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

Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft

2012-01-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hyesoon and I kicked off the workaday part of the new year with a lunch at Tuk Tuk. It's on Peachtree in the shopping center that formerly housed Borders. The third floor location has a great view of midtown that Hyesoon tells me is spectacular at night.

I chose the lunch box special but substituted tofu for beef in the curry. It also came with a chicken dish and a soup. The soup was very subtly flavorful, the highlight of the meal. The curry was also enjoyable. Getting the tofu substituted took a bit of negotiating; they have very few tofu dishes on the menu to my surprise. Service was a little spotty given the aspirations and prices of the restaurant. Overall, I expected to be wowed a little more, but the food was certainly well above par.

Heirloom Market BBQ

2011-12-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

Heirloom Market BBQ's location certainly pays homage to BBQ tradition but it's heck to find, particularly if you are driving in from the west. You are looking for this building on Akers Mill Road. The "food mart" next door seems to specialize in liquid foods of the fermented and distilled varieties, just like so many BBQ places, but it serves truly outstanding and original food. The entire place is tiny. The order stand could fit in a shoebox, there are only a couple of small tables and counters, and the kitchen staff isn't any better off for space. I was there in mid-afternoon and didn't have any problems finding a place to sit but I understand that the wait in line at lunch can be very long.

I went for the North Carolina pork sandwich with Korean sweet potatoes. The pork was tender while retaining its texture. It was served on a great egg bun; I consider white bread to be my sole complaint with BBQ culture. I'm not sure what was Korean about the sweet potatoes, which were extremely fresh potato chips, but they were so good that I had to restrain myself. One of the standards sauces is Korean, which I used on my sandwich. The place definitely has a Korean bent, as evidenced by their home-canned cucumber kimchi.

Alpharetta: La Casa Italian Grill

2011-12-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

La Casa is in a house in what I think of as old downtown Alpharetta. The atmosphere is definitely elegant without being showy. The service is of the excellent, friendly, attentive, yet unassuming style that I have come to expect from Italian family restaurants.

I staretd with a salad, which was very fresh and light. My main course was a Margherita-style pizza. The crust was excellent, chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The sauce was rich with tomato flavor. The cheeses were fresh and excellent. Overall, I had a wondeful meal.

Sandy Springs: Hearth Pizza

2011-12-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I had lunch at Hearth Pizza. It's in the Whole Foods shopping center on always-crowded Roswell Road. The atmosphere is upscale casual. The decor is rich, dark woods. The bar is central to the space and it has its share of TV screens but they aren't too obtrusive. The walls sport photos of some of the most famous New York pizza venues.

We started with salads and some meatballs. The meatballs were rich and moist and the tomato sauce was of the fresh variety, populated by small chunks of tomato. We then followed with a pizza. Beware, their pizzas are fairly small. Their larger size was just enough for both of us. The pizza was OK but not, in my humble view, entirely worthy of the surroundings. The crust didn't have the chewy/crusty combination that is the essence of New York pizza. We also found the service to be a little spotty; we generally had to ask for help rather than being checked on. Overall, come here for the atmosphere, not the food.

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

2011-12-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

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 business of dipping candies, I also decided to make a batch of caramel. I ended up making two: the first one was just a little too hard and the second one was very soft. The temperature I cooked the second batch was only 3-4 degrees below the first batch but the result was very different. The candies were soft enough that gravity would flatten them out just a little. But that is a perfect consistency for chocolate dipping.

Here is the final result, thanks to my newfound chocolate skills. I dipped the ginger in small clusters which makes a very nice visual presentation. Dark chocolate is the perfect complement to the subtleness of the pressure cooker ginger. And the caramels are just luscious.

Marietta: Red Elephant Thai Cuisine

2011-12-15T05:12:00.000-08:00

A business lunch took me to Red Elephant, located near the intersection of the Perimeter and I-75 in the business park district. The atmosphere is bright and modern.

I started with Tom Kha Kai, the chicken coconut soup and followed with mixed vegetables and tofu. Everything was pleasant but the spices, one of my favorite parts of Thai food, barely raise their heads. This is a fine place for someone who is new to Thai food or not a big spice person but I wouldn't call it adventuresome.

Gnaw Bone IN: Gnaw Mart

2011-12-08T07:16:00.001-08:00

Yes, Gnaw Bone is the name of the town, to the extent that this wide spot in the road qualifies as a town. To cap my meaty tour of the Midwest, Jennifer and Steve took me to Gnaw Mart to sample the specialty, the tenderloin sandwich.

They don't start to serve these beauties until 11 AM. We made sure that we got the first ones by ordering 20 minutes early. The tenderloin is broasted---fried in a pressure cooker. The result is very flavorful and tender. The potato chips were also handmade and just right. This isn't a light meal---I felt it for several hours. But the company and the food were both well worth the trip.

Bloomington IN: Little Zagreb

2011-12-08T07:12:00.001-08:00

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So my IU host Steve Johnson arranged for us to have dinner at the local shrine to carnivores, Little Zagreb. No wimpy goulash here, this is all meat.

We started with a pork rib appetizer. The sauce is zesty but not overly hot. The pork was very tender and a good way to start out the meal. I also had a salad, my one lapse from meat frenzy.

Look at that steak. It was very tender and juicy. Plus it was huge---Steve and I split it. Eating the whole thing would have put me into a meat-induced coma but this was an excellent, classic steak dinner.

Bloomington IN: Sugar and Spice

2011-12-08T07:07:00.001-08:00

My visit to Indiana University started with a late arrival. So when I woke up, I was ready for a little treat. The IU Student Union is one of those things that makes college towns great: a hotel plus all the conveniences of student life. Sugar and Spice is a bakery in the student center that specializes in two of the basic food groups: sugar and caffeine. I believe the pastries are organic; the coffee definitely is. My cherry turnover was delicious, with flaky pastry and a very cherry filling.

Johns Creek: Alessio's

2011-11-30T10:03:00.001-08:00

A visit to my friends Yu and Fumin necessitated a pizza pickup. A quick search turned up Alessio's. It's a classic neighborhood pizza place: casual atmosphere, a little big screen action, diverse menu. We enjoyed our veggie pizza. The crust was a good balance of thin/crispy and chewy. It's the sort of comfort food that one can find a lot of in the Northeast.

Penzeys Spices

2011-11-23T17:05:00.001-08:00

Penzeys Spices opened on Roswell Road a couple of months go just a few doors down from Trader Joe's. Thanksgiving is prime time for spices so I was happy to have a chance to visit. I must say it smells great. The spices hit you as soon as you walk in the door. They carry a wide range of spices, some of them more common and some much more difficult to find. One of the best features of the store is that you can buy spices in small quantities at reasonable prices. Remember Alton Brown's admonishment to use spices within three months---buying small quantities makes sense for all but the most everyday spices. I bought some cardamom pods for myself that I haven't had a chance to try yet but should be a lot of fun. I also picked up a mixture of several varieties of cinnamon for my friend Baker Bob the Pie Master. I'm looking forward to seeing/tasting what he does with it.

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Umma

2011-11-17T06:48:00.001-08:00

Umma opened a few weeks ago in Tech Square serving sushi and Korean food. It's a very simple, low-key but attractive place. Think of it as a brigher, happier version of all the noodle shops that workers go to every day for lunch. They have a variety of noodle and rice bowls. (I saw the bowls and they are huge.) I concentrated on my usual sushi: spicy tuna and salmon. Both were quite good. They came with a traditional assortment of appetizers including a few slices of omlette and a simple soup. They seem to be open quite late as well, very good news since late-night fare is surprisingly limited around Georgia Tech.

Brookhaven: Haven

2011-11-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

The fact that Haven is an outstanding restaurant isn't exactly news. I visited there several years ago and had told myself on more than one occasion that I should go back. Hyesoon and I finally made it and had an excellent time. The food is outstanding. The atmosphere is upscale casual---you feel that people come there to have a night out without feeling pressure to reach some standard of attire and sophistication.

We each tried the Tuesday special: burger, cheese, bacon, fries, and glass of wine (or beer if you prefer). All the ingredients are carefully selected. The bacon was a standout, but when does bacon ever play second fiddle to any ingredient? The burger is messy in a fun way, which fits very well with Haven's atmosphere.

We tried the banana pudding for dessert. Those are little tiny vanila wafers on the side. The small size makes a cute and surprisingly effective twist on the classic combo. The pudding is served in a jelly jar and a full-size wafer just wouldn't work. Remember to dig in---the bananas are hidden in the middle of the jar.

Sushi Kiku

2011-11-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Se Hun was very kind to take our group to Sushi Kiku on Lenox Road. Lunch is a large buffet, including sushi as well as hot food. Think of this place as an American version of a Japanese beer and sushi bar. Kiku looks in many ways like a sports bar: lots of screens playing football, lots of people talking over lunch. The food here is surprisingly good, particularly the sushi. I went back for a second helping of sushi and I found all my (boring, white girl) favorites: spicy tuna and salmon. Overall, convenient, fun atmosphere, and good food.

Decatur: Chinese Dhaba

2011-11-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

The latest outpost of Chinese Dhaba is in Patel Plaza near North Dekalb Mall. (Their original location is on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.) It is a very simple place---you order at the counter---but brightly lit and cheery.

I asked for something interesting and was pointed to the bullet chicken. It's billed as dry, but it has a small amount of sauce clinging to the chicken. It's also laden with pieces of chili and garlic. It was very tasty and quite hot. I didn't cry but my nose did start to drip, so the heat definitely got my attention.

Alpharetta: Lee Garden

2011-11-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Lee Garden is off Holcomb Bridge Road, right behind Alpha Soda. It fits the classic Atlanta mold of a nondescript strip mall storefront hiding a pleasant family restaurant. The interior is simple but nice. The service was very polite and attentive.

The potstickers were quite good. I don't think they were made in a machine. The crust, one of my favorite parts, gave just enough crunch.

I had a chance to try two dishes. Beef with broccoli was fine but nothing spectacular; of course, it's a pretty basic dish. The tofu with pork crept up on me. It was seemingly simple but something in the sauce, I think a combination of ginger and pepper, really stayed with me. The sauce made this simple dish much more interesting and unusual.

Des Moines: Maid-Rite

2011-10-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mom insisted I try Maid-Rite. As it happened, it was on my to-do list thanks to a long piece on Maid-Rite on one of Alton Brown's shows. It's a very Iowa thing that dates back over 80 years. They call their sandwich a "loose meat" sandwich. As you can see, it's hamburger that has been broken apart and cooked with their own seasonings. The usual burger acoutrements are underneath the meat. I have no idea how someone came up with this idea, but it's not bad. It is very much like a burger but with a different texture. The seasonings are definitely subtle and I can't put my finger on what they are. But straight ground beef wouldn't taste the same. As fast food goes, this little sandwich is a nice change of pace.

Des Moines: Woody's Smoke Shack

2011-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

I've spied Woody's on my last few trips to Des Moines. Mom and I finally made it. It's not too far from Drake in a smallish old storefront. The decor is Texas-centric but the BBQ is pork-centric.

I tried the rib plate with my standard sides of beans and cole slaw. The meat was tender with just a little bit of tooth. It tasted slightly sweet off the bone but when I tried a spoonful of the sauce I found it was pretty vinegary. Could they use a glaze on the ribs rather than the sauce? The beans and slaw were both good but nothing flashy. Mom enjoyed her pork sandwich which came on the classic white bun.

