The “farm to table” concept, also known as “farm to fork” is a practice many restaurants are promoting as a way to eat fresher foods, produced locally, while supporting small business in the region. People who are ardent supporters of the movement of eating locally produced foods are called “locavores.” While there is no national standard for what geography constitutes “local”, many restaurants and groups advocate a one hundred mile radius as “local.”.

In Atlanta, there are a number of hot farm to table establishments, serving a variety of cuisine in nearly every budget category.

Miller Union
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At Miller Union, 999 Brady Avenue NW, you’ll find Southern cooking with authentic recipes taking advantage of locally raised ingredients. A frequent contender for James Beard awards, Chef Steven Satterfield blends his knowledge of regional cuisine and his relationships with local growers to turn out unique lunch offerings Tuesday through Saturday and full dinner service Monday through Saturday. At dinner, open with grit fritters with country ham or the seasonal soup of the day. Georgia pastured chicken is one dinner entree, and house made andouille with okra-sweet corn purloo provides you with an interesting option. Fish, beef, and seasonal vegetable plates are paired with locally focused sides.

Seed Kitchen and Bar
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Marietta’s Seed Kitchen and Bar is farm to table focused with Chef Doug Turbush dishing out entrees with both Thai and American Southern influences. The restaurant serves dinner seven nights, features a lunch menu Monday through Saturday, and changes things up with brunch on Sunday.

Starters include Iron Skillet Cornbread and Pork Belly Steam Buns. The dinner entree menus covers a full range of dining choices including beef, fowl, seafood, and pastas.

Meals are complimented with American and international craft beers, new takes on vintage cocktails, and a hand-picked wine list designed for the best menu pairings. Seed is at 1311 Johnson Ferry Road.

Empire State South
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Empire State South holds court at 999 Peachtree Street, with upscale Southern cuisine. Heavily dependent upon regional growers and suppliers, Empire South serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, dinner seven nights, and Sunday brunch. They also offer a “to-go” lunch program, and have an extensive coffee bar on site.

Luncheon sandwiches include Fried Chicken Po’Boys, Roast Pork Shoulder, and Roast Beef with horseradish on honey wheat. Plate offerings range from Rabbit Roulade to Smoked Trout; the ESS Superfood Hangar Steak is accompanied by fresh greens and vegetables.

Farm Burger
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With “Farm” in their name, you know Farm Burger is serious about serving casual food sourced locally. Farm Burger takes advantage of its own local eco-system of suppliers. You can build your own burger, adding fresh condiments and toppings to a grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free beef patty ground fresh daily, or choose a chicken or veggie patty as a base instead. Fries, rings, and creative sides are available, along with a special burger and salad at each of the four locations every day. The Buckhead location is at 3365 Piedmont Road and is open daily at 11 AM.

The restaurant is WITHIN the “zone of extreme taxation”.

There are NO vegetarian menu items on the menu that I can see. They have several selections of fish if you prefer that, but obviously this is a steakhouse and the menu shows it.

What to say about Sullivans? I’m inventing a new phrase: “Don’t stray if you want to stay”.

Sullivan’s is part of a chain, like Chili’s or Applebees. OK maybe not that bad. In this case it is a part of the Del Frisco Restaurant Group. Quote: “Based in Southlake, TX, DFRG owns and operates three contemporary, high-end, complementary restaurant concepts: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak house, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, and Del Frisco’s Grille. Each of our three concepts offers steaks and other menu selections, such as chops and fresh seafood, complemented by an extensive wine selection”. A look at their web site shows 19 locations scattered all over, from Anchorage to Wilmington. Ours in Omaha is downtown at the corner of 15th and Farnam, straight west of the downtown library.

The atmosphere is clean and the service is good. Sullivan’s in Omaha has a bar area and a dining area. The bar area can be crowded if busy but the dining area is fairly large. The bar area has a menu with burgers, nachos, and other sundry items. The restaurant lighting is soft and it is easy to carry on a conversation, even when we were seated once near the kitchen. There is an area down below the main dining area that is nestled in the wine room and can be used for private parties. The wait staff is dressed nicely and they all match in attire, so it is easy to spot them when needed.

Because of the location you will want to take advantage of the valet parking, which is a quite reasonable $5 plus whatever gratuity you choose. It is reasonably quick and efficient. Just pull up right in front of Sullivan’s and avoid having to walk too far in a downtown area sometimes devoid of available parking. Reservations are probably a good idea, although as a quick test while writing this on a Friday morning, a Friday night table for four was easily available within 15 minutes of my preferred time.

