tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15080037922554556552024-03-17T23:03:50.020-04:00The Food Abides ™The Food Abides is my soapbox and your guide to all things food; From the newest and most well hidden spots to trying out new recipes at home, this site will cover all dimensions of good eats from my point of view.TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-65050716183799284982015-01-06T12:13:00.000-05:002015-01-06T16:41:04.849-05:00What's in a name? CockentriceFor those of you who live under a rock, Krog Street Market opened at the end of 2014 and it has had a solid stream of ITP-ers since the get-go. With two team West Egg/Todd Ginsberg concepts (<a href="http://www.yallaatl.com/">Yalla </a>and <a href="http://fredsmeatandbread.com/">Fred's Meat & Bread</a>), a<a href="http://www.hopcitybeer.com/"> Hop City Craft Beer</a> shop and beer bar, <a href="https://jenis.com/">Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams</a>, <a href="http://www.littletartatl.com/">Little Tart Bake Shop</a>, OTP transplant <a href="http://gcbbq.net/">Grand Champion Barbecue</a>, and successful full-service joints the <a href="http://www.theluminaryatl.com/">Luminary </a>and <a href="http://craftizakaya.com/">Craft Izakaya</a>, there's plenty of reason to stop in (and the locals have been). It's hard to go and not run into someone you know or that guy from that one place. It's also difficult to go in and get something not delicious. Most of the offerings are solid, but they come at a price - perhaps it's the high quality, labor intensive products or it's possibly the owners passing along the high rent to the customer. It's likely a combination of the two.<br />
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Also setting up shop at Krog is the <a href="http://thespottedtrotter.com/">Spotted Trotter</a> - the ever popular butcher and charcuterie masters of Kirkwood. Their retail location off of Hosea Williams - a small space in a strip center with very little street-visibility - always left me wondering how they brought in customers outside of the neighborhood. But still, Atlantans continued to see Spotted Trotter products all over town incorporated into some of our favorite restaurants' dishes. <br />
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The folks at Spotted Trotter have picked up where other restaurants around town left off - using all of their own product in their <i>own</i> restaurant - Cockentrice. And while that sounds dirty (I suppose it is), a cockentrice is essentially a turducken with pig instead of the duck. The restaurant is attached to the back side of their butcher stand at Krog Street Market and will surely be one of the most popular spots in the market (or in Atlanta for that matter).<br />
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I haven't written on this blog in nearly a year. Cockentrice has me excited and inspired. Just go. We went on the second night of opening and the meal was one of the better ones I've had since my last post some 8 months ago - it will only get better. The space is exactly what you'd expect, modern with that sort of factory/rustic feel. There is even an elevated meat hanger overhead - in case you can't remember the theme of a restaurant by the name of Cockentrice.<br />
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The menu, as I'm sure you've figured by now, is very meat-centric. Two sections of charcuterie - one more typical, with cured meats and cheeses and one of prepared/cooked dishes cover half of the menu. The other half is more meat (mains) and four vegetable options. Side note: I miss the days of tried-and-true menu sections. You know, 'appetizers,' 'mains,' 'sides?' Like many new restaurants in town, the Cockentrice employs ambiguous, unfamiliar headings like 'TO COMMENCE,' 'TO IMMERSE," and my personal least favorite: 'SEASONAL VERDURE & SUPPLEMENTS.' Call me old-fashioned, but why over-complicate an already complex dinner menu? Taking artistic liberties like these make ordering a chore.<br />
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Let's get into it:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Grattons</i></span></div>
Suckling pig grattons came skewered and perched atop a sunchoke puree. The baby pig hit that sluttily-satisfying porky note with a great mix of crunchy-cracklin' and melt-away belly. The accompanying mustard provided a welcome, not-so-harsh acidic touch.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Second Stanza</i></span></div>
Another prepared charcuterie was the Second Stanza Spreadable Salami. These were setup similarly to a bilini with the spreadable salami fried off into crunchy disk. While the the textural contrast was a nice touch, I would have preferred the salami be left in spreadable form. Good looking plate of food.<br />
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Both Moses Hill and Carolina Creamery cheeses were excellent, though I wish the cheese and charcuterie sections of the menu were combined - I ended up just combining the cheeses with some culatello.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Study in Vegetables</i></span></div>
While all of the vegetable options sounded interesting and delicious, "Our Study in Vegetables" fell flat. It was primarily some mushrooms, greens and brussels with no discernible flavor or special prep. That will not keeping me from trying some other veg options on my return.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">A simple bibb salad was more successful with delicious oxtail filled croutons so as to not miss out on any more protein. The cocktails, were also weak and landed too far on the sweet side of the scale - this is probably something that has already been corrected after a couple of nights of service. Aside from those two misfires, the food was exceptional.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Monkfish with Sunchoke Puree, Celriac disk and potato puree</i></span></div>
The mains were all exceptional. Monkfish, cooked in caul-fat, crushed every rendition of the ugly sea-devil I've had in town. In addition to the caul, it was also wrapped in a green that provided some good texture and contrasting bitterness to the sweet, meaty fish.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lamb Cobbler</i></span></div>
A soul-warming lamb cobbler (I'd call it a lamb pot pie) came out, topped with buttery puff-pastry. This was cold-weather food at its best - leaving me feeling like I was wearing a lamb snuggie before braving the cold, wet elements.<br />
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The most standout dish, a beef-cheek bread pudding with pig ear salad, took the meal to the upper end of savory decadence without pushing it over the edge. Imagine a meaty take on french toast and bacon and you have this dish. The pig ear salad had a necessary touch of acid to cut through all of that salt and fat. This is the type of dish that will leave you shaking your head and thinking, "I'm a bad, bad man."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trio?</span></i></div>
Dessert was mildly annoying - you're forced to order a "trio" of items, but with no choice. There are only three items. Our selection included a chocolate tart, gingerbread cake topped with maple-bourbon ice cream. So where was the third portion of our "trio"? Apparently, it was that scoop of ice creamthat accompanies the ginger cake. I already disliked having to order three of the only three desserts, but you can't help but feel frustrated when only two items came out.<br />
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As we finished up the meal, I couldn't help but raise the question: Would my value-oriented parents, or Atlanta diners of their generation, like this place? While it's becoming more common for restaurants of this caliber to serve everything a la carte (aka mains served without a side accompaniment) I generally feel an entree should comprise more than a single protein. Certainly, for folks like my parents, paying upwards of $20 and $30 for a single piece of fish and some sauce would not go over well...But when it comes to the dishes I tried from the Cockentrice's "TO IMMERSE" (eye-roll) section — the monkfish and the lamb cobbler both came solo — I didn't mind, because the food was excellently sourced and prepared.<br />
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Bottom line — the Cockentrice is not an inexpensive restaurant, but I believe you're getting what you pay for.<br />
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Service was excellent, if not a little slow, and they even delivered some cookies with the check. Maybe that was the third dessert? Cockentrice is shaping up to be one of Atlanta's best restaurants and it will only get better.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1834191/restaurant/Inman-Park/The-Cockentrice-Atlanta"><img alt="The Cockentrice on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1834191/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-86018066091328035772014-04-23T11:04:00.001-04:002014-04-23T11:04:52.135-04:00Raku - WestsideLast night, I returned to Raku for what will be my third and final time for the foreseeable future. While Raku doesn't have close to the best Ramen in Atlanta, I loved having the option for a quick, late night bite. We just don't have enough options like this ITP and it was a welcome addition to serviceable "ethnic" dining not on Buford Highway. It is also extremely economical.<br />
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In the past, when I've come around 8PM, Raku has been empty. And maybe that's why I was served with a quickness on those evenings. Yesterday, both the parking lot and dining room were slammed. I'm going to keep this short - I sat for fifteen minutes without ever being acknowledged by the staff. No water. No eye-contact. No menu. In fact, I probably stood at the entryway, waiting to be seated for three minutes until I took it upon myself to sit down.<br />
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I'm an extremely tolerant diner. I've put up with hair in my food and the lousiest of service. I probably would have sat there waiting to be served or I would have gently spoken up when one of the two servers looked my way. But sitting there, at the high-bar, I had a vantage point directly into their open kitchen. And since I don't like to spend my evenings over a toilet, frontwards or backwards, I chose to do something I can't remember doing in at least ten years - I walked.<br />
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You're a fool if you think unsanitary practices don't occur in restaurant kitchens. It's the nature of the beast. In fact, the whole wearing gloves while handling food is a silly legislation (<a href="https://twitter.com/sushiandpassion/status/334024851956318208">Taka's epic tweet on the matter</a>) and rarely used in finer restaurants that can get away with it. But the amount of cross-contamination that occurred in the 15 minutes I watched that kitchen was unfathomable and stomach wrenching.<br />
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From the moment I got there until the moment I left, there was an open bag of raw, red meat siting out on the cutting board. This same cutting board was used to slice raw salmon on. That cutting board was also used to plate food going out to the dining room. You may be thinking, "Big deal, the bottoms of the plates were touching the board so as not to contaminate the top. And all the meat on the board was going to get cooked anyways, killing the bacteria." And you might be right. But then consider that the cook handling every single order that went out - that sliced the fish, that plated dishes, that handled every cooking utensil, every device in that kitchen and ever finished order, never once washed his hands. Raw meat, both beef and fish, was handled constantly with the same unwashed hands that took care of dirty dishes, contaminated surfaces and new plates to the dining room. If someone didn't get sick last night at Raku, the bacterial gods have forsaken us.<br />
