Atlanta Quarantine Eats Week 2
Welcome to Week 2 (6/26 - 6/28) of Quarantine Eats.
I don’t know about you, but the one thing keeping Nizar and I sane during quarantine is getting take out. So, every week I will share my weekend take-out adventures in the hopes that it will inspire some of you to support different local restaurants & pop-ups impacted by Covid-19 along with supporting the many black-owned businesses in Atlanta.
Our goal is to try one or two black-owned restaurants/pop-ups every week and/or purchase from a place that is donating a portion of their proceeds in the fight towards racial justice. I recognize that this alone is not enough in the fight towards racial justice but this is one direct way I know I can publicly help elevate black voices. Lastly, make sure to share your take-out photos to social media and spread the word - you don’t have to be a food blogger to do that! Thanks for coming to my ZD Talk!
weekend summary
Friday, June 26th
Morning breakfast
I think I’ve had something from Sarah Dodge’s Bread is Good pop-up every week since quarantine started back in March. Everything she makes is phenomenal. While I usually grab a loaf of bread, bagels, or cinnamon rolls this time I had to try these Sourdough Herb Crackers. They were possibly the best crackers I have ever had. If you haven’t heard of Sarah Dodge she has a bread delivery service along with hosting many pop-ups. She is now partnering with Perc Coffee at their new East Lake location in the near future. In fact, the first Perc pop-up is tomorrow, Saturday, July 4th from 8 am - 11 am.
Make sure you follow her on Instagram to see when bread delivery releases (typically 3pm on Thursdays but it varies) or her website for pre-orders.
dinner
I rarely make it to Porch Light Latin Kitchen but I should really make more of an effort because they always have the best food and friendly service (even for take-out). Their menu changes daily (posted on Instagram and their website) including a special Taco Tuesday menu. It’s not as long as their regular menu, but everything we ordered was delicious.
We ordered the street corn, gulf shrimp garlic fried rice, peach & arugula salad, and the Tres Leches. I would order everything again. My only regret was not ordering two of the shrimp fried rice and Tres Leches. Talk about flavor explosion. The fried rice with aioli and togarashi spice was the perfect combo of a Latin-Japanese fusion meal. And the Tres Leches was so moist. Nizar and I were fighting for the last bite.
Ordering and pick-up was easy. You place your order in the afternoon for pick-up in the evening. They only take payment in person but they were wearing masks and gloves and sanitizing pens between use. They are currently on vacation, so follow them on Instagram to see when they open again.
Dessert
Vinings
I still can’t stop looking at pictures of these desserts. I’m so glad I randomly came across this account on Instagram. I’m a sucker for packaging and that’s what initially caught my eye! Camille of ccacca bakery makes the most amazing financiers & canelés. I’m not kidding they were perfection, something that could have come straight out of a French Patisserie. When I asked Camille what her background was she mentioned that she had taken a few baking classes in Korea but outside of that, this is not her day job!
My favorite single bite was the salted caramel financier (the one with nuts), but the vanilla, earl grey & matcha financiers were also amazing. The cake was moist, flavorful and the perfect size for a portion-controlled treat. I don’t eat a lot of canelés, but I enjoyed the crunchy/hard exterior and soft matcha interior. If matcha is not your cup of tea they have other flavors and release new items every week!
The order form is released on Instagram every Saturday sometime between 10 am - 12 pm for pick-up the following Friday or Saturday. After you complete the form you get a text with payment and pick-up details. I would set a reminder because you will want to order before they reach capacity for the weekend! I will definitely be a frequent customer!
Saturday, June 27th
breakfast
Delivery Service
Biscuits delivered to your front door? What more could you ask for? I was lucky enough to try Bomb Biscuits back in January before the pandemic hit, but this delivery service is next level. Every order comes with a pack of six biscuits (vegan or buttermilk) and peach jam. I really appreciated that the box came with instructions on how to reheat and homemade jam. I love a biscuit with a crunchy exterior and soft interior. These are my types of biscuits. They went great with eggs as well!
Bomb Biscuits is a female and #blackownedbusiness run by Erika Council who also operates a catering service, Southern Souffle. She was also recently featured in Southern Living as one of the 30 Women Moving Southern Food Forward. An impressive resume and impressive biscuits.
From what I can tell, ITP delivery is available every other week. The orders go up on Tuesdays for delivery on Friday or Saturday of that week (depending on where you live). The delivery window for me was 10 am - 4 pm on Saturday but around 11:30 am that day I got a revised delivery window of 12 pm - 2 pm. So if you live in an apartment complex like me, you may need to wait around. But it’s not like we have anywhere to go!
FYI - the next order form will go up on Tuesday, July 7th, and if it’s anything like last week, the orders will sell out quickly. Follow along on Instagram for updates.
Snack / Meal Prep
Asha Gomez, owner and chef of the Third Space, has been selling her homemade curries, meals and florals for pick-up on Saturdays. We have been ordering this Thai Coconut Curry Sauce every other week for the past two months. This sauce goes with everything, vegetables, fish, eggs, etc. The price is a little steep - $14 + tax - but the flavor is amazing and you can stretch it out across a few meals. But after trying it you may want to use it all in one dish.
The menu changes weekly so keep up with her Instagram and website. You can also sign-up for her email newsletters so you can be notified when the pop-up goes live.
Sunday, June 28th
dinner
5141 Buford Hwy NE Suite C, Doraville, GA 30340
Buford Highway
If you haven’t had dumplings from Northern China Eatery then you are missing out!
This time we ordered the steamed vegetable dumplings (they also come fried). FYI - even though the menu says they are vegetarian dumplings, they have some sort of shrimp paste in it. Northern China Eatery also offers other meat-based (pork, lamb, beef, etc.) dumplings options and even frozen dumplings that you can make at home.
We also ordered the chef’s special spicy griddled cooked fish and stir-fried string beans. The chef’s special dish is massive - comes in a giant foil tray. It took the two of us three meals to finish it. The entire dish is composed of fried fish, potatoes, lotus root & other veggies. It’s a very heavy dish and will put you in a food coma. So be prepared or share with 3 - 4 people.
Northern China Eatery is only open for take-out and has social-distancing / curbside-pickup in place. Place your order online and it should be ready within 20-30 minutes. Follow them on Instagram as they have been providing pick-up options ITP lately.
