Home > Table Talk > Archives > 2007 > July
July 2007
When life gives you squash (and lots of it), make ratatouille
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the middle of summer, the idea that you’re changing seasons is an odd one. But the growing season has shifted, from late spring’s leafy greens and cool-season vegetables like broccoli, to summer’s berries, tomatoes and eggplant.
At the Cane Creek Farm community-supported agriculture program, farmer Lynn Pugh got a jump on warm-weather crops by planting tomatoes and squash in her hoop house and giving members an early taste of summer. Now summer is here in force, no nature’s helpers needed. At the last pickup at Cane Creek Farm for the spring/summer season, in late July, I carried four heavy bags to the car and wondered how we’d eat it all in a week. (We had a party for 30 that night, so no problem. Even 12 bell peppers and four jalapenos cook down into almost nothing when you turn them into vegetable fajitas.)
Four days later, I made the first pickup at the MellowBellies cooperative in Grant Park, which draws its produce from Riverview Farms, an organic farm along the Coosawatee River in Ranger, about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta. The box was packed with a beautiful assortment of produce: two large yellow melons; a young globe eggplant with taut purple skin and no seeds to speak of, something you just can’t find in stores; a bunch of zephyr squash, a long, thin yellow squash with a green tip; a bag of potatoes; a dozen or more red, ripe tomatoes; four onions; and a globe squash, green like zucchini and shaped like a pie pumpkin. I put the box on the bathroom scale at home: 20 pounds.
There was just one thing to do: Make ratatouille. I’m eating it for lunch every day this week, and it’s delicious, but I’m looking for fresh ideas for coming weeks. What’s your favorite way to enjoy summer’s tomatoes? How about squash? I keep hearing about a soup base you can make with squash and tomatoes that freezes well, but haven’t come up with a recipe. Do you have one to share? And if you’re interested in the ratatouille recipe, which comes from Jacques Pepin, let me know and I’ll post it here.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Local Food
Indian A List
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the owners of Madras Saravana Bhavan departing and the opening soon of the much-awaited MGR Palace in Stone Mountain (owned by the former chef of Madras), Indian food is getting a bit of a shake up in Atlanta. Add to that the big boo boo last week in Access Atlanta’s readers’ poll, the Big A List (compiled and voted on by readers), calling Imperial Fez the “best Indian in Atlanta,” and we’ve got ourselves a mess. Atlanta has so much great Indian food — Vatica, Zyka, — but do we know our dosai from our dal? Where’s you favorite Indian cuisine?
Permalink | Comments (22) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
Are dangerous foods lurking in your pantry?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A spot check Thursday afternoon of several convenience stores in northwest Atlanta found two out of three still stocking canned foods recalled in a botulism outbreak linked to an Augusta food plant. That’s scary, but it’s not unusual.
Often, by the time a food is recalled because it’s been linked to illness, there’s not much left to round up. The food has been eaten, or, if it’s a perishable product, has either spoiled or been frozen. Many consumers never hear about food recalls, and stores and restaurants also may not be aware of it. Just a small percentage of recalled food ever makes it back to a manufacturer.
With the Castleberry’s recall (see castleberrys.com for a complete list), there are tens of millions of cans, with a shelf life of two years or longer, that have been recalled. The company’s hot dog chili sauce has been linked to four cases of botulism, a serious food borne illness that, if not treated quickly, can lead to paralysis and death. Nearly 90 different canned foods, under more than two dozen brand names, have been recalled as the investigation continues into a processing failure at the plant.
Do you think food manufacturers, supermarkets and the government do enough to make consumers aware of recalls? Are you aware of this one? Have you seen any of the recalled products still on store shelves, and if so, did you try to talk to store managers about it?
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Food safety
Where is the best … Caribbean cuisine?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Mmmmm. Jerk chicken, black beans, tostones. Where do you go in Atlanta for the best Carribbean cuisine?
