Atlanta Culinary Tours was founded by Beth, who is the Atlanta Ethnic Foods writer on Examiner, and Dave, who writes for Eat Buford Highway. With their combined food blogging experience, they are well connected to the Atlanta food scene. They host a variety of events, including Sichuan dinners and tours of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. I recently attended their walking tour around two of my favorite historic areas in Atlanta, Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward. These neighborhoods used to be a thriving industrial area, but before that, they were the epicenter of the Battle of Atlanta.
{screencap from Gone with the Wind / via Retroweb}
Inman Park later became Atlanta's first planned suburb. The Old Fourth Ward was the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and therefore one of the birthplaces of our country's Civil Rights movement. Today, these neighborhoods make for beautiful, diverse, and interesting places to eat.
Our tour began at Savi, a neighborhood market.
Savi is a small grocery store, complete with toiletries; but they also offer unique snacks, and they have a fromagier on staff. (By the way, wouldn't that be the best job ever? Fromagier?!) They also allow their customers to sample their affordable wines and craft beers prior to purchase.
They offered our group a few samples, including mac and cheese, a quinoa-arugula salad, and death-by-chocolate cupcakes.
Everything was delicious, right down to the super sharp cheddar in the mac and cheese! Mmm...cheese.
Next up, we visited Fritti.
This place has been on my to do list for years, but for some reason I've just never been. (Perhaps because Pure Taqueria is located across the street and has awesome margaritas?) Now that I've tried Fritti, I'm absolutely ashamed that it's taken me so long to go! You see, I studied abroad in Italy back in the day, and I have a soft spot for Real Italian Food. Fritti features Neopolitan pizza that is pretty much as legit as you can find in America. I can attest to this, as they introduced us to the authentic ingredients before serving the actual dish.
Mozzarella di bufala and marinara made from Mount Vesuvius tomatoes? Yes please! In addition to the purest of ingredients, Fritti features an Italian oven that can cook a pizza in 45 seconds. We were lucky enough to enjoy one of these pizzas, along with a side of homemade limoncello.
Somehow, we weren't stuffed after all that pizza. We moved on to Parish, one of my top three favorite restaurants in Atlanta. (The other two are Murphy's and Panita, which are both stories for another post.)
Parish began as a Cajun restaurant, but has since expanded their menu to include all sorts of Southern comforts. There are two things that make Parish stand out from other Southern eateries. The first is their downstairs market...
...the second is their incredible decor.
The most interesting fact I learned throughout the entire tour was that Parish boasts the building's original ceiling...from 1890. The building was part of an annex established in 1850. This means that some of the older buildings in the area were built prior to (and survived) Sherman's torch. My nerdy side devoured this trivia.
After drooling over the interior, we enjoyed some pan-seared ham hock with mustard and arugula.
We then ventured over to the more upscale Park's Edge, where we were treated to ahi tuna with avocado. It was light and refreshing after the rich pork.
We crossed the bridge from Inman Park over to the Old Fourth Ward, where were visited P'cheen. P'cheen is an international bistro, but the diverse menu isn't overwhelming or intimidating enough to stop you from ordering a PBR with your meal. Thank goodness for that.
We started with "Drunken Mushrooms," mushrooms drowned in sage-parsley sauce with provolone.
Next, we sampled P'cheen's award-winning fish and chips.
Finally, we were treated to mussels in a curry sauce.
Everything was delicious, and our portions were very generous.
For our final stop, we went across the street to Across the Street (insert Who's On First joke here). We enjoyed some chips, salsa, guacamole, queso, sangria, and margaritas. And if that wasn't enough, we were also served goat cheese enchiladas with mango and jalapeno.
Porch-sitting on a gorgeous day made the meal all the more enjoyable.
Atlanta Culinary Tours did a really great job showing off the wide range of cuisine Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward have to offer. The walking aspect of the tour was nice, because it provided breaks between the gluttony and allowed us to burn off a few and make room for more. Dave and Beth were knowledgeable, and eager to entertain any questions. I had a really great time, and not just because of the food; the neighborhoods were just gorgeous.
Sorry if you're reading this and that's your house. Actually, you know what? I'm not sorry. Your house is gorgeous. Also, there were fresh mulberries outside. And I ate them.
Have you explored Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward? What's your favorite restaurant in the area?
5 comments:
Oh my gosh how did you have room for all of that amazing food?! I now have two new places that I must try, Parish, and Fritti. I have never heard of either of them!
1. Stop, you are making me sad.
2. I tried to eat blackberries on the side of the road before I left but Andrew wouldn't let me.
3. Stopppppp, you are making me sad.
Oh, how fun!! Everything looks delicious! :)
Wow, it sounds like you had a great time. All of that food looks amazing and yes, I'd like to be a fromagier please. Or just sample that wine all day. Or both.
Katie, I definitely sampled everything, but I tried to pace myself and not eat all of it. The walking helped! :)
EJB, COME VISIT!
Jessica, I mean, we'd HAVE to sample wines all day if we were fromagiers. How else would we know what to recommend for pairing? I'd probably need a few extra drinks just to make sure...
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