L'Ecole de Chocolate a le Maison Robert

2011-10-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

This article is about a chocolate class I took at Maison Robert in Chamblee. I've been looking forward to taking a class there for a long time. I finally found one that fit into my schedule. The class lasted all morning, which we used to build a chocolate birdhouse. Chocolate is one of those materials that provides a well-rounded sensory and creative experience. It's very plastic and can be used to make all sorts of things. It is relatively easy to work with but it does respond to careful handling. It smells and feels wonderful as you work with it. Wood has many of the same characteristics, but chocolate is a lot more fun to eat than sawdust.

This is Chef Robert showing us how to temper chocolate. He is a very good teacher who mixes explanation to the group with one-on-one. Tempering chocolate is, he reminded us, a critical operation in working with chocolate. Tempering requires keeping the chocolate at exactly the right temperature, about 89 degrees F, so that it gives a smooth, glossy texture when cooled. You need to keep the chocolate at this temperature during all the time you are working with it. We spent the morning in a pas de deux with our bowl of chocolate: too cool and we warm it in the double boiler, too warm and we add a little chocolate to cool it down.

Chef Robert has a special and very clever technique for building a birdhouse. We used an egg mold to cast an egg that serves as the walls of the house.

We cut the birdhouse door and the flat spot for the stand by heating spots of the egg on a warm pan. We then spread chocolate into a sheet to make the roof and stand. We then glued them together with chocolate and applied some decorations. Voila!

My hands have smelled of chocolate all day long. This class has been a welcome respite from what turned out to be a long day in a long week.

Milledgeville: Chops Downtown

2011-10-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Milledgeville has several blocks of downtown commercial area, bolstered in part by the local colleges. Given the population, one would expect to see several burger/sports bar establishments. Chops Downtown is one of them. A more accurate name would be Chops Downstairs. The location has atmosphere but is very brightly lit. It also has amazing cell phone reception for a rural basement.

I started with a Caesar salad. The burger was about the right size for me, not overly large. They use natural beef and I could taste the difference. The potatoes also tasted very fresh. As I've noted before in this column, bars sometimes rely on their clientele's inebriated state to maek up for the quality of their food. But Chops turned out to be a pleasant experience while sober.

Madison: Ye Olde Colonial Restaurant

2011-10-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Rev. Beth suggested Madison as a cute town to visit, explaining that Sherman didn't burn it. She also recommended the restaurant in the old bank building. "You can even eat in the vault" was the kicker for me. You can see here my table in the old bank building. The vault is behind me complete with table. The vault scene looks ready for a photo shoot of a dogs-playing-poker poster.

The fare is classic Souther meat-and-three. I stuck with the vegetables: sweet potato, rutabaga, and fried okra. This isn't an exotic or must-visit place but the food was good, all the staff were very friendly, and the room was a joy.

Suri

2011-10-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hyesoon introduced me to her favorite Thai restaurant Suri. It's located on a quite side street on the edge of the Virginia Highlands business district. I came up from the residential area and almost missed it. Inside, the atmosphere is quiet and elegant. The menus are printed on the sort of paper more usually used for stationery. The service is very attentive and elegant.

We started with soup which impressed me very much. The soup presented distinct flavors of all the ingredients: mushroom, chicken, coconut, spices. For our main courses, I had a tofu dish and Hyesoon had eggplant. Both our dishes exhibited the same high-quality ingredients carefully prepared to blend the flavors without reducing them to obscurity.

Harold's Barbecue

2011-10-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

A Habitat project brought me to the West End/Atlanta University area. A random pick on the GPS led me to Harold's Barbecue, a place I thoroughly enjoyed. My server proudly told me at the end of the meal that her grandparents had founded the restaurant over 60 years ago. The staff greeted several patrons as regulars. This is one of those places where nothing changes and everyone is welcomed.

They didn't make beef today, which made my choice of pork very easy. I had a classic Carolina-style BBQ plate: chopped pork, Brunswick stew, creamy cole slaw, and cornbread. The food was simple and good. I ended up using a blend of the hot and sweet sauces, both of which are of the vinegary variety.

Doraville: Little Szechuan

2011-10-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hyesoon and I used one of those two-for-one coupons to try Little Szechuan on Buford Highway. The restaurant is festooned with signs proclaiming that it was named one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants.

We tried eggplant (left) and ma po tofu (right). Both were well-executed but nothing out of the ordinary. Hyesoon and I agreed that it's a good neighborhood restaurant but not an extraordinary find.

Duluth: Fisherman's Bucket

2011-09-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Fisherman's Bucket is near Gwinnett Mall in Duluth. It looks like a generic OTP restaurant both inside and out. But I suspected that it was a Chinese seafood restaurant and I was right.

Why not try something a little different? This is the seafood platter. It included crab, jumbo shrimp, mussels, and a few other things. The waiter warned me that it was "very spicy". I thought it had a nice zing to it but the dish certainly didn't make me cry, which is my benchmark for spicyness. I'm not sure that I know how to eat those little crab legs efficiently but eating it was a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the green pepper and onion that came in the bowl.

Decatur: Thali

2011-09-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Thali is a new vegetarian restaurant in Patel Plaza near North Dekalb Mall. I hadn't been to this plaza in a couple of years. I saw a lot of new restaurants that I want to try.

I met a group of friends for a sampler dinner. This is the appetizer thali. The style of food is more south Indian. My absolute favorite was the one at the front, which was a batter-fried green chile. It was quite spicy but the batter did a good job of smoothing things out. The chat-style dish at the top was also very good. We then had another thali for the main course. The dishes were varied, featuring some standards and some unusual things as well. Everything was very well spiced. We then had a rice course, including both white rice and lentil rice. I've never had lentil rice before. I really enjoyed it. Just watch out, it's very filling. Finally, we had a dessert course.

Norcross: Zapata

2011-09-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

My friends Stephanie and Bob have been raving about Zapata for several months now. It's in old Norcross across from the train station I must say that old Norcross is both cute and livelyTonight was some sort of prom night, filled with high schoolers in their finest.

More specifically, they've been raving about this dish. I don't remember what it's called (and the Zapata Web site is on the blink---ahem, management). The bowl looks like the lava bowls that are de rigeur for avocado. But be careful because this bowl is as hot as a volcano. It's like having your own campfire. The contents are a stew, chicken in my case, with what was probably a corn-based sauce for the meat and an assortment of vegetables. You eat it with tortillas, so it bears some superficial resemblance to fajitas. But because the dish is a stew it comes across as much as a much heartier dish.

I must say that the service at Zapata was nearly non-existent. Stephanie and Bob tell me that poor service is the norm. Too bad, because the food is memorable. I enjoyed the showy presentation, but the hearty, flavorful food is what I really remember.

Eating Around Georgia Tech: The Barrelhouse

2011-09-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Barrelhouse opened up last month in Tech Square. I finally made my way over there. As the name implies, it has a wide selection of alcoholic beverages of all strengths. But they didn't make the mistake of so many places by assuming that the customers will drink enough to not notice the food. This is more what a post-Great Recession restaurant should be: simple but good food.

Even before I bit into my vegetable sandwich I took in a good whiff of cheese. The bite did not disappoint. The bread (ciabatta?) was great too, with a very crusty outside and tender inside. The tomato soup had a good dose of cream and croutons that fulfilled the sandwich's promise of great bread. That little cup of soup was probably my favorite part of the meal.

Roswell: The Pie Hole

2011-09-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

I love pie. It's the great American breakfast, among other things. And Thomas Edison lived for a time on apple dumplings and coffee. If it's good enough for Edison, it's good enough for me.

So when I noticed a restaurant on Urbanspoon called The Pie Hole I knew I had to go. I had an appointment in Roswell and I made a beeline for pie as soon as I was done.

The menu is really simple: pie and coffee. I had an apple pie with walnut crunch topping. It was great. The filling was a little sweeter than what I make at home but it wasn't sickly sweet, just a nice treat. I think they worked in a hint of caramel as well. It's not cheap, but that won't cross your mind once you taste the pie.

Canning Tomato Sauce

2011-09-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

I got into the habit of canning tomato sauce when I lived in New Jersey. There's a reason that Campbell's Soup is headquartered in New Jersey---they have a heck of a lot of tomatoes. I would make at least one, and sometimes two bushels of Roma tomatoes into sauce, can it, and then have it to eat all winter long.

I bought my box of tomatoes at the Buford Highway Farmer's Market for about $20. I keep my canned sauce simple, adding just some onions, a tiny bit of salt, and a little basil. When I use the sauce, I have plenty of opportunity to add things to the sauce as the situation demands.

This year, I tried two new techniques that worked out pretty well. After cutting up the tomatoes and cutting off the stem area, I heated them in the microwave before I put them into the pot. As the tomatoes cooked, they let off water, which I drained off. The water had a little bit of tomato taste but not too much---I tasted it to be sure. Both these techniques reduced my cooking time by several hours.

As it was, it simmered at very low temperature for about 4-1/2 hours. Here is the sauce near completion. The tomatoes break down quite a bit during cooking but not quite enough. I use a stick blender to smooth out the sauce. It works pretty well, is much easier than using a strainer, and it's fun.

And here is the pressure cooker. Tomatoes are relatively safe to can thanks to their acid content but I always cook them longer just in case. That one case of tomatoes gave me 12 quarts of sauce that will make my winter meals nicer. And my house has smelled like tomatoes all day long.

Update: Rose of India

2011-09-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

Rose of India in Chamblee changed hands a few months ago and I took advantage of a recent opportunity to try it. This place has always had a good reputation for food but the previous management created a somewhat sullen atmosphere. That has all changed. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. A refreshed decor brightens things up, too. And the food is, in my opinion, even better than before.

My first treat was the papadum, those big lentil crackers. Papadum can sometimes taste like cardboard but these tasted like lentils. They also came with a yellow sauce that I've never had before.

I ordered a vegetarian thali. Everything was good and none of it tasted like standard Indian restaurant fare. All these things had a little twist that made them stand out. The vegetable curry had a sauce that was lighter in both consistency and color; its lingering astringency, one of my favorite parts of Indian food, was just enough to remind me of the dish without making me want to wash the sensation away with a gulp of water. The mutter paneer had a richer, creamer sauce than made the dish very much a treat.

Duluth: Myung Ga Won

2011-08-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

My student Dongwon Lee celebrated his newly minted Ph.D. by taking me to Myung Ga Won. It's across from Gwinnett Mall. The decor is modern upscale, giving a fancier feel than one finds in most Korean BBQ restaurants. I think that the food preparation also reflects this greater degree of care.

This is Dongwon with our lunch for two. The grill is in the middle of the table. Our server brought the raw meat to the table and cooked it for us. We had a classic Korean BBQ made of short ribs. The short rib meat had been spiral cut from the bone---I can't imagine how much practice it takes to do that. Our server then cut it into small pieces and grilld them without adding sauce, unlike American BBQ. I used the soy sauce you can see just in front of the grill. The meat was excellent, balancing juiciness with the char from the grill. You can eat it wrapped in lettuce leaves or as is. I always enjoy the huge number of side dishes that come with a Korean meal. Korean BBQ is great for celebration and enjoying friends. The excellent and carefully prepared food here made this experience even better.

