Tag Archive for: review

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.

Fudo: Spicy, Crunchy, Sweet

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

Nestled in a Chamblee live-work community off Peachtree, Fudo has an intimate atmosphere and friendly service. The most amazing thing about Fudo? The number 48. We sat down and counted the number of specialty sushi rolls you can choose from when dining at the restaurant, that number is 48. This is in addition to all the hand or traditional rolls, as well. They have so many combinations, it was so hard to decide on just a few to try. Our waitress helped us pick something that we’re calling: spicy-crunchy-sweet. One spicy, one crunchy, one sweet roll that would round out the meal. Diving in…

We sampled the brussel sprouts appetizer and it is one of the most unique around with a creamy garlic ponzu sauce that’s sweet and spicy along with the crispy, fried sprouts. It was just the right amount of crunch followed by sweetness and spicy. Uniquely delicious.

Of the three rolls we chose, our favorite roll is still the Hunger Games Roll. We had this at the grand opening and couldn’t pass up having it again. It’s the most flavorful roll we’ve found on the menu with a smoky, creamy aioli topped with spicy sriracha and jalapeno that lingers in the back of your throat. No wasabi needed. On top of that, the fish are cut just right and a crunchy asparagus to give it a slight crunch. All around a solid bite that we’re going to get again! Yum.

The other two rolls were delicious as well: Mono and My Idol. Immediately upon trying the mono two things stuck out: the crunch and the wasabi tobiko. The tempura crunch starts off the bite, smooth fish in the middle, then comes the spice of the wasabi tobiko. A great addition on the end to round out the flavor and goes perfectly with the pop of the eggs. My Idol was smoother, sweeter of all the rolls. Very rich and creamy, with the sweetness and crunch of the mango, then the richness of the sauce, as well as the pop of the red and white tobiko. What a great way to fill out a meal with everything from smoky spicy, to crunchy, to sweet and rich.

No matter what you pick, you’ll find something original and new at Fudo. The drinks are on point and have a ton of options for those who don’t prefer raw fish or sushi.  Since Fudo is in our hood, we’ll be heading back soon, shall we meet you there?