Decatur: CommunityQ BBQ

Wow---this is a great place. Community Q BBQ just landed on a list of 10 best new restaurants in the country. It's on Clairmont in the same strip mall as Capozzi's. The decor and atmosphere pay homage to BBQ's modest roots but are clearly aimed at the middle-class. They serve organic food (I'm not sure how much is organic) and homegrown. They sell some organic vegetables in line, which is arguably a stunt but still sets a nice atmosphere.

I tried a sampler plate with brisket and pork ribs (sorry for the lousy photo). The meat was excellent---tender but still with a little tooth. The beans were the real hit of the main course. They were rich with meat and came in a very rich sauce.

Nancy and I both enjoyed our strawberry shortcake, which was divine. The strawberries were local and their flavor really popped. The cake was a lemon buttermilk and it was all topped with real whipped cream (so easy to do and so nice).

a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/1481932/restaurant/Atlanta/Community-Q-BBQ-Decatur"> Community Q BBQ on Urbanspoon

Comments

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

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

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

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

Blue Ridge Parkway: Pisgah Inn

I've wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for a long time. I finally got my chance and started driving from the southern end. Just about dinner time, I ran into the Pisgah Inn near the high point of the Parkway. It's a lodge and restaurant. It promised to be just the dinner experience I had hoped for. Here is the view from my table: The restaurant is nice but casual, as one would expect in a national park. The servers were all extremely friendly and helpful. I tried the pork chop, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to the cole slaw and squash, it came with a cauliflower and beef soup. For dessert, I splurged and had a piece of apple pie. The crust was very buttery and it capped off the pork perfectly. This meal was the perfect capstone to a day full of unexpected pleasures.

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

Search This Blog