More Big Apple BBQ

Ed Mitchell's whole hog















The patio at Back Forty















Jeff and GOM Alumna Cecilia





























The Lakeside Lounge















Blue Ribbon Bar















Jeff and Lolis Elie

Whiskey Of The Month

We had high hopes for this one, and it turned out to be a winner. Wheat beer = good; wheat bread = good; wheat whiskey = very good. According to the bottle, "Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey represents the first truly new American whiskey style to be introduced in many generations. Whereas other whiskeys contain primarily corn, barley or rye in their recipes, Bernheim is the only type of straight whiskey which uses soft winter wheat. The result is a full-bodied, sweet yet smooth whiskey."

Poster Designer Alton Kelley Dies

Alton Kelley, whose style practically defined '60s rock poster design, has died in California. Read more here:

Bacon Of The Month Club - May & June

We're heading into month four of our membership in the Bacon Of The Month Club - May featured a pound from the Loveless Cafe, while June's is from New Braunfels Smokehouse. That one just came today, so we haven't had a chance to cook any yet. But according to the Grateful Palate website: "Medium cut, meaty, hammy, awesome balance of sweetness and salt, a classic breakfast bacon. Slight hint of maple and caramel flavors. Mmmmmm. State of Origin: Texas." Breakfast at GOM headquarters tomorrow morning.

Green Olive's Solution To The Whole Salmonella / Tomato Thing

Luckily, we planted a bunch of tomatoes and basil in front of the office a while back, and we just harvested the first batch today. See below for today's lunch:

Big Apple BBQ Fest

Several of us took in the Big Apple BBQ Fest this weekend, and it was better than ever, much hotter than ever, and seemingly not quite as crowded as before. Highlights included:
Ed Mitchell's whole hog sandwiches
The Salt Lick's sausage
Hill Country's beef ribs
The Blue Smoke hospitality tent, hospitably manned by Kenny Callaghan
Joe York's film about mutton
The exhaust fan that we discovered on 25th Street blowing ice-cold air onto the sidewalk all weekend
Pappy Van Winkle's Bourbon Bar

Burger Shoppe, New York

Burger Shoppe recently made headlines with news of their $175 burger, but on a recent visit there, we found the $4 version to be quite worthwhile. A solid choice if you happen to find yourself in the Financial District.

Ed Mitchell in Bon Appetit

Check out the feature on Ed Mitchell, pitmaster at The Pit in Raleigh, in the July issue of Bon Appetit. After eating countless numbers of his whole hog sandwiches for the past two weeks at barbecue festivals in both Tennessee and New York, he's quickly become one of our favorite barbecue gods.

Boutique Moonshine?

Ah, just read the article here.

Kiss the AJC's Meredith Ford for Her Review of Cakes & Ale!

"A new restaurant in the heart of downtown Decatur, Cakes and Ale is a handsome place to gather and eat."

"'Cakes and ale' is an expression for 'the good life.' Cakes & Ale is a restaurant that provides it."

By the way, Billy just took the deviled eggs off the menu... He just added a new dish inspired by a place called "Louise Juniors" -- no name yet -- (Platter of shrimp, ham, eggs & pickles with Russian dressing...$12 ) -- I am sure it will be tasty and clever.

Jeff & Alvin designed the branding...including a most fabulous web site: cakesandalerestaurant.com

EAT LOCAL AMERICA courtesy of The National Cooperative Grocers Association

EAT LOCAL AMERICA
"Buy local." It's the mantra of all your organic-foodie friends, but they're onto something. Local is good for the economy (supports local farmers), for the environment (reduces carbon emissions caused by shipping), and for your cooking (fresher and tastier). The National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) has launched its Eat Local America campaign, which challenges Americans to eat four out of every five meals from food grown or produced locally. Co-ops around the country will participate through September.Join the cause by signing up for local produce deliveries in your area.

Dixie Freeze - Pittsburgh, TN

We stumbled on a nice diner/drive-in in South Pittsburgh, TN yesterday - The Dixie Freeze - standard fare, with a good cheeseburger and corn dog. We're three-for-three on good burgers this week, and with the Big Apple BBQ coming up this weekend, our prospects for pork and brisket are looking good.

My New Favorite Italian Restaurant

We've had some great Italian meals this year - I didn't think anybody could beat A Voce, but that was before we visited City House in Nashville. We planned our visit on Sunday so we could take part in their Sunday Supper, where the chefs make what they really want to. Everything we had was fantastic - pork liver bruschetta, margherita pizza, and pork meatballs.

Franklin Food And Spirits Festival

We're at the Franklin Food And Spirits Festival in Franklin, TN, and things got off to a good start Friday night with a dinner featuring various chefs around the south. Most notable were Sean Brock's beer-dusted pork rinds (made with powdered Budweiser!) and John Fleer's pig tails and pig ear spoonbread. We also witnessed a technique for breaking down whole pigs that was new to us - just use a chainsaw. Saturday featured food from some of Nashville's finest - including Bolton's Hot Chicken (on a stick!) - not quite as hot as Prince's, but still not the best thing to eat outside in 90-degree sun.

Petunia's Silver Jalapeno - Chattanooga, TN

Had the second of two great burgers this week (the first was at George's Bar in Atlanta) - served out of an Airstream trailer in Chattanooga. At Petunia's Silver Jalapeno, place your order with one of the ultra-friendly ladies in the trailer, and a guy out back grills your burger on what looks like a standard-issue backyard grill. Seems that we finally found a burger in Chattanooga that beats Central Park.

Burger:

Pork sandwich:

Southern Pit Barbecue

Took a trip down to Griffin, GA today to Southern Pit Barbecue - see below for a few of the standards:

Pork sandwich:


Slaw Dog:


Brunswick stew:

Save The Taco Trucks Of Los Angeles

Go here to get more info and sign the petition: saveourtacotrucks.org

Endangered Foods

Endangered Foods: We recently covered the trend of adventure or "extreme" eating , and it now seems that eating strange and unusual plants and animals might actually prove to be a positive environmental experience; at least, that's what Gary Paul Nabhan thinks. His new book, Renewing America's Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent's Most Endangered Foods, is four years' worth of traveling, research, and collaborations with chefs, foodies, farmers, and a variety of food-centric organizations. Ninety-three "ingredients", and recipes along with them, are covered, some known (the Buckeye chicken), some completely unknown (Ny'pa, a salt grass). While we may not be familiar with the seemingly strange foods now, all were once prevalent in American kitchens, and many feel that if we start demanding them in our menus, we may be able to save them.

Found on my daily Trend Central Newsletter

http://www.intelg.com/ -- These guys issue the Trend Central Newsletter that we are obsessed with…

A Week of Lunches at Green Olive

It's no secret that when we moved into a new office last year, one of our main requirements was that it be in close proximity to Nuevo Laredo Cantina. Here's just a small sample of some of our other nearby go-to lunch spots:

Carver's, for fried chicken and catfish:

Kool Korners, for Cuban sandwiches:

Silver Skillet, for southern breakfast staples:

Woody's, for cheesesteaks:

Nuevo Laredo, for the #1 Combo:

And of course, The Varsity, for pimento burgers and chili dogs:

Green Olive Wins 2008 Horizon Interactive Awards

For the fourth year in a row, we've received Horizon Interactive Awards for our web design work - this year we received five awards for our design of the Comfort, Five and Ten, Repast, Local 11 Ten, and Green Olive Media websites. Congratulations to Designers Alvin Diec and Meggan Talley.