Finally, I bring to you Part III: Eating My Way Through Atlanta…This is the last leg of my three-part series about my trip to BlogHer Food 2011 in Atlanta this past May. In my first post I talked about my experience at BlogHer Food, May 20 and 21, when I attended as a member of the blogging community on behalf of our sister brands, RecipeLion.com, FaveDiets.com, MrFood.com, AllFreeSlowCookerRecipes.com, AllFreeChickenCasseroleRecipes.com and AllFreeCopcatRecipes.com.
In Part II, I walked you through our trip to Sweet Auburn Market in Atlanta, a trip that was part of the conference festivities. I shared pictures of pork parts, cow parts, a colorful and varied array of seafood, fruits and vegetables, as well as unusual popcorn flavors and more.
Now, I’m excited to share this post with you, particularly, because I get to offer you more food photos for your gawking pleasure. Think of me as another Guy Fieri, except I am female, without a video camera and had no kitchen access. However, I definitely ate my way through Atlanta restaurants after the conference was over. I happened to stay with a friend who’s lived in Atlanta for almost 10 years. Forget the tourist attractions, my friend took me for the real deal. My friend also happens to be more of a foodie than I am, if that’s possible. 🙂
So begins my restaurant journey through Atlanta…
Atlanta Skyline
The first night I had free I went to Morelli’s for some of the most unusual and AMAZING ice cream I’ve ever eaten. The ice cream shop is situated in a hidden parking lot in a somewhat residential area. Area residents seemed to know about it. The ice cream stand was packed and there was a long line.
Morelli's
So, let’s talk about the menu. There were some crazy options, such as Dulce de Leche, Elvis Lives, Chocolate Ginger and Krispy Kreamier.
Morelli's Menu
I tried the Krispy Kreme flavored ice cream. I almost died from foodie joy. It tasted like a Krispy Kreme doughnut had been blended into wildly rich vanilla ice cream. If you like Krispy Kreme dougnuts, you’d be over the moon over this ice cream.
Morelli's Krispy Kreme Ice Cream
For the next couple days while I stayed in Atlanta, I also had some amazing meals and strange foodie visits. For instance, I saw the famous Coca Cola mansion (which I believe is no longer used as a residence). (Atlanta is the original home to Coca Cola).
Coca Cola Mansion
I also had dinner at Mary Mac’s, a famous and long-standing southern-food restaurant. On the wall outside the restaurant building was a neat, old-fashioned Coca Cola mural. I never made it to the touristy Coca Cola museum in Atlanta, but I did see some related places along the way.
Coca Cola Mural
Mary Mac’s, itself, is a large, one-floor building with what seems to be the original signage.
Mary Mac's
Mary Mac's Interior
You can’t tell from this picture, but the walls were filled with autographed photos of famous people who had eaten at the restaurant, which has been around since 1945. Here’s a bit about the history, featured in the menu (hard to see, apologies). The menu featured a wide array of southern fare. As a fun bonus, you could write your selections down on a little waiter notepad and hand it to the waiter, selecting main dishes, sides, etc.
Mary Mac's History
Mary Mac's Menu
Before we even ordered, the waiter handed us a scrumptious basket of homemade corn bread, cinnamon rolls and more. I honestly could have made a meal out of those alone, but didn’t–of course :).
Mary Mac's Rolls
As an appetizer, we ordered fried green tomatoes with a cream sauce and we both ordered traditional southern sweet teas. They were absolutely heavenly. I’ve always liked the movie, “Fried Green Tomatoes,” but I never realized I’d like the food so very much!
Fried Green Tomatoes & Sweet Tea
My friend ordered an entire dinner of side dishes because she likes them so much. She got black eye peas, macaroni, coleslaw and green beans cooked in pork fat.
Mary Mac's Plate of Sides
I ordered salmon patties with a few sides, including black eyed peas and macaroni. All were delicious, and so rich!
Salmon Patties & Sides
On a less traditional southern note, I also visited a punk-style hamburger joint called the Vortex Bar & Grill. Let’s start with the building’s exterior:
Vortex Bar and Grill
When you enter the restaurant, you’re equally dizzy from it’s decor, which includes motorcycles, skeletons, old street signs and more :).
Vortex Interior
The menu openly invites you have to have a coronary, but it’s worth it.
Vortex Menu
I had a mushroom and swiss burger, my favorite. I’m sorry the picture is blurry. I was in a hurry to eat it.
Vortex Burger
Finally, as part of my sight-seeing tour, I visited the historic Oakland Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Atlanta, and home to a kitschy gift shop, as well as several famous deceased folks, including Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind.
Oakland Cemetery
Across the street, you’ll find this restaurant.
Six Feet Under
On that dark note, that’s completes my “Eating My Way Through Atlanta” series. If you missed the first two parts, check out Part I and Part II.
Let me know what you think and also please comment if you’ve ever been to any of these locations in Atlanta.
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