This past weekend, we celebrated Fulk Fest 2012 - which is what we coined Eric's 40th Birthday Weekend Celebration (Eric Fulkerson... Fulk Fest... you get the point).
All four of us left work, dogs, house, bills, and everything that makes us worry to spend one awesome day in Atlanta that revolved around eating and of course, celebrating Eric turning 40. Or as I like to refer to it, Eric turning OLD.
The best part of the weekend, was that each stop was a surprise for Eric - literally - his lovely wife planned this whole thing and he didn't even know it!
First stop was
Holy Taco for lunch. We sat outside and had an amazing lunch which involved tequila drinks, limonada loca and fried chicken heart tacos as well as pork belly sandwiches and chorizo quesadilla.
We hang out for a while and drank "free" beer, played ping pong (this was Eric's first time playing ping pong... believe it or not).
We didn't realize until we got there that the tour wasn't actually until 4:15pm, so we didn't stay for the tour because we had things to do (check in at the hotel) and places to be (make it to dinner by 7:00pm).
Kerrie had not only managed to get us a reservation at Local Three (Eric's favorite restaurant in Atlanta):
but she had gone the extra 8391 miles and coordinated a Chef's Table for us... in the Kitchen! This was our table:
Birthday (old) boy besides himself with joy when the server told us that we were about to have a 10-course meal with pairings...
So the adventure started:
 |
| Dehydrated Cheddar, Bacon & Thyme Popcorn |
And continued:
 |
Heirloom Tomatoes, Avocado & Blue Crab Salad
with Yogurt Mint Dressing |
And continued:
 |
| Marinated Figs, Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese & Polenta |
And more food:
 |
Roasted Monk Fish, Creamed Corn,
Candied Bacon Relish & Cilantro Puree |
This is Mike R. Server - it was about into course 5 that we realized that we didn't know his name! Not because he didn't tell us, but because we were all in another planet when he introduced himself when we first got there. So we asked him... he told us his name was Mike. We still don't know his last name, so we coined him Mike R. Server.
So we asked him to take our picture! The guy in the back, to the right is Tom... they were doing a tour of the kitchen:
We took pictures of each other:
Then we proceeded to eat the next course:
 |
Seared Duck Breast with Peach & Vidalia Onion Relish
over Summer Squash Puree |
As if we all don't already get enough of commercial kitchens, people at work provided us with entertainment!
We moved on to the next course:
 |
Braised Pork Short Rib, Coconut Rice,
Snow Peas & Housemade Kimchi |
And asked Mike R. Server to take a picture of us toasting (this was toast #6, by the way)
At one point, we took a break to use the restroom. This picture is a good representation of how our plates ended up after each course. Every piece of food was exquisite and the beverage pairing elevated each dish to the next level!
I think it was after that when things got funny. "Guys! Look cute!":
"Fern, I bet you can't put your hair up with that knife":
Not sure what's happening on this one:
"Kerrie, you have to drink your water too!"
More food:
 |
| Grilled Ribeye with Loaded Potato Puree & Chimichurri |
Palatte cleanser:
 |
| Cantaloupe Sorbet |
Because all that food and wine wasn't enough, now it's time for cheese course, paired with beer:
 |
L-R:
Lamb Chopper, Cocoa Cardona, Big Ed's Gouda & Blue Cheese
Local Honey & Blackberry Preserves |
Grand finale was Eric's favorite, Twix Bar made in-house:
 |
Ricotta Cheesecake & Housemade Twix Bar
Shortbread Cookie topped with Salted Caramel
& Dipped in White Chocolate |
Wines that were served, starting with course #2 (far right) to course #6 (far left)
Then we waited for the Taxi:
Which took forever, so we entertained ourselves by playing in the fountain:
We couldn't go home with empty bellies, so the next morning we got up and went to
Highland Bakery and had breakfast!
Here we are looking tired:
We wrapped up the weekend by going to Mass at the Basilica of Sacred Heart of Jesus - very pretty church!
We had such a fantastic time enjoying eachother's company while doing something we all have a passion for - eating unbelievable food. If I had to pick one picture to describe the weekend, it would be this one:
Happy 40th Birthday Weekend my friend, I get beside myself when I sit back and think about how all we are doing is building memories that will stick with us forever, memories that hopefully one day we will get to tell our children with great joy, just like our parents share their memories with great friends along their lifetime and tell us those fun stories today reminiscing of the Good Old Days!