Examining the dinner menu, there’s a variety of steaks and a surprisingly large (for Omaha) selection of fish as well. Be aware though, as I will warn you several times, the pricing is a pricy la carte if you stray too far from their fixed menu. On that note, the Prix Fixe Menu does include a selection of four appetizers, four different salads, and three entrées, all meat/fish. Although we have never visited for lunch, there is a fixed price menu there as well, with a salad, entrée and one side item. Everything we have had at Sullivan’s was excellent.

For wine, stay at the low end and the markup is typical. We ordered a well-known California Merlot and it was about a 100% hike, which in the restaurant world is not outlandish. As I write this, the wine menu is not available online so possibly it varies by location, but this precludes me from remembering what else was available and making more comments in this area.

So “don’t stray if you want to stay” – do not stray from the Prix Fixe Menu if you want to stay within an at least somewhat reasonable price range. They will add on, so for example if you order the Prix Fixe but want a larger filet steak they will tack on a few bucks. But to order individual items can potentially really cost you. A two-person dinner at the Sullivan’s in Omaha, with wine and a few of these Prix Fixe modifications will run you about $170 including the tip.

Are you looking for a diet plan that will help you in losing weight? If you are losing weight, then you will able to improve your health. It will eradicate the risk of lots of conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and others. If possible, then you should make contact with a proficient dietitian who will suggest the right diet strategy to you.  If you want to lose 10 pounds in a week, then you need to create the right Diet strategy. A person must opt for a diet plan that will fulfill your requirements.

Fiber is available in healthy food like fruits, Beans, Whole grains & vegetables. When you are consuming fiber-rich food, then you will able to lose weight. Try to add the beans into a salad and consume oats in breakfast. In the forthcoming paragraphs, I am going to discuss important things that you must add to the diet plan.

• Avoid the Sugar

You will have to stay away from sugar drinks. It has become the biggest reason for health issues like heart disease & diabetes. You don’t have to consume foods like soda, baked goods that are incorporated with a considerable amount of sugars that are low in the nutrients.  When you are trimming down the intake of sugar, then you will able to improve overall health.  Lots of foods are out there that is already promoted as organic or health can be higher in the sugar. Before buying any specific product from the market, a person should read the nutrition label carefully.

• Create room for healthy fat

Healthy fats will allow a person to reach weight loss goals.  Lots of high diets rich foods are out there like avocados, nuts, and olive that will help you in losing the maximum weight. If you don’t have a sufficient amount of knowledge about a perfect diet plan, then you should make contact with the right dietitian who will suggest the perfect Diet strategy to you. Fats will enable a person to stay fuller for a lot of time and will decrease the cravings. A perfect diet plan will help you in achieving the health-related goals.

• Eradicate distractions

If you are eating the meals in front of a computer or TV, then it isn’t like diet sabotage. When you are consuming food while using the Smartphone, then it will cause you to consume a significant amount of calories & gain weight. A person should consume food at the dinner table. Therefore, you will have to stay away from the distraction. It has become a right method to keep the weight down. It will help you in making a strong bond with beloved ones.

Wrap Up

Plenty of methods are out there to lose the weight, and a person should consider a healthy exercise and eating plan that you will able to follow for your whole life. It will help you in achieving your long-term weight loss goals.

To say that McCormick & Schmick’s specializes in seafood is an understatement. The menu is printed daily, and boasts 32 to 40 fresh catches, ranging from Massachusetts scallops to Mahi Mahi from Ecuador. For those that delight in oysters from the raw bar, there are always eight varieties from which to choose. And, as McCormick & Schmick’s only offers farmed oysters whose environments are strictly monitored and controlled, they are shucked all year long.

John Gallagher, General Manager of McCormick & Schmick’s at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, explains that the restaurant serves farmed oysters because farming yields a more consistent product than those that are grown wild. Joe Hafner, Sous Chef, adds that oysters are farmed similarly to any crop. He explains that oyster seeds are placed either directly into sand or in suspended trays, racks, bags, bells, etc., to which they attach themselves and grow. These seeds filter the ocean water and sand and in doing so grow shells and flavor their plump flesh with the essence of the environments in which they’re grown. Reaching a marketable size usually takes between two and three years. Farmers plan years ahead and have oysters staggered enough to always have some on hand for sale. The water temperature is strictly monitored, and if it rises above 60 degrees, oysters enter the reproductive phase, rendering them inedible, which usually occurs during the summer. Farmers, however, are able to drop racks deeper in the ocean to control the temperature and continue growth year-round.

