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Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Where is the best … pizza by the slice?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• WE WANT TO KNOW: Where do you go for the best pizza by the slice?
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Atlanta flush with a taste for the unusual
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chorizo and chocolate (OK, I know it sounds like a Pedro Almodovar film) are showing up together as little niblets about town lately. My first bite was at Element, where chef Richard Blais offered a chorizo “chip” drizzled in chocolate, then crowned with a tiny cube of spicy gelée as an amuse-bouche.
Later in the week I encountered the combo at TAP, where the large-screen version appeared as chocolate and olive oil smeared on toast scattered with thin slices of the Spanish-style sausage. Seems chefs are capitalizing on the appeal of sweet and salty by adding a little smoky to the mix.
Also at TAP, Bob Amick’s penchant for placing his bathrooms in odd places, or having odd bathrooms in even odder places continues: The loo at Tap is 2 1/2 floors up, past the small open — very busy — kitchen. There is the usual line for the ladies room, of course, but here (drum roll, please) there’s also a line for the men’s room.
RESTAURANT WEEK
In the it’s-all-about-us department, Midtown restaurants are planning the Second Annual Atlanta Midtown Restaurant Week, scheduled for Aug. 26 through Sept. 1. Participating restaurants will offer a prix fixe, three-course menu, consisting of an appetizer and main course, followed by dessert for $25 per person excluding alcohol, tax and gratuity.
Some restaurants may offer the menu for a limited time (i.e., 7-9 p.m.). Call individual restaurants for that information. Restaurants included so far: The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Taurus, Marlow’s Tavern Midtown, One Midtown Kitchen, Two Urban Licks, Lobby at Twelve, Piebar, Trois, TAP, Sweet Lowdown, Eno, Ecco, South City Kitchen, Shout, Silk, Dolce Enoteca, Geisha House, the Real Chow Baby, the Grape at Atlantic Station, Mitra, Park 75, the Globe, Veni Vidi Vici and Rosa Mexicano. The proceeds go to the restaurants participating. For more information, contact the Oceanaire at 404-475-2277, Kelly Norris at the Reynolds Group, 404-888-9348 or visit www.atlrestaurantweek.com.
THAT’S SO PECULIAR
Finally, the weirdness of being a restaurant critic continues, as a June 13 Philadelphia Weekly story continues the saga of Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan. Like all of us, LaBan guards his anonymity when reviewing, but a recent lawsuit over whether or not he ate a strip steak at a local restaurant has forced him to make a videotaped testimony that will more than likely appear in court and expose him to the public.
Frankly, I can’t believe the case made it this far — most libel cases of this nature are quashed with a settlement before they get to court. But even if the video is aired, how much damage will it likely do to LaBan’s credibility?
Not much. A lot of the restaurateurs probably already know what he looks like anyway. We make every effort to conceal our identities — fake credit cards, fake names, not accepting special treatment when we are noticed — but after a few years if you are a top 20 restaurant and you don’t know what the local critic looks like, let’s face it, you’re not doing your job.
The best we can do is honestly assess the experience.
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