Tag Archive for: review

Rock N Taco Roswell: Foxey Lady!

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 12/29/19

“Here I come baby, I’m coming to get ya!”

Previous Buckhead staple, Rock N Taco is back and it’s bigger, better, and more immersive in its new downtown Roswell location. If you’re looking for a place that you can eat a taco while watching a Stone Temple Pilots video, we’ve found your spot. It truly is a rock n roll haven with tons of early to late 90’s rock, rock inspired cocktails like The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Offspring, as well as fresh tacos, fajitas, and everything in between. Let’s take a Journey into Rock N Taco, adventure ahead!

From the moment you enter, rock is strong with this one! Starting with the signature cocktails, they have two that we tried: The Offspring and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. First, The Offspring was a bourbon cocktail that was mellow and smooth, creamy with the whisked egg white, and topped with bitters to give it a slight bite, give it to me, baby. Followed by a real treat, The Jimi Hendrix Experience is Yuzu vodka, Crème de Cassis, and orange liquor, filled with marinated berries topped with sparkling wine, which gives makes it slightly sweeter. Drop in some dry ice. It billows and bubbles giving it a psychedelic effect. It’s really a fun, foxy drink to watch being made and to drink. Foxey, lady!

Fajitas, tacos, triple dip trios, and even inspired desserts, Rock N Taco has some good eats in a rock n roll atmosphere. We’ll start with the by taco bout some tacos. Of these solo performances hands down the best taco was The Classic. It’s perfect: simple, crunchy, beefy, cheesy, and all-around delicious. Tip: Add guacamole! Carne Asada was also simply good with tender steak, onion, cilantro, and lime. Savory, classic, and rich. The Hulk had fried avocado that was perfectly fried, good amount of avocado and crunch from the breading. Perfectly paired with a ranch sauce that adds to the creaminess of the bite.

Headliners like Metallica would be proud of this: topped with a decent amount of cheese, the tender steak combined with crisp peppers and savory onion, it was a great bite when all mixed together. Our recommendation would be to stuff everything into a tortilla with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and top with guacamole and the original salsa. It’s a stellar creamy, savory, concoction!

They call them Encores, but we call them Show Stoppers. The Fried Ice Cream was like eating cake and ice cream, the breading was so fluffy and thick then fried and topped with raspberry and chocolate sauce. The Churro was cinnamon goodness that they fried and sandwiched creamy vanilla ice cream. It’s hard to decide which was our favorite, but that thick fried breading of the fried ice cream is probably it. Can’t decide? Order both!

Not being too far from our hood, we may adopt them as our new taco spot for live music, 90’s rock, and of course, some more of those fajitas and fried ice cream.

Firepit Pizza Tavern: Perfectly Seasoned

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 12/15/19

With a slice of pie, a dusting of unicorn seasoning, and a handcrafted My Little Pony Punch, Firepit Pizza Tavern is the perfect combo of corner pizza place, wing stop, and local watering hole. Located in the Larkin on Memorial complex in walking distance to Grant Park staple, Six Feet Under, the blossoming Memorial Drive area now has a must-go-to pizza joint with unique wing offerings, every pizza topping imaginable, and fun cocktails. Let’s take an adventure into a few of their menu highlights.

Starting with small bites like the Pork Belly Toast and Unicorn Wings, you may not want to share, so get each FOR YOURSELF. You’ve been warned. The Pork Belly Toast was a blend of savory and salty pork belly, crunchy toast, creamy feta, earthy basil, and sweet tomato jam. Every type of flavor you can pack in, it had. They actually flash fry their pork belly after it was braised overnight in beer and unicorn seasoning for extra flavor and crunch. So many flavors, but you must love sweet. Tip make sure to get all ingredients in one bite.

If you’re looking for some more traditional, don’t go for the Unicorn Wings. This is some of the best seasoning you’ll ever have, and it is a complex medley of lemon pepper, sugar, salt, an entire pantry of seasonings, and secret spices that they wouldn’t share with us. Their chicken for the wings is a two-step cooking process of blanching then frying. Worth the wait. Again, get some for yourself because you won’t want to share.