Atmsophere

2011-08-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Atmosphere has been on my restaurant to-do list for quite some time, so when my friend Glenn suggested we go there I jumped at the idea. The restaurant is on Piedmont at Morningside, just north of Ansley Square, in a nicely appointed house.

I don't go to French restaurants very often so I went a little crazy ordering some old favorites. This is the onion soup. I'm not sure if the cheese was gruyere---I'm a little out of practice---but whatever it was I liked it.

I had to try the duck. You can order either one leg or two. The duck had a good, crispy skin and was very juicy. The sauce is an important part of the duck experience. It was very rich and savory, a great complement. The green beans still had some crunch, which went well with the duck skin.

This is the apple tart. The shape not the standard round tart and it is made with a flakier crust than is typical for a tart. The pastry was very crisp and buttery. But my favorite part was the caramel sauce; I scraped every last drop off the plate.

Dahlonega: Piazza

2011-08-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Piazza is just off the main square in Dahlonega. It's actually two restaurants in one; the other side of the restaurant is a steak place. The decorations make extensive use of draped fabric but the general atmosphere is very family-friendly as befits the location.

This is the salad bowl, which seems to come with pretty much everything. I am in my tangy food phase and this salad really satisfied my cravings. The vinegar in the dressing, the generous olives, and the tomatoes all combined for a rich but not overpowering taste. It's a bottomless salad bowl, part of the family-friendly approach.

The pizza is thick crust. It's very good overall, although the sauce doesn't come through very well. That is an individual-size pizza that fills up a standard-sized plate. The portions would be generous even without the bottomless salad bowl. Overall, it's an excellent value, which is always a plus for families.

Virginia Highlands: Cacao Opening Party

2011-08-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

As Hyesoon and I finished up at La Tavola, the woman at the next table asked me about my camera. When I explained that it was for my food blog, she invited us around the corner to the opening of her sister's new chocolate shop. As it turns out, her sister is Kristen Hard, a nationally-known chocolatier. The shop is her third location of Cacao, one of those many places I'd read about but hadn't yet visited. She roasts her own cacao beans, for goodness sake. What a treat!

Invited guests filled the shop and spilled out onto the sidewalk. A band played in the front window. The food, of course, was exquisite. You can see a sample of chocolate truffles in this photo. I noticed an apricot balsamic number. Given my recent obsession with fruit and balsamic vinegar, I had to try it. The flavor was an amazing balance of sweet and just enough tang; the texture of the truffle was perfect. My absolute favorite was the salted caramel gelato. I can't imagine how much experimentation was required to get the right amount of salt into an ice cream, but it was perfect.

And here is a photo of Kristen and me...

Virginia Highlands: La Tavola

2011-08-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hyesoon and I decided to get out of our usual neighborhoods and try something different. I'd watched some Italian cooking on Anthony Bourdain's show last night, so I was primed for Italian. We headed to la Tavola in the heart of Virginia Highlands. The atmosphere is elegant and upscale but also very lively and fun.

The menu has a lot of traditional Italian fare---they are, for example, the only Atlanta restaurant I've come across that has broccoli rabe---but quite a few of their dishes also have a modern twist. This is a beet and peach salad. It's served with some lightly cooked onioin and a very light vinegar sauce. The peaches were served firm, which I found a little surprising. But overall the dish was exquisite and totally unexpected. All the flavors were very subtle but definitely there.

I had the veal saltimbocca and some tagliatelle bolognese. Saltimbocca is another dish that is relatively hard to find in Atlanta. I've always enjoyed the contrast between the mild veal and the strong preparation; La Tavola's was excellent. The bolognese was very simple and subtle, just as Tony Bourdain and his guests advocated last night.

Hyesoon let me try her sausage and clams. The sausage was just like everything else---flavorful but subtle. It was served over polenta, a great complement to the sausage in both flavor (pork and corn are perfect together as every Southerner knows) and texture.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/120276/restaurant/Virginia-Highland/La-Tavola-Trattoria-Atlanta"> alt="La Tavola Trattoria on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/120276/biglink.gif" style="border:none;width:200px;height:146px" />

Honey Birthday Cupcakes

2011-08-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

My inspiration for my birthday cake came from a visit to my friends the Hansens. They have a huge garden and even their own beehive. I started to wonder what you could do with huge quantities of honey. My inspiration was a spice cake with a honey buttercream frosting.

When I checked foodnetwork.com for spice cake recipes to see what spices they use, I found that Emeril Lagasse had created a similar cake, only using whipped cream with honey as the icing. (Damn you, Lagasse!) Just to show him that I knew what I was doing, I decided to continue with my original plan: Rose Levy Berenbaum's All Occasion Yellow Butter Cake with spices (ginger, cloves, and cinnamon) topped with Rose's Neoclassic Buttercream Frosting with honey substituted for the corn syrup.

Here is one of my honey cupcakes:

I substituted honey for some of the sugar in the cake, which I could clearly taste in the finished product. The frosting is a boiled icing; as I heated the honey it gave off an amazing bouquet of clover. I was worried about overpowering the honey, so I added only about 1-1/4 sticks of butter rather than the 4 sticks (!) called for in the recipe. The result had a very clear taste of honey both at first taste and continuing. The sweetness of the butter provided a great counterpoint to the honey, although next time I might try only one stick. The yellow of the butter in both the cake and icing perfectly complement the honey's color. Honey icing is a very different experience from a honey glaze, much more complex. Maybe I should get some bees of my own...

Minneapolis: Sawatdee

2011-08-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

My niece Anna introduced me to Sawatdee Thai. It's located in a hip part of downtown Minneapolis that is near the stadium (I think). The restaurant is open brick but with very high ceilings, giving an airy feel.

I went for the shrimp and mixed vegetables curry (highly recommended by Anna) and tofu with mixed vegetables. I've decided that I love Thai spices and all my dishes. These people also know how to make food hot, but the other spices weren't lost.

Portland: Vindalho

2011-08-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

My friends Payel and Arijit introduced me to a wonderful Indian fusion restaurant, Vindaloo. It's in East Portland, a part of town that is nice but not at all pretentious, full of well-loved homes and small neighborhood places. It did take me a few minutes of wandering around to find the restaurant itself. (Note to hip restaurants: a small sign doesn't make you hip, just hard to find.) The decor is very modern and full of light. The food is truly outstanding but nothing comes across as trying too hard.

I started with samosas made with yukon gold potatoes. Quite frankly, I don't think the yukon golds didn't make a real difference but the samosas were great. The crust was much more tender than the average samosa. The samosa is the Indian version of that Southern favorite, the fried pie.

This is vegetable soup with tamarind, absolutely my favorite dish of the meal and one of the best things I've had in awhile. The soup itself is very light. I'm used to having tamarind in heavier foods and the contrast between the tamarind and the light broth was an eyeopener. I have some chicken vegetable soup and I'm going to see if I can reproduce this effect.

My main dish was dal koutoo, which was a medley of fresh vegetables. The sauce was quite savory but not in a heavy-handed way, just a great complement to the vegetables.

We also had the chutney assortment My favorite was the pear chutney. The red was a red pepper and the green was mint.

We finished off the meal with some masala tea. The spice blend was very rich and complex, quite frankly better masala tea than I've had anywhere in Atlanta.

Berkeley: Kirala

2011-08-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Alex tells me that Kirala is a hot spot for locals. It certainly had the atmosphere of someplace that has the good food and easy atmosphere that can attract people over and over. (Of course, maybe you need to be a local to find it. I drove bast the restaurant at least four times before I saw that little tiny sign.) We sat at the sushi bar, which gave us an excellent view of the grill as well as the sushi chef. The menu is a variety of nouvelle Japanese foods, both grilled and raw fish, sometimes (although not always) with a twist.

This is our sushi plate. All the sushi was excellent. The eel was a particularly pleasant surprise. I like good eel but I find all too many eel servings to be harsh. This eel clearly had the flavor of eel but wasn't overpowering and with a very complementary sauce. We also tried several other small plates. The chicken with pickled beet sauce was excellent. Alex recommended the beef-wrapped asparagus, which lived up to its billing. The dish was very elegant and the asparagus took me a bit by surprise, but both the beef and the asparagus came through very well.

For dessert we tried ice cream wrapped in a relatively thin layer of rice that had been pounded into a paste, similar in consistency but a little softer than marzipan. The rice was cold but still pliable. I ordered the red bean ice cream but we agreed that Alex's selection of the mango ice cream was the winner.

Los Gatos: Wine Cellar

2011-08-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

My friends Natha and Ray know exactly where to go for every occasion. Today, we had a very nice meal on the patio at the Wine Cellar in downtown Los Gatos.

Natha said I should try the burger, which she thought was the best in town. I skipped the bun to avoid some calories. The burger really was delicious. They use organic local meat and you can definitely taste the quality of the meat. Organic meat sometimes is indistinguishable from non-organic, but the flavor of a good organic meat is more complex. (Arguably, not having a bun brings out the meat's flavor even more.) My garden salad was low-key but a nice complement.

Palo Alto: Fish Market

2011-08-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Ken and I went to the Fish Market in Palo Alto to revisit old times. The Fish Market is 35 years old and my first meal there was almost that long ago. I've always liked it---high-quality seafood in a nice but unpretentious atmosphere. They also have a fish market that carries the same types of fish that are on the menu, but I've never used that option.

I continue to be a salmon nut so I had the mesquite-smoked wild salmon. Wild salmon has a darker, more interesting flesh and a more interesting texture. The fish was very well prepared, although I couldn't taste the mesquite. Unlike some fish establishments, they have a good selection of vegetable sides. The vegetable medley is what you'd expect but the tomatoes were a nice surprise and a great complement to the salmon.

Buckhead: Atlanta Fish Market

2011-07-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Fish Market on Pharr Road is hard to miss---just look for the three-story fish out front. It's a big, bustling place that holds lots of people in an open, friendly environment. The atmosphere is upscale casual, with relatively few people dressed up. They do have a bar/sushi bar that offers lower lights and more atmosphere.

I started with a spicy tuna roll, which I enjoyed. I am a salmon fanatic so I ordered blackened salmon. The fish itself was of high quality. However, it was blackened in name only. You should get a strong taste of pepper and spice from a blackened piece of meat. The blackening process here seems to have been toned down for the neophytes.

I received two service miscues: wrong salad dressing and wrong type of potatoes. A restaurant like this that strives to project an upscale image should do a little better...

Alpharetta: Pure Taqueria

2011-07-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Pure Taqueria has several locations; I tried the Alpharetta site. The Virginia Highlands site is in an old gas station. This one, I suspect, isn't but is still very cute. It was hopping on Friday night. The mood is upscale casual, starting with the valet parking.

I started with a little salsa. It looked innocuous enough, sort of a rough puree. So I swigged a shot and got a very hot surprise. These people definitely know how to do hot---the salsa verde with my tacos was also very hot. The afterburn was very pleasant.

I went for the grilled mahi mahi tacos. The fish had a distinct but not overwhelming sense of the grill---just a touch of char without hiding the fish flavor---and was tender and juicy. It also came with avocado, some grilled vegetables, and the aforementioned salsa verde. The tortillas hadn't been made locally but they were pretty good.

Eclipse di Luna

2011-07-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Eclipse di Luna is at the end of Miami Circle in the Buckhead design district. I'd been there once before for lunch. Tonight's occasion was a tapas outing with a group of friends. The atmosphere was very high-energy and, unfortunately, a little too loud for much conversation.

