as mentioned in yeterday’s post, we had some great dockside seafood after visiting pemaquid point lighthouse. the restaurant was called shaw’s fish & lobster wharf and was quite amazing! we tried a fried clam roll and various lobster treats, including lobster stew. we also enjoyed watching fisherman unload lobsters off their boats while we ate outside, it was quite the new england experience!

– ryan & gub

shaw’s fish & lobster wharf

129 maine 32
new harbor, me 04554
207-677-2200

with the intense georgia summer heat, our garden has seen better days. but we have had some new bell peppers recently and they’re tasty! here’s to cooler days ahead and more veggies.

– ryan & gub

we recently went to community q bbq in decatur and loved it! the food and atmosphere were amazing; we’ll definitely be heading back. with burlap on the tables, a large family-style table for eating, and food delivered on trays with checkered paper, you could easily forget you were in an emory shopping center.

we had pulled pork with mac n’ cheese and st. louis style ribs with hand-cut fries. the ribs were definitely some of the best we’ve had in atlanta! they were tender and smoky, yet not too flavorful or saucy. the meats at community q have a good smoky flavor. we’ve had lots of atlanta bbq recently and we’ve noticed that smokiness has been missing from most meats we’ve tried.

the mac n’ cheese was the best we’ve had! they use rigatoni pasta with sharp cheddar, monterey jack, parmesan and heavy cream and then bake it to perfection. to say the least, it’s amazing! the other sides looked great as well; the baked beans and collards in particular. they also use local and seasonal ingredients and sell a good amount of local produce. we picked up corn, okra, peaches and tomatoes during our visit, all of which have been amazing at home!

community q bbq is the best in-town atlanta bbq joint we’ve tried! there are certain meats or sides we crave from other bbq places, but we hadn’t found a nearby restaurant that excelled in all areas until now. the meats, sides, and deserts were all very tasty here!

community q cooks their bbq fresh every day; any leftovers go in the stew or to the local food bank. be aware that they often run out of items if they are busier than expected. arrive early or call ahead to guarantee your favorites are available.

on another note, we love bbq and we love live music, but we really don’t like them in combination. there’s nothing worse then going out for some bbq and not being able to talk because there’s a loud band playing. (hello sam’s bbq1 and maddy’s!) we appreciated the quiet, laid-back atmosphere and southern feel at community q bbq.

check out their menu.

– ryan & gub

community q bbq

1361 clairmont road
decatur, ga 30033
404-633-2080

we heart peaches and boiled peanuts from our nearby roadside produce stand! david’s produce & specialties has the feel of an old general store and offers all sorts of southern goodies. they sell locally-grown organic produce, including great heirloom tomatoes and shelled peas, as well as homemade sweets, preserves and sauces. the homemade layered cakes are supposed to be amazing, although we haven’t tried them.

– ryan & gub

david’s produce & specialties

3561 lavista road
decatur, ga 30033
404-325-0709

i turned 30, which is kind of crazy. to make the most of such a big birthday, i tried to do something fun every hour and take photos.

here’s what i got into:

we picked our first ripe cantaloupe and it was amazing! as a tribute, we gathered photos to show the life of our melon.

fyi, we learned that you can tell if a cantaloupe is ripe by lightly thumping where the stem meets the navel of the melon. if the stem easily breaks off, it’s ready!

– ryan & gub

we recently went to leon’s full service in downtown decatur for dinner. it’s run by the same people who own the brick store pub, another long-time favorite decatur restaurant of ours. we actually tried to go to farm burger, but the line was so long we ended up at leon’s where we were seated immediately.

we really enjoy the interior design of this old converted gas station. the round booths and old industrial lights help keep the atmosphere of a former petrol station. leon’s also has outdoor seating and a bocce ball court on the side of the restaurant.

leon’s has a great selection of draught beers, including brews from victory, avery, oskar blues, allagash, bell’s and other craft breweries. they also have unique infused liquors, including rhubarb infused myer’s white rum, pineapple infused inca gold pisco and bacon infused bourbon. we haven’t tried any of the infused liquors, but they sound excellent.

another specialty at leon’s is their pub frites, which are basically really awesome french fries with fancy sauces. boy are they tasty! the sauces include: garlic aioli, goat cheese fondue, masaman curry, smoked tomato mayonnaise, bacon & tarragon mayonnaise, cucumber-dill yogurt and a bunch more. the menu also offers a variety of creative and interesting meals. a noteworthy snack option is bacon in a glass for $5. we tried the mussels in a witbier & lemongrass broth and the white oak pastures grass-fed burger, which were both delicious.

if you’re looking for a night out in downtown decatur, definitely try leon’s full service. the food is very tasty and reasonably priced.

check out their menu.

– ryan & gub

leon’s full service

131 E ponce de leon ave.
decatur, georgia 30030
404-687-0500

check out our beautiful big red tomato! it was one of the last before our tomatoes were ravaged by the squirrels.

– ryan & gub

we had brunch yesterday at le petit marché in downtown kirkwood. it’s a cute little market that features a food counter with breakfast, lunch and coffee items. besides homemade soups and build-your-own egg sandwiches, they offer award winning pb&j sandwiches. the peanut butter options include jungle banana, dark chocolate duo, cinnamon raisin, white chocolate raspberry and chocolate chip cookie dough. your jam choices are raspberry, strawberry and housemade golden fig. we went with the cuban panini and the biscuits & gravy brunch special. very tasty!

we are super excited to have such a great brunch option within walking distance from our house. we will be back soon for some pb&j sandwiches!

check out their menu.

– ryan & gub

le petit marché

1963 hosea l williams dr se no. 108
atlanta, ga 30317
404-371-9888
marchetsparks@gmail.com

we were able to find lots of yummy fresh blackberries & cherries at the store this week. the blackberries were not super ripe yet and ry was having me try bites of them together with the cherries. the combination of sweet and sour was so good we decided to make a blackberry & cherry cobbler!

we used the basic (add any fruit) cobbler recipe from the first paula deen cookbook & finished with ice cream.

– ryan & gub

blackberry & cherry cobbler recipe:

ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh sliced fruit (we used blackberries & cherries)

directions:
– preheat oven to 350 degrees
– put butter in deep baking dish and place in oven to melt
– clean and slice fresh fruit, place in a bowl and sprinkle with some sugar
– add the fruit, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a saucepan
– bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often
– mix 1 cup sugar and flour; add milk slowly to prevent lumping
– pour over melted butter in baking dish, do not stir
– spoon fruit on top, gently pouring syrup, again without stirring
– bake 30 to 45 minutes, batter will rise to top during baking
– serve with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream