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May 2007
Hotel dining in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In metro Atlanta — and most of the South, for that matter — there’s a stigma on hotel dining. But that attitude is about to change with star chefs setting up shop in hotels here.
What do you think about this movement?
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Who serves your favorite tapas?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In metro Atlanta, good things do come on small plates. This week we give you five tapas places worth a try in metro Atlanta.
That’s our two-cents. What do you think?
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Where is the best … salad?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Forget soups. Spring is salad season. Where do you go for your favorite cool, crisp combo of rabbit food?
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Hooked on grouper’s versatility
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GROUPER, A MEMBER of the sea bass family, is a solitary fish. It lives its life in warm, sometimes tropical, waters all over the globe, coming out of its hiding place to eat and mate. Some fish can grow as long as 12 feet and weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and there are, ahem, fish tales of groupers befriending — and sometimes eating — divers.
But the reason grouper is making the rounds on lots of Atlanta menus isn’t because of its scuba diving social skills. It’s because it tastes good and is sturdy and versatile — it can be fried, broiled, poached, grilled and even baked and still remain fleshy, flaky and tender with an appealing flavor that rarely tastes too fishy (and like good jewelry, it goes with everything).
Deep frying it in cornmeal batter and serving it up po’ boy style seems to be the method du jour at Thrive, downtown. Like the fish, this sandwich is a whopper — a huge piece of grouper fillet sits on top of a bun too big to bite into, with fried green tomatoes and a Thousand Island dressing in place of remoulade. It’s a heap to eat, and worth the splurge in calories. Across town, Lobby at Twelve inside Atlantic Station serves a sloppy mix of fried grouper with a yummy, messy slaw that’s just the right mix of sweet and twang.
Farmhouse at Serenbe, inside the Serenbe Community in Palmetto, goes ga ga with grouper, dressing up the humble fish as a thick, luscious seared fillet over quinoa and sliced, seared-and-buttered brussels sprouts.
Other places, other things: Meanwhile, chef Richard Blais has resurfaced in Atlanta at Element, the restaurant that has taken over Cherry’s old space, with new owners.
After spending eight months in Miami working for Barton G as a creative product developer, the chef most known for his molecular take on milkshakes is “thrilled to be back” in the ATL. “I missed the kitchen and I missed the great products and sourcing we have in this city,” Blais said via phone last week.
“I’m focusing more now on ingredients, not just the scientific element of food,” he added. Blais left the helm at One Midtown Kitchen for Miami after having a brief tenure as restaurateur at his eponymous restaurant in Buckhead before it closed in early 2004. His molecular approach to cooking wowed critics, but left the public balking.
At Element, Blais says he “doesn’t plan to take good ingredients for granted anymore. The scientific approach to food doesn’t always focus on ingredients, but I’m very excited about getting back in the kitchen and using the best product available.”
But don’t think he’s gone granola just yet. Element’s current menu boasts “oysters and pearls,” a tapas serving of beausoleil oysters on the half shell with Dippin’ Dots of Meyer lemon ice cream made with Blais’ favorite tool of the trade — liquid nitrogen. He’ll also serve pressed pork belly served with pickled succotash and cilantro stem, prime beef filet served with whipped corn, blue cheese and bone marrow and Carolina fluke accompanied by scallop gnocchi and beet root.
Move over guys, the bad boy of brunoise appears to be back.
Thrive, 101 Marietta St., Atlanta, 404-389-1000, www.thriveatl.com
Lobby at Twelve, 361 17th St. (inside Twelve Hotel at Atlantic Station), 404-961-7370, www
.concentricsrestaurants.com
The Inn at Serenbe and Farmhouse at Serenbe, 10950 Hutchesons Ferry Road, Palmetto, 770-463-2610 www.serenbe.com
Element Restaurant & Lounge, 1051 West Peachtree St., Atlanta, 404-745-3001, www.elementmidtown.com
What do you think of molecular cooking? Who knows their sous vide from their immersion circulator? Have you tried it in Atlanta? Tell me about it.
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Where is the best … bakery?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Enough with the healthy stuff. What’s your favorite bakery in town?
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Picnic sandwiches
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Radishes are cheap and plentiful, and the first local cucumbers are starting to arrive in markets. I made tea sandwiches with each for a picnic. They’re simple and cooling, just right for a Memorial Day gathering, too.