I tried three dishes. This is the hummus, which is prepared to look and have the mouth feel of refried beans. It wasn't overly flavorful, even when the green pepper and cheese were factored in.

I also had a vegetarian empanada that was great. The crust was perfect, the filling was tender, and the sauce was just enough to lend some zing without being overbearing or soggy.

My last dish was fried plantains with honey and black pepper. They were very good and the portion was huge---I saved most of it for breakfast in the morning. The honey was very high quality, actually tasting like flowers as honey should. The zing of the pepper was a nice touch.

Green Sprout

2011-07-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Green Sprout is on Piedmont across from Ansley Mall. Hyesoon and I stumbled across it on my way to Top Spice and we decided to give it a try. It's a vegetarian restaurant that specializes in faux meat dishes. They are generally vegetarian versions of Chinese-American classics but they did have a few surprises, such as a potato dish.

I ordered the twice-cooked pork and Hyesoon went for Hunan beef and shrimp. In both cases, the dishes were labeled as spicy but they just had a little bit of a twang---this is not where you go to cauterize your esophagus. But I decided that I would rather enjoy the flavors and too much heat would have detracted. Both taste and texture are important in vegetarian food. Both our dishes had satisfactorily savory taste and the texture of the faux meats was good. They don't really have the mouth feel of meats but they are different and interesting, which is what counts.

Overall, I would put this below Harmony but still definitely a very reasonable place. The service was a little spotty but the food was good and pretty reasonably priced.

Marco's Pita

2011-07-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

I was on Ponce and in the mood for something a little different so I stopped into Marco's Pita. It's generally a very casual place. The service plate, however, was quite stylish as you can see from the pita beauty shot.

I enjoyed my falafel pita. The pita was very good and they used several added stuffings that gave it just enough twang: pickle and something like pickled beet among other things. I ordered the spicy version, which had just a little bite but something that most people should be able to handle. The pita bread itself was nothing to write home about but in general this was a very satisfying lunch.

Alpharetta: 'Cue Barbecue

2011-07-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Category: Upscale BBQ
Verdict: Family-friendly and safe

I'm not sure why I started thinking about 'cue but I've wanted to try it for several weeks now. I finally made it to the Alpharetta site. It's part of the upscale BBQ movement: rustic decorations but waitress service, live music, and a more upscale menu.

As an example of their menu's appeal to the broad spectrum, they actually have salads. The salad is a rarity in traditional BBQ; most denizens of such places insist that their greens be thoroughly cooked in pork fat. I decided to try their garden salad with some brisket on top. I started with the brisket. It was tasty and tender, but although it had a prominent smoke ring (you can see it in the photo) I didn't get any smoke flavor. Of course, the bark, that outer layer of the meat, had been removed, making the meat look more like a deli presentation. As you can see, the table comes with versions of three of the basic BBQ sauces: vinegar, tomato, and mustard. My favorite was the mustard, but all of them were relatively mild.

The salad itself had no shortage of protein, with plenty of cheese and chopped egg. My vinaigrette dressing was great---tangy but not overwhelming. I also got to try some sides. The pickled vegetables were excellent; they had acidy brightness without the mouth-puckering. The Brunswick stew was very savory.

Overall, I thought the food here was good but safe. Pretty much anyone can be comfortable here; even a vegetarian can find something to eat. The food was all well-prepared and tasty. But I wouldn't call it exciting. The lack of smoke taste in the meat is an example of that---good meat but with nothing that anyone might find off-putting, like that pesky smoke taste...

Grindhouse Killer Burgers

2011-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

The latest edition of Grindhouse Killer Burgers is on Cheshire Bridge Road. I ate at their original location in Sweet Auburn Market about a year ago. My friend Bill Crawley decided to check out the Cheshire Bridge model. I wanted to compare to Sweet Auburn and Bill could compare the burgers to his go-to spot, the Vortex.

You can either order one of their standard burger combinations or make a custom burger. I decided to order a custom burger so that I could have it served in a lettuce wrap rather than a bun. I think this is a great option for those who are watching what they eat but still want to enjoy themselves. I had a beef burger (they also offer turkey and veggie) with cheese and a New Mexico green chile. The chile isn't hot and is fairly subtle but has a wonderful texture. The burger patty itself was flavorful and juicy. The salad was fun and also delicate.

So what's my verdict? Bill agrees that Grindhouse has a different feel from the Vortex, which is a more traditional, pre-recession place with big burgers to be enjoyed at night with friends and beer. This is also a less fussy burger place than some of the new burger emporiums that emphasize their all natural heritages. The name alone should tell you that Grindhouse Killer Burgers enjoys its carnivorous heritage. But don't let that fool you---they use all natural meat and very high quality ingredients everywhere. They also don't emphasize megaburgers. You can get a burger with either one patty or two, allowing you to choose between living large and smaller-scale enjoyment. The physical settings of the two locations couldn't be more different. Sweet Auburn is fun for anyone who cooks---you can walk around the vegetable stands and see what is fresh. The Cheshire Bridge location has huge windows and is full of light, which makes for a very inviting summer evening.

Decatur: Kitsch'n 155

2011-06-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

Kitsch'n 155 is just north of the VA Hospital on Clairmont Road. As you can sort of see in this photo, it's in an old Arby's that has been empty for as long as I've been in Atlanta. They've fixed it up nicely; the outdoor seating was so nice that I couldn't get a table out there.

I arrived late and just missed the blue plate special. It sounded great: BBQ beef on a cork cake. So I had a big salad with a burger patty on top. Unfortunately, I was so hungry that I forgot to photograph it, but let me assure that it was good and satisfying. They use all natural meats and the patty just tasted clean and fresh; the patty was clearly handmade. The salad itself was extremely fresh and had a good assortment of ingredients.

Despite the claim on their t-shirts that their food is tacky, I think the menu is pretty wholesome in a very homey way: hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, ice cream. The atmosphere is much the same way. I met the owner who was very nice; this is clearly a family operation. I am a sucker for good, wholesome, simple food and I consider this to be a great addition to the neighborhood.

Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry Balsamic Pie

2011-06-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's summer and I love strawberries. So I made two strawberry desserts: a favorite, strawberry shortcake; and a new one, strawberry balsamic pie.

Strawberry shortcake is pretty easy and always wonderful. I use a yellow cake from Rose Levy Berenbaum's Cake Bible. I used to use a more scone-like biscuit recipe but I switched to the yellow cake at some point. I top it with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Real whipped cream is one of those things that is easy to do but gets your guests' attention. Just put some whipping cream, a little sugar, and perhaps a teaspoon of vanilla in a bowl and turn on the mixer.

I heard about strawberry balsamic pie in a review of a Brooklyn pie restaurant, Four & Twenty Blackbirds. Rather than fly to Brooklyn, I decided to make one. Trying to create a dish without ever having tasted it is an interesting challenge, but what the heck. The filling is strawberries and corn starch that have been cooked together in a sauce pan. You then add some balsamic vinegar. I added it slowly and stopped when I had a good hint but not an overwhelming taste. Strawberries already have a bit of zing but the balsamic gives both a different flavor note and a different kind of zing. I think it would be especially interesting to try this with a very high-end balsamic vinegar. A friend let me try some of his 12-year-old balsamic some time; it was thick, surprisingly sweet, and very subtle. Perhaps some day I'll make it to Brooklyn and buy some fancy balsamic...

Alpharetta: Adoba Taqueria

2011-06-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Adobo is one of those sorts of places you take the family to in the evening to unwind. The decor is what seems to be the default for mid-range restaurants in Alpharetta, namely brick. As I was leaving, the musician was setting up, which is a nice activity for a Friday evening.

The taqueria tag in the name is somewhat misleading. This isn't a casual, fast food place, but a full restaurant with plated meals. They also have more than just Mexican food, so there should be choices to satisfy a variety of tastes.

The salsa was pretty good. It had some bits of pepper in it that had real bite, but was mild enough overall to satisfy most people. I ordered one of my standard Mexican dishes, the chicken mole, for my main course. The chicken itself arrived in fairly small, relatively artless pieces. The sauce didn't have much of an identity. Overall, I think this is a good place to take it easy some evening but that's primarily due to the atmosphere.

Alpharetta: di Paolo Italian Kitchen

2011-06-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't expect to find di Paolo but I'm glad I did. It is an elegant restaurant specializing in Italian food more in the northern style. They do have a wood-fired oven for pizza but they also have a strong menu of meat dishes.

For an appetizer, I tried the olives and almonds, which were wonderful. I've become addicted to olives lately; they combine saltiness, bitterness, and other flavors in a very compact package. This dish had an assortment of several types of very high quality olives. Those are the stems of a few of the olives sticking out of the dish, which was a nice ornamental touch. The almonds are an excellent accompaniment.

This is my entree, the roast pork shank. On top is some julienned apples. Behind the dish was some vinegared red cabbage somewhat reminiscent of sauerkraut but more crisp. As you can see, the meat was served on the bone, something you don't see very often with pork. The meat was fork tender and very juicy. The two garnishes were excellent counterpoints.

I got to spend some extra time there thanks to the huge storm that rolled through. The service was extremely gracious and attentive in a low-key way, in the manner of excellent Italian restaurants.

Genghis Grill

2011-06-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Genghis Grill is a new location of a Mongolian BBQ chain. I visited the one near Perimeter Mall. I came to two conclusions after my visit. First, Chow Baby does a much better job of the Mongolian BBQ concept. Second, even apart from the comparison, Genghis Grill isn't very satisfying.

Genghis Grill has a somewhat limited menu of ingredients. I found their sauces to be uniformly too syrupy and overdone. It's not a very good value; they give you a fairly small bowl and allow you only one trip. (You can get unlimited trips for a markup.) And the service I received was quite inattentive, this despite (or perhaps due to) the near total lack of customers in the restaurant.

Buford Highway: Nam Phuong

2011-06-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

I thought that name sounded familiar...I heard about a new Vietnamese restaurant on Buford Highway and realized as I drove up that I had been to the Norcross version last month. This one is across from Plaza Fiesta Shopping Center in Pho #1's old location. The room has been spruced up. The bones of the place are good---it has three glass walls to provide a light-filled environment.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure I know how to order at this place. I ordered a broken rice dish served with BBQ pork and I somehow expected a somewhat different presentation. I had a similar problem last month as well. Not to complain, though. I used the opportunity to sample their selection of sauces. The garlic chili was my favorite. The garlic gives enough of a different spin on the chili to make the sauce more than heat. Don't get me wrong, it was hot. I didn't start to cry, so it wasn't extremely hot, but it took about 15 minutes for my mouth to go from the I-can't-feel-my-tongue-against-the-roof-of-my-mouth stage to the pleasant tingling stage. I crave strong flavors right now, so the garlic chili really hit the spot. I liked it so much that I went across the street to Fiesta Farmers Market and bought a jar.

I must say that the service here is sporadic. Our group had spotty service in Norcross but we thought it might be because we had a large group. I got the same service this time---it's just the way they roll.

Update: Bagel Palace

2011-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

I've written about Bagel Palace before, but never about their lunches. I just had to show you this brisket. It looks delicious and the taste more than lived up to the looks. The meat was fork tender and juicy. The gravy on sauce was rich and not too thick. The tomato paste added both flavor and color. The vegetables in the sauce made the entire dish more like a stew. The whole thing was served on some of the rye bread from their wonderful bakery.

