I met a couple of the Garnish and Gather folks recently at a Yelp event. We chatted a ton about the concept and the meals. I love that the ingredients are locally sourced and that you can even try meals created by local chefs! I was sold rather quickly. My SO...no so much. But he was willing to give it a try.
Our first meal was an adobo chicken with cheddar grits. It was actually a Philippine adobo with coconut milk and rice wine vinegar, which really threw me off at first. I got really confused as I sorted through the ingredients and had to Google it. But yeah, it's a thing.
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And it was DELICIOUS. I could have eaten an entire pot of those grits.
I decided that since everything is portioned out and mostly prepped, this would be perfect for my SO to handle. I love him to death but he usually sticks to cooking bacon and eggs, and isn't really a clean-as-you-go type so the kitchen's always a disaster afterward. So last night, he tackled the braised oxtails with rutabaga and carrot mash.
Again, DELICIOUS. And minimal mess!
The best part was that actually cooking the meal convinced him that G&G is worthwhile. Instead of spending $30 on delivery pizza and breadsticks and regretting it afterward, we could spend the same amount on a wholesome, rich meal that wasn't much work. And yeah, a pizza will yield next-day leftovers, while G&G is portioned out for two entrees, but you're getting local, fresh, real food!
I pick up at Hodgepodge in East Atlanta and it's only a tiny bit out of my way. I'm looking forward to trying some of the many, many add-ons G&G offers. You can get fresh meat, produce, baked goods, condiments and salsas, etc. Personally, I'm going to start working my way through the H&F, Sugar Moon Bakery, and Little Tart Bake Shop offerings.
Mmmm fresh, local sweets.
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My only slight issue is that the recipe cards are occasionally unclear. It can be a little confusing how they refer to items. Example: they referred to both "veggies" (carrot and rutabaga) and "veggie mix" (prepped container of carrot, celery, and leeks), so you had to stop and figure out that the "veggies" and "veggie mix" were two different things and you were cooking them two different ways. I had a similar bout of confusion with items in the adobo recipe. Perhaps capitalizing any pre-prepared items (like "veggies" vs "Veggie Mix") would help.
In any case, it only takes a few seconds to figure it out and then you're on your way!
My favorite thing about G&G is that we can be more adventurous in the kitchen without the fear of failure. My SO and I give it two thumbs way up! read more