After enjoying amazing autumn weather in Boone, NC, we began our journey south with a stop in Atlanta Georgia. And understand why it is often referred to as “Hot’lanta”!

Three Amigos!
From left: Me, Shirley and Steve

We were back in the heat of summer. But it felt good after our 40-degree morning in Boone. We had one main purpose for visiting Atlanta Georgia. And that was to visit with our former neighbor Shirley.

Friends forever 

Shirley lived right across the street from us for 23 years and had become like a sister. To say we missed her was an understatement. Happily she has a condo in a suburb of Atlanta so she can have extended visits with her son, daughter in law and two adorable grand daughters. Our timing was perfect to visit because she had arrived a day or two before us.

Our first couple of days in Atlanta involved observing the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur. But once that passed we made a beeline for our sweet and quirky friend. We got to see her beautiful condo and then went just a short drive away, to Southern Bistro for dinner. Dinner out now seems like such an event since Covid.

Southern Bistro

Southern Bistro has carefully arranged tables so that social distancing is in place. And they follow the guidelines to keep everyone safe. It’s a beautiful little restaurant in a small shopping center. They pride themselves on fresh, seasonal food prepared with quality ingredients and a lot of love.

Appetizers of Fried Green Tomatoes and Blue Cheese Potato Chips at Southern Bistro

Appetizers

We started our meal by sharing two luscious appetizers. The first was Fried Green Tomatoes. But these were no ordinary Fried Green Tomatoes. The tomatoes tasted of pickle, which gave them a love tang. The coating was nice and crunchy which was a great contrast to the accompanying Sweet Pepper Jelly, Arugula and Creamy Goat Cheese. Our second starter was the Blue Cheese Potato Chips. They were more like nachos made with fresh potato chips instead of tortilla chips. The chips were layered with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Green Onion and Cherry Tomatoes all drizzled with Blue Cheese Fondue. Need I say more?

Entrées

North Georgia Rainbow Trout with Blistered Red Potatoes, Green Beans, Leeks, Almonds and Lemon Butter

Our entrées were equally Southern and creative. Here at Southern Bistro they take traditional dishes and put their own spin on them. And they do it quite well! Shirley ordered the North Georgia Rainbow Trout which was a huge portion perched atop a bed of blistered Red potatoes, green beans, leeks, and toasted Almonds all dressed with Lemon Butter. Her dish was definitely shareable.

Gulf Coast Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage, Caramelized Onion and Tomato Pan Gravy

Tuesday’s Special Mussels in Garlic Tomato Broth with Garlic Toasts

Mussels so good even Steve had to taste them! And he asked for more.

Steve ordered the very Southern Gulf Shrimp and Grits. The grits were creamy and delicious, but hidden under an abundance of shrimp, Andouille sausage, caramelized onions and tomato pan gravy. I opted for the Tuesday Special which was a big bowl of mussels beautifully arranged in a perfect spiral. The mussels were served in an amazing garlicky tomato broth with chunks of tomato and sweet onion. At first I used a spoon to slurp up that broth. Then, when I neared the bottom of the bowl I sopped up every last drop with the garlic toast that was served with my mussels.

Chez Ladybug

The Traveling Locavores welcome you to dinner at Chez Ladybug

The next evening the three of us dined at Chez Ladybug. I was thrilled that the new dishes that we ordered from Amazon came a day early, and the table looked so pretty! Steve grilled pork tenderloins glazed with a mixture of Apple Maple Bacon Jam and Dijon mustard, Candied Ginger Carrots and Sautéed Broccoli with lots of fresh garlic. It felt so wonderful to be able to spend a couple of days with our girl Shirl!!!

Egg Harbor Café

Lots of chickens and roosters at Egg Harbor Café in Sandy Springs Georgia

A cozy booth and chickens in all forms at Egg Harbor Café

Due to Covid-19 precautions, all condiments were offered in disposable packaging at Egg Harbor Café

The next morning we had errands to run so we decided to treat ourselves to brunch out at a restaurant. We chose Egg Harbor Café because of their location and health safety protocols. The restaurant is in a shopping center in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta Georgia. It’s decor is an homage to chickens and roosters. So adorable. We were quite impressed with their attention to issue of Covid safety. The menu was a QR code that we scanned to read on our phones. Even the condiments, which were all disposable packets, were brought to us on a little tray and served with tongs.

My Smoked Salmon Benedict consisted of toasted English muffin, cold smoked salmon, tomato, arugula, poached cage free eggs, hollandaise, red onion, capers, and dill and served with crispy Harbor potatoes

Menu

Egg Harbor Café’s menu was huge, which made it difficult to decide what to eat. Well, actually for me it was easy. I love all forms of Eggs Benedict. But Steve, believe it or not, is not that adventurous. So he ended up with Cinnamon French Toast. It was delicious but a bit ho hum. One day he may learn to take a chance on a more unusual option.

The money shot…when you break into perfectly poached eggs and that yolk oozes out. So yummy!

My Eggs Benedict was extraordinary and a combination that I had never had before. Of course it included many of the usual suspects. But in addition to the toasted English muffin, poached eggs and Hollandaise, there was succulent cold smoked salmon, tomato, arugula, red onion, capers, and dill. OMG! I still can’t stop thinking about how yummy that brunch was. Next time I will firmly encourage Steve to follow my lead. Because that’s my duty as a good wife.