Culinaire- A Festive Opening for Taste of Atlanta

Steakhead was in his element last night, hobnobbing with the famous chefs and personalities of the Atlanta entertainment scene. Kevin Rathbun gave me some scoop on his soon-to-open Kevin Rathbun Steak concept in Inman Park, which is targeting a May 2007 opening. Sheri Davis of Dish hugged me when I proclaimed her Lobster Lasagna as the best meal I have had in Atlanta. Mike Blum of Real Chow Baby made my night when he told me that the restaurant will open another location in my home hood of Sandy Springs in the next 7-8 months!

And of course, being an esteemed member of the press, being able to rub elbows with my fellow media colleagues is always a treat. A special shout-out to Leslie Fram of 99X who pointed me in the right direction for the Event Program. Meanwhile, Jeff Dauler of Q100 and I opined on the impending move of Mellow Mushroom from the backroom of a tattoo parlor to its own stand-alone building in Sandy Springs. Yeah, us local celebrities are a pretty tight group, and love to come together for a great cause: Food!

And speaking of food, it was delightful, if not bountiful. 9 Different stations with the executive chefs from Rathbun's, Restaurant Eugene, Aria, Taurus, Dish, Repast, Sotto Sotto/Fritti and Pacific Rim/Silk. Kevin Rathbun, always one for presentation, featured a Thai Squid Salad served with chopsticks and in a chinese to-go carton. Many of the chefs seem to be big fans of squash. I particularly liked the butternut squash with ham sample from Chef Linton Hopkins' Restaurant Eugene. Despite my claims to the contrary, I even tried Foie Gras from the offering from Repast! It helped that it was covered with a hot dog slice, onion straws and ketchup.

Now its on to the main festival this Saturday & Sunday on the streets of Atlantic Station. Remember, you can get more info and advance tickets at www.tasteofatlanta.com. Have a great week, see you Saturday and Happy Eating!