Saturday, March 26, 2016

ON THE ROAD: SWEET GEORGIA'S JUKE JOINT

One of my favorite things about traveling is trying the local cuisine. Southern food is one of my favorites, so I couldn't leave Atlanta recently without getting a real southern meal. I found the perfect one at Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint. This place has a laid back atmosphere complete with live jazz music. One of its customers told us he travels from across town for their fried chicken, so we were in for a treat!

They specialize in homemade moonshine, so ordered some. The moonshine had raspberries and pineapple. It was amazing! For dinner, I got the "Juke Joint Fried Chicken," which comes with two of their sides. The sides include garlic steamed broccoli, steak fries, fried green tomatoes, okra, sweet potato fries, cheese grits and mac & cheese. I settled on the mac & cheese and collard greens. The food was brought to us in no time. I quickly realized this was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The batter on the chicken was phenomenal. The mac & cheese was out of the world. I also tried some of my friend's waffle, which was so good.

Sweet Georgia's has all of the southern favorites like shrimp & grits, fried catfish, peach glazed Alaskan salmon, grilled rib eye, jambalaya pasta and a St. Louis rib rack. They all serve several vegetarian dishes including salads. Desserts include peach cobbler, banana pudding, spiced apple bread pudding and pecan pie.

If you're ever in downtown Atlanta, be sure to check out Sweet Georgia's. The food is incredible!

www.sweetgeorgiasjukejoint.com
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Thursday, March 17, 2016

DINE OUT BOSTON: ST. PATRICK'S DAY AT DAVIO'S IN CHESTNUT HILL

Dine Out Boston is winding down, but Eat Up New England was able to grab one last lunch. I enjoyed several courses at Davio's in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts today. I had to order a Guinness since it's St. Patrick's Day. Check out those buffalo chicken spring rolls. They are served on bleu cheese for dipping.
Course one: Spinach, snap peas and goat cheese salad
Course two: Atlantic salmon with roasted potatoes, spinach and capers. This was so tasty and filling.
Course 3: Chocolate cake with vanilla bean gelato. The cake was filled with warm chocolate lava.
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Monday, March 14, 2016

ITALIAN AT SCORPIO'S IN ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS


UPDATE: Scorpio's has closed permanently.

Scorpio's in Attleboro, Massachusetts is one of my families' favorite places to gather whenever there's a birthday or celebration. They serve up hearty portions of Italian favorites at an affordable price.

Every meal begins with their delicious homemade bread topped with garlic. You'll want seconds or thirds! We often order their calamari to start. There's enough for two or three people and it's served with marinara for dipping. Other apps include caprese, wings, bruschetta and spinach & artichoke dip.

I enjoyed their gnocchi with meat sauce during my last visit. Scorpio's has many other homemade pasta dishes like chicken marsala, frutti di mare, baked ziti, lasagna and spaghetti alla Carbonara. Other entrees include pizzas, sandwiches, wraps and salads. They also have a full bar with a large selection of beers including Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA, Sierra Nevada, Mayflower, Magic Hat, Revival Brewing, Corona and Guinness. When I was there, they had a bunch of seasonal winter beers and cocktails like their tiramisu martini and a spiced pumpkin martini.

Desserts include tiramisu, cheesecake and gelato.

Scorpio's also holds trivia nights every Thursday starting at 7:30. They also have popular painting nights one Wednesday a month.

www.scorpiospizza.com
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DINE OUT BOSTON AT THE FIREPLACE IN BROOKLINE

Another Dine Out Boston has come and gone. Eat Up New England made it out for lunch at The Fireplace in Brookline. They offered a three-course lunch for just $20. What a deal! I started off my meal with this smoked chicken and sweet potato chowder. It was very good and a nice change from traditional clam chowder.
For lunch, I ordered the sweet pea and asparagus risotto. This vegetarian dish was quite filling.
My final course was this amazing apple cheddar pie. This homemade pie was easily my favorite of the three courses. The pie was packed with apples and the crust was soooo good.
www.fireplacerest.com ,

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

MAD RIVER BARN IN WAITSFIELD, VERMONT

There's still snow on the ground in Waitsfield, Vermont, which makes the Mad River Barn the perfect place to warm up with friends and comfort food.

Eat Up New England stopped by for dinner last weekend. The place was jumping on Saturday night. Upstairs, you'll find a young crowd enjoying drinks and playing games like foosball. Downstairs, there's a modern dining room, with long tables to accommodate families and large groups of friends.

I was surprised to see aranchini as one of their apps, so we ordered it. They were very good (and vegetarian BTW). Other apps include warm pretzel sticks, crab hush puppies, meatballs and a Vermont cheese plate. The Mad River Barn also has a great selection of local beers, and yes, they do serve Heady Topper!

For dinner, there are several salads and burgers to choose form. I built my own burger with BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese. It was served with their delicious homemade French fries. Other dinners include Vermont maple chicken, salmon, a grilled cheese with pickled jalapenos and roasted lamb.

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GOING GREEN FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY

It's almost St. Patrick's Day and that means many New England restaurants are going green. I had this yummy donut from Honey Dew the other day. Right now, Stew Leonard's in Connecticut is selling green bagels. Next week, Bruegger's will also have green bagels. Happy St. Patrick's Day! ,