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Needing to recover from the spell of disarray Raku put me under, I went with a surefire, nearby alternative - Antico. I can put up with the unfriendly service and intolerable customers there for that pizza time and time again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1729858/restaurant/Midtown/Raku-Tonkatsu-Ramen-Atlanta"><img alt="Raku Tonkatsu & Ramen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1729858/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-40671311839626045062014-03-24T11:34:00.001-04:002014-03-24T15:09:03.028-04:00A Response to Caren West's Facebook Post<a href="https://www.facebook.com/carenwest/posts/10151992761603073">This post</a> on Facebook was recently brought to my attention. I hope you all will read all the comments and now read my response. If I could, I would respond on Facebook, but unfortunately, Facebook won't allow it.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Hi Caren and others. I am the "douchebag" and "imbecile" who wrote the blog post you've referenced. I'll say flat out, if I offended you, I'm sorry. While I did write a generalization (which can be and has been dangerous territory) it clearly wasn't directed at Caren, her company, or others like it. I have witnessed first hand (and from afar) the work of Caren West PR. You are one of the best in the business. I can see why you would take offense. But, the blog post wasn't directed at you or others like you.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>I would also point out that I called myself out in the exact bit you quote. It is possibly/potentially erroneous and hasty. It should also be noted that in the referenced blog post, I was throwing tons of praise at Brave Public Relations as a contrast to the picture I painted. Because like Caren's company, they have their shit together, break the mold and left me impressed. I understand that by not tagging me or linking to the post, you don't want to help my numbers - and if you've paid any attention to my blog, numbers aren't exactly my drive (it's pretty inactive and not run in the most savvy of ways). But also by not linking, you've taken things slightly out of context as the people here do not see my point in the bit you did quote. It was to paint a humorous, silly contrast to the great companies (like your own) that I've encountered. Anyone who believes that I think that an entire industry's MO is to get impregnated and retire takes themselves way too seriously. The notion is silly.<br />
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So again, I do want to apologize for those that I did offend. Clearly, they aren't the type of people I was describing and joking about. I also encourage you to read the blog - not because it's awesome or accurate, but because maybe you'll get an idea of the snark and humor I put into posts. If I just wrote that the food was "tasty" and everyone was great, it'd be a boring ass blog. So I call out some witnessed negatives too - for both accuracy and entertainment's sake.<br />
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Caren you're awesome and so is your team. Oh, and I've never been rejected by a PR girl because I've never tried anything with one. I'm sure if I did, I would get rejected - you should see my mug (that's some light humor for you all).TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-41854988435601018622013-10-28T09:48:00.003-04:002013-10-29T11:37:00.341-04:00Taste of Atlanta - My First Freebie FestBlogger outreach is a funny thing. Every so often, I get an email from a PR firm announcing a new restaurant or product hitting the market and inviting me to come enjoy a taste, sneak peak or sample. I have always shied away from these events as I try to maintain my anonymity and credibility through this blog. That was until yesterday. Brave Public Relations contacted me about receiving a media pass to Taste of Atlanta. After confirming that I could remain anonymous, I signed up for the event.<br />
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Before I get started with the festival, I want to plug <a href="http://www.bravepublicrelations.com/">Brave Public Relations</a>. I have attended enough events and witnessed enough "PR Girls." If you don't know the type, these are pretty, made-up recent college grads that usually run booths at fairs around the city, waiting to get impregnated by some Buckhead execs and take early retirement as a house-wife. OK, that is an enormous and possibly erroneous generalization, but I dare you to witness these types at the next festival you attend and not have a similar thought. The reason I mention this stereotype - the girls from Brave Public Relations, unlike most PR girls I've encountered, were on their shit. There was no line at the media tent and they were quick to get me in - despite not using my name. So, props to them.</div>
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Much like Restaurant Weeks, I shy away from food festivals. Usually, the quality of food is lesser than what's served in restaurants and the crowds inspire me to hate humanity. Also, the experience usually doesn't warrant the expense. So when I was offered free admission and food tickets, I jumped on it. Here's a brief synopsis of Taste - restaurants, cooks and food products set up booths all up and down Technology Square. There are cooking demos off to the side. </div>
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Attendees use tickets to "purchase" food from the different businesses.Overall, I thought crowd management was terrific with very little wait time, if any at all. One complaint - food ticket sales. Taste sells tickets in multiples of 10 - I only wanted 2 extra tickets so I could try one other thing, but that wasn't a possibility.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jim 'n Nick's Enormous BBQ Competition Sized Space</span></div>
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My strategy going into the festival was to try places that either I hadn't been, made an ambitious offering, or give a place I didn't like another chance. So below were the offerings and my thoughts:</div>
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The Spence offered arancini with some morcilla. The sausage wasn't readily apparent in the dish and the accompanying salad, while visually dressed, tasted of nothing. It was nice that they were freshly frying the arancini at the booth, but the dish was nothing special.</div>
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Next stop was 1Kept - a spot I had heard countless good things about from a trusted source. This might have been the best dish I had during the day - pork tenderloin, with grits, what I thought were cranberries (said cherry/orange compote on their display). The tenderloin was really fatty, but really delicious and everything melded as it should. Fat, acid, sweet, and tang. Could have benefited from some crunchy texture element. </div>
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Since I only had one ticket left at the end, I came back by 1Kept and grabbed these deviled quail eggs. They were simple but good.</div>
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Probably my favorite restaurant in Atlanta (and one I visit with unfathomable frequency), no. 246, had what sounded delicious on paper - baked pasta with ricotta and meat gravy. And I'll admit, it was tasty - just a textural misery AKA overcooked pasta. It was just mush. But the accompanying salty bread and fresh ricotta was fantastic. This dish was clearly not representative of what their kitchen is able to achieve - which is a shame.</div>
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Another lackluster bite was served by Article 14, a duck confit slider. I'm going to say this - if you serve duck confit, there needs to be a crispy element, a fatty tender element and tons of flavor. This half-dollar sized sandwich had none of the above. It did have a nice, sweet jam/compote.</div>
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I managed to grab all of this, some free samples and witness a cooking demo in a little over an hour. I wanted so badly to have some High Road Craft ice cream (cause it's amazing) after all these savory bites, but the 10 ticket minimum purchase thing got in the way. So clearly, Taste is an enjoyable, well-run event. What it comes down to is how much you're willing to spend on food that won't be as good as dining in at a notable restaurant?</div>
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TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-45281788828446817512013-08-26T12:39:00.001-04:002013-08-26T12:40:46.005-04:00Gunshow - A New Concept that Doesn't Feel So NewI stopped into Gunshow over the weekend. For those that don't know, Gunshow is Kevin Gillespie's latest fine dining meets dim sum concept in Glenwood Park. The environment is extremely loud, cavernous and feels <i>exactly</i> like a pop-up, not a full-fledged restaurant. The food was good, service friendly and helpful, but in short, the only part of the equation that felt fine dining was the price.<br />
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Getting a reservation at Gunshow seemed difficult. They only had 9:30 slots open on Friday and Saturday. However, we were able to walk in at 8 PM and get a table for two with no problem.<br />
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Small plates - I love the concept. Getting to try many items that can show a kitchen's range and ability is always ideal. I'm not going to tell you how Gunshow operates (you can read that on every review of the place so far), but if you want to try the whole menu somewhere, Gunshow is a great place (so long as you brought your billfold). We ate a majority of the menu and really, that's not too difficult - the servings are small.<br />
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The reason for the dim sum/cart concept, as explained by Gillespie, is to keep things completely fresh from the kitchen. Nothing is supposedly precooked like many restaurants must do - parboiled rice for risotto was the example given in an early interview. I thought to myself, "OK that makes some sense." And I thought that until the first dish, Cuban chicken with black beans and rice, was delivered to our table - cold.<br />
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Now, that Cuban chicken was mighty tasty. Well cooked, well seasoned and nice cumin flavored rice. However, there were no twists. It was a very straight-forward rendition of Cuban food. And the serving was a single chicken thigh over just enough rice and beans to provide a pedestal for a chicken thigh. Price - $14. This is about a $5 serving at any Cuban restaurant in the city and there just wasn't anything special about the dish that warranted the price. Even if you consider the fact that everything at Gunshow is local, you just can't hit that price point. And the chicken was cold.<br />
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Then came what Gunshow calls "Assorted Savory, Spicy, Crispy and Crunchy Snacks. This was delivered in two forms. 1. Some cubed melon with duck pastrami (smart combo) and 2. a Hopping John type of fritter. The Hopping John fritter was completely comforting and delicious. It was approximately the size of a golf ball. Price - $5. That's flat out criminal anyway you look at it. If there were three balls on the plate, <i>maybe </i>they should be able to charge $5. OK, I'll stop harping on the price now.<br />
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A "Closed on Sunday" chicken sandwich was a take on the Chick-fil-a sandwich. Again, delicious with a pillowy soft sweet roll bun (they called it a biscuit?), but extremely simple and straightforward.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Smoked Lamb Leg with Pea Ragout</i></span></div>
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There were three savory dishes that standout in my mind as excellent. A smoked lamb leg with field peas. The lamb was exceptionally tender, flavorful and the field pea ragout cut through the unctuous lamb with acidic precision.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Country Breakfast</i></span></div>
The country breakfast consisted of grits with chicken and bacon gravy, some pickled tomatoes and a poached egg on top. This combination is delicious but the yolk of the egg was gelatinized and overcooked, not runny. Again, not exactly fine dining execution.<br />
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Lastly, a wild mushroom tart was obnoxiously delicious. The entire top portion, which included figs and cheese, had a sweet and sour finishes that cut through the fatty cheese and butter crust much like the lamb dish.<br />
