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

Delta upgraded me on a flight that was long enough to deserve a meal, giving me a chance to survey their food. Since we departed from Seattle, I asked for the salmon. That turned out to be a good choice. I'm not sure, however, if it was wild or farmed. The salad was OK but the texture was a little wimpy. The dessert was Cherry Garcia ice cream, something that I haven't had in a long time and which was a lot of fun.

A morning appointment in Decatur allowed me to finally samples the wares at Revolution Donuts. It's in a gentle, quiet location near the East Point MARTA station. Inside, a cornucopia of donuts awaits. My donut selection came in a classic brown paper bag. That is the vanilla caramel donut raised donut on top; more await below. This is the famous/notorious bacon caramel raised donut. It was quite good and more subtle than you might think. The bacon added a robust umami flavor note but didn't overpower the basic donut experience. My favorite, however, was the buttermilk bar, a superb example of the species. The buttermilk came through clearly and was very well balanced with the glaze. And I love the buttermilk bar contrast of flavors: crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside. I'm sure that regulars of this column now expect me to compare Revolution to Sublime. Sorry, but I will dodge that quicksand pit. The freshness required of donuts makes them an extreme...

A trip to Europe gave me a chance to try some food that I normally don’t get to eat---Delta One’s food service. Sleep is an important commodity on long flights but when I saw that the menu had been prepared by Linton Hopkins, I knew that I had to stay up long enough to eat. I wanted to see how he presented Southern food for this very international audience. I also wanted to see how he designed the food to handle the long hold times and reheating inherent in airline food. (Sorry, I’m a nerd and I can’t help thinking about these sorts of things.) We started with a dish of Georgia pecans. They were very nicely spiced with a bit of heat. The next course included several small items. The salad was an interesting exercise in minimalism: two large leaves and pickled red onion. But it was good. The charcuterie, including beef salami and potatoes, was tasty as well. The squash soup was wonderful, with outstanding spices and a dollop of collard greens as an unusual garnish. Th...