Category Archives: Georgia

Gigi’s Cupcakes – Was it Fate? (Atlanta, GA)

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Hello again. This is the final blog from my weekend trip to Atlanta. This is a 2nd “quick bite” blog.

While dining at FLiP burger, I noticed this cupcake shop, Gigi’s, on my Foodspotting app. There were some amazing pictures of cupcakes with an intense amount of frosting. I resisted the urge to indulge myself because I knew I had limited time and a long list of places left I wanted to sample. However, when I was in a shopping plaza 5 hours later and saw a 2nd location, I had to wonder if it was fate?

Gigi’s was voted best cupcakes in Atlanta for 2012. Ok, you have my attention. Wait a minute, they have stores in 18 states? I have never seen or heard of them before. I typically stay away from franchised restaurants but since they were voted best in Atlanta…..we picked up four :)

Fancy traveling case

They come in a nice box that keeps them safe during the ride home. The four we choose were: Orange Dreamsicle, Scarlett’s Red Velvet, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Midnight Magic. The two that I tried were Midnight Magic and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

The fearsome foursome. The orange dreamsicle isn’t very photogenic

We’ll start with the Midnight Magic. This cupcake was devils food cake with dark chocolate chips topped with a chocolate buttercream frosting and more chocolate chips. First off, look at this frosting. It’s taller than the actual cake! They are very messy to eat and I’ll admit that I worried it would be too much of a good thing. Surprisingly the frosting was rich, but not overpowering. In general a good cupcake but not overwhelming.

More frosting than actual cake!

My 2nd cupcake was the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It was a chocolate chip cookie cake with cookie dough frosting, chocolate chips, topped with a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was the chewy kind, which I prefer. The frosting was the best part and there was plenty of it. It was like those amazing bites of cookie dough when baking or from a great cookie dough ice cream.

Gigi’s is a solid choice for grabbing a cupcake that fits that sweet tooth craving. If you aren’t a fan of frosting, I would stay away. The cupcakes were standard size and the cake was moist. They have a great variety to choose from. That being said, I think we have some better cupcake shops in STL. I think it may just inspire a future blog entry….

 

Six Feet Under – It’s Not Funny, My Mouth Was on Fire! (Atlanta, GA)

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Hi again. Welcome to the first “quick bite” post. This is just a quick review of a late afternoon snack during last week’s food adventures in Atlanta.

I love to research restaurants before each trip that I take. During my recent research, I stumbled upon Six Feet Under. The menu had two appetizers that caught my eye: spicy rat toes and extra spicy dragon toes. 

Six Feet Under view from the street

The restaurant itself wasn’t in the best neighborhood. Next time I go there I would take advantage of the free valet parking. The inside resembles a sports bar but features seafood. There are great views from the upstairs patios and the bar itself is nice.

Extra spicy dragon toes are a baked Habanero stuffed with scallops and wrapped with crispy bacon. My wife and I both made the same mistake….we tried these first. Now I understand why you can order them individually. I don’t know why you would ever want more than one. I love spicy food. I spent almost 10 years in New Mexico enjoying hot green and red chili. However this was just a little much. Scallops are a favorite of mine but I was not able to enjoy them due to the heat of the Habanero. It took at least half an hour for the burn to go away. They had a side of ranch, but it didn’t do anything to cool the burn.

Yes my wife ate the smaller one and left the other for me

Next we tried the spicy rat toes. They were jalapeños stuffed with shrimp and wrapped with bacon. These were better. The subtle kick from the jalapeno’s was nice (especially after the heat of the previous appetizer). The shrimp was fresh and the bacon was still crispy with a good smokey flavor. These were amazing. I would order them again. They came in an order of 3, but I could have eaten many more.

The less spicy rat toes

Take my advice and stick with the rat toes. Only go for the dragon toes if you are preparing for a spicy food challenge for Man v. Food. I think next time I will have to enjoy one of their seafood steamers.

FLiP Burger Boutique – Raw Steak and a Dangerous Milkshake (Atlanta, GA)

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I can’t help but share my unique food experiences. This is from a trip over the weekend to Atlanta, GA. If you are a person who prefers a standard burger or cheeseburger, don’t read any further. However, if you like the chef taking a unique item and putting a new spin on it, read on about FLiP burger.

Entrance to FLiP Burger

FLiP’s chef, Richard Blais, is a unique chef. Did you know that he was the winner of Bravo’s season 8 ‘Top Chef All-Stars?’ To read more about this innovative chef click here.

Once you get inside you are greeted by a young staff, upbeat atmosphere, modern decor, and loud music. I enjoy a vibrant atmosphere when dining out. It helps drown out the sound of my 6 month old for the other patrons when he gets fussy. However, if you don’t like bass that lightly shakes the glasses on the table, this is not your scene.

Very modern on the inside. We were there early so the place was still very empty.

We started with liquid N2 milkshakes. Science making our world better, one milkshake at a time. One of the good things about having a wife / partner in crime on these adventures is that you get to try twice as many things when you go out. Obviously not the only good thing about my wife (in case she is reading this….)

I had my heart set on the Krispy Kreme milkshake. You have to love that when delivered, the liquid N2 is still bubbling. They warn you to wait for it to finish before you start to enjoy. A food with warnings, bring it on! The serving size is perfect for this vanilla based milkshake so you do taste the doughnut flavor. It wasn’t overpowering but was unique. Not the most amazing shake I have ever had, but the presentation and unique flavor will make it one of the most memorable.

Liquid N2 Krispy Kreme Milkshake. You can see the frost on the straw

I had “convinced” my wife to try the nutella + burnt marshmallow shake based on recommendations I found online. The nutella gave the shake a great chocolate like flavor that paired extremely well with marshmallow. It will take you back to that first bite of a marshmallow right off the campfire.

Burnt marshmallows made this shake

On to the main event. I ordered the raw steak tartare burger. It was a hand chopped tenderloin patty topped with a fried egg. It also had garlic, chili, cornichon (pickles), pickled shallot, capers, and smoked mayo. Raw steak really doesn’t have that much flavor on it’s own. Most of the flavor you typically associate with a cooked steak is because of the caramelization. The fried egg was a perfect over easy. Normally I don’t eat pickles on my burger, but I decided to stay true to the chef’s intended combination. I’m glad I did. Based on the subtle flavor of the rest of the ingredients, the pickles actually were the star flavor of the dish. This item was very unique but we did sample a burger that blew this one away. More about that later….

Steak Tartare burger and fries. The egg looks fantastic!

My side was house-made French fries with smoked mayo / ketchup. They were fried in beef tallow (rendered form of beef fat). They were crispy on the outside, and had a nice creamy interior. They smoked mayo was great; it went really well with the fries. I’m wishing I had added some more of this to the tartare burger.

The best burger of the day was a turkey burger. It was all due to the unique marriage of flavor combinations and differences in texture. The avocado was more the consistency of guacamole and had similar seasoning. The sprouts were fresh and added some crunch. The pomegranate ketchup was the key thing to this dish. It had a hint of BBQ flavor. Being a burger fan, it was hard for me to admit that I preferred turkey over steak.

The surprising turkey burger

My wife had sweet potato tater tots. It was served with a coffee bbq sauce with blue cheese foam. These little guys packed a huge punch. They were almost too decadent for the serving size of this side dish. However since this a blog entitled Diet Crashers…it’s right up our alley.

I would definitely visit FLiP burger boutique again. It features innovative renditions of burgers, house made condiments, and unique milkshakes. Go for the turkey burger, french fries (smokey mayo), and a nutella and burnt marshmallow shake. If you do make it to Atlanta, let me know what you think.

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