When it comes to pizza, you can always judge it by if you must add salt, garlic salt, or parmesan on top to enhance the flavor. Not needed at all here. This pizza is delicious, perfectly seasoned from sourdough bread to creamy cheese to wonderfully balanced sauce. Speaking about the sauce, it was slightly spicy with red pepper flakes and raw garlic that gave it depth. Plus, they have some of the best sausage topping we’ve ever had; it seemed fresh sliced! A secret to their delectable dough comes from it being made fresh in house every day, plus they age it for 3 days! Perfecto!

Beyond your traditional pizza fare, they have some tasty handhelds like the Salmon BLT. They slather it in garlic oil and cook it on the flat top to crisp up the tender salmon and to give it more flavor. They top it with savory bacon, creamy aioli, and add capers right to the bottom bun to give it extra tart. Great combo of flavors. We paired it with their Brussel sprouts which married crispy sprouts with bacon and blue cheese and charred for balance. The blue cheese and bacon combo really enhanced these sprouts. Was a great overall meal you could have for a quick lunch or dinner!

Let’s not forget the My Little Pony Punch. Surprisingly tart and refreshing, you’ll never believe it has Gin in it! What really makes this little cocktail pop is the sparkling wine and cranberry. This would really be a great summer cocktail by the pool.

Now that you’re ready to go to Firepit Pizza Tavern, save us a spot and get us a set of those Unicorn Wings!

Ocean & Acre: Land and Sea Perfectly Paired

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/24/19

Land and Sea come together in perfect harmony up at Ocean & Acre in the Halcyon Forsyth complex! What really sets them apart is the innovative and truly unique menu offerings like ceviche with beets, wagyu beef carpaccio, lamb belly, and savory pork chops. If meat isn’t your thing, they have tons of fish, a take on fish and chips, oysters, and even more shellfish to choose from. Like we said, perfect harmony! Beyond this, we really enjoyed the medley of flavors that they paired together in each dish to make them remarkable. Ok, enough talk, let’s take a journey through their menu, sip on a cocktail, and sit by the fire. Come on in.

Starting with the raw bar, the Bass Ceviche was one of the most unique small plates we’ve ever had with light and flaky bass mixed with beets and in a beet vinaigrette. It was earthy, fresh, and light with every flavor you could imagine in such a simple dish. Yes, you must like beets, but they are perfectly cooked and are actually the perfect pair with the fish. Light and delicious.

Maintaining our foray into the lighter side of Ocean & Acre, we opted for the wagyu beef carpaccio. The most tender slice of tartar beef paired well with some oil, herbs, and a light whipped cheese. The best bite is to wrap up the beef, cheese, herbs, and oil and stuff it all in your mouth. Savory, creamy, light.

We took a turn from there into hearty with the Smoked Lamb Belly. The meat was fresh with very little game, a different take on a pork belly dish. What was truly amazing about this dish was the best side on Ocean & Acre’s menu: the polenta. We cannot sing the praises of this more! With the creamy polenta flavor up front then the tart and sweet of the craisins and raisins on the back it’s a savory sweet MASTERPIECE. Could. Not. Stop. Eating it. Great for the cold weather!

Our main course consisted of some of the most flavorful, savory pork chops we’ve had in a long time. Perfectly cooked with herbs and a hearty au jus, this chop was well, perfect. It comes with two, cooked onions to add flavor to the sauce, as well as mushrooms. Two people can share it, it’s that big. Suggestion: get the pork chop with a side of the polenta from the lamb belly dish. We ended up mixing them together and WOW. This is THE combination to try! Highly recommend.

Let’s not forget their drink menu which had a good mix of classics and signature sips to try. The one we like the best was Barracuda. It’s their drink of the week this week, November 22nd 2019 through the Thanksgiving. They have an in-house infuser and backed it with habanero, blood orange and tequila. They paired this with crème de chassis on the top. Perfecto. We also enjoyed both the Rosetta, the drink of the week last week with whipped egg and cloves, as well as a fun tiki drink called Ebb Tide: pineapple, rum, mint. A tiki mule if you will. Wonder what fun drink of the week they will come up with next week? Can’t wait to find out.

We must say that the Halcyon up in Forsyth is really a destination for anyone living in Atlanta. They have a brew pub, sports bar, movie theater with delicious eats, and more. Let’s not forget this absolute gem, Ocean & Acre. Take your family, friends, and life mate, grab a cocktail and sit by the fire. You’ll be glad you did.

Hoyle’s Kitchen & Bar: Marietta Gem Has Amazing Food!

