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

our family in maine has an annual lobster boil every summer at reid state park. it’s always a blast with lots of seafood and fun in the sun! to prepare for such a large gathering, someone is always in charge of purchasing the lobsters and new england clams, aka steamers, from gendron’s seafood when it first opens. small lobsters are preferred, around 1 lb, as they are more tender than heavier ones. this summer, lobsters were only $4.75 lb, unfathomable to us southerners. we ate soft-shell lobsters, which did not require any tools to crack open.

on a funny side note, gendron’s seafood is actually located within a gas station. you can fill up your car while getting fresh live lobsters and clams! only in maine, right?

gendron’s also ships their seafood anywhere in the u.s., including hawaii and alaska. order here.

– ryan & gub

gendron’s seafood

1292 lisbon street
lewiston, me 04240
207-784-2646
800-896-2646

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

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

we found these two half eaten tomatoes in the garden today. i guess the chipmunks have found a way under the fence…  what to do?
– ryan & gub

we made fried green tomato BLTs for dinner last night and they were delicious! we used a tomato from our garden and had sautéed zucchini as a side, which was also from our garden.

to prepare, slice a green tomato and place on a plate or splatter guard. sprinkle salt on top and let the slices sit for a couple of hours. this will cause the water to drain out of the tomatoes for a better frying experience. pour off any excess water as it builds. when ready to fry, just dip a slice in egg wash and batter before frying in oil at medium heat. we used corn meal in our batter, but feel free to use flour.

– ryan & gub

fried green tomato recipe:

ingredients:
1-2 large green tomatoes sliced
bread, mayonnaise, lettuce & bacon (if BLTs are desired)

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean tomatoes and slice
– place on a splatter guard and sprinkle with salt, let sit for a couple of hours
– pour off any excess water as it builds
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip tomato slices in egg wash and then in the batter
– gently place battered tomatoes in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– place on splash guard to let cool and drain the oil
– serve on toasted bread with mayonnaise, lettuce and bacon or with a dipping sauce