Blais-in' Through The ATL

Photo from johnmariani.com

My mom is in town this week (yay!) and we went to Atlanta yesterday for some high-calibur shopping and eating. We also happen to be huge Top Chef fans - especially Top Chef All Stars. So, we went to the only logical place to go - Richard Blais's (he won TCAS) Flip Burger Boutique in Buckhead. We were EXCITED.

How cool is the inside of this burger place? Very modern and very spotless. Awesome.

Our meal



Candycane Beet Salad ($4)



The Local: local organic grass-fed beef, tomme cheese, lettuce, yellow tomato,
red onion, coca cola ketchup, picked peach & pecans
($14)

Nutella + Burnt Marshmallow Liquid Nitrogen Shake ($6)

The meal was incredible - hands down the best burger either of us had ever eaten. What a flavor combo! Pickled peaches? Coca cola ketchup? The man has an imagination. Also, that beet salad was to die for! And who would ever put a beet salad with arugula on a burger menu. Richard Blais would. I might start salivating if I start talking about the milkshake. Holy moley it was fantastic! It was unlike any milkshake I've ever had in my life - rich, creamy, chocolatey - and the best part? There was no air in it like most milk shakes. It was solid deliciousness. And the topping of burnt marshmallows? Perfection.

It made my mouth glad. :) So, if you're in the neighborhood, go. And if you're not, figure out a way to get there.

~ Mari

New Favorite Food

It's a Lychee fruit! I had not eaten one of these things as of last week, and now I can't stop! Dang are they delicious little guys. The tree is native to China, but I got a bag of them at the Dekalb Farmers Market it Decatur, GA. Which is, by the way, the most amazing food store I've been to in the United States (possibly the world). LORD have mercy is it wondermous. Guess who I saw shopping there yesterday? Eli Kirshtein from Season 6 of Top Chef! Exciting stuff.

But, back to the lychee. According to Wikipedia, these little guys were so in demand in Imperial China that there was a "Lychee Task Force" of guys (with extra fast horses) that brought lychees from Canton. Yeah. They're kind of a big deal.

Another fun fact about lychee fruit is that the Chinese use it instead of a pacfier because of its healthly qualities.

The lychee has a hard spiny skin that is pink (and apparently turns brown when refrigerated). But, once you peel that dino-like skin off, the fleshy succulent fruit underneath is exposed. I wish I could describe how they taste, but it's almost impossible.


All I can tell you is that they are sweet and juicy and DELICIOUS!

And guess what the best part is? They are good for you! They are full of vitamin C and studies have found that they prevent the growth of cancer cells - especially breast cancer. How much better can it get? Better. They are even said to help the common cold and shrink swollen glands. As of right now, nothing is really ailing me, but that's not going to stop me from devouring them! I have a feeling this bag isn't going to last very long.

So, next time you're at a specialty grocery store (they might even have them at Kroger), grab a lychee or two (or 24...) and don't let their prehistoric exterior fool you. Enjoy!

~ Mari