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/10/19

It was one of those nights where the rain started to fall, and the traffic was a challenge. There’s nothing like one of the best meals we’ve ever had, wonderful pairings with beer and wine, and the company of foodie friends to make things right with the world. That’s the experience we had at Hoyle’s Kitchen and Bar in Marietta. It’s an unassuming restaurant out near the Big Chicken, but has delicious apps featuring tempura cauliflower that was the hit of the night. Entrees include Crisp Brick Chicken with a delectable rub, and Sous Vide Sirloin that nestled Brussel sprouts and steak in a melody of flavors. Are you hungry yet? Let’s dive into the details.

The star of the evening had to be the Tempura Cauliflower as everyone raved about the sweet and spicy, lightly fried morsels. From the lightly fried tempura batter to the sweet chili glaze and topped with sriracha aioli, it truly was one of the best bites! It was sweet, spicy, savory, and crunchy. It was perfectly paired with a J. Vineyards Pinot Gris that was light and went well with the sweet and spicy of the cauliflower! This appetizer is a must-try when you head over to Hoyle’s!

All the main course dishes were top notch, so let’s take a journey through all of them. Yes, all of them. They were all something you should try! Let’s start with the Pan Seared Salmon. One of our go-to menu items is always the salmon and can be a good test to if the restaurant is good or not. This one was so tender and flaky, it fell apart. It was succulent, sweet, and savory on top of poblano cous-cous that was creamy and salty with a hint of ginger-soy dressing. A great bit when you mix it all up together: savory and Asian inspired.

If you could have one dish the rest of your life, this is it, the Crispy Brick Chicken! The chicken was perfectly brined in a local IPA and smoked in the house smoker! After that, it is crisped on the grill and rubbed with spices. It was almost like a barbeque fried chicken when you top it with Alabama white sauce. Placing the chicken on poblano mac and cheese and green beans. Saucy, sweet, tender, crispy, need we say more? Whatever you do, cut up the chicken, mix in the sauce between the chicken and the mac and cheese and eat it all together. OMG! It was also wonderfully paired with a Merlot that was deep and rich, just like the dish. One of our favorites of the evening!

In an answer to a country favorite, the 10 oz Frenched Pork Chop is a sweet addition to the menu with its maple bourbon beurre blanc. The chop is tender and melds well with the cheddar grits, that give it a savory and sharp taste. The whole dish is made when you add that sunny side up egg and it covers the chops and grits, creating a savory balance to the sweet of the sauce and sous vide. Best drink pairing of night right here with the sweet of the dish and the sweet of Terrapin MooHoo. You’d think that would be too sweet, but it works well and the MooHoo actually mellows the sweetness of the meat perfectly.

More of a steak and potatoes lover? Don’t worry, get the Sous Vide Sirloin. The sirloin is Sous Vide with butter and thyme to tenderize the meat and cooked to perfection. It was very tender and sat on smashed fingerling potatoes and maple bourbon glazed crispy Brussel sprouts. This is all drizzled with caramelized onion-wild mushroom demi. It’s one of those bites where if you can get it all on the fork, DO IT. It’s rich, savory, crisp, and deep all in one bite.

Next time you want some of the best food in the city, get up to Hoyles’ Kitchen and Bar. We love this restaurant and want everyone to know about it. RUN. DRIVE. TAKE THE BUS up there today!

Nikolai’s Roof Magnum Wine Dinner: Stellar Views, Delectable Food, Premium Wine

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/7/19

Way up close to the clouds, with stellar panoramic city views, Nikolai’s Roof a top the Hilton Atlanta is the perfect upscale destination of high-end food, cocktails and wine, as well as intimate events. We recently sat in the clouds and took in the city views during the Magnum Wine dinner with three courses of selectively precured wine and food pairings.

From the bubbles as you exit the elevator, to the small savory bites of the passed apps, you felt instantly welcomed to the party. Our favorite bite was the Smoked Salmon Tartare Taquito with a smoky, flaky bite of salmon nestled in corn tortilla, topped with caviar and arugula. It was stunningly platted, and a one-bite wonder of smoke, salt, and slightly sweet. Also, the Vanilla Bean Macaroon was delicious with foie gras mousse and black pepper that cut the sweet of the cookie with the savory of the mousse.

