Weekend links.
1 more sleep until the States! Fancy pets are fancy (and probably eat better than I do). Just because you can deep fry water, doesn’t mean you should. Can’t wait to see the second season of Chef’s Table. I truly loved the first season! Oh America, so much to be proud about. Pineapple margarita? You have my attention. This dark chocolate and mint looks particularly lovely…and free trade. Did you know hummus can be used as edible glue? As seen on this falafel nigiri. Marmite popcorn, should you feel the need. So, I will be out of town for the next two weeks – with LOADS of restaurants planned. Stay tuned for new venues in the Atlanta area. Take care of the UAE while I’m gone and in advance, wishing all those who celebrate a blessed Ramadan! Fun .gif for the weekend!
Weekend links.
Some great food news this week: You had me at grilled cheese roll ups. Would You Buy a $150 Patrón Donut? (Would you buy me one?) Timely info. In Dubai, how important are social media influencers? As someone trying to make progress in this area, I think an Instagram can say a lot… Tahini Oreos? Any talented bakers want to send some my way? Am I a wannabe or a critic? Or somewhere in between? A great article discusses the difference. I think this should be required reading for anyone who considers themselves a food blogger. Headlines I like to read: Women Clean Up at the James Beard awards. Prince Street podcast. I listened to their first effort, which was pretty decent. After a little cleaning up on the format, I think it will be a great foodie listen! Tonight…well, I’m not sure what we’ll do, but tomorrow we’re going…
New flavors in the capital: Tamba.
For the first time in a long time, I decided to skip researching a menu before dining at a venue. Usually, I obsess check carefully and plan out exactly what I am going to try. You know what? I should play things by ear a bit more often. As my previous visit to The Hub was a bit disappointing and the night was only saved by a sneak preview of Tamba, I was excited to return and see if the food matched the ambiance. As per their website, Tamba is ‘an ingenious reinterpretation of the flavors of the subcontinent, with a contemporary twist. A stunning, loft-style setting designed to foster social interaction and culinary discovery.’ That’s a lot to live up to… So, let’s see if the mission was accomplished, shall we? Walking in, I was reminded of Hakkasan‘s striking decor (which feels like the set of a James Bond film,…
Weekend links.
Links, yo. A cocktail in honor of Prince. Hipster food trends (I mostly posted this because Hubs hates hipsters). Don’t mind if I do. World’s most expensive cocktails. I missed Earth Day, but still important – environmentally harmful things about travel and what to do about them. Some of the most visually exciting food. Would you order a $90K desert? (If so, can we be friends?) London’s first naked restaurant. You have my attention. Someone order these for me? What are you doing this weekend? I’m trying to convince myself to take myself out to lunch today. After all, I finished the first draft of a novel! I’m also going to attend the Arabian Travel Market and go to the Puppy Ball tomorrow night. My dress is being dropped off today – let’s hope it fits! Pics of the week: Dom Pérignon Vintage 1998 P2 launch in Joshua Tree and Palm…
Weekend links.
A good week here at the A to Za’atar headquarters – hope you had a lovely one as well! (Not) Recipies. Popular recipes put to the test. Would you go on a culinary holiday? Spoiler alert, I totally would. Why does Mackers Coke taste better? (This is a thing, I promise). Edible cutlery? Seems like a good solution to some of the world’s problems. Here’s the Kickstarter, if you want to support! Living in a location where farm to table is nearly impossible, I think this expose on the farm to table movement is fascinating. If course, it’s Florida, so… I am straight up fascinated by this class. ICYMI, I went to Enigma and it was amazing. As for the weekend, I’m still not over brunches yet and really hoping to get to Hashi tomorrow. If not, I’ve got my eye on Reform Social & Grill or potentially another two other…
Weekend Links.
I think I did a lot this week, but then I’m not so sure… Fake food = real business. Someone get me one for my next trip, yes? I reviewed the Firebird Diner over on FooDiva. Um, I’m strangely interested. Can someone buy me tickets? (And airline tickets?) After weekends of dining out and brunching, we are going to have a chill weekend. We’re getting together with friends from years ago (oh Dubai… I love you) and just enjoying some relaxed time. What are you up to?
An Ecelctic, Civilized Affair: Intersect by Lexus
The Entertainer has been absolutely crushing it recently! When April’s monthly offers came out and I saw a brunch with Intersect by Lexus, I was excited. Although I put the call out to other friends, in the end, it was just Hubs and myself and we had a blast (seriously, some very good people watching on offer as well as running into a former colleague from 2008). As a concept, the restaurant is one of three in the world (the other properties are in Toyko and New York, respectively). As the website itself lists, the location is “an artisanal eatery offering an authentic and evolving culinary journey with a focus on pure, handcrafted organic cuisine and beverages.” Reservations? Made online (1 day before – oops!!). Ambiance? Located in (where else), DIFC’s Gate Village. As best I can explain, it’s a bit like eating in a funky artist studio. Straight away, unlike some…
Weekend links.
I love weeks like this one! I had a lot of motivation and moved projects forward…starting with the Instagram account I finally created for A to Za’atar. I hope you’ll follow me! I really enjoyed this podcast about the history of food commercials. Dining Agenda: New Restaurants And Food News This April (via Departures). Some insight on traveling with friends. I’m all for it, what do you think? Have you heard of Dorilocos? Read the ingredient list and let me know if you would try them. (sobs) I want Mealpass in Dubai! When to Travel This Year, Based on Your Astrological Sign Fairly certain I need a sushi burger in my life. FYI: I met Zoe from Table No. 7 at the Zomato conference and she is superfantastic. Food gif for the week: I think we’re going to have a quiet weekend. I’d love to get to Intersect by Lexus for brunch…
Terrific Tresind.
When someone who works for one of the big food websites in the region recommends a restaurant, I take notice… Which is how we ended up at Tresind on Friday. As each member of our group was recovering from, ahem, rather late endeavors the night before, we leafed through the (far too) heavy card stock and requested the chef du cuisine menu (not sure why it wasn’t presented with the other menu). The concept behind many of the dishes is deconstructing or presenting Indian street food in a unique way. And it works. Reservations? Made online. ‘Mr’ Courtney certainly gets around in this city. 🙂 Ambiance? Well… There is definitely room for improvement. Of the places I’ve been, all things aside, Hide and Rang Mahal are probably my favorite venues for straight up seating. In any venue, I like a bit of space from my neighbor. I like a private conversation.…