I woke up late.  My post is delayed.  I’m behind on my blog reading today.  I should have already been in to work.

A sure sign of a successful night!

The 65 degree sunny morning did call my name for a run.  It was the first since my Achilles began acting up last Saturday.  Flat surfaces were ok, but hills were impossible.  A few more days of rest and I’ll be good to go (I hope).

Stats:

• Distance – 4 miles
• Time – 32:40
  
• Pace – 8:10

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Last night was my second Atlanta blogger meet up.  In attendance:

Left to right:

• Lee @ In My Tummy
• Stacy @ Stacy Eats
• Corinne (my Food + Wine buddy)
• Heather @ Girly Ever After
  
• Me
• Alanya @ Thyme Bombe

Somehow I managed to talk one of my favorite local chefs, Ron Eyester, into creating a vegetarian tasting menu for us at the meat-centric Rosebud.

That’s an exaggeration.  Despite his scary Twitter persona, Ron is a great guy who agreed to take on the challenge almost immediately.  (Sorry for outing you as a nice guy, Ron.)

Ron is known more for his meats.  I eat meat and can vouch for the tastiness of his meat-centric dishes.  After tonight, I can also vouch for his veggie-centric dishes.

He introduced the “Veggie Jam” by emphasizing the importance of using fresh, local ingredients and allowing them to shine without “cooking the shit out of them.”  (<– direct quote)

***The details may be a bit off in some of these descriptions, but know that a lot of thought was put into using seasonal, fresh ingredients in each course.***

 

Like all good meals, this one began with a cocktail.

Our cocktail was made of tomato-infused vodka, cucumber shrub, and soda.  It was garnished with mini-heirloom tomatoes.  This drink was tasty, light and paired really well with the first couple of dishes.

1st Course

This was Ron’s take on a vegetarian pate.  It was made with pink-eyed peas and served atop a crusty toast with radishes.  The radishes set off the pate flavor and the creamy pate was complimented by the crunch of the bread.

2nd Course

This take on a caprese salad was a success.  Rosebud makes their own mozzarella in-house.  It’s more dense than a bufala, which worked well with the spicy-cilantro tomato sauce.

3rd Course

Heirloom tomatoes are just beginning to appear and these are some of the first local varieties to come available this season.  They were perfectly red (though you can’t tell from my iPhone photography!) and flavorful.

The pineapple topping was incredible – I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that combo before!  It was drizzled with a srircha-olive oil mixture and topped with an impossibly fresh piece of parsley.

Course 4

Honestly, this wasn’t my favorite.  It was a bit salty.  The soup was a chilled potato with a scoop of broccoli soup in the middle.

My favorite part was the cheese powder and the local egg.  It was the same cheese Ron uses at The Family Dog (his bar across the street) to make his “Cheetoes.”  Do not miss these if you’re ever at the bar!

Course 5

This course was my favorite.  Brussel sprouts tossed in a red curry-peanut sauce and roasted.  It was mixed with fresh parsley and topped with crispy wontons.  Served with a side of the saucy deliciousness.  It was all I could do to keep myself from licking the plate.

Ron – please add this to the menu.  Immediately. 🙂

Course 6

True to form, Ron cannot simply make a mac and cheese.  This incorporated Midnight Moon aged goat’s cheese, a creamy cow’s milk goat cheese, dinosaur kale, and cauliflower.

It should be noted that at this point I am FULL.  But I’m no quitter, y’all.

Course 7

Yellow filet beans – according to Ron – are only in season for a few weeks in the spring.  Now is the time.  If you see them in your local market, I urge you to check them out.  They’re similar to a pole bean, though a bit sweeter.

Ron tossed them with zucchini, fresh oregano (perfect herb compliment for these!), feta, kalamata olives, and a light vinaigrette.  All of this was served over a tempura-battered eggplant and a red curry ketchup.

Course 8

Rice grits are similar to risotto, but they retain more crunch.  In a good way.  These were fantastic with the earthy oyster mushrooms and baby leeks.  Ron told us there were 20 lbs of leeks in our 6 dishes!  The charred leek on the top was my favorite.

Our server brought out a bottle of a California Cabernet that paired well with this dish.  Often people don’t think to pair a “big” wine with a meat-less dish, but with an earth mushroom and a heavier grain it works really well!

Course 9

A wonderfully rich blue cheese topped with a balsamic-port reduction.  This was served with simple, plump blueberries.  Their sweetness was amazing and they definitely stole this show!

Course 10

We finished with a salted caramel ice cream from High Road Craft Ice Cream (now being sold locally at Whole Foods!).  This was served with bruleed peaches – topped with brown sugar and cloves.  Note to self: I under-utilize cloves.

Despite being stuffed, I somehow managed to finish my gigantic bowl.  Had I known the other ladies better, I might have asked to finish theirs too.

Ron brought over a very special treat from The Family Dog – locally-made bourbon!  It was great with the peaches and salty ice cream.  I am going to have dreams of it drizzled as a sauce and served over peach bread pudding.

This a random, but I have to say that I appreciate a guy offering whiskey to a table of ladies (and me).  Thanks for not discriminating – I ♥ whiskey.

Our server, Amber was incredible.  Knowledgeable, the right amount of attentive, and incredibly nice.  I’d have a drink with her anytime… and I like that in a server.  If you are in the Atlanta area, check out Rosebud and ask for her!  Tell her Laura sent you. 🙂

This post would be remiss without giving Rosebud a brunch shout-out – it’s one of my top 5 in Atlanta (and Atlanta has a LOT of brunches).  Order the Big Nasty.  Just trust me.

Ron – when will you be opening a vegetarian restaurant?!

***

Thanks to Ron, Amber, Rosebud, and some awesome bloggers for an evening to remember!

Do you have local blogger/common-interest group meet-ups?  

What sorts of things do you do?