I sliced the radishes thinly and paired them with mint leaves on buttered bread, and tried the cucumbers with cream cheese and mint. Have you ever served these kinds of sandwiches? If so, what are some of your favorite herbs or spreads for them?
What’s your favorite picnic sandwich overall? Mine is probably tomatoes, with basil sprinkled over them, with mayo on white bread. Yum.
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Savory vegetable stew uses chard, spinach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our refrigerator is stuffed with greens right now, thanks to overlapping seasons from the community-supported agriculture plans we’re subscribing to. Last week we got Swiss chard, turnip greens and lettuce from Farmer’s Fresh Food Network, and lettuce, Napa cabbage, kale and spinach from Cane Creek Farm.
We’ve eaten innumerable salads, including packing one every day in the kids’ school lunches. The kale showed up in a Mother’s Day lunch with sausages and beer (maybe a better dish for Father’s Day, but since someone else was cooking, I just shut up and ate). But what to do with all the chard and the handful of spinach? This filling, savory vegetable stew took care of it and, thanks to the curry flavoring, which is just mildly spicy, passed the kid test.
We’re still trying to figure out how to use the Napa cabbage and turnip greens. Any suggestions? Any thoughts on how to cook the next batch of Swiss chard?
- Elizabeth Lee
Curried Chickpea, Lentil and Swiss Chard Stew
8 servings
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
1 1/2 cups dried French lentils (green lentils or lentilles du Puy)
4 parsley stems
2 sprigs of celery with leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
Kosher salt or fine sea salt
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, leaves only, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups); round out with spinach if needed
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 15-ounce can)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds (see note)
1 cup Greek-style yogurt for garnish
Place the lentils in a fine-mesh colander and rinse under cold running water. Set aside. Make a bouquet garni by tying together the parsley, celery leaves and thyme with cooking twine, or wrapping in cheesecloth and tying. (A wire mesh tea infuser would also work).
In a large stock pot, combine the oil, bouquet garni, onion and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, covered, over low heat until soft but not browned, for about 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the lentils, curry powder and cayenne and stir. Simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the cumin by placing seeds in a small, dry skillet over moderate heat. Shake the pan regularly until the cumin seeds are fragrant and evenly toasted, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook; they burn easily. Transfer to a large plate to cool, and set aside.
When the lentils are tender, add the chard leaves and chickpeas and cook until the leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes more. Remove the bouquet garni. Adjust seasoning if needed. When serving soup, top each bowl with a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkling of toasted cumin.
- Adapted from “Vegetable Harvest” by Patricia Wells (William Morrow, $34.95)
Note: If you don’t want to buy cumin seeds and have ground cumin on hand, just skip the toasting step and sprinkle a pinch of cumin over the yogurt.
Battle of the BBQ joints
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today’s review is about LowCounty Barbeque Outpost.
Our reviewer thinks these folks have some mean spare ribs.
Who else has good spare ribs or barbeque to offer?
Biscuit flying up, not selling out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE LIVE IN A WORLD where star chefs such as Todd English and Wolfgang Puck add to their dining dynasties by opening extensions of established restaurants in airports. Where Wal-Mart claims to sell organic food. Where food diva Rachael Ray becomes the spokesperson for Dunkin’ Donuts.
Can you say sell-out?
I can. And I can define it, too. It happens when someone who already has loads more than he or she could possibly need keeps prostituting themselves for more. And it happens all the time in the food industry.
It didn’t happen with local restaurateur Delia Champion of Flying Biscuit Café. It’s easy for those of us who’ve loved her tattered-and-tatto@oed haven in Candler Park since it opened in 1993 to wonder why last year she sold her concept to Raving Brands (which operates Mama Fu’s, Doc Green’s and Shane’s Rib Shack, among many). Blog boards were cluttered with comments when the news was announced last May, with copious amounts of support and criticism.
BITA HONARVAR / Staff
Flying Biscuit owner Delia Champion has been criticized for selling to Raving Brands, which plans to expand to other areas.
And truly, it’s difficult to duplicate a concept like Flying Biscuit. The original location, with it’s grungy take on grits-goes-gourmet, has a very loud personality. Making two (which Champion did with a second location in Midtown) and keeping the corporate clutch at bay is a daunting task; even the Midtown location lacks the inner-city-goes-country charm of the original.