Permalink | Comments (36) | Post your comment | Categories: Where is the best
Beer Dinner at Shaun’s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Quick — if you’ve no plans for this evening, head to Inman Park for a beer-pairing dinner at Shaun’s as the restaurant welcomes Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver (featured in last week’s AJC from beer writer Bob Townsend) with a three-course prix-fixe menu with paired beers from Brooklyn Brewery. The menu is $45 per person; $65 when paired with beers. There is one seating at 7 p.m. On the menu? Silver Queen corn pancake with grilled quail and foie gras crouton paired with a double cream Brooklyn pilsner, roast chicken with beer-battered sage leaves served with a Brooklyn brown ale, and for dessert toast “Soldiers” with roasted Georgia summer fruits and milk chocolate gelato (Doty LOVES to make ice cream!) paired with Brooklyn chocolate stout. Shaun’s, 1029 Edgewood Ave, Atlanta, 404-577-4358, www.shaunsatlanta.com
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
All Amick, All the Time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Amick and his company, Concentrics Hospitality, are busy as bees. Adding to One Midtown Kitchen, Two Urban Licks, Trois, TAP, Piebar and Lobby at Twelve will be this fall’s opening of Room at Twelve, the dining concept inside the Twelve Hotel Centennial Park. Amick describes Room as a “modern American steakhouse” serving prime cuts of meat, sushi, slow-roasted meats and even a tandoori oven for skewered meats and fish. The look, designed by ASD (also the designer of Piebar), is bathed in charcoals and grays, with a giant mirror as a focal point. Chef Nick Oltarsh, from Lobby at Twelve, is designing the menu and will helm the kitchen as executive chef. The restaurant is slated to open in mid-September, with the hotel. Room at Twelve Centennial Park, 400 W. Peachtree Street, www.concentricshospitality.com. Meanwhile, Amick has plans to turn the old pipe fitting factory at 240 North Highland into Parish, a New Orleans-influenced restaurant/upscale grocery/juice and java bar. Birmingham designer Taylor Dawson, who also designed TAP, will help Amick restore the 1890 building, with plans to keep the original brick intact, as well as the slate roof. Scott Serpes of Two Urban Licks will design the menu, which includes an all-day breakfast (including lunch items such as po’ boys and muffulettas) downstairs and casual-but-upscale New Orleans-style eats upstairs; he will also serve as executive chef. Parish is slated to open the second week of January 2008. Until then, we can hang out and get a testosterone fill at Stats, 300 Marietta St., a casual take on the sports bar. It’s classic Amick, with three levels and each bathroom designed for a different decade. “There’s a heavy slant towards high-tech audio/visual,” said Amick by phone, “but if you don’t want to watch sports, you won’t have to.” Oltarsh is designing the menu, and 790 the Zone has plans to broadcast from the main dining room. The boys are back in town, baby.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
Message from Mexico
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The land stretching inland from the Sea of Cortez in Los Cabos, Mexico, is acrid and dry. Craggy and mountainous, it’s littered with saguaro cacti for years — perhaps hundreds — to the cloudless blue sky for hope of rain. Bring water to this seemingly infertile soil, and the area’s rich minerals will sprout lush green. The area around Todos Santos, just north of the tourist city of Cabo San Lucas, is a community of ex-pat artists, surfers and ex-Hollywood types who have managed to blend more easily into the Mexican culture than the average tourist. Its only real tourist attraction is the Hotel California restaurant, from the acclaimed Eagles song. It’s here that natural and organic farming practices have begun to sprout up, and it makes for good eating. You can roam the narrow streets and find Tacos Chilakos — an open air spot with a few tables and even fewer counter seats that will give you access to some of the best carne asada tacos on the Baja California Sur peninsula. The spot itself is nothing more than a palapa — an open air, thatched roof hut — and tables adorned with plastic checkered cloths and the condiments to make a meal: shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, smooth guacamole, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, roasted serrano peppers and pickled jalapeños. But it’s the meat, seasoned and stirred up on an outdoor