Omnivore Atlanta

Decisions, decisions: Taco Mac is tapping special beers all month.

New beers are popping up all over this month, from new-to-Georgia breweries, to special casks and limited edition releases, to spring and summer seasonals from local and national breweries. It can be a bit overwhelming. I suggest you you just take it One Beer at a Time.

Bell’s Weather. Monday marks the Georgia debut of beers from Bell’s Brewery, and a number of local bars have events to mark the occasion. The Brick Store Pub will have a rare cask of HopSlam, the brewery’s much-drooled over double IPA, which will not be part of the regular Georgia portfolio until next year’s release in January. There will also be a keg of Special Double Cream Stout. Starting Tuesday, Taco Mac will be tapping Bell’s Amber Ale, Pale Ale, Porter, and Oberon, with a sixtel of HopSlam and Expedition Stout at the Kennesaw location. Check with your neighborhood store to see what is pouring. The Porter Beer Bar in L5P will host a Bell’s Beer Dinner on Tues., May 26. Check their website for details. Look for a full story on Bell’s next week.

More, more, more. Speaking of Taco Mac, there’s enough new stuff rolling out at their stores to keep you half-lit well into June. This weekend was the debut of Terrapin’s 30 Strong Ale, brewed especially for Taco Mac’s 30th anniversary. Thirty years is a long time in the restaurant business, and Taco Mac certainly deserves a special toast for turning its little Va-High pub into a beer bar empire. I remember experiencing some of my first world-class beers at that original store back in the early 80s when I didn’t know a hefeweizen from a doppelbock. Terrapin’s 30 Strong has a ridiculous 30 ingredients that includes 19 kinds of malt, 8 varieties of hops, water, and yeast, and is aged on oak spirals. It clocks in at 8.8% ABV. Now that’s extreme! (more…)

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BABETTE’S CAFÉ: Chef/owner Marla Adams’ swoon-worthy shoestring fries beckon at this cozy and classic French-Mediterranean restaurant. Adams’ gorgeous fries are her homage to a version she had in Istanbul as a child. She credits the dryness of the fry’s interior and golden exterior to soaking the potatoes until almost no starch remains. The crispy potatoes are served in a towering pile alongside hearty dishes such as grilled herb-crusted lamb chops with a red wine reduction. 573 N. Highland Ave. 404-523-9121. www.babettescafe.com.

FLOATAWAY CAFÉ: The restaurant takes its produce and preparation seriously, and that’s evident in its perfectly executed pommes frites. The freshly cut fries have an intense potato flavor — likely a result of the restaurant’s notoriously impeccable sourcing. But the real reason these spuds are so addictive is their ever so subtle sweetness. The fries are offered à la carte or on the side of a smoky wood-grilled hanger steak that’s consistently cooked to the correct temperature. 1123 Zonolite Road, Suite 15. 404-892-1414. www.starprovisions.com.

MUSS & TURNER’S: Skip the chips the next time you visit this sandwich heaven and go for the house-made French fries instead. The fries are cut daily, given a quick soak, blanched, fried to a golden crisp and served in a massive — emphasis on massive — paper-lined bowl. It’s more than enough for two people. Ketchup will do, but one of the house-made dipping sauces such as Sriracha aioli, thyme aioli or remoulade take the fries to another level. 1675 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 309, Smyrna. 770-434-1114. www.mussandturners.com.

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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Shmaltz, the celebrated Jew brew, is co-hosting a chug fest at Muss & Turner’s Mon., Dec. 15th and a “Chanukah vs. Xmas” dinner at The Porter Wed., Dec. 17th, featuring their newest beer, Jewbelation Twelve.

This was too funny to paraphrase:

JEWBELATION: Rising to 12% alcohol, brewed with 12 malts and 12 hops, bringing a nearly miraculous warming glow to store shelves nationwide from October 2008 through March 2009.

This anniversary, candles won’t be the only thing getting lit!

Behold the fifth incarnation of Jewbelation: our 12th Chosen Beer in 12 Years of Shmaltz. Coincidence? Destiny! Let’s play the Dozens:

The first batch of HE’BREW came to life in California’s 12th Congressional District. 12 pairs of cranial nerves leave the brain. 12 pairs of ribs cage the human frame. 12 inches in a foot. 12 men walked on the moon. 12 months in a year. 12 signs of the Western and Chinese Zodiac. Jacob begat 12 sons who begat the 12 Tribes of Israel. 12 Olympian gods rule the Pantheon of ancient Greece. Jesus had 12 disciples; Muhammad 12 Imams (successors). 12 angels sit at the 12 gates of heaven. Norse warrior-poet god Odin produced 12 sons. The Priests of the Temples of Syrinx proclaim the Brotherhood of Man in 12 songs on Rush’s 2112. Son of a Rabbi, Harry Houdini ran away from home at age 12. In 1912, he reigned as World’s Greatest Escape Artists breaking out of an underwater cage in NYC’s East River @ debutin ghis famed Chinese Water Torture Cell in Berlin. At 12, Courtney Love failed to join the Mickey Mouse Club auditioning with Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy.” The 12 Step Program, the core of AA, spawned over 200 fellowships including Workaholics Anonymous based in Menlo Park, CA. “A scout troop consists of 12 little kids dressed like schmucks following a big schmuch dressed like a little kid.” -Jack Benny.

To the growing minyans of the Schmaltz Tribe, light up the season with our most miraculous Jewbelation yet.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

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Muss & Turner’s is participating in some cool events in the coming months:

On Sunday, March 13 Muss & Turner’s is taking part in a local chef battle between Ryan Hidinger of M & T’s and Chris Hall of Canoe, to be held at Jay Swift’s ( formerly of South City Kitchen) new place, 4th and Swift located in the Old Fourth Ward.

Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner will be blind tasting the two chefs on two white wines, two reds wines and two beers and the chefs will create two courses for each.

“In our opinion, this is the most genuine way for a chef to make food in symphony with drink,” writes Turner. ” This kind of stuff is just fun for us. Obviously the whole chef battle thing is hip right now, but our goal is to just ‘throw down’ with our chef buddies in a very friendly competition.”

Make your reservations fast because this food fight is limited to 30 people.

If you’re looking to get a little fresh air then take a quick trip out to the farm. Muss and Turner are working with Brady Lowe from Taste Network to host a Champagne farm dinner.

On May 17, fifty guests will be loaded onto a “green” chartered bus provided by Elite Green Car, a company that refers to themselves as “eco-friendly chauffeurs,” at Muss & Turner’s store in Smyrna and driven to Serenbe for a tour of the development and the farm.

Everyone will be served an early, multi-course family style dinner created by Muss in conjunction with the harvest schedules of three local farms. Food will be paired with Henriot Champagne in celebration of their 200th anniversary.

Dinner will be served in a Serenbe home overlooking the farm where much of the food that will be served was actually grown.

Future details of the chef battle and farm dinner will be at www.mussandturners.com.

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