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If you didn't notice by now, vegetables are extremely underrepresented at Gunshow. The color green is often used as a garnish, not an accompaniment. Plan on a meat-centric meal.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Sticky Toffee Pudding</i></span></div>
Dessert we had a peanut butter and chocolate dish that was simple and kind of a throwaway. The sticky toffee pudding, however was phenomenal. They used fig instead of dates to cut the fat again (seeing a theme yet?) and it was finished with some bacon and Morreli's Salted Caramel ice cream. I know that bacon and salted caramel are buzzwords and easy sells, but the dish would have probably been better with plain, ol' vanilla.<br />
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Did I like the food at Gunshow? Absolutely. Did I enjoy the experience? Yup. Am I being hyper critical? Yessir. But the bottom line is both the pricing and execution need serious tweaking. A $50 meal should not only be delicious and close to perfect, it should also be moderately filling. I applaud Gillespie's concept - local food prepared as freshly as possible and sold to you by cooks, not servers. I also love trying new items and the option of an ever-changing menu. Ultimately, Gunshow comes off as a pop-up, not a destination fine-dining restaurant. I know the ingredients are expensive and the preparation is time consuming, but the overall experience at Gunshow doesn't equal the cost.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1747071/restaurant/East-Atlanta/Gunshow-Atlanta"><img alt="Gunshow on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1747071/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
<br />TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-58977805979506676902013-06-07T09:53:00.001-04:002013-06-07T10:01:25.813-04:00The Drafting Table - The Pastrami Sandwich that CrushesLooking for something simple, inexpensive and close to home, we chose to try out <a href="http://www.thedraftingtable.net/">The Drafting Table</a> last night. It was not my first visit to the space however - roughly a year ago this space was Hill Street Tavern. Hill Street was certainly "tavern" fare and the food was actually pretty good - they were known for this ridiculously luscious flinstonian pork chop that would put you to sleep after three bites and some decent wings. I'm pretty sure much of the ownership and staff is the same at Drafting Table and this isn't a bad thing.<br />
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Prior to going last night I looked on their website and the overall feel was an inexpensive farm-to-table (yes, that warn-out phrase) concept. They had typical bar food for apps, a few sandwiches, an extremely popular 50/50 (half bacon/half chuck) burger, and then some more sophisticated mains. The great thing about the mains was that they topped out at $20 with most hovering around $15. That was enough to get me in the door as I wasn't really in the mood for bar food or breaking the bank.<br />
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Upon arriving I glanced over the menu - all bar food. Apparently last night they implemented a menu overhaul which now primarily consists of sandwiches, burgers and pizza. I know, I'd shudder at those options too and sat miffed for the first 10 minutes. My attitude did a complete 180 when the food arrived.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The 50/50</i></span></div>
Really not in the mood for a burger or red meat, I ordered a Pastrami sandwich. What's that you say? Pastrami is red meat? Whoops. Kins went for the touted 50/50 burger and she wasn't sorry either. While not the biggest burger in the town, the thing was flipping delicious. I kind of think 50% bacon of anything is a bit much, but somehow the flavor of bacon was more subtle than I would have expected and resulted in one of the better burgers around town. The accompanying fries were excellent - hand cut and on the thick side with a very crispy exterior which broke to the creamy potato innards.<br />
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<i style="font-size: x-small;">Boom</i></div>
The burger was enough to impress me, but the Pastrami Sandwich (it deserves to be capitalized) was outrageously good. I know this is a strong statement, but I think it's the best Pastrami (and brisket for that matter) in Atlanta by a long shot - better than General Muir or even the great BBQ options (I think Community Q has the best brisket) around town. The pastrami is smoked/cooked for 12 hours and extremely tender (which is where General Muir falls short) and beautifully seasoned with some unctuous pepper punch in each bite. White cheddar is subbed for the more traditional swiss, and a fresh poppy seed bun replaces the ever-so-common rye - both welcome and improved departures from tradition. Oh, and there's some grilled onions and mustard in the mix too. The sandwich came with pasta salad with a $3 option to add fries. Drafting Table, do yourself a favor - take the pasta off altogether and serve fries or any option of side with your sandwiches.<br />
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A few complaints. The Drafting Table is extremely convenient for us to get to. It takes all of five minutes. But the truth is, it's not in the best location and certainly not one people frequent to dine out. We sat outside and within five minutes there was an enormous altercation between a vagrant and a customer that could have very easily ended in a fist fight. That was not inviting. The location also killed off the restaurants original concept and intentions. According the waiter, the menu change was a result of the fact that nobody in that area is interested in farm-to-table (aka higher price point) food. I actually think that the type of customers that would be interested in that type of menu probably have no idea about The Drafting Table altogether. Hell, I thought it was mainly bar grub before even looking at the menu online. Lastly, similar to Hill Street Tavern, this place has a very vague feel - in terms of customer base and atmosphere.<br />
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Overall, the food and service at The Drafting Table was excellent. I'd certainly brave the downsides to grab another Pastrami Sandwich.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1696325/restaurant/Old-Fourth-Ward/The-Drafting-Table-Atlanta"><img alt="The Drafting Table on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1696325/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-72394064637843731642013-04-28T11:06:00.000-04:002013-04-28T11:10:09.465-04:00Villains Wicked Heros - Out the Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCVJ8Dka_2AuMrWY0I_lfLlWwOpWnHHP_4DAX1ZwAwZ698SzahBg_G1rpU_yanILvYHrLv12sHfg_57uYaaEe0Hr2jZYIbGrdziqq5AHGy3EO9dvaCsoy2M9q7Z3CVASFVnjVhzTfSeC4/s1600/Villains2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCVJ8Dka_2AuMrWY0I_lfLlWwOpWnHHP_4DAX1ZwAwZ698SzahBg_G1rpU_yanILvYHrLv12sHfg_57uYaaEe0Hr2jZYIbGrdziqq5AHGy3EO9dvaCsoy2M9q7Z3CVASFVnjVhzTfSeC4/s320/Villains2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Stopped in to newly opened midtown sandwich spot <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VillainsWickedHeroes">Villains Wicked Heros</a> yesterday. The project is headed up by some of the folks behind Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Flip, and HD1. Housed in the former location of Little Azio, the shop definitely has a similar feel to Grindhouse with the villain theme playing out in the atmosphere (not to worry, the folks are nice but looks like a humorous interpretations of bad guys headquarters) and menu items' names - Clubber Lang (Italian beef), Montogomery Burns (ribeye steak), and Rasputin (fried chicken livers) are a few of the options. I get the impression the shop is trying to take over where Superpan left off but with a wider range/influence of sandwich options.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDpAGWncSDV3-txzdBDRrqh-fV1UxatB6n02wzsTVbQDBK9KzkzXiimWzaDxvfRXhIJCn-TsDkdf7Xjx-ByLGYHDMIKycKgcr1FitN9pinX_Q8WkY_vmP0ZHECVqOeOb36SFePup5nLeC/s1600/Villains1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDpAGWncSDV3-txzdBDRrqh-fV1UxatB6n02wzsTVbQDBK9KzkzXiimWzaDxvfRXhIJCn-TsDkdf7Xjx-ByLGYHDMIKycKgcr1FitN9pinX_Q8WkY_vmP0ZHECVqOeOb36SFePup5nLeC/s200/Villains1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Your waiting number - a much welcomed change from the floppy top heavy signs places normal give</i></span></div>
The sandwich choices sound great, and for the most part original with the menu leaning a little bit to the unhealthy side. It's heavy on pork, beef and fried items. It's nice that they go the extra mile in side options with their own veggie chicharones (tastes like heavily seasoned veggie chips), two soup options and a handful of vegetable sides.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ5GCXhnj6-0AINFjF7Rg8ThOACme8_zfgChP08dPunBAaPOUHb4mFRyLYP7v7RzoxjqoEYTcTp7YwEdpYHdjAqVcMPE5JJXPMxqvFKXFw_Kg_u7rmLSa9ZFpxk9CGtJmxvIzl28v8Fk0/s1600/Villains4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ5GCXhnj6-0AINFjF7Rg8ThOACme8_zfgChP08dPunBAaPOUHb4mFRyLYP7v7RzoxjqoEYTcTp7YwEdpYHdjAqVcMPE5JJXPMxqvFKXFw_Kg_u7rmLSa9ZFpxk9CGtJmxvIzl28v8Fk0/s320/Villains4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The Odd Job</i></span></div>
We settled in with the Odd Job (Korean fried chicken) and Kingpig of Crime (porchetta). The Odd Job was nice overall with some nice flavor and textures including a delicious pear slaw. Touted as double fried and extra crispy, the breading was soggy and didn't adhere to the chicken which seems to be a problem that plagues Atlanta.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumCUadsPWufBNbYVmLQZHAjeaM9o3C43WkelrR7xlc2QLj5jn08FR54BA-b1uwljllBV29m9yO9q4-Z9Mq1cyKoUOjoS1wLtCVcBBMdeXJcDg2NEDjr2OSdm81kcBdkr-ncFwXkaqqt2p/s1600/Villains6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumCUadsPWufBNbYVmLQZHAjeaM9o3C43WkelrR7xlc2QLj5jn08FR54BA-b1uwljllBV29m9yO9q4-Z9Mq1cyKoUOjoS1wLtCVcBBMdeXJcDg2NEDjr2OSdm81kcBdkr-ncFwXkaqqt2p/s320/Villains6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Soggy breading separation</i></span></div>
The Kingpig of Crime was also a tasty number but light on the pork and heavy on the arugula. The menu also mentioned that it featured crispy skin but I found none. The thing I couldn't help but thinking while eating was - "I can get a much much better porchetta over at No. 246 for the same amount (maybe even less?) of money and it comes with fries."<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The Kingpig of Crime</i></span></div>
Also it appears from our two orders that all the sandwiches come on a baguette/hero roll. Some different options there might add to the appeal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFiDnAQ4z8utXSpkfQu4gjqLbqYq6RJKz1r5hqnmuXLONzJmczNWEDzsc0FsnFo5_ptzMWeXKfHepUdr9EHAOiefqt3DV6OMgfIENLXSzr_6omM_oUIaBOvsVWHWZW1KBweRqIqzRVvkj/s1600/Villains3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFiDnAQ4z8utXSpkfQu4gjqLbqYq6RJKz1r5hqnmuXLONzJmczNWEDzsc0FsnFo5_ptzMWeXKfHepUdr9EHAOiefqt3DV6OMgfIENLXSzr_6omM_oUIaBOvsVWHWZW1KBweRqIqzRVvkj/s320/Villains3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>One of the healthier options - a Kale salad topped with some uncooked ramen noodles</i></span></div>
Villains is going to establish itself as a good lunch option for the Midtown crowd. Slightly pricey sandwiches but inexpensive sides help make up for the expense. Nothing struck me is outstanding, but everything tasted relatively good with easy to correct faults and a fairly wide variety of options. Keep in mind, this is their first week open so they will work out some kinks along the way.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1715857/restaurant/Midtown/Villains-Atlanta"><img alt="Villains on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1715857/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-28715720063304737802013-04-03T11:20:00.001-04:002013-04-03T11:21:01.726-04:00Quickie - Ameer's Mediterranean GrillStopped into Ameer's Mediterranean Grill on Friday night after hearing a little bit of buzz about it during the week. I have to say, they kind of knocked it out of the park. We went with two shawarma plates - one with beef and lamb and another with chicken. Also started with an order of falafel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm0C0YauyAygxqXN2aiLDE2T6jlhVSQkDCeeonezzPYuKkXl25lEdMR-O7jvE8sF2U74JZmuSZ8gzU1PWzRQP5AjUXZbykIChMKxeoMgD5QHHmcEwIYOYhvBVQDrlJ_HFwHbn51syX6eW/s1600/1-photo+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm0C0YauyAygxqXN2aiLDE2T6jlhVSQkDCeeonezzPYuKkXl25lEdMR-O7jvE8sF2U74JZmuSZ8gzU1PWzRQP5AjUXZbykIChMKxeoMgD5QHHmcEwIYOYhvBVQDrlJ_HFwHbn51syX6eW/s320/1-photo+(8).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Beef & Lamb Shawarma</i></span></div>
