in central Texas on a recent barbecue excursion:

Web Design: H&F Bottle Shop - Atlanta, GA

2011-03-22T09:17:00.004-04:00

We've launched the website for H&F Bottle Shop, the new spirits shop from the people that brought you Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch in Atlanta.

Spring Break in Airports

2011-03-22T09:07:00.008-04:00

I will be posting a bit on airport dining in preparation for our upcoming Spring Break trip. One of the greatest things about having a child with your husband / business partner is that your entire family gets to skip out of work together without guilt and write two-third of the trip off!

We are working on a few airport projects currently (on the heals of one we completed a couple of years ago in Atlanta ) and I will go into the details on them in a bit but for today...

I want to point out the brilliant design behind Café Alvar A. at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The restaurant was inspired by the work of Finnish designer and architect Alvar Aalto and was designed is conjunction with Finnish design company Artek and housewares company Iittala.

Source: SSP Press Release

CAFÉ ALVAR A.

“Café Alvar A. is Finland’s first real design café which brings together the top names of Finnish design. The concept was designed in cooperation with Artek, Iittala, and the Alvar Aalto Foundation. The sales counter imitates the contours of the famous Savoy vase by Alvar Aalto, the furniture comprises classic chairs designed by Artek, and the walls are adorned with a pixel arrangement of Iittala products, such as Kivi candle holders and Savoy vases.

The café is a real calling card for Finland and Finnish quality. In addition to Finnish design, the products sold in the café conform to the ’Best of Finland’ philosophy. The principle of local produce is upheld by serving products from small, high-quality producers, including cheeses and reindeer meat. The café also sells these products as souvenirs.”

Badass Element:

The ’gift-away’ bag made from birch bark and designed by Finland’s most notable modern designer, Harri Koskinen. This modern version of a splint basket cannot be bought anywhere else in the world. Source: Remodelista

Techy Punch:

Guests at Café Alvar A. can charge their mobile phones by simply placing them on top of specially equipped tables. The innovative Powerkiss technology gives travelers the freedom to charge their phones without the use of cables.

"Powerkiss technology consists of a charging sender called ‘Heart´, which is integrated into the tables to turn it into a smart energy platform, and a small charging receiver called ‘Kiss’. Charging is effortless: Kiss is plugged into the device, which is then placed on the surface. Charging is regulated automatically and stops when the battery is full. The charging receivers are the size of USB-memory sticks and are available at the café."

Powerkiss at Café Alvar A. is a joint project of PowerKiss, Artek and SSP Finland.

For more information: www.powerkiss.com

Congrats To The Chocolaterie

2011-03-17T10:41:00.008-04:00

Our web design client The Chocolaterie was recognized this month in Atlanta Magazine's 'Best of Atlanta' issue...the AJC also named them in their 'Best of the Big A.'

5-Piece Chicken Dinner by The Beastie Boys is Inspiring Me

2011-03-08T10:26:00.014-05:00

Last month Jeff posted about the Fat Boys from his ever-expanding vinyl "investment" collection. As chance would have it, we are working on restaurant design that is inspired by music + food.
Just finished debating what is "Old Skool Rap" versus "Southern Rap" versus "West Coast" (what can I say - we live in Atlanta). I don't know a lot about rap. Had a cat once named Whodini (note the spelling) - but that was in the 7th grade and "Five Minutes of Funk" was popular.
The Brain Trust: Kempten (doesn't surprise me about her knowledge) & Katherine (out of freaking left field - she is a bonafide preppy Harpeth Hall girl from Nashville) - and then there is the master -- Meggan Talley (also my spellchecker).
"So rap is all about where you are from -- kind of like food," Katherine pulls out of nowhere.

"Outcast, Ludacris, T.I., Goodie Mob (Atlanta), Lil' Wayne and Juvenile (NOLA), Three Six Mafia (Memphis), Nelly (St. Louis) -- and then there's Brooklyn (Jay Z, Beastie Boys)...Staten Island's Wu Tang Clan..."
This was certainly not covered in their interviews and is a knowledge base that I had no idea would ever come into my world...

More Adventures In The Dollar Record Bin

2011-02-23T12:01:00.003-05:00

I'm always amazed at the food-themed records that people throw out - see our post from last week on the Fat Boys, or Porter Wagoner's The Farmer record. While this one is probably not one you want to listen to every day, I'll admit that 'German Drinking Songs' does make you thirsty for a beer.

Boccalone - San Francisco, CA

2011-02-22T16:07:00.003-05:00

What visit to San Francisco's Ferry Market is complete without a trip to Boccalone? Our haul from the shop this week included Brown Sugar & Fennel, Soppressata, and Orange & Wild Fennel salamis. You can also order 'em online.

Cotogna - San Francisco, CA

2011-02-22T13:38:00.004-05:00

Here's one of the better pizzas we've had lately. San Francisco's Cotogna was unfortunately out of their sea urchin pizza, but the brussels sprout, pork jowl and egg pie nearly made up for it.

Congrats to Clients Nominated for 2011 James Beard Semifinalist Awards

2011-02-18T09:14:00.008-05:00

Us and Them...The Company We Keep

(Our company provides design and communications consulting to food & beverage businesses. The list of nominees below have engaged our team for these services which have included a various combinations of naming, logo design, menu design, website design, social media, and public relations.) Click Here for Client List.

Outstanding Pastry Chef

Aaron Russell, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta

Cynthia Wong, Cakes & Ale, Decatur, Georgia

Outstanding Restauranteur

Mike Klank and Eddie Hernandez, Taqueria del Sol, Atlanta / Athens / Soon...The World

Nick Pihakis, Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q, Birmingham (and 27 lucky cities)

Best Chef: Southeast

Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten

Billy Allin, Cakes & Ale

Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene / Holeman & Finch / H & F Bread Co. / H & F Bottle Shop

Hector Santiago, Pura Vida / Super Pan