There are oysters for every palate at McCormick & Schmick’s. All are served on the half-shell atop crushed ice, accompanied by a lemon wedge and cocktail sauce. Not sure what to order? Hafner describes East Coast oysters as having a high salt content, bigger flatter shell, and a briny, beach-flavored finish, whereas West Coast oysters have a deeper cup, smaller meatier oyster, and a sweeter aftertaste, which he deems better for beginners. To better acquaint oneself with the varieties, Hafner also suggests ordering the Sampler, which doles out the top six oysters of the day.

The Charlestown Pond Oyster of Rhode Island, Gallagher’s favorite, is harvested only for McCormick & Schmick’s, and is the best East Coast seller. Its flesh is flat and silky, and its flavor begins salty, but lingers a subtle sweetness. Hafner prefers West coast oysters, and favors the Kumamoto oyster of Humboldt Bay, California. These oysters are cupped in smaller and deeper shells, and although meatier then the Charlestown variety, are creamy in texture and are much sweeter throughout. Other top sellers are St Simone oysters of New Brunswick, California and Golden Mantle oysters of Vancouver, B.C.

Celebrate the true essence of National Seafood Month at McCormick & Schmick’s by savoring the unadulterated tastes of farmed oysters.

Tasting Notes

Rhode Island, Charlestown Pond Oysters

Guide price: $19.90 per dozen

Just to ensure our editorial integrity, I had to go to McCormick & Schmick’s and check out these oysters (what a miserable job I have!). I sidled up to a plate of freshly shucked specimens that were deftly plated by Joe Hafner, Sous Chef. They are a smallish brown oyster in an attractive pale shell. I downed half a dozen, with a little lemon and a couple in the European style, with a small splash of white wine. I am not sure how you could taste an oyster with horseradish, but that’s a personal preference. They are sweet, not too strong and have a very delicate and subtle flavor. The liquor has a soft salty taste without a brackish finish. The flesh was not over chewy (something I hate) and they really did go down well! Definitely a great oyster for an appetizer with a glass of wine.

As a young girl I often contemplated the meaning of an old adage posted on the wall of our pantry: Haste Makes Waste. A cobweb-veiled woman bent above the words, scrubbing the floor. I could almost hear the impatient dismissal of hair from out of her eyes, the whoosh upward from a corner of her lower lip. About the same time I developed the entirely wasteful habit of scarfing food. I sat at a table of six, clutching my fork with a white-knuckled fist, and vacuumed food off of my plate. It was a proven fact that one of my big brothers would swipe it if I couldn’t get to it fast enough.

Fifteen years later, the truth of those words is abundantly clear. Haste has wasted our means of nourishing ourselves—it has depleted our soils, filled us up with scary chemicals that we don’t even try to pronounce, and threatened our very existence on this planet. And it seems that the answer may not be a strictly organic diet—or strictly vegetarian, or vegan, or local in the frigid North and arid Southwest. In fact, it may not strict at all, just slow. Take my habit. If I choose, now, to decelerate my consumption (there are no big brothers nearby to steal food out from under me) I will not miss out on calories. I will, however, ease the stress on my digestive tract; I won’t confuse my stomach with inadequately-masticated items, jam my upper intestine with overflow, or flood my lower intestine prematurely. I will give my body a few moments for recognition, reaction and absorption. I will give the bodies sitting at the table beside me reason to do the same. And most significantly, from an environmental perspective, I will give my mind time to consider the intricacies of the foods I am raising to my mouth.

I believe this simple act of consideration can serve as the impetus for ecological consciousness. As we re-acquaint ourselves with food, we will inevitably, eventually, better understand and take care of the land from which it comes.

Let’s imagine another scenario: You are standing inside the door of your favorite restaurant, waiting patiently. Name on the list (party of two), glass of wine in hand (on the house). It’s after nine and with a growling stomach you’ve been watching satisfied customers celebrating a 60th birthday party; they lean back, howling with laughter with open mouths full, a napkin sliding off the knee as grandchildren crawl over their feet. You swirl and sniff your Merlot. You are salivating. I’m sure many of us have been there. And we’ll do it again and again. It is your favorite restaurant, you are having an evening with your sweetheart, and it is always, invariably, worth the wait. We wait because we are in love, and because the food is irresistible.

The moral of my stories is this: if it is too fiscally burdensome, or geographically impractical, to have a textbook environmentalist diet, we can still eat responsibly. Selfish as it may seem at a glance, the first step toward eating with the future of the planet in mind may be to indulge. To take care of our bodies, our souls, and the earth, let us eat slowly.