Brisket is one of those dishes that teaches lessons about cooking. The brisket is not a fancy cut of meat. You need to give it tender loving care to bring out its qualities. But the reward for spending the time on a brisket is a wonderful dish. Good tasting ingredients do not have to be expensive. Care and attention can turn humble ingredients into good, satisfying food.

Norcross: Mojito's Cuban-American Bistro

2011-06-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Mojito's is on the square in old Norcross. It's a a very quaint location that they have turned into a very hip atmosphere. The place was buzzing with people. Stephanie and Bob joined me to try out a few dishes.

The menu has two very strong themes: plaintains and frying. Even better, they fry plantains. I really think they should call the place Plantains R Us. So, of course, I tried the fried plantain pancakes along with some empanadas. I was curious to see how they fried the pancakes. They seem to have first grilled the pancakes and then fried them. They were like small versions of my banana pancakes, with slices of plantains in the middle, but fried. Quite frankly, they were a little tough and I don't think that I would order that one again. The empanadas were very good. The crust was excellent, not too surprising given their penchant for frying. The fillings were quite good and the hot sauce was certifiably hot. Stephanie and Bob also concentrated on small dishes rather than the entrees. Their most unusual dish was a yucca preparation. I didn't try it but it looked fascinating. Desert plants can be incredibly juicy.

California Pizza Kitchen

2011-06-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last night wasn't one of those calm, relaxing evenings. It was late and I hadn't had enough to eat. Nor did I have any time to sit down at a restaurant. I kept running through the possibilities for a fast meal near my destination (one of the good things about writing a food blog is that you can always think of places to eat). I ultimately realized that my best bet was takeout from California Pizza Kitchen in Dunwoody. I am always in the mood for pizza. While I don't consider them truly New Jersey-class pizza, they're not bad and they were very convenient.

I had a vegetarian deluxe pizza with some goat cheese thrown in. The crust was whole wheat. I also ordered a nice garden salad. The entire experience was very satisfying; the pizza felt good going down. My big complaint about CPK is that the sauce doesn't come through strongly in their pizza. As a tomato fanatic, sauce is very important to me. Nonetheless, last night wasn't about culinary adventures. It was about comfort and reliability. And let's face it, those ideals are what food is really all about, isn't it?

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Fava Mezze

2011-06-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

Category: Great local midtown place

Verdict: Excellent food, wonderful service, and you can even park!

Fava Mezze has been around for a few months and I finally stopped by on a whim. I'm glad I did. It's on Hemphill near 14th Street. The restaurant is very simple and intimate but it is backed up by a catering kitchen so the menu is very complete.

The service here was extremely gracious. When I came in, the owner explained the menu to me and suggested that he could put together a combination plate for me. Since I haven't had falafel in awhile, I decided to try that with a small Arabian salad. The result was delicious. The falafel was very crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with just enough dressing. The salad---tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, etc.---was very refreshing. Once again, the service was outstanding: the chef came out to ask me how I liked it; the food was served on an elegant piece of china.

The owner was nice enough to let me sample his baklava. It's dangerously good. The butter in the pastry came through very clearly, something that I've never experienced in baklava before. I'm not a baklava scholar but I think this is the best that I've ever had.

Decatur: Napoleon's Grill

2011-06-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Napoleon's is in the Oak Grove neighborhood of northernmost Decatur. The restaurant opened last year as part of a long-overdue revival of the long-neglected strip mall that formerly held Quinnie's BBQ. Napoleon's is a casual bar with a lot of indoor and outdoor seating.

The menu has a broad range of items: tacos, rice bowls, burgers, and dinners. If I may be a food snob for a minute, some of the items on the menu seem to suffer from the faux-fusion technique of randomly combining ingredients from different types of cuisines. I am all for new flavors, but I would like to think that an unusual combination is motivated by the natural compatibility of the ingredients, not by a radio button menu of combinations.

That being said, I enjoyed my tacos. They both had cabbage, which I consider an echo of the radio button approach, but both were quite good. One was a Korean BBQ short rib done up with a nice sauce, cabbage, etc. The other was fried tofu cubes with peanut sauce, cabbage, etc. Both were tasty and gave me just enough to enjoy the flavor of each without being overly filling. Tacos are a great neo-tapas kind of dish that lends itself very well to sampling.

Alpharetta: The Taco Stand

2011-05-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Taco Stand is about a mile from North Point Mall in Alpharetta. It seems to be an outpost of an Athens establishment. (That shows you how little I know about Athens and that other university.) Despite the modest name, this is a very comfortable, full service restaurant with a large bar area as well. I was there for lunch but I suspect it is very kid friendly in the evenings.

They have a full service menu, which was a big selling point for me. I had a pork taco and a wedge salad. The pork taco was Southern style with cole slaw, etc. The wedge salad was great, in no small part because of the generous helping of bacon mixed in with the bleu cheese dressing. I am a sucker for fresh tortillas and these were very soft and tasty. The service was wondefully attentive and relaxing.

Marietta: Swapna Indian Cuisine

2011-05-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Category: Good local place.

Verdict: Very satisfying Indian food from both north and south.

Swapna is on Cobb Parkway near its intersection with I-285. It is a very simple place, located in a former chain restaurant with no adornment. Several Indian families ate Sunday dinner.

The restaurant serves both north and south Indian. I was interested in some meat, so I ordered a chicken tikka skewer thali. The generous serving spills over the edges of the photo. The meat was served on a sizzling platter. The naan was fresh out of the oven. Overall, this was a satisfying, homey meal.

Lawrenceville: The Flying Machine

2011-05-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

A recent radio story got me thinking about Gwinnett County Airport. The story mentioned a restaurant at the airport and as a flying nut I knew I had to try it some time. Gwinnett County is a small airport. Although it has several bizjets, not much traffic takes off or lands there. At PDK, in comparison, Friday night is a great time to watch the moguls jet home. Gwinnett is more like the airports of old---a little sleepy, peaceful, soothing.

I sat on the patio, which is a great way to enjoy a summer evening, not to mention watch the airplanes. A speaker plays the tower frequency so you can keep track of traffic around the airport. When I arrived, a jump plane was parked in front of the restaurant. (I could tell it was a jump plane because the right door was missing.) After a few minutes the parachutists marched across the patio and into their plane, smoke canisters attached to their heels. One of the kids eating dinner exclaimed "Are you guys nuts?@%#@!" This is a very kid friendly place.

I went for the strip steak special. This is airport food, nothing fancy, but it was very enjoyable. Overall, a very nice experience.

Chris's Pizza House

2011-05-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Chris's Pizza in Toco Hill Shopping Center is one of those old familiar places. Although the name emphasizes pizza, it's best to think of it as closer to a Greek diner with an emphasis on pizza. I've eaten there many times and had pasta, chicken parm, etc. The decor is wonderful. They have managed astonishingly well to approximate the atmosphere of a restaurant in Greece given that they are in an Atlanta strip mall. The decor is white with sea blue seats. The entire space is lit by two huge skylights that give the sort of natural light that makes the Mediterranean such an appealing place.

I had the pizza lunch special. My Greek salad was of the lettuce variety but it was very pleasant. This is my pizza with green mushrooms on top. The pizza is workmanlike. The crust is medium thick and just a little tough. But it is perfectly fine and today the location definitely made this stop worthwhile.

Duluth: Sichuan House

2011-05-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

Category: Worth a detour.
Summary: Authentic Sichuan food---what more do you need?

My friend Yu took me to Sichuan House, located in Duluth in the nondescript strip mall location that is obligatory to interesting Atlanta restaurants. (The more usual American spelling is Schezuan in case you are Googling or searching.) I've been brainwashed to think of Sichuan food as simply hot. But this is the kind of place that shows it is much more than that.

Yu tells me this dish is called heartbreak noodles because of the peppers. It was definitely hot but several other flavors clearly came through. The noodles were delicate in both taste and texture.

This was Yu's favorite. The meat is bacon made on the premises. The bacon had very little meat on it and perhaps was closer to streak-o-lean. Greens and mushrooms complement the bacon. It wasn't hot at all and the bacon didn't have a strong nitrite flavor so everything was very well balanced.

We also tried the duck, which was served dry with a finely crispy coating. Duck is much more common in certain types of Chinese cuisine than it is in American restaurants. While I feel sorry fro the little ducks, I do use trips to restaurants like this to enjoy it.

Norcross: Nam Phuong

2011-05-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

Nam Phuong is on Jimmy Carter Boulevard just off I-85. The decor is nice and they have plenty of room to handle large groups.

I didn't grab a photo of my spring roll. I really enjoy Vietnamese rolls as an alternative to Chinese fried egg rolls. The combination of the thin crepe coating and steaming allows you to really taste the vegetables, particularly the leafy greens. It's a very delicate dish.

This is my pork dish. The preparation is a little like Korean beef---thin flat pieces with a glaze. It was good but I probably should have ordered more adventurously.

Decatur: Iberian Pig

2011-05-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

The Iberian Pig is on the Decatur MARTA square. The decor is rustic elegance. I was given a window seat because I ate dinner early, but it's a popular place in the evening so don't get your hopes up.

The menu is tapas. This photo shows three (well, 2-1/2 actually) of my four items: Salchicho sausage, Manchego cheese, and bacon wrapped dates. The pork cheek tacos didn't make into this photo. This choice of items was inspired by my visit to Jaleo in Washington DC that I blogged about earlier this year. As in DC, the bacon wrapped dates were the big hit---these came on top of a bed of mashed sweet potato, which gave a great sweet note to contrast with the bacon. The sausage was very delicate and good. The cheese was very good although a little different than I expected. The tacos were good but for some reason just didn't excite me the way the other dishes did. Overall, a very successful meal. I would unquestionably go again.

Decatur: Mac McGee

2011-05-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Mac McGee is on the square at the Decatur Metro station. It is an upscale pub that is true to the form in both atmosphere and menu. The food is the sort of food you would expect in a pub---burgers and other hearty food---but done with quality ingredients and a twist.

I tried the house corned beef and some sauteed spinach. The sandwich was on handmade bread that had excellent texture and flavor. The corned beef was subtle, not obviously corny. As much as I enjoyed the sandwich, the spinach was the big hit. I'm not entirely sure what they did to it, but the result was a twist on what could have been a dull side. When a beefeater's pub can make a vegetable the hit of the meal, then you know that they can cook.

Avondale Estates: Savage Pizza

2011-05-17T02:06:00.000-07:00

Savage Pizza is located in Avondale Estates, which is a cute little town if you haven't been there. The decor and atmosphere is pleasantly standard pizza place with a theme in comic books.

I had an enjoyable salad for starters. I then moved onto a veggie pizza with a whole wheat crust. Whole wheat crusts can be tricky but I thought this was great. I thought that the whole wheat flavor was just the right complement to the vegetarian toppings. The pizza came with a variety of good, fresh toppings. My only complaint was that the broccoli wasn't cooked before it was put on the pizza. I think that a little steaming would have made it more enjoyable and probably enhanced the flavor of the broccoli.

La Grotta Ristorante

2011-05-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Category: Classic Atlanta restaurant, worth a drive

Summary: Elegant service, outstanding food, beautiful atmosphere

Tom Conte turned me onto La Grotta originally. He told me it was great but it took me awhile to get there. I'll listen more closely next time. The restaurant is extremely discreet, hidden in the inner garden of a Buckhead apartment building. The picture shows the view from my table. It was a lovely place to spend an evening.