The heart of the dinner was two courses: one was duck and the other lamb perfectly paired with a high-end Magnum red wine. The first course, the Sous Vide Duck Magrete was paired with the Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir 2003. The duck was perfectly cooked at medium and there was a distinctly beautiful coffee demi-glaze that cut-through the savory, salt, and slight game of the duck. The best thing on the plate was the parsnip and Celeriac Mille Feuille, which I said was one of the best potatoes au gratin like side that was both simple, creamy, and rich. The Pinot Noir went perfectly with the duck and root vegetables!

The second course manicured by Chef Stephanie Alderete was the Charleston Lamb Chop. What a delectable good portion of lamb that was cooked medium and was mild, tender, and paired well with miso beet varieties. The beet and lamb earthiness paired well with both of the Cabernet Savignon’s that Magnum provided. These cabs were smooth and less oaky than a typical cab. Drinkable.

Our favorite wine came with the cheese plate at the end, Qupe Syrah 1999, which had enough spice to pair well with the hard cheese and mellowed out with the truffle honey! Have you ever had truffle honey? It’s both earthy and deep, but has the sweetness of honey. It was a delicious bite with the salt of the cheese.

All-in-all, we’re not huge red wine drinkers, but these red wines from Magnum really impressed us! Deep, high-end, quality wines that were easy to drink and paired well with all the food. Color us impressed. We will try more of their wines!

Nacho Daddy: Vegas Vibes in Downtown Duluth

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/3/19

The glitz of the strip, glowing neon and customer precured music videos fills Nacho Daddy with vibrancy and sound, but we’re not in Las Vegas, were in Downtown Duluth. Unexpected and welcomed addition to the recently trending Duluth town center, where you can gather to listen to music, drink a margarita, watch the game, and eat a huge plate of nachos. Here’s our take on our recent visit. Nacho Daddy isn’t just nachos, it has it all.

For the appetizer, who doesn’t love a good wing? Their Spicy Grilled Lemon Pepper Wings were tender, slightly spicy about medium hot with a smoky, lemon pepper finish. You’d be surprised how well these flavors all go together for a fun bite. With the appetizer we had two specialty margaritas: Pineapple Mint Margarita with a good mix of muddled mint, tequila, pineapple juice, sweet and sour. It wasn’t overly sweet and was very similar to a mojito with a Mexican twist. Also, got the Beer-Rita. Take their house margarita and stick an 8 oz Corona in it. Fun. Tasty.

The menu at Nacho Daddy was expansive, so we asked for suggestions and landed on the Fajita Nachos to get the best of both the Fajita and the nacho. It has everything except the kitchen sink, tender fajita filet mignon, creamy guacamole, spicy jalapenos, two melted cheeses, queso, seared peppers and onions, and the best topping ever pickled onions. Everything went so well together in a crunch, savory, sweet, spicy melody of flavors. The best part was the pickled onion, it gave it a kick up front that we loved! Our tip would be to get everything you can on one bite: it will be a big bite, but it’s the best one!

Our second entrée choice was a vegan option: fried avocado tacos. One of our favorite things in the world is fried avocado and we couldn’t pass this up. The avocado itself was creamy and deep, with the right amount of beer battered breading. It wasn’t too much and didn’t overpower it. Topped with salsa that gave it a kick. Also, loved the black beans, which were fresh! Found that if you put the black beans, salsa on the taco itself, it deepens the flavor. Try it that way. Yes, you’re thinking, vegan option? Yes, they have a whole page of them! With dinner we had a flight of Nacho Daddy branded beer, the best thing about it, it’s local! They scoured the Atlanta area and landed on having Wild Heaven on tap as the owner instantly loved their brewery and people. Example: their Mac Daddy is Ode to Mercy or Wise Blood is Hop Daddy. So, cool they scouted a local beer we love to be on tap! Cheers!

One of the favorite things about Nacho Daddy is the music videos! They have an iPad and customers can pick an array of songs to play on their screens. While we were there, we saw a large range of songs and even Liz’s favorite band STP, as well as everything from OutKast, to The Joy Formidable. It was fun to just sit there, sip on our flight of beer, and watch music videos. We’ll be back.

Haven Restaurant: BBQ Chips and Mustard Seeds

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/14/19

What do BBQ Chips and Mustard Seeds Have In Common? Find out here!

