Lunchbox - The Perfect Tailgate Drink

With football season rapidly approaching I felt that a cocktail centered around a tailgate is the perfect drink.

Listen, we all know bloody mary's, screw driver's and mimosa's, but what about a lunchbox? Yesterday Leah suggested this drink and after having tasted it, I can agree, its great!

Ingredients

• 1 shot - Amaretto
• 1 Beer (you'll only use about half)
• Splash of Orange Juice

Fill a 12 ounce glass with about a 1/2 a beer to get it be about half the glass. Then add a few splashes of orange juice (make sure you leave about 1/4 of the glass empty) and if you are a chugger drop the shot of Amaretto in the beer/orange juice mixture, and start chuggin! Personally im not a chugger, so I prefer to sip on this tasty little concoction.

Either way this is a gaurenteed way to mix up your tailgating routine! I know that I will be partaking in a few lunchboxes this weekend!

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Hal's -- Atlanta

Today we have a great post from my number one publicist, Bethany. We we talking last week and she brought up an excellent point: there are foodies all over the country and not just where I am. I had thought about this earlier in the year but never capitalized on it -- GUESTS POSTS! I know a few people sent in recipes and I promise they will get posted, I wasn't as diligent as I should have been, but you will see your name in bright text, no worries.

Without further adieu here is Bethany's review of Hal's in Atlanta!

“YOU’LL COME FOR THE FOOD, YOU’LL COME BACK FOR LIFE”.

Their slogan speaks for itself, I ate at Hal’s for the first time last week and I can honestly say that Hal’s is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole city. It might be Atlanta’s best kept secret. Walking through the doors brings you back to an era-gone-by where “supper clubs” and “speakeasy’s” ruled the country. Warm, dark and cozy is hard to find in Atlanta these days, especially paired with an energetic nightly band that serves up a mixture of Motown music and anything ranging from big band New Orleans style jazz to Beale Street blues. Hal’s golden era atmosphere mixed with superb culinary creations of steaks and seafood was just what I was looking for.

Enough about that and on to the food….for an appetizer we ordered two things, the first was Oysters Bordelaise which are lightly dusted, flash fried oysters in a buttery crab sauce (this was amazing) and the second was Shrimp Remoulade with crab covered in a tangy Creole sauce. Next we had the Iceberg Wedge salad’s (Melissa I thought about you and how much you would love this). This was not any old iceberg wedge, it was the best one I have ever had. Covered with creamy blue cheese dressing, crispy bacon and tons of baby blue cheese crumbles. Sounds basic but I assure you there was nothing boring about this wedge, it was a tasty explosion of goodness in every bite. For the main course we had a 14 oz. bone-in-filet which was cooked to a “rare medium plus”. I like to think of myself as a steak connoisseur and this was melt in your mouth delicious. The bone gives it great flavor and it was cooked just how I like it…absolute perfection! The sides I would recommend are white truffle macaroni and cheese and of course asparagus.

It's moderately priced with most appetizers under $10 and entrees ranging from $21 - $35, so good for small dinner for two, or a party of twenty I recommend Hal’s to anyone in the market for a restaurant with a great atmosphere paired with an even better meal.

Enough said: Hal’s slogan got right…this is one restaurant I will be returning to for life!

Hal’s
http://www.hals.net/
30 Old Ivy Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 261-0025

Many thanks to Bethany and this great post, especially when I am feeling a little under the weather :)

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New Posts Tomorrow!

I'm feeling a little under the weather today (probably allergies but could be something else), but don't fear, I had two incredible meals this weekend so I will be back shortly :)

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Squid vs. Calamari - Same or Different?

Let's be honest, who doesn't love calamari? If you haven't tried it you obviously should, its delicious. As most of my dear foodies know, calamari is squid. However, is a squid necessarily calamari?

This question was brought up over dinner this past weekend so I did a little research. Basically calamari is the name of particular types of squid, however, the term is widely used to describe the rings of squid that can be prepared using any species of the squid family.

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Caracas Arepas - Restaurant review

Let me preface this by saying you know something is good when you go for lunch then go back for dinner. Yeah, that's happened with Caracas Arepas. Jef and I had seen Caracas on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay and immediately knew that this was someplace that we would have to try.

Now for those that don't know (and I didn't till I saw this episode), arepas are flat cornmeal patties which can either be grilled, baked, or fried (yum!) and basically they stuff the arepas with all different kinds of meat and cheeses.

Located on the corner of 7th and 1st ave, Caracas fits into the delightful urban mix that is the East Village. Ethnic food is everywhere and the streets are lined with tiny eateries that are sure to be someone's favorite and Caracas is now mine.

I'll just start with dinner, because while Jef and I did go for lunch, it was a warm up, we did dinner the right way.

So to start off the night right we decided to get the Venezuelan interpretation of Sangria, a light wine and fruity mixture and get some appetizers:

• Yoyos - deep fried balls of sweet plantain stuffed with white cheese with a deliciously sweet honey dipping sauce


• Guasacaca & Chips - Venezuelan style guacamole with chips

The yoyos were so sweet Jef and I both stated that it could probably be a mild dessert but delicious none the less and who doesn't love guac and plantain chips? Everyone, duh!

Now we made the mistake at lunch by ordering only one arepas. As it turns out that will not fill you up, unless you don't like to eat and we do. Arepas are smaller, almost like a tiny pita, so basically you need to order two if that is all you're getting. Since we got two appetizers, I ordered one and Jef ordered two:

• De Pabello - shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains and aged cheese (pictured right)


• La de Pernil - roasted pork shoulder with tomato slices and a spicy mango sauce

Basically what I am trying to communicate is arepas are a little piece of Venezuelan heaven in your mouth. The arepas itself is bread that is sweet, crunchy and yet soft. I don't know how it works and I don't care its beyond ridiculously good.

If you are interesting in trying a new cusine, I would highly suggest venturing into Venezuelan, its not a far departure from Mexican, but completely different techniques and flavor profiles.

I should also mention this place is a great value for all you're getting. For the two of us to eat it was $47 with drinks, 3 arepas, and 2 appetizers! Yeah, for us thats the cheapest dinner we've had...

In case you don't think I loved it, check out the pure bliss stretched across my face as I try and devour the arepas...amazing. Thanks to Jef and his amazing photo skills :)

Caracas Arepas Bar
93 1/2 East 7th
New York, NY 10009
http://www.caracasarepabar.com/

Check for hours of operations, the restaurant is open at 5, but they do have a smaller to-go place next door open all hours.

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