The one word that describes the service is gracious. You are met at the entrance not only by the car valet but also by a greeter who very graciously shows you the way to the restaurant. The entire staff was friendly but not intrusive. My waiter was more than happy to answer my questions.

I started with a risotto. This dish is relatively hard to find in Atlanta; it takes some finesse to reach the best balance of creaminess and toothiness. My risotto had a wonderful texture. The salmon was a subtle addition, which itself takes some finesse since the salmon could have ended up dominating the risotto.

As you might guess from the bone sticking out from the salad, this is a veal chop. Veal milanese is a wienerschnitzel-style preparation with a very crunchy crust. The waiter told me that the chef pounds out the veal chop himself. The salad on top is very light, which contrasts wonderfully with the cruncy/tender chop.

Alpharetta: Alpine Bakery and Trattoria

2011-05-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Category: Worth a detour
Verdict: Excellent pizza as part of a full Italian-American menu

I've heard about Alpine Bakery for awhile and finally made it. Alpine Bakery is, you must admit, not the most obvious name for a white-linen Italian restaurant, but there you have it. They also have an extensive bakery case with a large variety of cakes.

The restaurant has a full menu of Italian-American dishes but I went for the pizza. I was slightly skeptical at first when my waitress explained that they make margherita pizzas in both white and red. (For all you food geeks out there, you can read about the origin of the pizza margherita on Wikipedia's History of Pizza page.) But it was an excellent family style pizza, the best I've had in quite awhile. The crust was the right combination of crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The cheese was outstanding. I had a small cup of sauce on the side, which helped me isolate its flavor. The sauce had the right balance of acidity and just a little sweetness.

The atmosphere is fancy but still warm and accessible. The service was very attentive and friendly.

Mosaic

2011-05-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Category: Local date restaurant

Verdict: Uninspired food, haphazard service

Mosaic is on a small side street in Buckhead off Piedmont and Peachtree. As you can see, its location is beautiful with stylish seating on the inside and a large, verdant patio for outdoor seating.

Unfortunately, I found the food to be lackluster. My salad's dressing was mayonnaise-y with no other real flavor coming through. The result was a plate of green, moist roughage. The service was pleasant but haphazard. Most of the people I saw eating there were couples. The location is certainly nice for dates but don't expect food worth of the setting.

Aurora Coffee

2011-05-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've driven and walked past Aurora Coffee several times. I finally stopped by on a lovely spring evening. Aurora says it is the oldest specialty coffee house in Atlant. It certainly has the classic lived-in coffee house feel. My latte had a beautiful design in the foam and a perfect taste.

Atkins Park Tavern

2011-05-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highlands is in a beautiful old building a few blocks off Ponce. The menu is modern American (steak, roasted chicken, salmon) with a Southern twist (fried chicken, shrimp and grits).

I started with a beet salad. It included greens, walnuts, and goat cheese. It cleansed my palate and was a good way to start the meal.

My main course was a roasted half chicken. It was served on a bed of wilted greens and roasted potato wedges. The chicken was certainly competent but I just felt that it could have been a little moister. I did enjoy the touch of lemon.

Zyka

2011-05-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Category: Definitely worth a stop, possibly worth a drive.

Summary: Low-key atmosphere belies very flavorful food. An intriguing combination of Southern cafeteria and Indian home cooking.

Zyka is very low-key. It's tucked next to a child care center; as I drove up, I couldn't even see it from the road. Inside is similarly low-key, more like a BBQ joint. You order at the counter and wait for your tray to come.

I have heard quite a few good things about this place. But I had been expecting a sit-down restaurant and after seeing the place I didn't have high expectations. The food, however, was very flavorful. Both the samoas and my eggplant dish displayed some very complex flavors. Both were definitely hot with a slow burn that grows on you. But that's not all---there were lots of spices lurking underneath. The eggplant was also a grab bag of sensory experiences. Red pepper husks were sprinkled throughout, making the oil used to cook the eggplant red. The eggplants were cooked whole, leaving not just the skins, but also some eggplant bones. The stems of the eggplant were quaint and I'm sure that cooking the eggplants whole adds to the dish's flavor.

And to top it off, Zyka is a bargain. This is definitely a great place for a quick, good meal.

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Livingston

2011-05-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Saibal and I went for lunch to Livingston, the restaurant in the Georgian Court Hotel. My seat had a beautiful view of the marquee of the Fox Theater. The atmosphere in the restaurant is elegant and the service was attentive without being fussy.

This is a shrimp tempura appetizer. The sauce in particular was excellent; it featured a green chile base, some vinegar, and just enough sweetness to balance everything else.

I was a little disappointed with my beef short ribs. They were actually a boneless preparation so I didn't get the beefy carnivore experience. The sauce was pretty standard stuff; I didn't find any hint of the moroccan spices that were promised on the menu.

Landmark Diner

2011-05-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Category: Local instutution

Summary: Great diner food, consistently excellent service.

Landmark Diner is a very well-known Buckhead spot. It has all the usual diner trademarks: shiny exterior, large menu, generous portions, open 24 hours. But it also offers some upscale features; its liquor collection, for example, seems to be quite extensive.

I've eaten at Landmark several times over the past few years. On my previous visit I discovered the vegetable soup, so that's what I had again this time. The photo shows my soup and salad order---that's a small salad but it seemed plenty big to me. The soup is a treat. It's filled with all sorts of vegetables and has a very rich base. I used the wonderful bread to sop it up. The salad was also excellent, particularly the dressing. On my previous visit, I made this mistake of ordering this soup with a large Greek salad, thinking that the soup wouldn't be enough. That salad was huge and filled with all sorts of great things (although I must admit that it was a lettuce salad and not a true Greek mother's salad).

Davinci's Pizzeria

2011-05-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Category: Fun neighborhood Midtown pizzeria.

Verdict: Tasty pizza, laid back style, good parking.

Davinci's, an OTP pizzeria, has opened a location on West Peachtree in Midtown. It's a casual atmosphere. You order at the counter; they have a nice covered patio with a lot of seating. Better yet, they have free parking, a plus in this neighborhood.

I had a salad and a pizza. The house salad was pretty good, although the balsamic dressing was fairly bland. I ordered an individual pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, and red peppers. Overall, I really enjoyed it; having it come out of the oven piping hot was certainly a factor. The crust was good, although it could be a little chewier to meet true NYC standards. The roasted red peppers made a great topping.

Lawrenceville: La Cazuela

2011-05-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

I visited La Cazuela in downtown Lawrenceville. As you can see, it's in an old building on the main square, a very picturesque location that I really enjoyed. They seem to be a small chain with several locations, including Buford Highway.

I decided to try the grilled chile poblano, a green chile split open, stuffed with shredded chicken and cheese and then grilled. I was expecting a little more cheese, but perhaps that's my ignorance, and this preparation was better for my health. The salsa was smooth, not chunky, and unfortunately I am a chunky salsa bigot. Overall, the food was competent, the service pleasant.

Top Spice

2011-04-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Category: Excellent neighborhood Thai restaurants
Verdict: Very flavorful food that can be both familiar and unusual at the same time

Top Spice is one of those places I like so much that I didn't get around to blogging about it until now; I always knew that I would be back again. It has several locations and I've eaten in two of them over the years. I of course enjoy Thai food for all the reasons that so many people do: unusual yet understandable, wonderful and new combinations of spices, and relatively light and healthy. I've always considered Top Spice to be an excellent example of the genre. Top Spice actually serves both Thai and Malaysian food, which we'll get to in a moment.

I didn't really need an appetizer, but I decided to try a roti murtabak, which I don't think I've had before. It's a flatbread/pancake filled with ground beef, onion, and spices. The filling was dry and I think that my mood would have been satisfied with something a little juicier, but I enjoyed it.

I really loved my main course dish, chicken rendang. It is a Malaysian dish that I hadn't had it in several years but I remembered that I liked it. The sauce on this dish gave me the sensation of the ground chili and curry spices with both my taste and the feel of the sauce on my mouth. I could touch the spices with my tongue as I enjoyed their flavor. It isn't every day that you get such a complete, intense food experience. I did manage to save some so that I can enjoy the rest at breakfast tomorrow.

Decatur: Cafe Lily

2011-04-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Category: Wonderful local place, worth regular visits

Verdict: Elegant Mediterranean food and outstanding service

Cafe Lily is one of those places that I've walked past dozens of times but never tried. We went there tonight for a Georgia Tech event at the behest of my friend Yorai. I had assumed from the name that the menu was vaguely French. To my surprise, it is actually Greek and Mediterranean. This turned out to be a wonderful treat.

When I realized that the menu was Greek-influenced, I had to try the horiatiki salad. Those of you who read this blog regularly have read my occasional rant about the unwanted appearance of lettuce in the American Greek salad. This, boys and girls, is what a Greek salad is meant to be. The presentation I've seen in Greece is a little different, but this gets the list of ingredients exactly right: tomato, feta, onion, cucumber, olives, all in an olive oil and lemon juice dressing. This style of salad is both refreshing and satisfying.

Yorai steered me away from eggplant and toward lamb. My lamb chops were excellent: juicy and tender. They had a light covering of pepper herbs that wonderfully complemented the meat. The potatoes were finished to exactly the right level of crunchiness. If only all breakfast potatoes were so well prepared...

Decatur: The Chocolate Bar

2011-04-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Category: Special occasion friendly

Verdict: Fun combination of chocolate, food, and atmosphere

I've had my eye on The Chocolate Bar in downtown Decatur for awhile. Tonight's lovely weather seemed like a good time to try it out. The atmosphere is hip bar: they seem to have an extensive liquor collection and a layout that is conducive to talking, seeing, and being seen. Their menu actually has a good range of foods and one could probably have a whole meal there.

I had a small assortment of chocolates complemented by coffee. The chocolates were fun but on the whole not a gourmand experience. All the ones I tried were filled with a chocolate cream (ganache), so I didn't get the variety of textures that I had hoped for. They have a wide variety of flavors, but generally speaking they were slighlty artificial, rather than relying on native ingredients. The cherry flavored chocolate, for example, was just that, not a chocolate that hid a cherry in its center. I will say that the chocolates were stunning in appearance.

Sandy Springs: Blue Grotto

2011-04-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I tried Blue Grotto. It's just off Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. As you can see from the sign, it's a small-plate place, serving both sushi and tapas. I concentrated on the sushi. The tapas side seemed to me to be an eclectic mixture of small items.

This is the sasimi sampler. The presentation was very nice. The sasimi was certainly well prepared (some how well done doesn't seem like the right phrase for sasimi). I think I would have to put this into the date place category---perfectly fine but not exciting.

Viceroy

2011-04-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Category: Good local place

Summary: Typical north Indian fare, but at least they're not afraid to use spices

I noticed the sign for Viceroy a good six months ago and finally made it there for lunch. It's in the Wal-Mart shopping center on Ashford-Dunwoody Road. The interior and service are both fairly upscale.

I stuck to the vegetarian side of the lunch buffet. It was all pretty standard fare. Not that there's anything wrong with that---a good, competent meal is always welcome. And, in fact, I thought that Viceroy was more willing to use spices than quite a few of the local Indian restaurant. All of the dishes had a little zing, whether from cumin, coriander, pepper, or other appropriate spices. I ate up the onion chutney with a spoon and then went back for seconds.