On a corner off Dresden, Haven Restaurant sits in the middle of the Brookhaven action. From their impeccable staff, to the fresh linens, well-priced offerings, and the warm ambiance, everything about Haven is inviting and welcoming. Their chef, Joe Macy, said that he wants his menu to reflect, “food that people could share and be social with, like their deviled eggs and brussels sprouts.” That’s how Haven feels, like a place you take your friends, your family, and share a meal. Come on in. Let’s share a meal together.

Cue the excitement, because we found them. We found our favorite deviled eggs in Atlanta to date! There are two reasons these deviled eggs stand out, first is the crumbled barbecue chips that give them a crunch and salt. Yes, crumbled BBQ chips! The second and thing that did it for us on top of that were the mustard seeds. They gave it a richer flavor and a pop at the end! It was like eating fish roe, which was his original idea, but with the added zing. Beyond that the filling was just egg, mayonnaise, lemon, tobacco, and Worcestershire for added zip and color. I (Liz) at them all, so now we must go back so John can get one. Darn.

We didn’t realize how egg-centric our brunch was until we ordered our entrees: Avocado Toast, Sunday Hash, and Steak and Eggs. Egg-celent! Puns aside, we really enjoyed each dish for an entirely different reason. Let’s start with the Avocado Toast. This healthy option may look healthy, but don’t think for a minute it is low on taste. Layered bread, guacamole, hard boiled eggs, and tomatoes, it was a good balance of creamy, crunch, and savory. The guacamole was creamy, bread had a good crunch to it, while the eggs were savory, and the tomato gave it acidity and balance. It also came it an arugula salad. It was slightly salty and peppery, so it made an amazing topping for the toast. Yes, we’d recommend putting it on your toast. It’s gives it a WOW factor!

If you’re looking for something savory and hearty, go with the Sunday Hash. From the potatoes to soak up all the flavors, sweet peppers and onions, savory short rib, and topped with a runny egg, there’s a lot of flavor in this dish. The savory short rib was tender with a slight char and all that good au jus from it seeped into the potatoes and vegetables and gave it a richer flavor. Then, the sweet peppers and onions gave it a balance. It was something you could sit by a roaring fire with and a good cup of coffee. If you get this, try getting all the ingredients on your fork in one bite for the best bite possible. OMG. Worth it! As far as the steak and eggs, it was John’s choice and the steak was tender and well-seasoned. It came with potatoes and eggs and was a good breakfast staple that anyone could enjoy. Especially steak connoisseurs like us!

What is a brunch without something to sip on? We’re always down for a mimosa, and we loved the size and balance of juice and champagne on this one! It was just right. We also tried the Brookhaven Botanical, which was cucumber vodka, mint, grapefruit (citrus) that rounds it out. When you first sip it, it’s cool and refreshing from the mint and cucumber flavor of the vodka, then has a little sweet from the fruit to balance it out. A good sipping drink!

We ended our time chatting with Chef Joe Macy for quite a while about all the above food, beer, and everything in between, we felt like he really cares about his food and his customers. This place feels like family. The seal of approval comes when you decide you’re going to take your mom there! Mom, are you ready?

Wildwood Revival: Stay Awhile

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/5/19

Sip a mule, watch some music, stay awhile.

A few miles out of the hustle-and-bustle of the college town of Athens sits a farm with a beautiful plantation style home, several lean-tos, a barn, pastures, and everything you’d expect in rural Georgia. But this southern farm is only masquerading as a farm, it’s really a lively event venue and home to Wildwood Revival. Beyond Cloverleaf Farms’ ambiance, Wildwood Revival has turned the open-air barn into a juke joint full of music, while down yonder is the bar full of tasty treats, a pasture where people sit in their own tailgate chairs, and at the house, VIP sip and savor some unique treats. Wildwood Revival isn’t your typical festival, it’s laid back, chill, listen to some music, sip on a Kentucky Mule, eat some delicious local grub. Stay awhile.

The music itself had a little bit of everything from rock to country to southern rock, blues, blue grass, gospel. We saw The Texas Gentleman who are a mix of country, funk, southern rock. We did some research and found they have done back-up work for country legend George Strait. So, we get where they get some of their country roots, but their songs don’t sound country. They’re more what The Austin Chronicle calls, “eclectic country funk groove.” We concur. It’s a fun mix of genres that goes from toe tapping to soft piano ballads, like “Pain.*” Then there was Cedric Burnside, who was a mix of soulful guitar blues, with a hint of R&B. His music permeated the grounds and you could feel his music in the air. You could see it in the crowd that had gathered in the juke joint. Hoots, hollers, cheers erupted on this lazy Sunday afternoon!

