Wine.

The table for future tastings.

Part of the wine selection.

More wine.

More wine.

The cheese case. Bought an especially gorgeous Italian sheep’s milk cheese.

Pretty Perrine. Know you wine loving boys are going to get an instant crush on this super sweet shopkeep with sick wine skills.

“How are you doing today, beautiful?” asks Kamal Grant, the baseball hat-clad owner and head mad scientist of Sublime Doughnuts. “Good, good,” I say, blushing a little at Grant’s sweet-talking, which he lays on as thick as his doughnuts’ chocolate frosting.

Grant greets all his female regulars similarly, but it’s not seedy or creepy. In fact, it’s kind of brilliant — it dispels any guilt one might feel when walking into Sublime on a mission for delectable fried dough. This particular trip isn’t for me, though. I’m picking up a Sublime birthday doughnut box for my friend, whose birthday I missed. Sublime’s doughnut box has become my go-to gift for doughnut-addicted friends. Yet most people don’t even know it exists.

The colorful birthday box was born out of necessity. Grant’s customers started asking for a doughnut cake. He tried stacking the doughnuts. Too messy. He tried piping borders. Not pretty and unique enough. Then he discovered some large alphabet cookie cutters, and inspiration struck. Why not just spell “happy birthday” — in doughnuts!

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I don’t let just anyone cook in my kitchen (Moon calls it the lion’s lair), but I was more than happy to give Gene free reign. One of the first meals Gene prepared for us was straight up Korean fare. Despite my ferocious love for Korean food, I’d never eaten home-cooked Korean food. Gene remedied that by going BIG and making us an amazing dinner.

Gene getting to work (his TWO coolers full of ingredients not pictured).

The final product: banchan, pork belly, tofu soup, noodles, and more.

Not to be outdone, it was my turn at bat the next time the Lees came over. I made a gratin (boiled the potatoes in cream and everything), rack of lamb, and a ratatouille of sorts using the vegetables from my garden.

The ratatouille before hitting the oven.

The gratin.

The lamb resting on our nifty cutting board we received as a wedding gift.

One thing I had been dying to do was cook together. We had played around with the idea of doing some dishes from one of our favorite Japanese cookbooks, but Gene suggested something more American: burgers. My burgers at home never turn out the way I want them to (read: like Holeman’s or Bocado’s). However, I was confident Gene would help me tame the beast. He did the patties:

I did the prep and worked on making fresh French fries using this AWESOME method from Serious Eats. Gene also turned out some amazing onion rings coated in a crazy good batter he whipped up with some souped up Korean products.

The finished product on some buns we bought from Alon’s (Gene’s candy-like griddled onions sadly not pictured):

Poor Gene was so tuckered out (read: drunk) he didn’t make it past one bite of his amazingly delicious burger (as modeled above). However, before he passed out on my couch, he turned to me as we were cooking and dancing side by side, and said “this is what life is about.” I couldn’t agree more.

Preparing ground meat kabobs isn’t as easy as it seems. They’re inevitably too crumbly, too bland, or just won’t stay on the skewer no matter how much you manhandle the meat. Getting them right almost requires a little black magic. Imagine my delight, then, when I happened upon Mohammed’s special lamb kabobs at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.

Mohammed, “your culinary market ambassador,” makes the kabobs fresh every day at the renovated treasure trove just past I-285 on Buford Highway. He uses American lamb that’s all natural, grass-fed, and always ground on site. The type of lamb used is mild, not aggressive, so the kabobs will appeal to your kiddies, who may not be lamb-ready. There’s also a nice amount of fat in the kabobs, so don’t worry if you overcook them. They’ll still be juicy.

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The unmistakable boom of chef Hector Santiago’s voice calling out sandwich orders to his staff trickles out to the slanted sidewalk leading toward Poncey-Highland’s Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop (1057 Blue Ridge Ave., 404-477-0379, www.superpanlatinosandwichshop.com). The sounds and smells emanating from the tiny open kitchen cause the same excited anticipation you feel when hearing your beloved mother or grandmother banging about in the kitchen. You know you are in for something good.

After a brief stint on “Top Chef,” Santiago quietly resumed his rounds at his famed pan-Latin restaurant, Pura Vida. Fans, who were enraged Santiago’s cooking wasn’t more appreciated on the popular Bravo show, waited in quiet anticipation to see what the talented chef would do next. Changes happened gradually at Pura Vida, with the addition of an insanely delicious and refined chicken burrito to the menu. Then, out of nowhere, Santiago appeared at the successful Atlanta Urban Picnic, organized by the Atlanta Street Food Coalition at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, slinging his burritos to a mob of his enthusiastic supporters.

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OK, so some of you may be wondering how this all started. I’m not much of a cook, but I love to eat. And even as a kid, I was always willing to try anything once.

When I was younger, growing up in a small town, there wasn’t exposure to any sort of culinary scene. After I moved to Atlanta a few years ago, I was able to start eating real food, made by real chefs, and not just corporate-controlled chain restaurant garbage. As a result, I developed a huge interest in all things culinary, which was also fueled by all the food media that’s been unleashed in the past few years. With the rise of Food Network and the whole “celebrity chef” culture, exposure to new food has never been easier to come by. Atlanta also has some amazing farmer’s markets and ethnic restaurants, which have been great places to make discoveries.

Just to be up front, I’m not a chef, cook or culinary pro. My background is in music, and as a result, I’ve had the chance to tour the country and see some amazing things over the years. It’s rare that I actually get a great meal on the road, since location and time restraints usually force me to eat things I’m not too excited about. And that’s why I’m doing this – to challenge myself and maybe discover some food along the way that I would have normally overlooked.

