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

Grilled steak, fresh corn, home fried potatoes. A wonderful dinner for which I am grateful.

I made use of the tomato season to make fresh sauce with Roma tomatoes. I topped my egpplant parm with fresh mozzarella. Delicious!

I ate light during the day to justify a steak dinner at Bones. Service was impeccable as always. Unfortunately, not all of the guests were careful to use masks when they weren't eating. My dry aged ribeye was served medium rare and came up amazingly quickly. Bones is one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. I appreciate the efforts of the staff to provide moments of grace and calm for their patrons.

Ribeye steak grilled over charcoal. Carrot souffle and Italian braid bread on the side. Quite a bit for which to be grateful...

I grilled a steak outside. I added carrot souffle, fresh corn, and some bread. A wonderful, satisfying mean for which I am grateful.

Doe's is located near the waterfront in downtown Paducah. The setting is ideal for outdoor dining on a wonderful summer evening. My server was wonderfully gracious and helpful. I started with this salad. The freshness of the ingredients came through in the flavor. I went with an Italian dressing, flavorful but not heavy. The steaks at Doe's are huge. This one was cooked to medium rare plus, a shade below medium. The flavor was excellent. Digging into a giant cut of beef was a lot of fun, too. And why stop with steak? This carrot cake was excellent: moist crumb, a cream cheese frosting that balanced sweetness and tartness, a great rib-sticking dessert.

I have a few porterhouse steaks from Loeffel Meat Shoppe stashed in my freezer. I pulled one out, let it thaw, and put it on the grill. My classic steak dinner was served with home fries and tender steamed asparagus. This meal was summer on a plate and I am truly grateful.

I grilled a porterhouse from the Loeffel Meat Shoppe and served it with steamed asparagus and home fries. The steak was wonderfully flavorful, clearly fresh. The dishes balanced out perfectly. Chalk up another great meal for which I am grateful.

I bought some meat from Del Frieda, a local purveyor for both restaurants and consumers. Their consumer meat was conveniently packaged in small portions. I picked up several it ems. My cooking plans immediately went to this steak. I purchased a small grill so I could cook it outdoors. What a great dinner. The steak was tender and very flavorful. Nebraska steaks tend to be cut thinner, making them easier to cook. A thinner steak is probably easier to enjoy as well. Another meal filled with grace.

I can report that Misty's ribeye is just as tasty at home as it is in their restaurant. I enjoy their calamari, too.

This is the take-out steak I picked up from Single Barrel for my Friday steak. Delicious, not to mention beautiful. Steak makes an excellent takeout item. And I always enjoy these fried eggplant slices. The crust is crunchy and delicious.

I have declared Friday night to be steak night. Here is my most recent homage to the bovine treat: beautiful Nebraska steak grilled on the Pit Barrel Cooker, carrot souffle, roasted brussel sprouts.

Shuvra and I enjoyed an excellent steak dinner at the original Misty's in Havelock. Dinner started with a custom loaf of bread. I am on an onion soup kick and this bowl was excellent. My medium rare ribeye was perfect.

I finally had my chance to try Misty's downtown location on a cold winter evening. Dinner started with this fresh mini-loaf of bread. I ordered the ribeye, medium rare, with onions. The steak was tender and full of Nebraska beef flavor. Isn't this loaded potato impressive? And fish...

801 Chophouse has been on my Des Moines to-do list for quite some time. I didn't expect to be able to get in before the caucuses given the wall of reporters and politicians lined up for a table. But even a following weekend proved to be challenging. The wait, however, was worthwhile. The food and service were both excellence. I will say that they don't make this place easy to find. I saw no outdoor signs and very few even inside the building. This photo of my brussel sprouts is the only one that came out. They were slightly crisped but bathed in butter---very rich. My steak was excellent. My server strongly recommended medium over medium rare, so I went with his suggestion. The outside had just the right amount of char. The interior was warm, juicy, tender. The steak flavor came through like a bell.

A steak dinner gave me the chance to grill on my new Pit Barrel Cooker. The grill comes with the cooker. It sits more than a foot above the coals. The grill itself doesn't get very hot---I was able to hold my hand just above the grill for quite some time. Thanks to the low heat level, I needed to grill my steaks for over 30 minutes to get them to medium rare on the thermometer. The result was very tasty: nice smoky flavor, good crust, tender interior. But the process takes much longer than with a traditional grill. Perhaps adding more coals would have provided more heat but I doubt that would completely solve the problem. In my experience, the Pit Barrel Cooker is a good backup grill but a little slow for everyday use.

I haven't been to Bern's in many years. A meeting in Tampa gave me a chance to revisit and I'm very glad I did. This photo of the entrance shows you the theatrical nature of the restaurant. The service is impeccable, gracious and welcoming. And the food is very well thought out and extremely well made. My meal started with a cup of French onion soup and bread. The soup was full of umami from both cheese and broth. The textures were a lot of fun and a big contrast to the steak to come. Next came a salad which I ordered with bleu cheese. My main course was the Delmonico, 14 ounces, rare. The steak came trimmed of fat, a welcome luxury. The dry-aged steak was very flavorful, extremely tender. The side vegetables were excellent and just enough to complement the meat. I didn't drink but the wine list is huge and legendary. After the meal, all guests are treated to a tour, starting in the kitchen. The tour goes onto the wine collection, which they consi...

I was in the mood to celebrate simply at home. Steak au poivre fit the bill. After some practice, I think that I have found the right thickness for the cream sauce. My steak was delicious and my evening at home was very peaceful.

An errand run in Omaha left me in the mood for steak. My thoughts turned to Gorat's, Warren Buffett's favorite. The restaurant is a long-standing Omaha tradition; the atmosphere provides lived-in graciousness that welcomes everyone. Service was outstanding. My meal started with some very nice bread. I think that a wedge salad makes a great prep for a good steak. My salad was hearty but not heavy. I chose the 22oz Omaha t-bone. Nebraska beef is outstanding and this did not disappoint. The steak was served medium and was very juicy and tender, capping off a delicious and relaxing meal.

What more do you need than cornbread... ...salad... ...and prime steak?