The food was good stuff all around. The falafel was crispy on the outside and extremely moist (maybe just a little too much) on the interior. A great starter for sure. All of the shawarma was delicious - seasoned extremely well, tender texture and served over a bed of rice. A plate also comes with delicious hummus, pita and a large cucumber and tomato salad. It's a lot of bang for your buck and really delicious.<br />
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I would normally head to <a href="http://www.mediterranean-bakery.com/">Mediterranean Bakery</a> for my Med fix, but this is a great, closer option. I guess I'll be splitting my time between the two. It was unfortunately completely empty on Friday night. Please show this place some love as they deserve it - Get you some.. It's located right next to <span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.waikikie.com/">Waikikie BBQ</a> on Briarcliff.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1712725/restaurant/Druid-Hills-Emory/Ameers-Mediterranean-Grill-Atlanta"><img alt="Ameer's Mediterranean Grill on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1712725/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></span></span>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-14194134915141822642013-03-25T10:44:00.001-04:002013-03-25T10:44:21.284-04:00Calle Latina - More Street Food hits DecaturI was able to stop into Decatur's newly opened Calle Latina this weekend. The concept is Latin street food with many bocadillos, tacos and arepas. Essentially, most of the items on the menu are available in all three of these forms. The space is quite small, but welcoming and the staff friendly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIDHPbLpt9UY_5dkO9nfwHUmDSPMUJgl3scGzPcQSgFDkCy1Ql8zGs21UlO6uqcHJ2dHwm5h3luao6G9BL2tpUeF853FcBp55NmrwOC3B52HHxmqptkEdUxjTL5ahnFLnDzYbv6eCoUan/s1600/1-photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIDHPbLpt9UY_5dkO9nfwHUmDSPMUJgl3scGzPcQSgFDkCy1Ql8zGs21UlO6uqcHJ2dHwm5h3luao6G9BL2tpUeF853FcBp55NmrwOC3B52HHxmqptkEdUxjTL5ahnFLnDzYbv6eCoUan/s320/1-photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Empanadas</i></span></div>
Overall, the food was OK but nothing to get too excited about. The empanadas had a nice, crispy shell but the interior barbacoa pork was diced, under-seasoned and fatty. The menu promised of barbeque sauce but I found none. Would have much preferred some goat for texture and flavor but if the meat is trimmed better and sauced, it'd certainly be enjoyable. The black bean and goat cheese empanada is a drastic and delicious step up from the barbacoa.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Egg & Chorizo tacos</i></span></div>
The chorizo and egg taco was pretty good, but that soft flour tortilla just got lost. Throw a corn one on there and they've got a winner. The green mole chicken arepa was actually quite good. This crispy, tender arepa was on point with moist shredded chicken and accompanying avocado and tomato for flavorful additions.<br />
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My absolute favorite part of the meal is the accompanying coleslaw/salad complimentary side that comes with each order. This acid heavy delight was a welcome addition to the meal. There's also a grilled pepper or two in the mix.</div>
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Overall, Calle Latina is a nice option for the area but by no means a standout for Decatur. What Sapori di Napoli is for Neopolitan pizza, Calle is for Latin Street Food.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/120104/restaurant/Atlanta/Calle-Latina-Decatur"><img alt="Calle Latina on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/120104/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
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<br />TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-64353170902518545212013-03-18T10:58:00.001-04:002013-04-02T12:20:05.076-04:00Chai Pani - New Indian Concept hits Decatur<br />
Decatur (neo-food capital of Atlanta) is now home to yet another new restaurant. Asheville based chain, Chai Pani, is serving up Indian street food which comes off as a great concept. It's slightly more approachable Indian than Atlanta's other Indian options and the quality seems to be fresher as well. It's nice that this place is already popular without dumbing down Indian food entirely (like Korean tacos or any other ethnic food being turned into a sandwich/wrap).<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Okra Fries</span></i></div>
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There are some really nice flavors flying around at Chai Pani, but I can't see myself ever having a major hankering to go back. The chicken pakora (more or less Indian chicken nuggets) was tasty with some subtle spice, but they aren't nearly as crave worthy as some good southern-fried chicken. The okra fries are also enjoyable but no different than any other quick fried vegetable. Ever had fried Brussels sprouts or fried green beans? Same thing here. You can pretty much fry a toenail, and it's going to taste good. The best dish I sampled was Dahi Puri. These stuffed, crispy dumplings please with great texture and flavor layered at each strata.<br />
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The portions are similar to small plate servings around town and I actually prefer this as it makes sharing and trying much easier. You may feel like you're getting less food for the money, but I think the slightly elevated quality makes up for that. However, I just don't think the food is delicious enough to keep me coming back as a regular.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1721839/restaurant/Atlanta/Chai-Pani-Decatur"><img alt="Chai Pani on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1721839/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-91412275866539720722013-02-04T08:29:00.002-05:002013-02-04T17:14:28.763-05:00The General Muir - Jewish Deli Comes to TownI made it over to <a href="http://www.thegeneralmuir.com/">The General Muir</a> yesterday for brunch and I left content and full. For those of you that don't know, The General Muir is the new Jewish deli concept by the folks at West Egg and the former chef of Bocado. It's located in a new retail district on the Emory Campus and across from the CDC.<br />
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The menu is made up primarily of Jewish deli items like bagels with smoke/cured fish, matzoh ball soup, and the "what would a Jewish deli be without a" pastrami sandwich. I got the latter and I think it's safe to say it's the best pastrami sandwich in Atlanta. But consider this - is there any competition? If you say Jason's Deli, I'll smack you in the mouth I'm Neal Diamond. The pastrami comes stacked high with some mustard on rye, as it should. Overall it's a delicious sandwich but once you've had <a href="http://www.langersdeli.com/">Langer's</a> (which I consider to be the best sandwich on the planet) to compare to, well it's no comparison at all, really. The pastrami was peppery and had the unctuous fatty flavor/bits that we all love, but could have been a bit more flavorful and certainly more tender.<br />
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The infamous Bocado burger stack is on the menu at the Muir and looking around the restaurant, it seemed to be one of the more popular orders. They've switched out the traditional bun with a poppy seed one. I also had a chance to taste the reuben which was also very good and of the same caliber as the pastrami.<br />
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One thing I was delightfully surprised by was the bakery. We started our meal with a pastry basket and got a wide sampling of what they had to offer and the Muir just knocked it out of the park. There was a sweetened yeast roll, some sour cream coffee cake, a cheese danish and chocolate babka. All items were stellar and I couldn't help myself from visiting the bakery counter after brunch to grab a black and white. The black and white was also quite good, but slightly less traditional. The cake portion was actually more tender and flavorful (an improvement) than what you'd get in New York. The icing was also less traditional in that the entire cookie was covered in the white icing first and then half dipped in chocolate. Also, the white icing was heavily and visibly flavored with lemon. If you can't tell, I'm a black and white purist but again, this rendition was probably the best available in Atlanta by a long shot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSulT5UkaTm2vFf3nEzNaBUCcU7aXycRU-w3djoJrrxT_vF-b0rokmcwP5_Iz9tSgXrZJ6rI2rP1GZffsxncmSZM_M9mI-cqJSCUma11svfmdqNQxt0ByjGgkW5xvb5c_oAfMMjrTMAhP/s1600/2-photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSulT5UkaTm2vFf3nEzNaBUCcU7aXycRU-w3djoJrrxT_vF-b0rokmcwP5_Iz9tSgXrZJ6rI2rP1GZffsxncmSZM_M9mI-cqJSCUma11svfmdqNQxt0ByjGgkW5xvb5c_oAfMMjrTMAhP/s320/2-photo+2.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
Overall, The General Muir is a great spot for Atlanta and judging by the weekend crowd in its first week, will remain a popular destination for quite some time.<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1702031/restaurant/Druid-Hills-Emory/The-General-Muir-Atlanta"><img alt="The General Muir on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1702031/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-66266873047047421802012-12-17T23:10:00.000-05:002012-12-18T09:10:52.199-05:00Antico Part Deux - Gio's Chicken Amalfitano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9ZCC1_cPt3I1EYQ_kl5189TbJ78vYcERoiB7Pn_6v6jEH4HLXzr6atCJY5QeHrg9pLT30QMnuz1yDC0jXXmUHzIPX_453Hp2ipFNLFwCgJI55qPBFcGwry94Cu3IlLfGvCuZ7E2tU_QU/s1600/gios1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9ZCC1_cPt3I1EYQ_kl5189TbJ78vYcERoiB7Pn_6v6jEH4HLXzr6atCJY5QeHrg9pLT30QMnuz1yDC0jXXmUHzIPX_453Hp2ipFNLFwCgJI55qPBFcGwry94Cu3IlLfGvCuZ7E2tU_QU/s320/gios1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
For those who haven't heard, Giovanni Di Palma and the group behind Antico are trying to build their own Little Italy in Home Park/West Midtown. There was <a href="http://www.whatnowatlanta.com/2012/08/08/antico-pizza-to-open-neighboring-gelato-and-coffee-bar/">talk</a> of an Antico Gelateria which would serve gelato, limoncello and coffee being built across the street from Antico but in the mean time, they've opened up Gio's Chicken Amalfitano in the large, neighboring building. So now you have choices when visiting the Antico campus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-xTDnB4vSgvr3zzjhDAyay958brtvHGL4XqqBdDUF2g1KiGeoYtG0aNRQAiVTGCijXQQL0t4eklxHbU9qu1tdUkRhxMlshmRD4O3xpf_zr5NPMQFpL4C9z9I2GbQgBsfJzWYf8Z5hE4E/s1600/gios2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-xTDnB4vSgvr3zzjhDAyay958brtvHGL4XqqBdDUF2g1KiGeoYtG0aNRQAiVTGCijXQQL0t4eklxHbU9qu1tdUkRhxMlshmRD4O3xpf_zr5NPMQFpL4C9z9I2GbQgBsfJzWYf8Z5hE4E/s320/gios2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Gio's Chicken is strictly take out for the time being with plans of a dining room being opened in early January (though there already is <a href="http://atlanta.eater.com/archives/2012/12/17/take-a-look-around-gios-chicken-amalfitano.php#50ce87cdf92ea10a3002ee6c">one</a> behind a door to the right of the entrance). I stopped in tonight to the surprisingly empty Gio's. The menu is made up of seven choices of chicken preparation and four additional pasta options. Some of the chicken options play off of the popular pizzas next door at Antico, like the Scarpiello being a chicken version of the San Gennaro pie. There are also sauces and chicken soup available in a refrigerator to take home.<br />
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Chicken and pasta can be ordered in single (a half chicken) or family portion. Each order of chicken comes with potatoes and some bread as well making for a full meal. The menu can be seen here. We ended up getting a single order of the Sorrento Lemon chicken and the Napoletana pasta and had about half of the food leftover.<br />
