Decatur: Pea Ridge

I have been asleep at the wheel. Pea Ridge has been ensconced in the Pea Ridge neighborhood on the Tucker/Decatur border for a year now. Luckily, I woke up and enjoyed a wonderful meal there. The restaurant is in a remodeled store---I don't remember exactly what it used to be, but it was pretty darn homey. The new décor is welcoming and fresh but unpretentious. The service was extremely gracious and welcoming in the best Southern tradition. The food is locally sourced and of very high quality.

These zucchini and feta fritters were an outstanding twist on a Southern tradition. (I will note, however, that they arrived at the same time as the main courses despite being billed as an appetizer.) Both the zucchini and feta contributed to the moistness of the fritters. The feta was creamy without being overpowering, allowing the zucchini to come through delicately. The horseradish was a perfect dip.

This burger was simple but very well prepared. I managed to sample the homemade chips, which were perfectly crisp and nicely salty.

I ordered the chicken and sausage gumbo, which I greatly enjoyed. The okra was very fresh. That toast was perfectly done---charring so delicately is an art. The sausage was the star of the dish. It was very meaty and rich, with a bit of heat as a kicker.

I couldn't pass up this delicious chocolate icebox pie. The interior is vanilla ice cream; the crust is made from those chocolate wafers that Mom used to buy at the grocery store. The chocolate sauce and strawberries on top were just right.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

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