Cheers!

Put down the drink, y’all! I’m talking about the TV show! I know at least some of my faithful Front Porchers will remember that crazy, funny sitcom from the 80’s. There was Sam Malone the owner, bartender and former baseball great; Cliff, the mailman; and Norman, who was for the most part, just a good bar squatter. There were others of course, and it was such a great, great show.

I remember thinking what a great thing it would be to have a place where everyone knew your name. Where you walk in, have a seat, see familiar faces and know that your company, or patronage, was genuinely wanted. Well folks, we have a Cheers in Atlanta, at 1Kept Kitchen & Bar.

Last week, I was among a fortunate group selected from the Atlanta Food Bloggers Society to attend a Launch Party for CulinaryLocal, a marketplace for local culinary events. Through CulinaryLocal you’ll be able to discover fun food related activities such as cooking classes, dinner experiences, wine events, supper clubs, festivals, foodie tours, vacations and much more. CulinaryLocal chose the perfect venue for the launch, at 1Kept.

A decadent five course menu was served. Each dish was paired with a specialty cocktail by 1Kept Mixologist and Bar Manager, Jonathon Turner.

First, came these amazing bowls of popcorn drizzled with Truffle oil.

Yes. Please.

Then came the most incredible Deviled Quail Eggs. I could seriously eat a dozen, y’all.

While the courses were enjoyed, we received an inspiring presentation from CulinaryLocal founder, Robert Neidlinger. Yves has a dream to help people discover and participate in fun culinary experiences. He is seeing that dream to fruition through his creation, CulinaryLocal. With the help of Alexa Lampasona, CulinaryLocal will quickly become the “go to” site for all “foodie” events in and around Atlanta. We were fortunate to walk through the new site with Yves, and I will tell you, it is impressive. Y’all are going to LOVE this exceptional culinary event tool!

Our next course was an outstanding Crystal Organic Butterhead & Frisee Salad with bacon lardons, spiced cashews and green tomato drizzled with a charred Vidalia onion vinaigrette. The salad was followed by a fabulous Green Thumb flatbread created with broccoli greens, fingerling potatoes, house ricotta and a garlic confit. All dishes served featured locally grown, gorgeous produce from The Turnip Truck.

During dinner, 1Kept owner Thaddeus Keefe and his team of exceptionally talented chefs, came to the table to offer the details on each course. This is a man who clearly takes pride in his restaurant and pays attention to detail. All throughout the night I heard guest after guest mention Thaddeus as their friend and an awesome, genuine guy. He would be the “Sam Malone” of 1Kept.

Throughout the evening Jonathon continued to serve creative cocktails with even more delicious dishes, each as awe inspiring as the next. Finally, after a perfectly pan seared sea scallop served with carrot corinader puree, quinoa herb slaw and crispy leeks, came the most incredible Cioppino I’ve ever tasted. I would dare to say it rivals my own.

The Cioppino was created with Littleneck clams, shrimp, calamari, Roma tomatoes, shallots and red peppers topped with toasted Sourdough wedges. Amazing y’all. Simply. Amazing.

What a night. What a fabulous night of food and drink by Thaddeus and his incredibly talented, creative staff, and a night of forward-thinking innovation from Robert and CulinaryLocal.

All that remains to be said is…

Cheers, Y’all!

Disclosure: Food & Beverage at 1Kept was complimentary, however all opinions, drooling and swooning are my own.