A Black Tie Cinco de Mayo

This past Wednesday I finally had the opportunity to experience a Black Tie Barbecue Secret Supper, this time in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.  A little background on Black Tie: this local full service catering company is the realization of the dreams of two couples (Spencer & Allison Humphrey, Neil and LaToyin Rollins) with a love of cooking and entertaining.  After experiencing job layoffs in 2009, both families made the decision to join forces and pursue their passion.  Black Tie is quickly becoming an Atlanta success story and their Secret Suppers (which they hold periodically) have become quite popular.  I had the pleasure of meeting both couples a few months ago while attending a food and wine "conclave" at Montaluce Winery & Estates-great people!

The location for this Cinco de Mayo themed secret supper was Relics & Rarities, an ice cream parlor/vintage car & memorabilia gallery in downtown Decatur.  When I arrived, I ran into Patti Davis (a great lady and blogmistress at Anatomy of a Dinner Party) and her husband.  I'd met Patti a few months prior when she hosted a macaron workshop (taught by Helen of Tartelette) in her home.  We were a little bit early, so we decided to take time to look around and check out some of the restored classic cars.

The whole evening was a lot of fun.  There was music, games and even a bit of comic relief.  Mingling was strongly encouraged-I had the chance to meet a few new folks as well as chat with a few familiar faces who were in attendance.  The dinner menu included a nice spread of grilled shrimp, pulled pork and marinated skirt steak tacos (plus a vegetarian station featuring black bean quesadillas).

Sides included some delicious grilled corn on the cob (rubbed with an herbed butter and cheese), black beans and bbq chicken nachos.  Oh those nachos...I'm still daydreaming about them.  I have been doing the meatless thing for the past few weeks so I didn't partake of the tacos (although I really wanted to), but I have to confess that I had a weak moment and ate a few bits of the chicken in the nachos.   If the little bits I had are any indication, let's just say that I can't wait to try more of Black Tie's barbecue once my "meatless" month is over (May 21st, not that I'm counting down or anything).  Everything was delicious, right down to the margaritas (my compliments to the folks behind the bar).

If you haven't attended a Black Tie Secret Supper, you should try one in the future.  You'll be in for a fun evening of socializing and great food.  I spoke to quite a few people on Wednesday night that have attended multiple secret suppers and keep coming back because they love the food, the service and the atmosphere.  I know I'm already looking forward to the next one!  Check out their website and join their mailing list to be informed of future Secret Supper events.  You'll also find more information on their catering services and menus (while it's their specialty, you'll find that they aren't just about the BBQ).

In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, this particular secret supper was much less formal than usual-please check out my friend Patti's writeup of a previous Black Tie Secret Supper here at her blog Anatomy of a Dinner Party.  It was a real swanky affair!


Black Tie Barbecue
(404) 840-9246
www.black-tie-barbecue.com
info@black-tie-barbecue.com

Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ

The first time I tried Hawaiian BBQ was at a little spot in a Los Angeles strip mall a couple of years ago.  I enjoyed it quite a bit, so when I recently learned that there was a Hawaiian-style BBQ restaurant here in the ATL (and not far from home at that), I was excited about giving it a try.

Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ is nestled in its little spot on Briarcliff Road, not far from the Emory University campus.  The decor and vibe is about what you'd expect in a Hawaiian BBQ joint: bright colors, surfboards on the wall, videos of hula dancers or surf scenes playing on one of the TVs.  As I walked up to the entrance I was greeted with "Bruddah Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole's signature rendition of Over The Rainbow.

Change of (BBQ) Plans...

I had planned to visit a few BBQ spots this week leading up to the 1st Annual Atlanta BBQ Festival this weekend.  However, it looks like that's not going to happen.  I will be hitting one more spot (which will be featured on this blog tomorrow), however I did want to give a free plug to the other restaurants that I'd planned to visit (and hope to visit in the not too distant future).  Each of these restaurants offer a 10% discount to Atlanta Bar-B-Q club members.  An annual membership is only $25!  For more information or to purchase a membership, please visit the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Club's website at http://www.atlbbqclub.com  The 1st annual Atlanta BBQ Festival will be held this Saturday, September 12th from 10-6 PM in the Green Lot at Turner Field.  For more details, please visit their site at http://www.atlantabbqfestival.com.