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Gio's <a href="http://gioschicken.com/">website</a> claims, "Giovianni Di Palma has done to chicken what he's done to pizza." While the food was certainly good, that statement is a huge stretch considering that Antico is easily some of the best pizza I've ever had. You would be hard pressed to duplicate any of the pizzas at Antico, but a decent home cook could replicate if not improve upon what I ate tonight from Gio's.<br />
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The chicken was good but dried out in some parts and while the skin and drippings/sauce in the togo container were flavorful, the meat of the bird was void of much flavor otherwise. The potatoes and accompanying bread (which is essentially seasoned Antico Pizza crust) was delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh733odfXlA12z2l037Er_fLtB3ov8VYKN5D0_N-Ip2SeONeteYWG9I4zw0fyszg-RWtMRnkK9TFTCUQNqbOZG-2oNNan3pL2JHIBjhJMR7yj_5azt-6iXeDrFPGc3w6QTMuw1yttdZw_1c/s1600/gios5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh733odfXlA12z2l037Er_fLtB3ov8VYKN5D0_N-Ip2SeONeteYWG9I4zw0fyszg-RWtMRnkK9TFTCUQNqbOZG-2oNNan3pL2JHIBjhJMR7yj_5azt-6iXeDrFPGc3w6QTMuw1yttdZw_1c/s320/gios5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Napoletana pasta was also good, but heavy on the oil. The sausage is the same stuff that's used on the San Gennaro pie and the broccoli rabe was cooked and seasoned to perfection.<br />
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So while Gio's Chicken serves some decent food, it isn't in the same league as neighboring Antico Pizza. At least, not yet. The staff at Gio's was extremely helpful and friendly which is a welcome departure compared to some of the staff often at Antico.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1714598/restaurant/Midtown/Gio-s-Chicken-Amalfitano-Atlanta"><img alt="Gio’s Chicken Amalfitano on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1714598/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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<br />TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-42058017035401450032012-11-08T13:34:00.000-05:002012-11-09T10:08:47.072-05:00King of Pops Pops Up - Queso KingI managed to drop into King (or is it Kings? I swear they're cloning tall blonde dudes with aviators) of Pop's new pop up, Queso King today. They're setup on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Lawrence during lunch hours and seem to have a new cheese based concept each week - this week grilled cheese and soup, while last week was quesadillas and salad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAzye_ow5LZNEvk35qbGpWU17GLJkANmRDccHpROJRubTG0avAdNjQGyfbBzRtn1hRe974JD3vAKTEkyltwAxA4TnGrosqanErL3wcz4WSQDtiL0sWBc8JTotldUIFaVYT9HKgtSQ9vrD/s1600/Queso1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAzye_ow5LZNEvk35qbGpWU17GLJkANmRDccHpROJRubTG0avAdNjQGyfbBzRtn1hRe974JD3vAKTEkyltwAxA4TnGrosqanErL3wcz4WSQDtiL0sWBc8JTotldUIFaVYT9HKgtSQ9vrD/s320/Queso1.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
It's hard to beat the deal as it's a choice of sandwich, soup, drink (including Miller High Life) and popsicle for $8. They post their menu on <a href="http://on.fb.me/WGHFJy">Facebook</a> shortly before opening.<br />
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The food was pretty darned good - all the bread is from H&F and everything appears to be scratch made. The turkey on my Grilled Thanksgiving (<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">brie, turkey, cranberry, sweet potato) was off the frame (and chain) and completely tender and delectable. The only unfortunate part of the sandwich was that the King went overboard with the cranberry which entirely masked all of the other ingredients on the sandwich. I happen to like cranberry, so it wasn't offensive, but I wish I could have tasted more of the individual components. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">The soup, while not transcendent, was also very good.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS5YKHpc_fQuY9eNAuq75P4C1KMB3uXnpqbhUbdfx6Zz-rSAmeqdORlCsNzP9qtepGQ-NL6vQISx_Z9rVYLogsie20utBcCUJddnM8tOaxcYYum10fcVjf8frnJjDVU-7ur-YZxfbgNUo/s1600/Queso3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS5YKHpc_fQuY9eNAuq75P4C1KMB3uXnpqbhUbdfx6Zz-rSAmeqdORlCsNzP9qtepGQ-NL6vQISx_Z9rVYLogsie20utBcCUJddnM8tOaxcYYum10fcVjf8frnJjDVU-7ur-YZxfbgNUo/s320/Queso3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Again, it's hard to beat this deal from one of Atlanta's local street-food mavens. Give it a try on Thursdays and see for yourself.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Apple Pie Pop</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18px;"><i><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1713359/restaurant/Midtown/Queso-King-Atlanta"><img alt="Queso King on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1713359/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></i></span></div>
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TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-33176522251201102212012-11-01T10:53:00.001-04:002012-11-01T11:06:49.247-04:00Bantam & Biddy - Opening ReviewI made it over to Shaun Doty's latest venture last night - Bantam & Biddy. Batnam & Biddy is a rotisserie (humanely and healthily raised) chicken concept in the Ansley Mall shopping center. It just opened this week, so I realize that a good bit of my complaints may be ironed out in the coming days but I left extremely unimpressed and disappointed.<br />
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I love me some rotisserie chicken so the menu reads like a great fast casual concept. There are some holdovers from Shaun's - duck fat fries, pork schnitzel and a couple of the sides but the focus seems to be on the chicken. You can order a quarter or half chicken with two sides, like your standard meat and three, or choose from a handful of entrees. </div>
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Not being able to resist poutine, we got an order to start out the meal. Poutine is hard to mess up and this rendition was delicious, as expected. By the way, if you haven't had <a href="http://www.fryguyatlanta.com/">Fry Guy's</a> poutine, I'd go as far as to say it's the best in the city.</div>
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We also went with the 1/4 chicken and the Chicken Penne. The rotisserie chicken was drab. There was no color or texture to the skin, much of the fat hadn't been rendered and the chicken was essentially flavorless. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Lifeless Chicken Skin</i></span></div>
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The mac and cheese side was reminiscent of Mary Mac's version and that's not a compliment. It was completely separated with a puddle of grease at the bottom and no creamy, rich component. It was more crumbly than anything. The pickled beats and goat cheese were an excellent side, however I'd highly recommend it as an option. There was also a slice of jalapeño and cheddar (?) bread which was a welcome improvement to the typical white slice.</div>
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The "Rotisserie Chicken Penne Pasta" was also a let down. While the flavoring of the dish was good and the pasta was cooked well, there was virtually no chicken in the dish - literally about three pieces. </div>
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As mentioned prior, I realize this is the opening week and they could easily tweak a few things and have some more successful food. It's with this review that I hope they do, because I do like the menu and concept. Kins summed it up best after we finished, "This is all stuff we could make at home, but better."</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1684962/restaurant/Midtown/Bantam-Biddy-Atlanta"><img alt="Bantam & Biddy on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1684962/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-86350593666602662192012-10-19T09:36:00.000-04:002012-10-19T10:05:44.664-04:00The Optimist - America's Best New Restaurant?<br />
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If you didn't catch wind of it, Esquire Magazine named Ford Fry's latest, The Optimist, the <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/best-new-restaurants-2012-full-list" target="_blank">"Best New Restaurant in America."</a> If this is America's best, well then Amurica is facing more problematic times than the presidential debates would let on. I'm no longer standing on my chair screaming, "USA! USA!" Needless to say, my meal last night at The Optimist left me an enormous pessimist. In fact, it was the worst meal I've ever shelled out one hundred bones for. Putting my credit card down, I felt duped and knew that I could get much better meals in Atlanta for much less money.</div>
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If you're reading this review, well then you have certainly heard about The Optimist. You've heard about its gorgeous dining room and inviting bar(s). You've heard about the masterfully appointed lighting and stylishly tasteful touches. And all of these things are absolutely, in the fullest sense, true - the design team for this restaurant knocked it out of the park. And perhaps you've heard about the food. And that's where I'm taking a stand - if you heard wonderful things about the food at The Optimist, you heard wrong.</div>
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If I had to sum my meal up at The Optimist in one, brief phrase, if would be, "Nothing tasted like anything." The dishes overall were devoid of any flavor with the exception of a salty Monkfish entree. I adore the scope of the menu and had a hard time deciding on anything because everything sounded so interesting, refreshing or delicious. The service, I should mention, was flat - not particularly friendly and nobody ever came to check on us after we got our food. </div>
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The Optimist has fresh oysters on the regular and I feel like oysters are omissible from any review. The truth is, if you have a fresh product and a good shucker, oysters are going to be good. And they were. We also ordered the $9 cup of gumbo. With ample amounts of seafood (including a crab claw), I suppose they can get away with the price. The broth was nothing special, however, and lacked thickness and depth of flavor. The accompanying "Potluck" garlic bread was absolutely unnecessary and didn't even deserve to be called garlic bread.</div>
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The mains were the real let down of the evening. My monkfish entree, with a tomato broth, pickled fennel and hen of the woods mushrooms was simply not good. The monkfish was cooked appropriately but the accompanying broth tasting like nothing but salt with no tomato flavor. In fact, after a few bites, I couldn't eat any more of it. The pickled fennel kept to itself and didn't compliment the dish in any way while the the hen of the woods mushrooms were kept to a minimum - there was only one in the dish.</div>
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Kins ordered the yellowtail tuna dish which was supposed to feature a charred octopus & potato salad. The yellowtail was cooked properly with a nice sear to the outside. The potato salad was even interesting - fried rather than boiled (think well cooked home fries). However, the charred octopus was much like the mushrooms in my dish - non existent except for one, measly piece. I'm sorry, but when you shell out $26 for a dish, there needs to be more than one bite of the ingredients mentioned on the menu. And like the monkfish entree, this dish didn't really have any flavor. The <span style="background-color: #f8f7ec; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">corn milk hushpuppies fell into the same category of everything else - no flavor. They were also entirely too dense - hushpuppies from a modest fish shack are worlds better.</span></div>
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Nothing at the Optimist was revolting or inedible. The problem was that nothing tasted great or even good. While a modest home cook may not be able to prepare a piece of monkfish to perfection, they could surely impart more memorable (or in this case, existing) flavors. The best bite I had all evening was the complimentary bread - fluffy, buttery and topped with some quality salt, it was a nice bite to kick off what I (at the time) suspected would be a great meal. But alas, it was the only bite I fully enjoyed for the rest of the evening. I began wondering if I had burned my tongue severely on the gumbo because after that, I didn't taste much of anything.</div>