So the idea of turning an eclectic neighborhood restaurant with a broad fan base and a boffo breakfast menu that needs personal, loving touches in the kitchen into a chain is abhorrent to most foodies.
Well, get over it. Champion, like most struggling restaurateurs, saw an opportunity she couldn’t refuse. Most of us would do the same if it meant financial freedom for our families. In a press release, she states “… they [Raving Brands] have the resources and infrastructure to do things I could never do — better opportunities for employees, better food procurement, deep experience in store and real estate development, all of which will be important to our ability to expand the Biscuit in a way that maintains the integrity of the food and the experience.” Champion and Raving Brands are working with each other to replicate the Biscuit in other areas.
Local franchisee John Slocum and Q100 “Bert Show” radio personality Jeff Dauler, operating under Let’s Go Back, LLC, have teamed to put the five franchises in place. The first, located at 3515 Northside Parkway in Atlanta, was set to open May 14.
So while we may be critical of the process, and even critical of the end means, we shouldn’t be critical of Champion — she has a small restaurant in Candler Park we all love.
I hate the thought of the Biscuit showing up on the corner of every new strip mall in Alpharetta. But I don’t think Champion has become the spokesperson for White Lily flour, nor is she staging an opening in Las Vegas. Not yet anyway.
Who’s been to the first Flying Biscuit franchise? Tell me about it.
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Where is the best … tapas?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: The trend toward tapas and small plates is still going strong. Where do you go to get the best?
Are you a brave eater?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our dining writers have shared their tales of gastronomic bravery. Can you top that? Share your metro Atlanta bizarre-food experiences with us.
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Restaurant Go-Round
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It started with Pano & Paul’s. Now we’ve got dining dynasties from Bob Amick and Tom Catherall all over the city, and the attitude seems to be out with the old, bring in the new … until another spot opens and like fair weather friends we move on. Is this city big enough for all these new restaurants?
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Where’s the best fresh fruit?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Where do you go to get your fresh fruit fix?
So So Soto
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Reader John Thomas writes to tell me that Sotohiro Kosugi of Atlanta’s Soto has opened his place in New York. Haven’t confirmed the info yet — has anybody been?
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Who has the best sandwiches?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Who serves the best sandwiches in town? Include your name and neighborhood.
Brasserie returns, like an old friend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s hard to let go of an old friend when they need to move on. You want them to stay just as they are, encapsulated and timeless — just for you.
I felt this way about Brasserie Le Coze, the wonderful French brasserie inside Lenox Square so beloved by the Buckhead Betty crowd for its crusty French rolls, mushroom soup and brown-buttered skate wing. Lunch here was the perfect mix of chardonnay and Chanel.
The space was gobbled up more than a year ago by Neiman-Marcus, and Brasserie closed. Lots of distraught readers have e-mailed to ask me: Why? How? When will it reopen?
Francophiles fret no more. Profiteroles await you.
French American Brasserie, the new venue from Brasserie owner Fabrice Vergez, has opened in the Southern Company building.
Here’s how our old friend has moved on: The space is too big to come close to the cozy comfort of the old Brasserie, and the vaulted ceilings give the corporate feel of a high-end steakhouse chain. But look more closely. There, at the far end of the dining room, is Brasserie’s giant Metro clock. The lamp lights that bedeck tables and booths are the same as they were at Lenox. Brasserie buffs will recognize the original tiles, too.
And the menu? Skate wings galore — rich in their buttery lemon-ness, with all the capers and crispiness of before. The cheese course soars; the watercress salad is fresher than ever. A gleaming raw bar at the front of the dining room offers oysters on the half-shell, brought with tart mignonette. Lemon crepes and clafoutis are just as good here as they ever were at Lenox. Sure, there are lots of steaks and seafood to satisfy the conventioneer crowds, but we can slip into a booth, sip a glass of Chateau Haut Rian white Bordeaux and never even notice them, can’t we?
Ah, it’s so nice to have this restaurant back.
And speaking of French restaurants, Green Olive Media confirms changes that Joël will undergo later this summer to transform the eponymous, award-winning chef’s restaurant into two: a high-end eatery with 30 or so seats and a less formal French brasserie. The Johnson Studio is slated to design the redo. No word on the menus for either … I just want to know what will become of that marvelous bathroom.
What’s your favorite restaurant bathroom? Tell me about it.
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