griddle, that makes the meal. It comes in bits — not strips — each little cube a universe of outdoor beef flavor. Placed on a grilled flour tortilla, we smothered it in condiments and drank Cokes to kill the serranos’ heat. The night before we had ventured into San José del Cabo, walking a dozen blocks or more from the tourist fray of Boulevard Antonio Mijares, to find a taco stand that served the Mexico City specialty, tacos al pastor. It seemed like miles before we found it. But suddenly, there it was — El Fogon — a large, open-air stand with mounds of ripe serrano peppers behind a glass counter. In the front corner is a spit, where tender, marinated pork is sliced, with a bit of pineapple, and served in a corn tortilla with a layered hot sauce. The fiery flavor, with smooth guacamole and cilantro, was exactly what we had been looking for. Afterward, we stopped at a local paleteria (popsicle stand) and squelched the heat with a creamy coconut and tamarillo paleta (homemade popsicle). After filling stomach, heart and soul with one of the best meals of our lives, the walk back didn’t seem half as long.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
Shout Out to Serenbe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you haven’t received your August issue of Bon Appetit, be sure to check out the hollah given to Farmhouse at Serenbe in Palmetto and chef Tony Seichrist, mentioned in Andrew Knowlton’s “The Restaurant Reporter” as a place to eat local and organic. The Farmhouse gets a shout-out as a good place to go green along with Crust in Chicago and Brasa in Seattle, among others.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Dining
It’s tomato season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This past weekend, when I picked up bag after bag of vegetables from Cane Creek Farm, tomatoes were well-represented. A pint of cherry tomatoes. A pound of Juliette salad tomatoes. Two pounds of heirloom (I picked Cherokee purple, a black/purple tomato that’s sweet and meaty at the same time).
It’s the peak of summer harvest around here, so farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture programs like Cane Creek Farm are overflowing. And tomatoes are the best part. I tried making tomato sandwiches with some leftover slices last month, putting them in the refrigerator overnight (I know, I know, bad move, but they were already sliced and there was nothing else to do with them except eat them), layered with slices of onions.
The next day, I took off the onions, put the tomato slices on bread with lots of mayo, and had an incredibly tasty sandwich. Maybe the hint of onion helped overcome the downside of spending some time in the refrigerator.
Other than tomato sandwiches, what are some of your favorite ways to enjoy ripe tomatoes? Where do you find the best ones? I’ve gotten lots of emails lately praising Osage’s, a farm market in Rabun County on 441, around Mountain City, and can speak from experience that it has wonderful tomatoes (and sweet corn, and cabbage, etc.).
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Local Food
Tomato Time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s the best time of year for fresh produce — especially tomatoes, corn, okra and peaches. The Georgia crop was hit hard this year by an early frost, so support your local farmer by getting out to your local farmer’s market or roadside stand. La Tavola Trattoria is capitalizing on tomato time by offering a special tomato-inspired menu in addition to the regular menu. The 11-day Tomatofest will be held from Wednesday, July 25 until Saturday, August 4 and will feature dishes such as buffalo mozzarella cheese with charred Sungold tomatoes and roasted zucchini; wild nettle and ricotta ravioli with tomato salsa fresca; slow-roasted pork spareribs with honey, Brandywine tomatoes and bay leaf over soft polenta; and orange blossom honey-ricotta cake with pine nuts and tomato conserva. Prices range from $7 to $21 for these special dishes. Add a four-course wine pairing to the meal for an additional $14 per person. La Tavola Trattoria is located at 992 Virginia Avenue. Reservations can be made by calling 404-873-5430 or by visiting www.fifthgroup.com.
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Best of the Newbies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As fall approaches, I’m realizing that lots of great restaurants have opened this year — Shaun’s (which was technically the end of 2006), Trois, JCT Kitchen, Palomilla’s — to name a few. Have you been? What’s your favorite new restaurant?