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P.S. The valet parking here sucks - they have a huge lot, with tons of empty spaces, yet it took us about 10 minutes to retrieve our car. When will restaurants stop using valet?</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1677948/restaurant/Westside/The-Optimist-Atlanta"><img alt="The Optimist on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1677948/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-9851040782903911422011-12-22T09:27:00.002-05:002011-12-22T09:30:46.909-05:00Takorea - Trend Latching AtlantansAdmittedly, I never really liked Hankook and since Takorea is essentially the same food, well I don't like it much either.<br /><br />Takorea/Hankook's success exemplifies Atlanta's ability to latch on to a trend and perpetuate it into a mass success. In the end, the food doesn't matter so long as the concept is creative (I hesitate to call it that).<br /><br />Korean/Mexican fusion is a wonderful idea and one that Hankook/Takorea obviously ganked from LA's Kogi BBQ. If you've ever had the opportunity to try Kogi, you'd know how good korexican could be. In the end, Tokorea exhibits little attention to detail. All of the ingredients are there, but the execution is poor.<br /><br />The takos mainly hit one note. The ribeye needs caramelization aka better flavor development. The sauces need focus on subtle, popping, and complimentary flavors - not beat-you-over-the-head sweetness. The fried items (shrimp, calamari, japanese sweet potatoes) need a lighter, crispier batter. I would have rather eaten the japanese sweet potato naked than their limp, fried (they called it tempura) rendition. The sweet chili aioli dipping sauce was stupidly good.<br /><br />Your best bet at Takook is the Alton Brown touted bibimbap. While not nearly as good as Woo Nam Jeong, it'll do the trick in a pinch.<br /><br />The cooks need to try some Kogi to see where they're missing the mark. Again, the concept/menu is great, but they're completely flubbing on the food.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1618191/restaurant/Midtown/Takorea-Atlanta"><img alt="Takorea on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1618191/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-88003434519665833952011-10-26T08:34:00.005-04:002011-10-26T09:08:24.957-04:00Quickie - Octane at the Jane / Little Tart BakeshopFor those few of you that haven't heard, Octane Coffee has opened their newest outpost in Grant Park - Octane at the Jane. This wouldn't concern me much, as I don't drink coffee, but the new lofty digs houses <a href="http://www.littletartatl.com/">The Little Tart Bakeshop</a> which makes this far more than a coffee shop. I first had the opportunity to try the Little Tart's offerings at an <a href="http://www.atlantaundergroundmarket.com/">Atlanta Underground Market</a> and I was floored by how good her pastries were. The apple/cheddar and pear/ginger turnovers were some of the best fruit filled pasty I've ever had.<br /><br />Rather than wait for the next local Farmer's market, Little Tart's goods are now offered up around the clock at the new Octane. And the best part about that is, you can have items warm from the oven. The technical prowress that is exhibitied behind the display glass is astounding. Flakes are where they should be, moistness remains at the forefront, and unique flavor combinations are embodied in a variety of items. The aforementioned turnovers are not to be missed, nor should the pain au chocolat. However, the item that truly blew both kins and I away was the bacon/cheddar scone. More like a biscuit in texture (a fluffy center with layers of texture/flake surrounding), these scones are irresistible and have kept us coming back way more than we should have. Make sure you get their early to not only enjoy a warm scone, but to actually get one - they're made in small batches and run out frequently.<br /><br />This is certainly my favorite option for morning pastries in Atlanta.<br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1624382/restaurant/Grant-Park/Octane-at-the-Jane-Atlanta"><img alt="Octane at the Jane on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1624382/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-77970151106882500672011-09-23T10:05:00.009-04:002011-09-23T13:10:17.838-04:00HD1 - Haute Doggery Opening NightI got a chance to stop in and try HD1 (Haute Doggery), Richard Blaise's latest endeavor last night. If you couldn't tell by the name, the concept is supposed to be a new take on hot dogs, much like his flagship operation, Flip Burger Boutique. Being a big proponent of Flip, I thought I'd walk away from HD1 a big fan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykbwC8e_mCnQE7Gn0VsUzk7WF8Y4dO5V_BA06tb7RydBhPuxQgXLoqYNhzPrF4JvgnyftOeF8xQIaV88nhij16920aVYVBGSzyhiI5103YeWjWtvAprrGLuEYjQuTbmdr5yPcQhRXYIFS/s1600/classic-open.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykbwC8e_mCnQE7Gn0VsUzk7WF8Y4dO5V_BA06tb7RydBhPuxQgXLoqYNhzPrF4JvgnyftOeF8xQIaV88nhij16920aVYVBGSzyhiI5103YeWjWtvAprrGLuEYjQuTbmdr5yPcQhRXYIFS/s400/classic-open.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655602675600550850" border="0" /></a>The experience was nice enough and while I can't point out any particular shortcomings, I left shrugging my shoulders. The atmosphere is a little more laid back than Flip and the servers and vibe are less pretentious/clubby feeling. Interestingly, orders are placed at the counter and a very swift team serves and removes your items from the communal dining area.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MvORG5-v4BAEFRonHvlNaEBiFchD2vhyELyqDKOXdZ_vns4iLHfDlCF5I-HghGIPA_A0_pZ7r0jKQDJMrtL67BX_0NcROkzWAavLBnGppJ_jZ7YRjWzhaku_DALTcnx9b3Zvet24-X_q/s1600/photo+2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MvORG5-v4BAEFRonHvlNaEBiFchD2vhyELyqDKOXdZ_vns4iLHfDlCF5I-HghGIPA_A0_pZ7r0jKQDJMrtL67BX_0NcROkzWAavLBnGppJ_jZ7YRjWzhaku_DALTcnx9b3Zvet24-X_q/s320/photo+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655570027231674114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Kenturkey</span><br /><br /></span></div>We started with a shrimp in fried grits appetizer which unsurprisingly, was nothing more than well, fried shrimp. The Haute dogs were good. I ordered a Classic (beef with mustard and kraut) and a Kenturkey that came with bacon, mornay, and tomato-pimento marmalade. The Classic was probably the better of the two. It had some nice snap and the kraut and the mustard were perfect <span style="font-style: italic;">classic</span> compliments. The Kenturkey was well done but a little too sweet. The New England style hot dog buns are addictive with that sublime combination of buttery, sweet, soft and crispy. For a side we opted for the waffle fries and while covered with maple, they were particularly boring.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6itFbwG3MhRVF9fP5Cr6aAH9UVgiVwSXYQ6g359Ue71FiQaun5Q7de5s20JdPImH7C1uwxJYC12ywYi0lDaQyIVA53ANTNXRnu_5Jl6k0NWrwYKnjObM42gm4CPvHcIVdxm3kogU8ciT/s1600/classic-fries.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6itFbwG3MhRVF9fP5Cr6aAH9UVgiVwSXYQ6g359Ue71FiQaun5Q7de5s20JdPImH7C1uwxJYC12ywYi0lDaQyIVA53ANTNXRnu_5Jl6k0NWrwYKnjObM42gm4CPvHcIVdxm3kogU8ciT/s400/classic-fries.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655602887530520194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Waffled Fries<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div>If you get a chance to study the menu, you'll notice that you can purchase most every one of the hot dog/sausage varieties somewhere in Atlanta. And let's face it, cooking a hot dog might be a culinary step below making a proper grilled cheese. However, the creativity and uniqueness of HD1 is in the toppings, rather the tubed meat and that is HD1's shorcomming. One of the things I love about Flip are the nontraditional patties. You can't get a shrimp burger, ossobucco burger, chorizo or tuna tartar anywhere in Atlanta. This is why I can't possibly hold Haute Doggery in the same regard as its older brother. HD1 is definitely a good place to stop for a quick bite, but not destination dining.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDia1KB-QCXHQzsRHbJcx7UdfryV9ZYCwj83iZT8bWsEGsbTsaTvZxyuwrQBnK7JjKbchVDmmOSBCQX7acXRtLBzQUoF5HBK6O2ZV-DsJkYx7zFEBA_XnW6RJXJvh28zC_S9B_gMBnz02_/s1600/classic.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDia1KB-QCXHQzsRHbJcx7UdfryV9ZYCwj83iZT8bWsEGsbTsaTvZxyuwrQBnK7JjKbchVDmmOSBCQX7acXRtLBzQUoF5HBK6O2ZV-DsJkYx7zFEBA_XnW6RJXJvh28zC_S9B_gMBnz02_/s320/classic.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655603049497851186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">The Classic<br /></span></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1619913/restaurant/Poncey-Highlands/Hd1-Atlanta"><img alt="Hd1 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1619913/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; width: 104px; height: 15px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-90804742317596745952011-08-16T11:04:00.010-04:002011-08-16T19:15:43.767-04:00First Look - 5 Napkin BurgerI managed to stop in last night (grand opening) at Atlanta's latest and tardy entrant into the Burger Wars (eye roll) last night. If you don't follow my <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thefoodabides">tweets.</a> A hamburger is easily my favorite food item ever, but I'm so sick of burger joints sprouting up (and doing well) in Atlanta. Are Atlantans really that unadventurous that they need to have a specialty restaurant for sandwich that they can already order in every single other restaurant? What I hate most about the trend is that all of the new contenders sell a glorified diner burger. They're all cooked on a flattop, thin patties and none are cooked below medium well. I'm sorry, but essential and important flavor and juiciness is eliminated by cooking any burger above medium and I for one order mine medium-rare at a trustworthy establishment. This is exactly why, as contradictory as it seems, I was moderately excited about New York chain, 5 Napkins. I knew they used a 10-ounce patty and cooked to desired doneness which sounded very promising.
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<br />Situated in the former Nickimoto's spot at Piedmont and 10th, the location will get a ton of traffic. The inside comes off nicely, sort of like a Concentrics restaurant and it's certainly noisy like one too. The service was excellent for a first night and I have no complaints at all. I also have to say the food was good to excellent. I ordered the original which comes with gruyere, caramelized onions, and rosemary aioli. All the ingredients worked well together - the creamy tang of the gruyere complement the sweetness of the onions and the aioli had some nice garlic flavoring that hit the mark. The bun was also exceptional - perfectly buttered and griddled, it was soft, slightly sweet and not that dry spongy type of bun that I get too often with a burger. The only shortcoming on the burgers was that they were both overcooked. I ordered mine medium rare and definitely got an uneven medium well. Kins ordered hers medium and also received medium well.
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggu_ADVeOBFu5lHrpaDVYM7M01PoIyQJKKCyFJ0qGoZmtaoPh-cwThBUxvzM0Vfz7tIxSwKF1IRuFHuldr0mP__3dZk85FqDiGFotz0xbvszI-FdOjYrRyqB8vp1obVS7CI8daoxixlm7T/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggu_ADVeOBFu5lHrpaDVYM7M01PoIyQJKKCyFJ0qGoZmtaoPh-cwThBUxvzM0Vfz7tIxSwKF1IRuFHuldr0mP__3dZk85FqDiGFotz0xbvszI-FdOjYrRyqB8vp1obVS7CI8daoxixlm7T/s320/photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641501797476897330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Appologize for iPhone photo, forgot my camera
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<br />All in all it was a very enjoyable meal for an opening night. The service was very pleasant and helpful, but did seem a little unrehearsed which is completely forgivable given that they just opened. I will say that the meal was pricey. Two burgers (came with fries) and two shakes ran us $44.00 before tip. I certainly like the burgers at 5 Napkins better than most of their competition (Grindhouse, Yeah!, and the likes), but the price will definitely won't keep me away from my regular jaunts.
