My Taste of Atlanta Recap!
I got a double dose of Taste of Atlanta this year. I graced the Home Plate stage as a guest “chef” on behalf of my client, Sprouts. And I had the pleasure of attending as media too. That meant lots of tastes and a great time in the Taste of Atlanta VIP tent!
I kicked off the day with my demo, “Eating Better, One Morsel at a Time.” In it, I shared my tips on creating better for your southern vegetable side dishes. I made my Green Beans with Caramelized Onions. It’s a simple but delicious dish because of all of the layers of flavor. The fresh green beans serve as a great base while the caramelized onions add a sweet-savory flavor and the almonds add a toasty, nutty finish. If you didn’t get to check out the demo, grab the recipe here.
After the demo and lots of nutrition questions from the audience, I was off on my own to check out the best bites of the day. I love going to the festival because it’s a great way to discover new restaurants, make new friends, and get recipe inspiration all at once.
Here are a few of my favorite tastes:
Stella Rosa Wines
I’m a lightweight. A cheap date and lover of fruity (but not overly sweet) wines. So, when I saw Stella Rosa Green Apple semi-sparkling wine, I had to give it a try. At only 5% alcohol with a light, crisp green apple flavor, it’s a winner for my taste buds. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it as I can see sharing a bottle with friends at brunch or maybe next summer.
BareBurger Atlanta
The highlight of the day and winner of the longest possible line I was willing to stand in goes to BareBurger Atlanta. They were serving up their standard beef burger as well as the elusive, Impossible Burger. I tried both. And I have to say, I prefer the Impossible Burger version. I’m not usually into meat substitutes. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, they’re just not my thing. But I was impressed with the texture, taste, and color of the Impossible Burger. It’s the closest plant-based product I’ve ever seen to the real deal. And I’ve tasted a lot of them! The bun was also really good – but you can’t beat griddled brioche buns. Ever. Well done, BareBurger! Well done!
NaanStop
I’ve been wanting to get to NaanStop since they entered the Atlanta market a few years ago. Taste of Atlanta made that trip a lot easier. They were there and they were awesome. I tried the vegetarian samosa with the spicy green sauce and Mango Lassi to cool things down afterward. Both were tasty and super satisfying. I ate the entire portion for both!
Amelie’s Bakery
Amelie’s sent me home with some delicious desserts. I tried a couple macarons but this beautiful little pumpkin macaron was the best of the bunch. I’d drive to the bakery for it!
Sadly, I went on Saturday and some of my favorite restaurants were set to attend on Friday or Sunday only. And then there were some stations that were just too popular for me to ever get to the front of the line. I’ll be back for you next year True Food Kitchen, Bartaco, 1 KEPT, and CHAR.
It was great to be able to stake out my picks ahead of time as the TOA website listed the restaurants as well as what they’d be sampling well in advance. But I let the lines and the passersby with delectable samples and smiling faces be my GPS.
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