‘Farnoosh Torabi’ Articles at Sweetnicks

When I first started this site over six (!!) years ago, my focus was food, with a little bit of life thrown in. A place to document some of my favorite recipes, and some of my favorite memories. I shudder to look back on some of those earlier posts, and especially the photos. The phrase “We’ve come a long way, baby” has never been more appropriate. Right around the three year mark, I feel like I really found my footing. Or honed it in more. Still concentrating largely around food and family.

But then, over the last few years, particularly after my separation from The Ex, I felt a shift. And started to expand the topic wheel a bit more to include crafts, things to do with your kids (and without), some fashion, divorce, a bit of this and a bit of that. And I felt like my voice has gotten even more targeted, even though it’s a wider spectrum of topics. Does that make sense? I felt the words were more and more from my heart and soul, filled with emotion, as opposed to just words coming after the blinking cursor. It’s more me than ever.

Since the site was so focused on food in the beginning, broadening its scope is something I’ve struggled with over the past six months or so, from a readership viewpoint. Am I alienating people who come solely for the food? Certainly not my intention, but this is so much of who I am. I’m not just about food, although the presence of food in our lives is like a ribbon that ties it all together. I am so much more. We are so much more.

I am food.

And family.

And the kids. Oh those kids.

And home.

And parties.

And field trips.

And photography.

And new nail polish obsessions.

And a statistic of divorce.

And dating.

And laughter.

And love.

And tons more.

Just like you.

And it seems only natural that this site is an extension of that.

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One of the great things about being a blogger is that I can land in virtually any city and easily find a dining parter. Such was the case when I arrived in Atlanta on Sunday night, with a free evening ahead of me. I e-mailed Chris from Melecotte and asked if she was free for dinner. Luckily, she was, otherwise I might never have discovered Two Urban Licks in Atlanta.

Chris and I have worked together online over the years, but this was our first time meeting in person. As she took me to a very non-descript industrial section of town, replete with rows and rows of warehouses, I briefly wondered what I had gotten myself into. Pulling into the parking lot, you never would have guessed that a restaurant waited behind those huge garage bay doors.

Inside, the restaurant has such a cool vibe. Darkly lit. Red lights. Urban. As soon as we walked through the threshold, it instantly smelled like smoke and fire. Which is a very good thing.

The wait staff is engaging, attentive and super friendly. We didn’t want for anything. Our waitress walked that perfect balance between meeting our needs and not being overbearing Since Chris had been there before, I went with her recommendations when ordering. We started with the Smoked Salmon Chips, which turned out to be my favorite food item during my Atlanta trip, bar none. Love the presentation. Fried chip. Short smoked salmon with chipotle cream cheese. Capers. Red onions. Chives. A-ma-zing. I mean, really, just look at that picture.

A little Googling turned up the recipe. I could swear the smoked salmon was served on wonton chips, but from the looks of the recipe, it appears not. I’ll definitely be making it, but I am going to try the fried wonton chip route first. The Smoked Salmon Chips are such a popular recipe item that the restaurant has a dedicated kitchen staffer just for making them.

The restaurant features an open kitchen, which I adore, and the food could not have come out quicker.

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Evolution of a Food Blog … and Sweetnicks

Review: Two Urban Licks, Atlanta, GA