<br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1611184/restaurant/Midtown/Five-Napkin-Burger-Atlanta"><img alt="Five Napkin Burger on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1611184/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; width: 104px; height: 15px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-50020372321501006712011-06-19T21:50:00.014-04:002011-06-20T15:22:24.260-04:00Humble Pie - Pie ShopWith various songs and quotes featuring pie slathered across the wall, I didn't know what to make of Pie Shop. For one, what a strange location. Behind and under a little fenced-in commercial property with a pay-box lot, this diamond in the heart of all that I can't stand about Atlanta (primarily Buckhead) really is a refreshing slice of what this city needs. My first bite of that ganache pie sent me into a transcendental spin - was I really eating something this good, this simple in Atlanta? Coming down off my high, I just smirked and made sure I dabbed every bit of the crust flakes with my finger tip and returned them to where they belonged - my mouth.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSLhERz2Ua3kjOPvpMJfykqOENBQ-ufW8WqS1o_CzGZi7X0la7KjXO6GkujwVS4Yiom5TYCxHhDEY8pCRbCAJjnIzv4siGa0FI4xZiqNXWZx3Nzu8QUuRjc2lpOBc0GsRHcieW2KwNoK3/s1600/overall.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSLhERz2Ua3kjOPvpMJfykqOENBQ-ufW8WqS1o_CzGZi7X0la7KjXO6GkujwVS4Yiom5TYCxHhDEY8pCRbCAJjnIzv4siGa0FI4xZiqNXWZx3Nzu8QUuRjc2lpOBc0GsRHcieW2KwNoK3/s400/overall.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620266716612730002" border="0" /></a>Mims, the owner and baker extraordinaire, (wo)mans this newly-opened spot with 2 or 3 other ladies who are as equally passionate about (you guessed it) pie. Saying that Pie Shop serves up humble pie is an understatement. They did everything to make my compadre and me feel comfortable. They fielded all of our questions, provided us with <span style="font-style: italic;">generous </span>samples and provided quality service for a place that's essentially grab-and-go.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2ZH56irGUz6-C2BSPOktvWp60cE8u0983_DYPEaAe96UhBCZe-IQuj3xoz8WimcPRYdisa-uh00k3hn1kkZnzJznqbK8fkWj4ce5QC-XFs5ii9aspFXp239fD_dQ7Ip4i91386G-byW9/s1600/variety.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2ZH56irGUz6-C2BSPOktvWp60cE8u0983_DYPEaAe96UhBCZe-IQuj3xoz8WimcPRYdisa-uh00k3hn1kkZnzJznqbK8fkWj4ce5QC-XFs5ii9aspFXp239fD_dQ7Ip4i91386G-byW9/s400/variety.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620130489324881394" border="0" /></a>The pies were a huge success. We first sampled the mojito/mint bite. The staff told us it was similar to key lime pie and they weren't kidding. Just really great flavors in this one - I swear I even tasted a hint of sharp cheese in my bite. The banana caramel was absolutely decadent. Talk about a just smooth, rich bite. Next we tried their savory fried pie which featured corn, chive and something else I can't remember. I was probably most excited by the sound of this one, but it didn't really hit the mark for me. The dough was a little too heavy for a fried pie and didn't really give way to the more delicate filling. This is a minor complaint - I still had no problem polishing it off.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg0JcyXciqban2bYgbxrakLAiRRfzg_mMKt1t-W6IxJUZfhlg2sWoWRvEZVhMTbCz7mK-6JjEFbJe__-pRuE1xzyP1z166aX5Nuu2vgdn5_vZwIEhnVqIuGDTdLj51ZKxHISI8ISJU-Ex/s1600/date.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg0JcyXciqban2bYgbxrakLAiRRfzg_mMKt1t-W6IxJUZfhlg2sWoWRvEZVhMTbCz7mK-6JjEFbJe__-pRuE1xzyP1z166aX5Nuu2vgdn5_vZwIEhnVqIuGDTdLj51ZKxHISI8ISJU-Ex/s400/date.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620130834923773362" border="0" /></a>Also sampled were the date, mint crostata with fresh whipped cream. As someone who doesn't particularly go nuts for dates, this was a hit. The flavors just hit the mark and well, I'd eat that whipped cream off of the asphalt outside. I can also attest to how well crafted the watermelon chiffon was. While I hate all things melon, the miniature pie was like eating perfectly flavored watermelon air - exactly what a chiffon should be.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh836ZLq1FRNoMS24g_3wk0XRHM-QlHeefO9OAdZt1vdlaBHIPgKY3w0aHfCzi-fsfRb5COq2ZnJQ41RMcgGiUZTpb68QPgG9L_ioaJyFzGt5ccIvWtjCJLLMji1Kb00x_Id88gKYNSAw7F/s1600/watermelon.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh836ZLq1FRNoMS24g_3wk0XRHM-QlHeefO9OAdZt1vdlaBHIPgKY3w0aHfCzi-fsfRb5COq2ZnJQ41RMcgGiUZTpb68QPgG9L_ioaJyFzGt5ccIvWtjCJLLMji1Kb00x_Id88gKYNSAw7F/s400/watermelon.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620132672305245922" border="0" /></a>The grand slam for me however, was their simply titled ganache pie. Sumamabitch. I'm constantly complaining how chocolate desserts in Atlanta just aren't chocolatey enough. I can complain no more. This is not that Hershey pie they serve in a box at your at BK. Oh no, this is far more enjoyable. Essentially it looks just like an icebox pie, but calling it that would be and insult. The intense chocolate filling is exactly what my insatiable chocolate hound self has been looking for. I ate this slice slow, and not because it was hard to stomach. So light, but so full of flavor. Wow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoZcCdJigAm-67An8uvpQEJcUe-hHFl7heoZ3TiIprW58KIxWqlwGaZiHxY5oXjTVDatuX2nrLrwfmjT7U3JcAxDdiELGqolT-dVGQvUK0VohRNGLLPoGpYHtgr5AXOmww65yb4vvmPeF/s1600/ganache.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoZcCdJigAm-67An8uvpQEJcUe-hHFl7heoZ3TiIprW58KIxWqlwGaZiHxY5oXjTVDatuX2nrLrwfmjT7U3JcAxDdiELGqolT-dVGQvUK0VohRNGLLPoGpYHtgr5AXOmww65yb4vvmPeF/s400/ganache.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620132794467600082" border="0" /></a>I can't stress enough how Pie Shop is already one of Atlanta's best dessert spots (it's actually difficult to name many more). The boutique and artisinal pies are perfectly executed and the staff isn't pretentious in the slightest - which is often a by-product of such quality goods. They're cranking out new pies every week, so while it might be impossible to get the above examples, it doesn't matter. When you visit Pie Shop, you're in capable hands. Trust.<br /><br />My gripes: My only criticism of pie shop was that the same type of crust was used on all pies except the mojito one. I think some additional variety of crusts that are more complimentary to the fillings would really be a bonus to the near-perfect pies. Secondly, I sure as hell hope that Pie Shop doesn't inspire a whole bunch of other pie shops. I realize that delicious pie is delicious pie, but like cupcakes and burgers (of which Atlanta was a late adopter of) pies have been the big "thing" in larger cities (especially New York) the last couple of years. What I do hope, is that Pie Shop inspires more varied concepts of different, well-done specialty joints across the city.<br /><br />I leave you with this little diddy from the wall of pie:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexfPtjEluITqbq6DaRtFpxYx83sxXu2wLokVmoBrh2Vy6DhIIksHRhoU5s-yNX8egkO7n4IFwhg6y4UmwbnRMumMoeehp0-CVjank-VnDeL-O1bb_yzURK9LFx2B1TKmY1idQtWY1KiKC/s1600/honeypie.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexfPtjEluITqbq6DaRtFpxYx83sxXu2wLokVmoBrh2Vy6DhIIksHRhoU5s-yNX8egkO7n4IFwhg6y4UmwbnRMumMoeehp0-CVjank-VnDeL-O1bb_yzURK9LFx2B1TKmY1idQtWY1KiKC/s320/honeypie.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620133095816959298" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1601420/restaurant/Buckhead-Brookhaven/Pie-Shop-Atlanta"><img alt="Pie Shop on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1601420/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none ; width: 104px; height: 15px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-81269302103252411472011-05-10T09:09:00.002-04:002011-06-14T08:32:43.333-04:00Awesome New York Subway Car SupperclubIf you haven't seen this yet, give it a watch. Several supperclubs came together to serve unsuspecting MTA riders a multi-course meal. Awesome.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2BDZFPpLMRU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-57164181134431405152011-04-07T15:58:00.002-04:002011-04-07T16:05:32.814-04:00Medium Rathbun - Kevin Rathbun SteakAdmittedly, I don't often go to steakhouses for the simple fact that steaks aren't particularly difficult to cook. If I'm going to drop all that coin on some food, it had better be something I can't readily make. I realize that I can't really buy this quality of meat and/or age it and that certainly adds to the upscale steakhouse draw. Rathbun steak has a pretty gleaming reputation, so I made my once-every-two-years steakhouse plans here.<br /><br />The bread and butter selection was terrific. I'd avoid the appetizers all together and polish off a basket of it.<br /><br />We kicked off the meal with some lobster fritters. Our waiter really pitched them as a standout item but I can't say much more about them besides the fact that they were fried and lobster. They were satisfyingly salty bites and nothing else. For our main we ended up ordering the dry aged steak for two. It's a great option since each person has the opportunity to try essentially two cuts of steak in one. They'll prop it up table-side so the jus collects at the edge of the plate - which will then be spooned over your meat by a server. The steak was good, as expected, but not otherworldly. I was surprised how much fat there was on the tenderloin side of the porterhouse but it was just too delicious to avoid.<br /><br />The sides at Rathbun Steak set it apart from other Atlanta steakhouses. They're just slightly less traditional, but well executed starchy goodness. The mac and cheese with truffle was excellent and the creamed corn blew our whole table away.<br /><br />I read the reviews about KRS being too dark and too noisy but frankly, I didn't think either of these points had much merit. We had no problem seeing our menus or hearing our own party. The interior design is pretty striking and I found the environment to be a much appreciated departure from the normal, stuffy private-club like atmosphere of most steakhouses.<br /><br />While the steaks will certainly hit the mark, the sides and atmosphere are truly where Rathbun Steak sets themselves apart.<br /><br />As to the title - I realize that Kevin Rathbun is anything and everything but medium, but my creative ability to come up with anything more clever than that is lacking today.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/121115/restaurant/Inman-Park/Kevin-Rathbun-Steak-Atlanta"><img alt="Kevin Rathbun Steak on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/121115/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-11016732721622046872011-04-05T10:31:00.001-04:002011-04-05T10:34:02.321-04:00Fritti - It's not Antico, obviously.It's not Antico. If you're going to compare the two, Antico is better. However, if Antico is a 10, Fritti is about a 7.5 or 8 which is certainly respectable. What I'm getting at is that your pizza is in capable hands and ovens at Fritti.<br />I've had a number of items here and the standouts to me are still the Margherita and the "Ananas e Gorgonzola."<br /><br />The Margherita just works - perfect ratio of quality ingredients. The "Ananas e Gorgonzola" combines pineapple, gorgonzola, and aged balsamic. Of course, that combination already sounds appetizing, but when I consider how sublimely fresh that pineapple was, well gat-damn. The crust is light, airy and a nice amount of crisp but it just doesn't have that flavor and chew of the Antico. Then again, it doesn't get soupy either.