Well, it has finally come to an end. After writing 1,392 articles on Examiner.com (since 2009), the site has gone dark and all of my content has vanished. I spent hours saving articles (which I will try to post to my website soon) that made the whole process bitter sweet. I owe a lot to Examiner.com because it pushed me to step outside my comfort zone and start a blog. I can’t thank them enough for giving me a platform to help others while also allowing me to spread my journalist wings. We were only notified a week before they took the site down and by that time we were no longer able to post content. I feel poorly for my followers who don’t know how to find me and I have no way to let them know where to find me.
For the last year, I wasn’t able to donate a lot of time to the site and started posting a roundup on Fridays. These roundups were well received by the gluten-free community and now have a permanent home on this blog. I will do my best to get an article posted each Friday, but I can’t promise I won’t miss a Friday or two. I work full time, so there isn’t always time to get one put together, but I will do my best to stay current.
4th & Swift closed its doors for good last weekend. According to Eater Atlanta, Jay Swift is going to focus his efforts on Noble Fin, which opened in Peachtree Corners at 5260 Peachtree Parkway in May.
Dixie Vodka has launched its first-ever citrus varietal blend flavored with lemon, lime and tangerine. Produced by Grain & Barrel Spirits in Charleston, S.C., the 80-proof spirit’s ingredients are sourced within the South and available in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Tennessee.
Double Zero will host its last day of service in Sandy Springs on Saturday, August 6, before moving into its new location in Emory Village the first week of September. Double Zero anticipates a short transition between closing its Roswell Road location and reopening in Emory Village, but there isn’t a set date for its reopening.
Farm To Ladle has opened its second location at The Avalon in Alpharetta. Right next door to Lotta Frutta, this restaurant serves both lunch and dinner and clearly marks gluten-free options on the menu. Choose from soups, salads, entrees and sides. Do a little shopping for locally made products while waiting for your food.
Juicy Jenny closed July 4th weekend due to the rising costs of organic ingredients. Look for their organic juices and vegan/gluten-free baked goods to become incorporated into one of the Souper Jenny locations in the not too distant future.
According to ToneToATL, Long Horn Steakhouse at Toco Hills is slated to open August 8th. The freestanding restaurant was largely destroyed in a June 2014 fire and its reconstruction was delayed multiple times for a variety of reasons.
Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails is hosting the second Whole Hog Hootenanny in its summer series of barbecue events. The event starts at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 31, on the patio and front lawn of the restaurant with an all-you-can-eat selection of roast pig, pulled pork, ribs, smoked chicken, barbecue sides, sweet treats and more. Purchase tickets online through Eventbrite for $35 per person (plus service fee; includes gratuity).
Stop by Noble Fin beginning August 5th and every Friday thereafter for Oyster Happy Hour. Starting at 5:00 p.m. and running until 6:30 p.m. in the bar area only, oysters will be a ‘buck a shuck’ served a top a bed of ice. Come hungry and bring a friend or two to unwind after a long week.
Publix has added Frontier Snack’s new fruit & nut bites called Frontier Bites to its offerings. Available in three flavors, these bites are made from simple ingredients and nothing artificial. Sweetened with honey and brown rice syrup, they are low in sugar, fat and calories and they taste fantastic. They aren’t overly crunchy or sticky, and really hit the salty/sweet spot. My favorite flavor is the macadamia pineapple coconut (more pineapple please), followed by almond blueberry lemon and pecan cherry cinnamon.
The Spence, the Midtown restaurant that opened in 2012 with celebrity chef Richard Blais, closed at the end of June. According to Eater Atlanta, the team behind The General Muir will open a “micro-food hall” called The Canteen at 75 Fifth St. NW. The new venture will include second outposts for Fred’s Meat & Bread and Yalla, which Johnson and her husband Ben, along with Shelley Sweet and chef Todd Ginsberg, opened at Krog Street Market in November 2014. A couple of new concepts will take up residence at the space too: a spinoff of The General Muir called TGM Bagel and a watering hole called Square Bar. Renovation of the Georgia Tech-adjacent space is expected to take six months, and ownership hopes to open The Canteen in early 2017.
Venice Bakery is partnering with Uno Pizzeria & Grill to create a new gluten-free raised edge pizza. Uno Pizzeria & Grill has more than 130 restaurants in 21 states, the District of Columbia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Have a lovely weekend!