By the way, is there a category for Indian-American food? I've talked about the differences between Italian-American and Italian food, and Chinese food in this country is well known to be Chinese-American (yes, I'm talking about you, egg foo young). I don't know enough about Indian food to be able to say, but I would guess that much of the food at Indian restaurants in this country has been adapted for both American ingredients and palates. My bean dish, for example, was made with red kidney beans. And I can't tell you how many times I've been to an Indian restaurant in the South, craving spicy food, and coming away with a meal that was as flavorful as baby food.

Pappy Red's B-B-Que, a.k.a. P. Red's

2011-04-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Category: Great casual neighborhood place.

Verdict: Great ribs, unpretentious atmosphere.

I finally made it to Pappy' Red's, a.k.a. P. Red's. It's on Chattahoochee off Howell Mill in the west side warehouse district. Any BBQ place with an airplane on the roof is worth trying; I'm not sure why it took me so long. This building used to be something non-descript. They've renovated inside to be neat and tidy, but I wouldn't call this a P.C. BBQ place. The clientele was also eclectic, just as befits a BBQ joint.

I loved my pork ribs. They were the best I've had in awhile: meaty, juicy, very tender with just a hint of toothiness. I liked their idea of serving a toasted hamburger bun in place of white bread. I enjoyed the crunchiness and I've always hated that gummy white bread that so many places serve. The rice and beans were spiced well but not hot. I was pretty happy with the cole slaw.

Pastries with Brioche Dough

2011-04-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe for a brioche-dough coffee cake ring in Julia Child's book The Way to Cook and it has been in my dreams since then, waiting for the opportunity to be realized. This week was that chance. A brioche dough is rich to the tune of four eggs and 1-1/2 sticks of butter so it made perfect sense for a rich pastry.

I made one batch of dough and let it rise the prescribed 45 minutes. I didn't see any change whatsoever. So I did what any reasonable baker would do, namely fret about the weather and wonder if I had killed the yeast. But I was also determined not to let this lump of dough get the best of me, so I made another batch of dough. Four more eggs, 1-1/2 sticks of butter, and 45 minutes later, I had another batch of dough with no visible rise. Desperate, I put a piece of the original batch of dough into the oven. It puffed up fairly nicely, so I knew the yeast wasn't dead. I decided to use the first batch to make a practice set of pastries and use the second batch for the final pieces.

Since the coffee cake recipe only required a half recipe of dough, I decided to use the rest for a chocolate babka. If you don't know what a babka is, it is a wonderful chocolate roll that was the subject of a Seinfeld episode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dinner_Party_(Seinfeld)).

After kneading the dough, I gave it a first rise of about an hour in a greased pan. I then punched it down and let it rise again overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, I rolled out and formed the dough. The ring coffee cake requires a long, narrow piece of dough. The filling consisted of walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. My practice coffee cake included a little molasses in the filling, which gave it a wonderful flavor, but unfortunately I forgot to add it in the release version.

I then rolled up the dough very carefully and pinched it together as carefully as I could. I formed it into a ring and cut openings around the edge. I proofed it by putting it in a cool oven with a pan of steaming water for 15 minutes.

I then let it rise for a few hours before adding a streusel topping (sugar, flour, oil) and baking. The baking itself took only about 15 minutes.

The babka was simpler. I rolled out the dough and spread a chocolate mixture on top. The filling consisted of a Lindt bar finely chopped, some sugar, and a little cinnamon. I then rolled it up and put it into a bread pan for the final rise. I worried that I hadn't put enough chocolate into the filling but the final result had plenty of chocolate.

The results tasted great. In the end, it rose quite a bit. I just had to give it more time. I suspect that the dough takes longer to rise because it is so rich and heavy. I need to work on my hand skills to improve the visuals of the coffee cake, but the brioche was both rich and soft. That's a big ring, by the way---big enough to cover the entire serving platter. This recipe requires some time and effort but it is a great special treat that I plan to add to my reservoir. I've made sweet rolls for 20 years as my baked treat and it's about time that I diversified...

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Moe's Original BBQ

2011-04-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

This one snuck up on me. I saw a sign outside their door on 14th Street and thought they had just opened after a long prep. As it turns out, they had been open for a month. Moe's is a chain that fits the upscale BBQ trend, although I wouldn't call it totally buzzword compliant (no sign of the "O" word). The decor fits the college theme very well. They're located in the Kool Korners building. I'm relatively new to this town but I understand that the building has a long history with Georgia Tech.

I decided to go with a rib plate. The slaw was vinegary, which I found very refreshing. (Keep in mind, however, that I'm on a sour kick, so your tastes may vary.) The beans were pretty sweet, overall well executed but nothing exciting. The ribs were very porky---soft meat with a little bit of tooth. But I didn't taste any smoke. Perhaps it was just me; I plan to try something again at some point. I just didn't get that smoky, burnt bits BBQ feel.

Wisteria

2011-04-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

We capped off Restaurant Week with a visit to Wisteria in Inman Park. The menu concentrates on nouvelle Southern but certainly has enough variety to satisfy pretty much anyone. I must say that we enjoyed ourselves and were impressed with the food. We also thought that the $25 three-course meal was a very good value with generous portions.

I started with the crayfish and corn fritters. They were very well executed as fritters but I couldn't discern either crayfish or corn. (Mom's really are the best.) But I didn't mind too much because they were so satisfyingly crunchy.

Having learned my lesson from Rathbun's, I went for the trout. It was prepared in a French style with a twist. It came with butter sauce and almonds but the sauce had a touch of vinegar, which was noticeably different than what you would get from wine. I also noticed a little sweet, which gave just a suggestion of sweet-and-sour. The sour note was, I think, a very good idea that set off the trout very well.

Dessert was a sampler of three desserts, all of which were great.

Rathbun's

2011-04-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

As part of Restaurant Week, I visited Rathbun's with a group of friends. As you can see from the photo, Rathbun's shares some of the design characteristics that I noticed at Kevin Rathbun Steak: an entrance secret enough to be the envy of the CIA (and I don't mean the Culinary Institute of America), a hip industrial/modern interior, and a youngish crowd (present company excepted).

This was the first course a sopressata served with cheese, bread, and a very small amount of what seemed to be a marmalade. The slices of sopressata were so thin that I had a hard time really discerning its taste, but it certainly qualified as light.

My red meat cravings got the best of me and I ordered the hangar steak served on a bed of polenta. It was very good---I particularly enjoyed the pairing with the polenta---but I should have ordered the Georgia trout. Everyone who had the trout said it was wonderful.

My cravings served me well for dessert. I had a piece of chocolate cake with a marshmallow cream topping. The marshmallow cream really complemented the cake very well.

Food Trucks: Yum Yum Cupcakes

2011-03-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was walking down the street in Tech Square today and what do I see but a heretofore unknown food truck. I love food trucks. They usually have very good food, are pretty cheap, they offer the fun of discovery, and in many cases you can talk with the owner. The kind lady who masterminds the Yum Yum cupcake truck told me that she has had a bakery for six years, started a cart last year, and opened up the truck this year.

But let's get down to business---the cupcake. I ordered a strawberry. It was light in texture, very moist and cakey. The large dollop of strawberry icing was rich but not overly so. I know that I've railed against cupcakes before, but here's why I like this one: it's rich but not overly sweet; and I simply think the truck adds an element of fun. In fact, I think that cupcake trucks fit nicely with my mom's tradition of feeding the neighborhood kids with her cookies and cupcakes. This is a nice addition to the cityscape.

The Cheesecake Experiment

2011-03-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

I decided that this is my week to try baking a cheesecake. It's one of those things that I never ate as a kid and learned to love in the Tri-State Area. (Junior's in Brooklyn serves a truly amazing cheesecake.) But there's always a first time for everything, including baking cheesecake.

The name "cheesecake" pretty well describes what's in it: a whole bunch of cheese, some egg to bind it together, and a surprisingly small amount of sugar. All too many cheesecakes use gelatin as a filler. If you see even a hint of gelatin in your cheesecake, flee from it as quickly as you can. The difference in taste and texture between a real cheesecake and a faux cheesecake is unmistakable.

I started with Giada De Laurentis's cheesecake recipe on the Food Network site, but ended up making some changes. Her recipe called for 4 1/2" springform pans, but I could only find an 8 1/2" springform. Sizing up a baking recipe is always tricky. Doing it for a type of dish that you've never made before is very problematic (i.e., dumb). But I tried it anyway. Her recipe also called for basil in the cheesecake and I chickened out on that one.

Here's how I ended up doing it. I combined four 8 oz boxes of cream cheese, 16 oz of ricotta cheese, two 5 oz containers of goat's milk cheese, three or four tablespoons of sugar, two eggs, and four additional egg whites. I combined all of them in the food processor; I suspect the Kitchenaid mixer would have also worked well, but a smaller mixer might not have had enough power. The mixture started out very stiff and I was very skeptical about how well it would combine. But the eggs managed to soften the mixture quite a bit and the result was soft and easy to spread. I put the mixture into a buttered 8 1/2" springform pan (I should have put parchment in the bottom---my cake-making technique deserted me briefly) and used a knife to even out the top. I put the springform pan into a larger pan with water half way up the springform and put into a 350 degree oven. After 50 minutes it didn't look anywhere close to being done, so I gave it another 20 minutes. The result of the 70 minutes total is in the photo; the larger pan is the water bath. Perhaps a slighly shorter cooking time would have been ideal, but I don't think the cake suffered too much. I turned off the oven and let the cake and water bath cool with the oven for an hour. I then wrapped it in plastic wrap, pan and all, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, I took the springform edge off and wrapped the entire cake in plastic.

I learned the hard way that you don't try a cheesecake warm, unlike an apple pie. I put a small amount of batter in a small bowl and tested it while it was still warm. The result was a little strong and harsh. I was afraid that I would only be able to use the cake as a doorstop. But I tried the rest the next morning and it was pretty good. So I have high hopes for the cake's debut on Saturday.

Decatur: Sprig

2011-03-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Category: Local date-night-out spot.

Verdict: Long on style, not as much substance as I had hoped.

Sprig opened a few months ago on LaVista Road in the spot where Quinnie's used to be. One couldn't come up with a bigger change in atmosphere. Sprig is another buzzword-compliant Southern restaurant: local, organic, etc. The decor is very nice. I sat outside where I had a nice view of a small stand of trees and could largely ignore the parking lot. I had high hopes for this restaurant, which was started by an up-and-coming chef who has attracted a fair amount of local attention. And while I think the place is good for a date night out, I didn't think the food was as exciting as it should have been. (Date night restaurant is, by the way, my term for a restaurant that is primarily designed for show, some place that puts more emphasis on the words on the menu and not enough time into executing what's on the plate.)

This seems to be my week for cheese and chops. I enjoyed this cheese plate which had cheeses from Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia, as I recall. I wish that the olives had a little more pucker power and that I had a few more---they make an outstanding complement to the cheeses.

Since Sprig is a Southern-themed restaurant, I tried the pork shank. I thought this was a particularly good choice given their emphasis on roasting. The meat didn't have quite the interesting roasting artifacts---charred bits, etc.---that I would have expected. The cut of meat itself just didn't seem to be as porky as I had expected. I decided to try to jazz things up with a little dark mustard. The waiter brought a serving of a Grey Poupon-like smooth mustard, not the grainier, more interesting mustard that I expected. I quickly gave up on it and went back to the meat. I did really enjoy the black eyed peas.

