Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.
Once again, this event never fails to disappoint. I went solo this year, but that’s okay. I hunt better alone. And hunting is exactly what I did. Upon arrival I purchased forty tickets, all for myself. Mwahahahaahhaha! When the first two booths I hit only charged two tickets, I realized I was in over my head. Somehow I managed to spend every ticket. Here are my random thoughts on the food.
Today’s Secret Ingredient – Pork!
Somehow I missed the Chairman from Iron Chef making that proclamation. Everyone there seemed to have a pork entree. Pork sliders, pork soft tacos, ribs. It went on and on. I expect something like this from Smokejack. Village Tavern, Wildflour and even Sip Tapas served pork. Enough already!
Things That Impressed Me
Milton’s – Small portions that seriously delivered. I ordered the ribs but the girl misunderstood me and gave me shrimp and grits. I ended up trying both. The shrimp were amazing. I’m not normally a shrimp and grits kind of guy, but these were off the hook. The ribs were pretty good too. The rub combined with the glaze in the right savory proportions. I wanted a whole rack, and didn’t even get one rib. I felt worse than Chris Rock’s character in I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. “How much for one rib? You got change for a hundred?” Two tickets for a pinch of one rib. Dang!
Sage Woodfire Tavern – I mentioned earlier that their food didn’t impress me much. Now I feel like an idiot. Sage’s soy glazed salmon was a winner. It was cooked perfectly with a little heat. I’d order it off the menu.
Things That Fell Short
Kozmo’s Gastro Pub – I got the fried calamari right as they were coming out of the oil. They were very lightly battered… like almost no batter. By themselves there wasn’t much there. The sauce that was served along side was fair. But I expected more from this joint.
Sip Wine and Tapas – BBQ pork soft taco. It was the first thing I tried and it looked like it was made long ahead of time. There was no smoke flavor in the pork and it was mushy.
Random Tidbits
Bistro 52 – Attention snooty Windward tennis ladies… mark your calendars! This place opens the first week of June. Today they made a Cuban sandwich that was decent. Strangely enough, I didn’t taste any of today’s secret ingredient… roast pork.
Anna’s Kitchen – This Jamaican joint has somehow slipped under my radar. They had one of the longest lines today. The reason was clear… their jerk chicken was delicious and packed some serious heat. On my to-try list.
Kiku Japanese – They win the WTF award. Kiku had a man with a gong walking around their booth. I’m not sure why, but it was kinda cool. I’ve decided that I need a gong for my cubicle at work. That’ll break up the monotony of my day!
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Lee, you’re right about Miltons (and the edict that pork was the secret ingredient for the festival!). You left The Village Tavern off your list, I thought their pork sliders were very good and I was pretty happy with the ribs from Pig N Chick. Sadly, I have to agree with you about Sip’s Pork Tacos. I love Sip’s food but the pork taco didn’t deliver….
I didn’t get to try Village Tavern. I guess I should have.
Did you stick around to see who won the contests? Or were you downing beverages at Pure by that point
40 tix for one?! Did you spend the evening knocking kids down in the bounce houses?
That’s funny. No jump things for me. I wasted a lot of food. For example… five tickets for jerk chicken at Anna’s Kitchen. I took a few bites and pitched it. Not that it was bad, just that their portion size was huge and I was pacing myself.
Taste of Alpharetta is your yearly reminder of that guy, with new money, who built a McMansion right across the street from Wills Park, 3 years ago, on the busy Milton Parkway, wedged next to $180k houses.
Privacy? Why? I want people to see my McMansion that sticks out, on the busy street corner!
I think that he has 3 Hummers parked outside. Figures.
You all need to try Hannah’s Cafe on Hwy 9. That place is unbelievable and so reasonably priced. The soups are totally amazing. Me and my girlfriends eat there several days a week.
Where exactly is Hannah’s? It isn’t on my radar screen to try. I should probably change that. Can you give me more info?
Did anyone try the Sicilian Fritters at Cuzi Fresh Cafe? This dish won the Best Fast Casual Entree category in the chef’s competition. They are really good… and vegetarian. Basically a meatless meatball in a homemade italian sauce. Check them out on Old Milton. They are a new bakery-cafe with a wonderful selection of affordable fresh options.
Taste has been a blast the past 2 years for us. This was the second year I was on stage to compete in the Culinary Competition. In fact, shared the stage with Cuzi, who won. It is a LONG LONG day for us vendors but seems to always be well worth the effort. Thank God it only comes around once a year because I think we all need a year to recoup.
That’s funny. No jump things for me. I wasted a lot of food. For example… five tickets for jerk chicken at Anna’s Kitchen. I took a few bites and pitched it. Not that it was bad, just that their portion size was huge and I was pacing myself.