There are a few things that you have to understand if you’re going to enjoy food events like last week’s Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival or this week’s To Live and Dine in Atlanta. Wednesday’s To Live and Dine event, put on by The Atlantan magazine to celebrate their annual restaurant issue and to benefit Georgia Organics, was an evening of sultry summer fun worthy of the usual food fest suspects:

1) Lines. It should come as no surprise that you’re not the only one interested in sampling the creative small plates of the top chefs in the city. Nor should it shock you that you’re not the only one whose thirst begs to be quenched by a carefully crafted cocktail from the best mixologists to pick up a shaker and a stirrer.

2) These things take time. If you want a hot-off-the pan duck-beef burger graciously topped with a delicate quail egg from Canoe, please get in aforementioned line and experience what it feels like to look forward to something for a minute or two.

3) Do not, under any circumstances, try to count calories or any such nonsense. The most glorious part of these events is the chance to try many of the best restaurants on offer, all in one evening. This night, there were over 20 chefs from restaurants including Bistro Niko, BLT Steak, Bocado, Canoe, Craft, Empire State South (opening Aug. 30, can’t wait!), Miller Union, Pacci, Park 75, and Valenza, just to name a few…Desserts were in force courtesy of The Hungry Peach, Bakeshop, and Antico Pizza (the Food We’ve Eaten team should not be presented with a plateful of canoli, but we somehow carried on).

Actually, we had a ball. I have to say that my favorite part was the presence of food trucks (The Good Food Truck, Westside Creamery, and Yumbii Truck), waiting outside the entrance, beckoning us to look up into their little windows and place an order for something magical (like a Good Food Truck hot dog, hugged by a french toast bun, dressed with apple slaw, mustard and maple syrup, of course). And the next logical step is a cocktail, right? Icy concoctions were on hand thanks to of One Flew South’s Jerry Slater and JCT. Kitchen’s Lara Creasy.

So, what about those lines, with their waits and caloric impossibilities? My recommendation? Take them with a grain of salt. Or two.

Check the photo gallery for our favorites from To Live and Dine:

Last night, the Food We've Eaten team (that is, Jennifer and I) went to check out Street Food Activism in ATL, an installment of Charis Books and More's Urban Sustainability Series. Basically, it was an informal discussion about the issues surrounding Atlanta's street food scene (carts, stands, and trucks cooking and serving food) in Atlanta. For those not familiar with Atlanta's street food scene, don't worry – it doesn't really exist.

Why doesn't it exist? Hayley Richardson, who founded the Atlanta Street Food Coalition and led the discussion, said that it came down to Atlanta and Fulton County's interpretation of state health regulations. The main obstacles in those regulations are that you can't cook on a truck/cart, and whatever kitchen you do cook in has to be a shared commissary (as in, a commercial kitchen – think restaurant-style). Not being able to cook on location obviously limits the type of food that can be served up, and needing access to a commercial kitchen dramatically changes the economics of a street food business. Vendors are basically forced to serve pre-prepared food at an extra financial risk, even though the appeal of street food is that you can get freshly prepared food at a low price. In cities like New York, LA and Portland, vendors are able to cook on site, giving them more financial freedom and giving the customer a more delicious experience. 

Personally, I think there's something really appealing to being able to walk down the street and pick up a hot dog, or a burro pollo, and enjoy it al fresco. There's none of the experiential overhead of a restaurant to deal with  (waiters, counters, decor, elevator music, etc.). It's just about the food. Plus, when everyone is forced to improvise seating, you end up a little more connected to the people around you, even if you don't necessarily talk to them. The last time we were in NYC, we bought a couple of tacos from a random stand that we came across. Well, there were no seats or tables or benches, so a couple dozen people were leaning on walls, fences, and trees just eating tacos together, not able to isolate themselves the way they could with a four-top table or a booth. This effect is difficult to quantify for political impact, but I always think it's a good thing when people participating in the same community have/get to interact and acknowledge each other's existence, especially over tasty food.

So I'm clearly in favor of street food for community and visceral reasons, but I think the biggest damage from the current regulations is to aspiring food entrepreneurs. Starting a proper restaurant, with real estate considerations and all of the equipment and staffing that goes with it, is enormously expensive. I doubt even the simplest, smallest restaurant these days can be opened for less than six figures. But a food truck or cart should be significantly less daunting to someone with more ambition than collateral. If you look at the regulatory obstacles again, though, they're basically saying that you have to have access to a brick-and-mortar, commercial kitchen in order to sell out of even the most modest of carts. Well, that will pretty quickly put the cost of that modest cart a lot closer to the cost of opening a full-fledged restaurant. That's why most of the trucks and carts around Atlanta are basically extensions of a brick-and-mortar business (the Yumbii Korean/Mexican/Southern truck is like a rolling Hankook Taqueria). But rather than extending an existing restaurant, food carts should also be able to be a stepping stone up to a restaurant. As things stand, though, street food will likely be dominated by the well-funded usual suspects that typically inform Atlanta food. That's well and good, but I know the community has more to offer if the current arbitrary barriers to entry were removed.

What do you think about street food in general? I didn't really touch on some of the political and permitting issues (I think these issues will always transcend any food business), but are there other considerations besides health regulations? If you're new to the idea of street food, a good local resource for information (and a little advocacy) is Christiane Lauterbach's Atlanta Food Carts blog. There are a lot of great links and stories to learn about/get involved in the street food culture. And stay tuned, this is definitely a hot stove issue with potential breakthroughs coming soon. The Atlanta Street Food Coalition has an economic impact study in the works and will be making a presentation to city leaders in the coming months. Let them eat (street) food!

We loved Pura Vida long before Chef Hector Santiago’s brief, but bold run on Top Chef last year. Dining there feels like Christmas, making a wish list and waiting for yummy little presents to arrive at the table. And it doesn’t hurt that Chef Santiago is good people. So, when we heard that he had started a food stand, Burro Pollo, on weekends in the lot across the street from Pura Vida…let’s just say that there aren’t very many things we’ll stand outside for in July, but this is one of them. Santiago’s luscious chicken burritos get their start with a quick flame char for the tortillas, filled with generous spoonfuls of tender chicken stewed with Mexican spices and topped with crema, fresh onions, carrots and cilantro. He also slips in tiny pickled chilies that pack a fiery punch – it’s a good thing we opted for a house-made agua fresca (today’s water was flavored with watermelon, basil, agave nectar and lime). I asked for tips on the agua fresca since we have some watermelon and basil to finish off at home – Santiago said to simply muddle the ingredients with your hands and strain. He also said vodka would be pretty good in there. I’ve got my to-do for tonight.

We ordered two regular burritos (if you’re real hungry, you can go for a grande), an agua fresca, and a bottled water, for $15. Devoured over the wooden picnic table in front of the stand, stew juice running down our arms, it was a delightful way to spend a Sunday lunch. So tasty that we even forgot about the heat – for about 15 minutes anyway.

Coming up from Chef Hector, he’ll be selling gourmet Latin sandwiches from Pura Vida starting this Tuesday, July 27. Called Super Pan, the lunch spot’s menu will include Pork Belly Coconut Buns, a Chipotle BBQ Beef Sandwich, Jamon Serrano on house made Spanish Coca Bread with manchego cheese & date-marcona almond butter, and more.

Location