BBQgeek

Happy 1st Birthday to Community Q

Tomorrow marks Community Q's first anniversary since opening its doors. Happy Birthday to you Community Q!  In a very short period of time, Community Q has joined the short list of metro Atlanta's very best BBQ destinations, placing it amongst such heavy hitters as Fox Bros., Dave Poe's, Pig-n-Chik, and  Sam's BBQ 1.  One of the things that I find most interesting about eating at Community Q is the daily special list.  I snapped the picture at left during today 's lunch.  While some specials like the kitchen sink and the redneck chicken salad appear so frequently as to be near de facto menu items, there are always a few extra veggie sides and the occassional soup available to take your BBQ experience to the next level.  Often times the daily veg specials are tied in to the farm fresh veggies available for purchase right next to the register.  As far as I know, Star Provisions/Bacchanalia and Community Q are the only restaurants in Atlanta to offer natural, local farm veggies for sale as take home items for their diners.  Today I was able to sample the smoked turkey that Community Q is adding to its menu in a limited capacity for the holiday season. It was extremely moist and had just the right amount of smoke.  If it is available for lunch or dinner on your next visit to Community, you MUST try it.  It's that good.   I saw a sign on the door stating that you can order turkeys or spiral hams for Thanksgiving (in fact, Community Q will be open for pre-order pickup from 10-12 on Thanksgiving Day).  In the past, I have ordered turkeys and hams from both Dave Poe's and Sam's BBQ1 in Marietta.  I can wholeheartedly endorse outsourcing in this manner.  In fact, I'm sure Dave and Sam are offering similar pre-orders for Gobbler day.  Take a tip from me and get your name on one of their lists soon.  The lists always sell out and for good reason.  You can give your family a holiday meal that they won't forget and you can take all the credit.

Heirloom Market Fire Update

A couple days ago John Kessler tweeted that there had been a kitchen fire at Heirloom.  To slightly correct the record, there was a fire (likely vandalism) along the fenceline outside the restaurant.  There was no fire inside the restaurant or in the kitchen.  The walk in cooler outside Heirloom was damaged and is being replaced.  In speaking with Cody, he estimates that Heirloom will be back open for business by next Tuesday, November 16th.

Heirloom Market BBQ

 
Situated in a cozy space adjacent to the Akers Mill Food Mart is the most recent addition to the metro Atlanta BBQ scene, Heirloom Market BBQ .  Lauched by Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee, Heirloom is wrapping up its first week of business.  In speaking with Cody several times in the run up to the opening, I learned that both he and Jiyeon have culinary backgrounds in fine dining (Repast and St. Regis, respectively) .  The menu will feature traditional BBQ dishes along with a rotating list of side dishes that bear a distinct chef touch.  Asian influences will also show up in subtle ways throughout the menu.  When I visited Heirloom today, there was a Korean BBQ short rib on the specials menu.  Given that Heirloom is just getting its legs underneath it, a review at this point would certainly be premature.  I intend to visit Cody and Jiyeon for the next few weeks and sample some of the other dishes that they intend to offer (pork belly, rib tips, burnt ends, etc.)  But the photos from today's visit came out so well, I could not stand to sit on them until I was ready to write a full profile.  Hopefully, they will get you excited about Heirloom Market and you'll pay them a visit (2243 Akers Mill Rd. Atlanta, GA 30339).

View the rest of the photos from Heirloom Market BBQ here....... 

 

 

Findley's Butcher Shop - Marietta, GA

Barrett Parkway in Marietta, GA has become home to the first franchise location of Findley's Butcher Shop.  The original Findley's is located in Acworth, GA.  The Marietta location proprietors, Whit and Christina Noble, were drawn to the prospect of being self-employed with a small family business.  And a true family business it is - Christina's two brothers also help out at the shop and many days you can visit with the Noble's five month old son, Field.

Findley's offers a variety of high quality meats, sausages, smoked meats, and side dishes.  One of the things that really appealed to me is the friendly atmosphere and dedication to high quality products.  Findley's website says, "Many of our products are made in house or in our sister store located in Acworth, GA. Our meat comes from only the most reputable farms in and out of the country that supply grass fed livestock with no artificial hormones. We believe that selective food consumption can greatly improve the overall health and quality of a person’s life."

 

  I took home a pound of house cured and smoked bacon which I used that night for a pasta carbonara dish.  The bacon was well smoked and not overly cured.  Findley's also offers specialty meats like goat, ox tail, veal, and lamb.  While I was in the shop chatting with Christina (who really lights up the place!) - I had a chance to watch Whit butcher the steaks you see above.  I was very impressed with the quality of the Certified Angus beef he was working with.  You can see it has excellent marbling.  If you live in the Marietta/Kennesaw/Woodstock area, I urge you to stop by and visit Whit and Christina and support what I think will be a great addition to our food community.

Christina Noble and her brother

The Grillery - The Ultimate Grill?

 Is there such a thing as the Ultimate Grill?  It stands to reason that there can and should be such a thing, right?  The Original Weber Kettle immediately comes to my mind when I consider simplicity of design, versatility, and bang for the buck.  At $90 a kettle, the Weber is certainly hard to beat.  However, if cost isn't an issue then I believe I may have found the best grill known to mankind.  The first time I saw a Grillworks grill was on Primal Grill's Argentinian "Gaucho Grill" episode.  Steven pointed out that the Grillworks 36 is a wood burning grill with an angled grill surface made up of inverted V shaped grate rods that channel fat into the drip chamber.  The grill grate can be raised and lowered via the fly wheel on the right hand side to regulate the amount of heat delivered to the grate surface.  The entire grill is made of stainless steel.  In short, it is AWESOME. 

Grillworks websiteshows several quotes from heavy hitters like Dan Barber, Adam Perry Lang, James Beard, Food and Wine, the Atlantic and so forth saying that they all agree that this is the best adjustable grill ever made.  I'd love to be able to tell you that I've had a chance to try one out, and I strongly agree.  I'm still waiting for my call from Grillworks asking me if I would like to try out an evaluation model, or even better to become an endorser.  I'd say that the Grillery just jumped to the top of my Christmas list.  And in the event that my dear loved ones don't manage to score one for me, I think I'm going to start knocking back $100 a month to buy myself one.  At that rate, I should be a proud owner somewhere around Xmas of 2012.