<br /><br />Honorable mention goes to the calamari - yes it's a tired and overplayed appetizer, but they do it right. Perfectly seasoned, satisfingly crunchy and plenty of the non-tube tentacle pieces. Simply and well-done.<br /><br />Reasons in which Fritti is better than Antico-you can make a reservation and sit down comfortably and Buckhead isn't entirely overrunning the joint. They don't burn the shit out of their basil every, single time. Oh, and the staff is friendlier.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/120222/restaurant/Inman-Park/Fritti-Atlanta"><img alt="Fritti on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/120222/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-81382118446451771282011-03-17T14:12:00.009-04:002011-03-17T15:35:24.328-04:00Delia's Chicken Sausage StandIt's 70 degrees, sunny and you've got a sausage in one hand and a shake in the other. Can you think of a better way to spend you lunch break? I couldn't, and that's why I headed over to the newly opened Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand in East Atlanta today. I don't usually give a whole lot of background on each place I visit, but essentially Molly from the <a href="http://www.thefoodabides.com/2011/02/beer-me-porter-beer-bar.html">Porter</a> is one of the owners and was working there today. I'm guessing she partnered up with Delia who mastered the chicken sausage. The space is quite small with only counter space inside and a total of 6 seats with tables outside. The stand has an inspired menu and a terrific concept and I'm hoping they inspire more cheap eats around town (especially in tubed meat form). The business is pretty smart in being open till 4AM and being within a stone's throw from every East Atlanta drinking establishment. Literally you have Graveyard Tavern, The Earl, Eastside Lounge and several others within a very short (2 blocks) walking distance. The sausages are made of Springer Mountain chickens and they try to keep everything as local as possible - spices from south Atlanta and bread from H&F Bakery.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuu6r8A4Bovx6h4Oza_Dsr9_6LxtmkahNHu-9H2najU6Fi0LFQdV4tWbFMQP5k605fFWrnWjyge21wG2nJW4rudhPWV_a3F89SwK4GckXaVjmt_WG03kkz-7CskzXsgxSv6IQ7PSAhhJ_/s1600/shake2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuu6r8A4Bovx6h4Oza_Dsr9_6LxtmkahNHu-9H2najU6Fi0LFQdV4tWbFMQP5k605fFWrnWjyge21wG2nJW4rudhPWV_a3F89SwK4GckXaVjmt_WG03kkz-7CskzXsgxSv6IQ7PSAhhJ_/s400/shake2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585128845419755922" border="0" /></a>I ordered the Hot Mess, some fries (they call them "wedgies" which just reminds me of Moe's Joey Bag of Nonsense) and a cake shake. They couldn't have named the Hot Mess any better cause that thing was an accident waiting to happen. And sure enough it did - on my first bite, the entire sausage, chilli, and cheese sauce fell right through the bottom of the roll! Luckily, I was leaning over the table and it landed back in the box - could have been a lot worse. I wondered to myself whether or not the bun was actually attached at the bottom but I'm pretty sure it just instantly became saturated and gave way. All in all, the sausage was enjoyable but I have just a few notes to improve upon. The sausage I had tasted more like a hotdog than a sausage. It was just lacking some general oomph I come to crave in a good sausage. I wish it had been a little thicker - go ahead get all your "tee-hee's" out of the way. You'll see, I took two pictures and even after I took a bite, you can't see the link because it lacked the girth (OK, you have my permision to laugh like a school girl at that one).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHAe39xl4M0mZpNjrn4mwOIBmLdCcUMT5ObaP_wy5YlmkbxeObz46ks5_Tp9XT-Rf2rp0mAUnPkM0uYHvbJD6NFLtm01QsHxHd62zu5vj6AXK_ieLvaTiA67xhvHZ4wYaWLn3qxXeNCEt/s1600/shake4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHAe39xl4M0mZpNjrn4mwOIBmLdCcUMT5ObaP_wy5YlmkbxeObz46ks5_Tp9XT-Rf2rp0mAUnPkM0uYHvbJD6NFLtm01QsHxHd62zu5vj6AXK_ieLvaTiA67xhvHZ4wYaWLn3qxXeNCEt/s400/shake4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585129307134903058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ain't nothin' but a Hot Mess</span></span><br /></div>The chili was great as was the H&F bun (which has come to be expected) but the cheese sauce blended a little too seamlessly into the chili and became lost. I think it could stand to be thickened up just a notch so it would stand out more.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUnyHZGAywAI3Yn6eWc95ehENdmkXkiNCnsO2Ax0zbCBmCmj3rgAimUGAkfC7PO_RGZzJ4FMQ9BPir6yCu0FBz8G9LQMAI7PMM8fx-yOlacihcQvY9ygvetbozUCfDP8sPJVAh-MwCeiQ/s1600/shake.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUnyHZGAywAI3Yn6eWc95ehENdmkXkiNCnsO2Ax0zbCBmCmj3rgAimUGAkfC7PO_RGZzJ4FMQ9BPir6yCu0FBz8G9LQMAI7PMM8fx-yOlacihcQvY9ygvetbozUCfDP8sPJVAh-MwCeiQ/s400/shake.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585129651588939586" border="0" /></a>I'm sort of a fry and shake nazi, so I'm often disappointed in these two items. The shake however, was surprisingly decent. As soon as I saw them drop the handle on the soft serve machine I cringed (shakes should be made with hard-scooped), but the damn thing actually tasted pretty good. Delia's just threw some chocolate flakes in the ice cream and added a perfect amount of milk so the shake remained thick. The weird thing (although it's not that weird if you consider the name) of the cake shake was that there is like an entire cupcake on the top of the shake.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BO6kuU-u13NEt-n4ARlUGNsDGQqJJ2SvsNkuZtROpulI0qHNYH1HxcuTleyVF9sVrCWMlG9-0dMIV9FQx4klSNYW9pINMOWohL-XPzJtBzVlD3VdajAkln2LOikOKY92CK5JhpYckBIU/s1600/shake5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BO6kuU-u13NEt-n4ARlUGNsDGQqJJ2SvsNkuZtROpulI0qHNYH1HxcuTleyVF9sVrCWMlG9-0dMIV9FQx4klSNYW9pINMOWohL-XPzJtBzVlD3VdajAkln2LOikOKY92CK5JhpYckBIU/s400/shake5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585129901274439890" border="0" /></a>Between the chocolate flakes and the cupcake, the shake was pretty much impossible to sip through the straw but I ate the thing like cake and ice cream and it really brought me back to the blissful ignorance of being a mindless snot-nosed kid at a friend's birthday party.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PbBvTWFDp7Czj7gRF7VwhbpVyBbYNXxSRGJtMhqTSJEiANdCLkhpKG4LymqFdS_BQxlpU28F68Nl8xtJRioSbfOLU5QMZZ8Zm-nPAvYGc5DLtOmH7NIJU5-X68PuqIZLP0fBU7htVSn3/s1600/shake3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PbBvTWFDp7Czj7gRF7VwhbpVyBbYNXxSRGJtMhqTSJEiANdCLkhpKG4LymqFdS_BQxlpU28F68Nl8xtJRioSbfOLU5QMZZ8Zm-nPAvYGc5DLtOmH7NIJU5-X68PuqIZLP0fBU7htVSn3/s400/shake3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585130400890464450" border="0" /></a>The wedgies were kind of just a throwaway side - they were similar to KFC's battered fries and just boring.<br /><br />I thought Delia's was pretty good considering that it's brand new and they have a local/organic mission. I will definitely come back and try some of their other sausage offerings - the Italian Stallion is talking to me! The price is slightly more expensive than other lunch options, but only by a dollar or two and that's really worth the piece of mind of eating something made locally.<br /><br />One more small note - They should really ask, "For here or to-go?" at the counter as they give everyone their orders in giant paper bags and boxes which just seems wasteful.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1580640/restaurant/East-Atlanta/Delias-Chicken-Sausage-Stand-Atlanta"><img alt="Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1580640/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none ; width: 104px; height: 15px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508003792255455655.post-15735448144643582572011-02-21T17:32:00.007-05:002011-02-28T10:30:44.030-05:00Beer Me - The Porter Beer BarPretty much like Brickstore but better. At off-peak hours, the place is charming. When the crowds come poring in (as they often do), it still ain't bad. It's a small place, but for whatever reason, I never feel cramped or annoyed despite the very small and often crowded bar.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwMHfhARg-Vn-opAjTcnz43k4Y-TUhOsdXNCjtaPnfT8rW1QsQloGYGHMjVzJwo7ij0ku6VyM4fY9z4Ejn83VMwsGH7jKCv5JPiF7TUrAEOKFm5laMvfEuv2zcyBTp32JLa2WI89Pd4x8/s1600/pork.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwMHfhARg-Vn-opAjTcnz43k4Y-TUhOsdXNCjtaPnfT8rW1QsQloGYGHMjVzJwo7ij0ku6VyM4fY9z4Ejn83VMwsGH7jKCv5JPiF7TUrAEOKFm5laMvfEuv2zcyBTp32JLa2WI89Pd4x8/s400/pork.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578762091504422914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Vindaloo Ravioli</span><br /><br /></div>The beer list is extensive, but if you're reading this review you already know that. The food is similarly as ambitious as their beer menu and almost all items are made in house. The problem with the Porter is that I've had equal hits and misses with the food. The goat cheese fritters with honey and black pepper is perfect. I don't care if Ecco did it first, Ecco isn't this chill. I once had a pork Vindaloo ravioli with those beautiful little watermelon radishes that was as splendid to taste as it was to look at. I'm also a big fan of the mac and cheese. However, pub staples have always suffered every time I've ordered them - particularly that burger.<br /><br />Where to start on that damned burger? Let's work our way in. Starting with the delicious bun. It comes on an oversized, delicious asiago cheese bun. The bun is delicious on it's own, butit doesn't work with the burger. Not to mention you can't figure out how to hold (because of the cheesy top) or bite (because it's oversized) the thing. The pickles and pickled onions (I wish more places would throw this on a burger) are really quite good, however an entire clove of pickled garlic made its way onto my bun on my last visit. I think it was part of the pickling solution. The bacon has always been overcooked - like too crispy strips of bacon bits. Given the quality of much of their food, you'd think they could cook a hamburger patty to temp. NEVER. Every time I order medium rare, every time I get medium well. Really aggravating. Additionally, I think that they should really switch to hand-cut fries as these get boring after a few. They're advertised as Belgian fries, but they're just not there.<br /><br />Outside of their burger and a couple of other small items, their food is pretty terrific and leagues above Brickstore Pub. The Porter is one of Atlanta's best offerings and I encourage anyone who likes beer, or just a different non-Atlanta vibe to stop in.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi7Rlv5NczK3DDu4c2HnBpo5fsqU0EOqs_g5a5z4xvjCZuaUKLg0hrzOIbGqhruz7F99ajjrX1eqSPMRK-xSW4MbjcMrJUA08f9lipurO14TZ8GcuXkjhgoeneD4LfI6FmYrEX4g-6zaI/s1600/cheese.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi7Rlv5NczK3DDu4c2HnBpo5fsqU0EOqs_g5a5z4xvjCZuaUKLg0hrzOIbGqhruz7F99ajjrX1eqSPMRK-xSW4MbjcMrJUA08f9lipurO14TZ8GcuXkjhgoeneD4LfI6FmYrEX4g-6zaI/s400/cheese.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578762902413093906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Goat Cheese Fritters</span></span><br /></div>I apologize for the lack of pictures (and iPhone ones at that). It's been a long time since I last reviewed and hope to have more frequent posts in the near future.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/741159/restaurant/Little-Five-Points-Candler-Park/The-Porter-Atlanta"><img alt="The Porter on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/741159/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none ; width: 104px; height: 15px;" /></a>TFAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032041843198207153noreply@blogger.com2