Beyond the soulful, heartfelt performances by The Texas Gentleman and Cedric Burnside, they had some delicious local food, as well as craft beer and cocktails. We had the pulled pork plate from Maepole out of Athens and it the best music festival food we’ve ever had, ever. The pork was flavorful and tender. What really stuck out was the bean salad. It was a deep, savory flavor with a little spice and little sweet. They mix the beans and veggies with jalapenos, garlic, and cilantro. Also, everything they make on the side is vegan, so there’s no cheese in those grits! We also put a little bit of the spicy avocado on top and mixed up the salad, pork, and grits together. WOW! They mentioned they were going to open in Atlanta. CANNOT WAIT. We will be there with bells on!

After our delicious meal, they had local craft beer from Creature Comforts, as well as ASW Distillery on site with their whiskey and vodka. First off, ASW Distillery makes some great liquor, we really like their Lawn Dart product! We got a Kentucky Mule made with ginger beer, lime, and their Fiddler Unison Bourbon Whiskey. was like sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, sipping a refreshing cocktail and just watching the sunset type of feeling.

Kid friendly, they had a barn with an upstairs transformed into a chalk art area where the kids and the kid in you could create chalk art, color, and watch the acts outside the little window. We might or might not have colored in an octopus. At the end of the day, we enjoyed the over-all feel of Wildwood Revival. This “anti-festival” really is laid-back, relaxed, and makes you feel right at home. It’s a bring your chair, your camera, your family, make a day or a weekend of it festival. See you next year, Cloverleaf Farm.

*Research on their background/confirming song name Pain came from Austin Chronicle’s Hot Luck Review: The Texas Gentleman article 5/25/18.

Imagine Music Festival 2019: Can You Feel It?

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/30/19

There’s something about the electricity in the air during a late-night set at Imagine Music Festival. The crowd is excited and filled with anticipation. The weather is cooler than it was all day, so the light breeze is inviting and soothing. Then, the artists pump out heart pounding beats that sets the mood. It’s one of those experiences you can’t get anywhere else than an EDM festival in fall. You’d also be astounded how many festival-goers these types of acts draw! Let’s just call it a “sea.” It’s just amazing how many people are all dancing in time! Let’s dive into 2019 Imagine Music Festival!

When you’re at these types of festivals, there are two unique experiences you can have: FEELING the sound up front or a little more immersive over-all experience out back. The photo pit is a totally different experience than when you observe from a-far. Up front, you see all the sights and sounds looming tall, but it really strikes you when that bass picks up and it really is about FEELING the sound. The further back you go, the sound and lights dance together, and it becomes a little more about both/immersive. You feel us? Which would you rather or would you try for both?

This year, we watched several acts including Above and Beyond, Ghastly, KSHMR, and Zeds Dead and they all had something different and unique to offer Imagine EDM lovers. We think people misconstrue electronic dance music as simply DJ work. It isn’t. It’s original and has all the elements you’d find in other genres, just packaged in a different way. Here’s a little about each of the artists and bands we saw. First is Zeds Dead, which is more something you just want to get out there and dance to with interesting beats. Add to that fun rhythm changes and that electronic energy that pairs well with lots of laser lights, you get the picture! On top of that, we enjoyed Ghastly, who we met in passing in the press area, as well as KSHMR, who had fun visuals, lights, beats, and all-around electrified the crowd below.

One of the most impressive was Above and Beyond. Being our first experience with the band, we had heard some of their music in passing or at clubs but hadn’t really spent any quality time with it. We got some and we’re glad we did! It was an all-encompassing EDM experience. Above and Beyond came out of the Trace wave and they’ve done everything you can in this genre since from trace, to dance anthems to even acoustic. Their newer music has some elements of it all, it has original lyrics, swelling dance beats, and everything you’d think of at an electronic dance festival. They’re not just sampling music and working it into beats, they craft their own original music. They have an impressive list of genres and songs, spanning two decades, all peppered a little bit of sadness and a ton of heart. We hope to see them again, maybe even their acoustic show?

With that, it’s time to lounge around the pool on the oversized flamingo float, grab a drink, and let the lights and sound surround you. Can you feel it?

Wild Heaven West End and Gardens: FINA, You Had Us at Walking Taco!