I found the service to be a tad supercilious. I've complained before that high end American restaurants often treat customers as if they are privileged to be allowed to be served. This certainly wasn't the worst service I've had but it certainly didn't meet the standards of warmth and comfort that I would expect from a truly Southern experience.

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Pacci

2011-03-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Category: Stylish midtown meeting restaurant.

Summary: Good in a competent way.

Pacci is in the stylish and relatively new Hotel Palomar. (One of my colleagues stayed at the hotel and really enjoyed it, by the way.) The room itself is, quite frankly, a little overdesigned for my taste. I think it looks like an interior decorator's attempt to emulate the sort of very stylized rooms that people in 1950's movies seemed to live in. The entrance is wacky---the receptionist' podium is at a vestibule that no one uses, not near the bar where everyone enters from the hotel. But these are minor qualms.

I started with a cheese and meat plate, which turned out to be both very sumptuous and the hit of the meal. Pacci allows you to choose the combination you want and provides both meats and cheeses. I tried a ham, a hard cheese, and a softer cheese.

For my main course, I had the veal chop saltimbocca. This is a big chop; it arrived with a very meaty aroma, which immediately invigorated my tastebuds. The meat itself was well prepared, but the dish's conception was heavy on the chop and light on the saltimbocca. That dish is normally served not only in smaller pieces, but in a sauce created by deglazing the pan. With a chop this size, the sauce got lost. It came with potatoes and greens, which I must admit was an interesting variation on the traditional saltimbocca presentation with escarole.

Decatur: Burnt Fork BBQ

2011-03-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Category: Definitely worth a stop, perhaps worth a drive.

Summary: Juicy, tender, flavorful meat; friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

Burnt Fork BBQ came into Decatur in stealth mode. It's at Church and Commerce, around the corner from McDonald's. I noticed a small sign the other day and just made it in. The place is in a convenience store style location but it has been fully renovated. We've seen a move toward buzzword compliance (organic/local/sustainable) to simple foods like burgers and BBQ. Burnt Fork follows along those lines. As is increasingly common in BBQ, they make several different regional styles. The atmosphere is very friendly and welcoming; one of the gals I spoke to said they have been open for about six weeks.

I went for the brisket sandwich and some cole slaw. The brisket was very tender with just a little bit of tooth, which I like. It was very moist and juicy. It came with some of the fat attached, which I also like. They have a wide variety of sauces from different parts of the country, part of their BBQ nation theme. The roll was of good quality. I do wish it were just a little smaller so that the meat/bread ratio were a little higher. The cole slaw was very fresh and good.

Washington DC: 2 Amys

2011-03-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

My Maryland friends took me to dinner at 2 Amys, a very popular pizzeria in the District of Columbia. The decor is fairly simple and bright. The pizzas are somewhat rustic, more like what you would see in Italy than the New York variety. All our food was excellent.

I ordered a calzone because I saw one on the way in and the ricotta flowing out spoke to me. (They give their calzones some other fancy name, folded pizza as I recall, but a calzone is a calzone is a calzone.) I ordered one with meat and vegetables. The ricotta was just as luscious as I had anticipated. That red spot on the middle off the calzone is a thin slice of meat that was made crunchy in the baking. The texture was marvelous.

We tried a selection of desserts: cannoli (pretty light filling, very good), almond cake (great), and roasted pineapple ice cream (wow!).

The problem now faced by my friend Ankur is whether he can keep up the pace of excellent restaurant recommendations. Based on his recommenations so far, I've come to expect quality ideas. He can't just throw a hot dog at me and expect me to be satisfied. Can he keep it up? Or will he fold under the pressure? Time will tell...

Washington DC: Red Velvet Cupcakery

2011-03-07T05:08:00.000-08:00

After dinner at Jaleo, we ran through the rain across the street to Red Velvet Cupcakery. It's a tiny storefront with no seating, but it is connected to the yogurt emporium next door and you can eat your cupcakes there. Lucky thing---a soggy cupcake is a sad thought indeed.

I must admit that I am a little skeptical of cupcake stores in general. They do fit into the small, affordable treat category, but every time I see one I can hear my mother saying "If I had a nickel for every cupcake I made, I'd be a millionaire." (And trust me, her cupcakes are great.) But I really liked Red Velvet because their cupcakes aren't overly sweet. Regular readers know that Americans-make-desserts-with-too-much-sugar is a regular rant of mine. And Red Velvet goes a little beyond the obvious to make something that is sensuous without being overpowering.

Despite the strong hint given by the name of the establishment, I didn't get the red velvet cupcake. Instead, I had a devil's food. Their cupcakes don't use the traditional presentation of icing the entire top. Rather, they put a large dollop of icing on top with a little border of un-iced cupcake. The effect is like a jaunty beret. The devil's food is topped with a bit of gold foil, which is a nice balance to the deep, dark color of the rest of the cupcake. The icing was definitely rich---no shortage of butter here---but they used a strong dark chocolate. The contrast between the dark chocolate and the richness of the rest of the ingredients was what made the cupcake for me.

Washington DC: Jaleo

2011-03-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Luckily, my friends from the University of Maryland have good taste. For my visit, they took me to dinner at Jaleo (plus a cupcake emporium I'll report on next). Jaleo is the flagship restaurant of a nationally-known chef (Top Chef judge, etc.). It's a tapas restaurant that, unlike the garden variety of tapas bars, actually pays homage to Spanish food.

Unfortunately, my camera went on the fritz so I don't have photos. We tried a total of nine dishes. We discussed after dinner what we liked most and I think we had a rough consensus, but here are my top picks. Head and shoulders above the rest was the bacon-wrapped fried date---need I say more? An egg with caviar was a pleasant surprise in its presentation. The egg was a very light souffle, although it seemed to have a soft yolk. The caviar served to add a salty note and some toast helped us to eat it. The rabbit came with a red sauce that was almost like that one would see in a beef stew, although it wasn't beefy per se, and the rabbit self had no hint of gaminess. We tried the ham, which was fine, but I don't think anyone was overly impressed with it.

Tucker: Technique

2011-03-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

Technique is the teaching restaurant of Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta. I've always enjoyed eating at cooking schools. The staff are invariably very friendly, they have uniformly good food, and they are inexpensive. Technique scored very well on all three accounts: a very attentive staff, excellent food, and unbelievably low prices.

The kitchen is huge---bigger than most apartments. The appliances gleam, the students are spotlessly robed in their kitchen whites. The chef stands at the front, intermittently calling out tasks. He seems to inspect every plate before it goes onto the table. My server explained that the kitchen staff are in their final week of a two-year program.

The standard meal is a five course dinner with choices on all but the initial amuse bouche. At $15, that is an unbelievable bargain.

The amuse bouche (mouth amusement) was an eggplant concoction with a light sauce. I believe that my server said it was fried but it was very light.

For my appetizer course I chose the french onion soup. At first I was slightly disappointed that it didn't arrive with a little more cheese on top, but perhaps I am a philistine on those sorts of things. The soup itself was full of flavor, which quickly made me forget about the cheese.

Next came a garden salad. It isn't often that you can smell your salad, but I definitely smelled the vinegar as it was placed in front of me. But the taste of the salad was very subtle, not at all strong as I had expected. The combination of the distinct smell and the subtle taste was quite surprising and enjoyable.

Good Marilyn won the battle for the main course, so I had salmon. The skin was lightly crisped and the flesh was just done to flakiness.

One of the dessert options was creme brulee, which I often use as a reference dish to gauge a restaurant. But I decided to go for the apple tart, which was an excellent choice. The entire tart was wonderful but it was the ice cream that left the longest-lasting impression. Notes of both vanilla and egg came through very clearly, leaving me with a sensation of richness as I finished.

I've been thinking about trying Technique for quite awhile. I understand that they just completed renovating the restaurant, so I seem to have visited at just the right time. I am very tempted to make my visits a semi-regular affair. The entire experience reminded me of not just the joy of food but also the joys of preparing and sharing it.

A Rumination on Airport Food

2011-03-01T05:23:00.000-08:00

Folk wisdom among travelers holds that pilots know all the good places to eat on a trip. The underlying theory, I suppose, is that they have tried everything and know what is good and bad. If airline pilots were flying chefs, I'm sure that would be great advice. But airline captains have a tough ladder of training and lowly jobs to get to the top of their profession. They survive it by having a cast iron stomach and hermetically sealed taste buds. When a pilot says "That airport has pretty good food" he means "I don't know anyone whose cause of death has been attributed to that food."

Airports can be lonely places for hungry people. As I worked on my private pilot's license, I looked forward to the long three-legged cross-country flight that is one of the basic requirements. I scheduled the trip for Labor Day, which turned out to be a beautiful day to fly. I flew from Princeton to Harrisburg for my first leg. I told myself that I should wait for lunch for my next stop, Cape May, right next to the shore. I'd heard about a great burger place there that seemed like the perfect way to start the home stretch. I flew to Cape May on an empty stomach. I landed and parked the plane only to find a nearly deserted airport. That cute little restauant was closed for the holiday. Well, I thought to myself, at least I can get something from the vending machines. Wrong---by mid-afternoon all the other hungry pilots had emptied them. I finally managed to find a candy bar and limped my way home.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time with my Dad at Jefferson County Airport in Colorado. The Mooney dealer had a vending machine that fascinated me. It supplied little cans of dinner: Dinty Moore beef stew, Spaghetti-Os. Even more amazing, they came out of the machine HOT. What could be more amazing? My admiration turned to horror when we finally bought a can. This poor can had been sitting in the machine for lord knows how long, being tortured by that little heating element. The food was burned to the bottom of the can. I drove by Jeffco a few years ago on a visit and noticed that the Mooney dealer is still there. I wonder if that vending machine is still there, sitting in a forlorn corner of the pilot's lounge, its little cans still hoping for salvation from their private Hades...

Breakfast at Interstate Bar-B-Que

2011-02-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

On the way back from Miami, I had to get up early and fly through Memphis to get back to Atlanta. I consoled myself in my pre-dawn travel by reminding myself that the effort would pay off if Interstate Bar-B-Que was in operation. As I got off the plane in Memphis, I walked into an invisible cloud with the unmistakable fragrance of BBQ. My heart leapt, I turned the corner, and there it was---the happy neon pig.

Interstate is widely considered one of the top BBQ places in the country. Airport food has certainly improved over the years, but it is still rare to have a truly great restaurant inside an airport. Interstate is a welcome stop for all sorts of travelers.

They have some breakfast items but they offer their full BBQ menu all day (I'm not entirely sure when they open, but I was there about 9 AM). I wanted something fast and simple so I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and a tea. I then rushed over to my plane.

I got to the plane just in time to start boarding, so I was able to settle down quickly with my treat. I heard one passenger say "smells good, doesn't it?". The sandwich came with some cole slaw but no fork. I was a little worried about spilling it if I put the slaw on the sandwich so I just ate the sandwich straight. BBQ is comfort food and this pig certainly made me happy even if he wasn't smiling at the end. The pork was tender and very porky without being overly strong like some cuts of pork can be. Interstate has mastered the art of saucing a sandwich---all of the meat was touched with sauce but not enough was left to drip. The stewardess very nicely took my trash away and my stomach was very happy as we rolled down the runway.