If I encounter a food I’m not familiar with, my first thought is “what the hell is that…could it be good?” I know a lot of people don’t work that way, and I have plenty of friends that are the exact opposite. But so far, I haven’t been let down very much, and I’ve discovered a lot of amazing things that are now new favorites. I rarely get burned. And if I try something and don’t like it, so what? There’s always another meal.

Just to show I’m legit, here’s a short list of some things I’ve tried over the past few months, and why:

Sweetbreads: Nope, they’re not dessert or breakfast. They’re actually the thymus or pancreas glands of lambs or pigs. I’ve been reading about these for years, and they’re a classic of old-school French cuisine. I recently got the chance to order them at an Atlanta restaurant called Abbatoir, which devotes a section of their menu to such things. Verdict? They tasted like fried chicken nuggets, almost like the General Tso’s chicken you find in any Chinese takeout joint. Super tasty.

Chopped liver: A staple of Jewish cuisine, and a new favorite of mine. If you’re an adventurous eater at all, you’ll love chopped liver. Made from a mixture of cooked liver (usually chicken or beef), onion and egg, it’s by far the best thing to put on a toasted bagel.

Vietnamese pho with tripe: Pho is a popular soup in Vietnamese cuisine, and after hearing many good things about it, I finally sought out Pho Dai Loi on Buford Highway in Atlanta. Made from a mixture of rich broth, rice noodles, various meats and a garnish of basil, cilantro, peppers and bean sprouts, it’s some seriously amazing stuff. I decided to go all out and order mine with a combination of tripe. If you didn’t know, tripe is, umm, animal guts; usually, cow’s stomach. I know what you’re thinking, but it was great. The only thing that bothered me was the weird, gelatinous pieces. That was a texture I just couldn’t stomach, but the rest was tasty. I’ve since had it several times.

Fried chicken heart tacos: I first heard about these after reading a review of a new Mexican place called Holy Taco in Atlanta that was doing some seriously creative things with their menu. I read about these tacos, so of course I had to try. I don’t get creeped out by food that often, but seeing a taco filled with little fried hearts, smaller than my pinky, was beyond strange. And the texture was…squeaky. It tasted better than it looked, but not something I’m likely to try again.

Spaghetta alla bottarga: I had this at my favorite Italian restaurant in Atlanta, Sotto Sotto. It starts off innocently as spaghetti tossed with olive oil and sauteed onion, but then they added in the magic ingredient: Sardinian mullet roe – that’s fish eggs. Salty, oily, fishy goodness. Awesome.

Gefilte fish: I avoided this like the plague for years, based on it’s not-so-appetizing appearance. This is the stuff in the grocery store that looks kind of like a jar of chunky vomit. Not exactly on my list of priorities. But after finally trying, it really wasn’t bad. Kinda like a ball of sweeter tuna fish salad, and luckily not accompanied by that nasty liquid in the jar. I’d definitely eat it again.

Durian milkshake: Ahh, the legendary durian. For those of you who don’t know, durian is a fruit sold mostly in Asian countries, and it looks kind of like a spiky green football. However, the fruit inside is a creamy, cheesy goo that has been described as smelling like rotting corpse. I noticed that the Vietnamese place I frequent sells a durian milkshake, so of course I had to try. I knew I was in for trouble when the server looked at me with at an expression that said “ok…are you sure?” A few minutes later, she arrived with my shake, smiling from ear to ear. As she sat it down on my table, my first thought was “wow, who farted?” It seriously smelled awful. I reluctantly took a sip, and…it didn’t taste much better than it smelled. Kind of like rotting fruit mixed with bad cheese. I got through about half of it, hoping after a few sips I’d discover something new, but it didn’t happen. I’m sure the kitchen staff is still laughing at me.

Boudin noir: Also known as “blood sausage,” this is another classic of French cuisine that I’d been waiting to try. And last year, I got the chance to try it in the ultimate setting: Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Las Vegas. Keller is a culinary master that’s renowned the world over, so I knew that if I didn’t like it there, I wouldn’t like it anywhere. Boudin noir is made from pig blood, pork, and some other ingredients all stuffed into a sausage casing and cooked. When I cut into it, I discovered a rich, hearty, spicy mixture that blew my mind. Yeah, it looks a little bloody, but way less than the medium-rare steak you’re probably used to eating. Awesome stuff. And it was accompanied by the best freakin’ mashed potatoes I’ve ever had in my life. An amazing meal.

Hopefully you see where I’m going with this. There’s nothing I won’t try. And I’ll have 365 new foods to add to the list when this is done!

You can use fresh masa to make a variety of things: tortillas, sopes, huaraches, and tamales. The store is now selling its own tortillas made with the house-ground masa for only 79 cents/package. Look for them in a cooler, marked with a sign, in front of the steam tables.
Jennifer Zyman’s quesadilla recipe

In Mexico, quesadillas come in many forms. In Mexico City, the most popular version resembles an empanada and is not made with prepared tortillas. Instead, these quesadillas use fresh masa or masa harina. This style of quesadilla is a versatile antojitos Mexicano (street snacks often served as an appetizer) that you can fill with cheese and anything else your heart desires — crumbled chorizo, refried beans, huitlacoche (corn fungus), poblano chilies, fresh corn, and more. Start out simple with this basic recipe and don’t be afraid to experiment!

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Jonathan St. Hilaire and Concentric Restaurants have parted ways.

St. Hilaire, who had been the executive pastry chef for all of Concentrics’ restaurants until 2009, and the restaurant group announced today they have dissolved their partnership.

Hilaire partnered with Atlanta-based Concentrics Restaurants, co-founded by Bob Amick and Todd Rushing, to open Bakeshop in Midtown.

Hilaire will continue to operate Bakeshop on his own.

Read more: Bakeshop and Concentrics split - Atlanta Business Chronicle.