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/20/19

Wild Heaven West End and Gardens introduces new beers and in-house fine foods: FINA.

There was a time we had never been to West End, but with the recent trend to open restaurants, bars, and breweries down there, it’s becoming a must visit locale for anyone interested in Atlanta’s food and drink scene. Case and point: Wild Heaven West End and Gardens. Now with their second brewery and internal FINA fine food, you can sit for a drink, grab a bite, and enjoy the gardens and atmosphere this location has to offer. What we enjoyed most was the hospitality, of course, they have great food and great beer, but their moto is Serve Your Neighbor and they take that to heart. Eddie was so personable, and we really got to chat with him about his passion for Wild Heaven’s beer, as well as their new FINA restaurant. Beyond that, nestled next to Monday Night Garage, Boxcar ATL and Hop City, as well as another brewery coming down the road, you could make a day of it. Did someone say day trip?

Let’s start with what Wild Heaven is known for, their beer. They have staples from their Decatur brewery like Eschaton (Liz’s all-time Wild Heaven favorite), Emergency Drinking Beer, Ode to Mercy, and a ton of others, but what Eddie expressed to us was this location was going to be their more exclusive beers, almost like their “lab” to create and try new things. Garden Beer is a good example! While we were there, Westy was one of their exclusive brews, as well as the Garden Beer series in collaboration with the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The first Garden Beer was lemon, this one called Season Two was peach. That was my (Liz’s) favorite beer we had all day. It was one of those you could work in your garden and sip on all day with a light sweetness, but nothing overbearing. With light peach notes, but enough hop back-bone to support it. The other beer, Westy, almost came off with some Granny Smith apple notes, followed by some hop bitterness. It was well-balanced! I (Liz) don’t usually like IPAs but their Wild Monster Double IPA with prickly pear, which makes it red, is one of my favorite IPAs ever! It’s slightly sweet with the pear, but also has a good balance. I’d get any of these again. John’s favorite was Altair IPA. He said it was smooth and drinkable for an IPA. He got two. That tells you something. Solid beers, check!

Before we get to the food, we’d like to share a story Eddie told us about how Eschaton became a staple beer for Wild Heaven. Back in Athens, Eddie mentioned that he and Eric had an underground supper club called the 4-course man. Clever. One of these nights, Eric did an beer dinner and Eschaton was the one that really caught on that night, and these years later, is still being brewed in the original Wild Heaven location. We loved hearing about how it came about, since that is my(Liz’s) favorite Wild Heaven beer!

There are two words you need to know about FINA, Wild Heaven West End’s in-house fine food establishment: Walking Taco. Yes, they have deliciously creamy guacamole, their Al Pastor Mexican Pizza is creamy, dreamy, and loaded with delicious pork, and their pork rinds are crisp with a KILLER salsa. We’ll get to some of that, but we’d like to highlight the Walking Taco. Eddie mentioned that this comes out of Chicago and is all the rage. No one we’ve mentioned it to has ever heard of it, even one of my friends whose boyfriend lives in Chicago, but it’s really going to catch on. Mark our words, this will be a huge deal! Why you ask? Think about this: take a bag of Fritos with all their salty, crispness, and smoosh all that good taco meat, cheese, pico de gallo, onions, cilantro, and sauce into that bag. Grab a spoon. See where we’re going? It’s crispy, crunchy, salty, sweet, creamy, dreamy, spicy all in one place and if we were asked if there was one food you could have every day for the rest of your life, THIS would be it. Plus, it’s only $4. We’re in love.

Beyond the Walking Taco phenom, we really enjoyed the chicken wings. They were crunchy, large, and had a lemon-peppery dry rub that was tangy, salty, sweet, and had a good bite to them. We were told they were brined for 2 days, roasted, and then dried. Yum. Also, the Salsa Macha that they have with their pork rinds is KILLER. Pork rinds tend to be very salty and take-on whatever dip you put with them. That’s the beauty of using them in that way, this sauce was sweet, very spicy on the back, and so rich that it cut through that salt and really left a meat flavor on the tongue. We want to buy this sauce to go on all our meats! Eddie, are you listening? Put it in a bottle? Finally, we’d like to mention they have a wood-burning pizza oven that Eddie said would NOT be used for pizza. We look forward to the future culinary surprises that FINA will offer, and don’t be surprised if something Lebanese or middle eastern comes out of it.

Whew, we’re stuffed and happy until next time.