Fox Brothers BBQ
1238 DeKalb Ave NE
Atlanta, GA  30307
(404)577-4030
http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/
Named one of the Top 10 Best BBQ restaurants in the nation by MSN.com & Gayot.com

Sam's BBQ1
4944 Lower Roswell Road
Marietta, GA  30068
(770)977-3005
http://www.lostmountainbbq.com/
Zagat rated #1 BBQ (Their Lost Mountain BBQ team has won several awards on the BBQ competition circuit)


Hambone's Southern Style BBQ
811 Virginia Avenue
Hapeville, GA  30354
(404)767-0888
http://www.hambones-bbq.com/
Click here  for a coupon to receive 10% off your purchase

Pig N Chik (Alpharetta, Chamblee, Sandy Springs)

I've made quite a few trips to the Pig N Chik location in Alpharetta and needless to say I'm a big fan of the place.  I've raved about their brisket on Twitter before.  Each time I've visited, it has been consistently tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned.   This Saturday I made another trip to the Alpharetta location and once again I was not disappointed.  I don't know what they're doing over there, but they need to keep it going!

 

Personally, I enjoy eating the brisket as is with no sauce, but sometimes I like to dip it in a little of their mustard based barbecue sauce.  It's a combination that I love.  On this latest visit, I gave their pulled pork a try for the first time (at this particular location).  The pork was juicy, tender and with just the right amount of smoky flavor.

While I've found the BBQ at Pig N Chik's Alpharetta location to be consistently tasty, I found the food at it's Chamblee location to be consistently "meh".  Each time I've visited, I've found the brisket and the pork to be dry and bland.   Today I made my first trip to their Sandy Springs location on Roswell Road, curious to see how their BBQ would stack up versus the other locations.

There's nothing pretentious about this place.  Small but cozy, with local sports team paraphernalia adorning the walls and seemingly every inch of the space.  The service is prompt and friendly (which I've found to be the case at all of their locations).  I decided to order my old standbys-the usual beef brisket & pulled pork to go.

The brisket, while not as juicy as Pig N Chik Alpharetta's, was still quite good.  It was nicely seasoned, with a great BBQ bark and smoky flavor.

The pork was flavorful and juicy.  I tried it for the first time with their tangy, vinegar-based Carolina BBQ sauce.  It's a great combination that I wish I had tried on earlier visits.  Their sweet BBQ sauce is also tasty, but it's the Hot Carolina and Mustard sauces that I'll be requesting on future visits.

On this trip I decided to splurge with a little dessert.  The pie offerings for the day were chocolate cream and pecan-I opted for the chocolate cream.  I've got no complaints here-delicious chocolate filling and a nice, flaky crust.  I only wish they'd had banana cream (since that's my favorite), but maybe next time.

On the whole, I think I will continue to be a regular customer to Pig N Chik's Alpharetta location.  I find that their food is consistently a notch above their other locations, although Sandy Springs ain't too shabby at all.

 Alpharetta

3050-A Windward Plaza Dr

(770) 346-7705

Chamblee

5071 Peachtree Ind. Blvd

(770)451-1112

Sandy Springs

4920 Roswell Rd NE

(404) 255-6368

Five Days of Barbecue

In honor of the first annual Atlanta BBQ Festival, I will be visiting five local barbecue spots to sample the goods (and of course, blogging about it).  Truth: it's really just an excuse to eat more barbecue. All of the restaurants I'll be visiting offer 10% discounts to Atlanta Bar-B-Q Club members.  Speaking of which, check out the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Club's website at http://www.atlbbqclub.com/ for more details on how to join.  An annual membership is only $25.

The festival promises lots of good barbecue, good music and family fun.  No BBQ festival would be complete without a cook-off, and the winner of the Professional competition will get to sell their delicious barbecue at an Atlanta Braves game next season plus $1500.  There will also be an amateur cook-off with a top prize of $750 up for grabs.

The Atlanta BBQ Festival will be held this Saturday, September 12th between 10 AM-6 PM in the Green Lot at Turner Field.  Admission to the festival area is free!  For more information, visit the official site at http://www.atlantabbqfestival.com