Last night was my first time at Ray's, the occasion being a dinner for our distinguished guest Janak Patel. Don't confuse this with the Hawaiian Ray's. Ray's on the River is a local destination restaurant on the north side of town. It's actually on the Chattahoochee River, unlike some restaurants I've been to who misappropriate bodies of water for their names.
I must admit that I was a little skeptical at first. The restaurant publicized its three course dinner, which included steak with root beer sauce. I consider such things to be stunt cooking, particularly in the South, where the standard for soft drink-based sauces is Coca-Cola.
Our Maytag potato chips were well executed. My wedge salad was a little disappointing. The dressing was thin. While this is a valid choice, I prefer the decadence of a thick dressing for this dish.
My steak, however, was excellent. I had the filet mignon, which had just a touch of crust on the edge to add flavor. The Yukon gold mashed potatoes were flawlessly smooth.
If you have read the following books by Michale Pollan you would not like to eat your steak or any potatoes that were not organic.
ReplyDelete1. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (please read the chapter on potatoes)
2. The Omnivore's Dilemma (for your beef grown on corn)
3. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (Just good read for good eats!)
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." M. Pollan