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Should I Dine in Disguise, Part II
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Interesting responses to an earlier posting today about whether or not I should dine in disguise. I am getting recognized, but does that give unfair advantage to the restaurants who know? My issue is I don’t want to be more absorbed with a disguise than I am the experience at the restaurant. My policy, FYI, is to mention that I felt I was recognized in the review. There are many cities’ dining critics — including Atlanta — who have been doing this for a living for many, many years. There’s no way we won’t eventually be recognized. But you can’t make a great chef in a night. Service, I feel, is the real issue. And if there are photos of me posted on the back rooms of kitchens, for goodness sake I hope they show my good side! Thanks for everyone’s input — including those who feel dining critics should be eliminated.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Dining
More Manuel’s, Too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Turning 50 last year hasn’t slowed down the folks at Manuel’s Tavern. This year, they’re celebrating 51 from August 6 and through August 10. Special guests and old-time employees will be on hand to aid in the revelry. 602 North Highland Ave., 404-525-3447, www.manuelstavern.com
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
More Marlow’s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new Marlow’s Tavern, the third in the area, opens August 7 in Midtown Plaza. The menu is a mix of Tavern favorites such as grouper topped with black bean-and-corn salsa served with jalapeno grits or bone-in ribeye with warm gorgonzola sauce. Plaza Midtown is yet another mega building in Midtown between West Peachtree and Spring Streets at 8th Street — just behind another mega wonder, the Spire Building. It’s great space for retailers and restaurants, though —- the building boasts 70,000 square feet of retail space. Steel, the upscale Asian restaurant from Dallas, is scheduled to join the party later this year, too. Marlow’s Tavern, 950 West Peachtree Street, Suite 215, www.marlowstavern.com
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Should I Dine in Disguise?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dining critics try to remain anonymous when dining so that 1. They receive no special treatment from servers and staff who may recognize them. 2. They can avoid special treats from the kitchen sent just for them. 3. They can remain as objective as possible and maintain a proper distance from the staff. It’s best to dine at a restaurant two or three times before writing about it, so by the time (over the course of a month to six weeks) I’ve finished visiting, the staff has often figured out who I am. I take lots of precautions — I use a fake credit card and, of course, never make reservations in my own name. I use a cell phone with an ID block to make reservations. Still, I’m getting found out in Atlanta. Ruth Reichl made a big deal out of the fact that she used to wear disguises while working as the critic for the NY Times. I think that’s going over board, but am wondering — should a dining critic wear disguises to prevent being recognized?
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Dining
New Cookbook to Check Out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you who enjoy listening to the talk show “Chef and the Fat Man,” you can extend your interest to the printed page with the release of the team’s first cookbook, “Red White and Blue (Collar) Cookin’” (Apex Publishing, June 2007). The book features 182 recipes, from apple duff to white turkey chili, and retails for $14.95. “Chef and the Fatman,” airs on Business Radio 1160 the CFO, WLSB-1400 AM, WYHG-770 AM and WALH-1340 AM.
Permalink | | Categories: Food
The “Sunday Share” at Ecco
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Starting this Sunday, July 22, Ecco restaurant will offer evenings of family-style dining around a communal table for $25 per person, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The events are scheduled through September 9. Each Sunday will provide a canopy for exploring a theme concentrating on different regions of the world and allow diners to meet and commune. This Sunday’s theme is “France, Meet Morocco.” Reservations are required. To reserve a spot, call 404-347-9555. Ecco, 40 7th Street, www.fifthgroup.com
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Gordon Ramsay is the funniest bleeping chef around
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Foul-mouthed British chef Gordon Ramsay, who reduces wannabe chefs to tears in “Hell’s Kitchen” on Fox, really lets loose in his BBC America series, “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.”
In the first episode this season, when he visits a British expat’s failing restaurant on a Spanish beach, he may have reached a career high in trashing the prawns in chocolate sauce, the patio strewn with dog droppings (AJC editors are much pickier about profanities than the BBC America crew), and the chicken-and-banana entree. When I stepped out of the room for a minute and returned, all I could hear was a steady bleeping from the TV.
He’s got a ton of series — are any not worth watching? Is he better when he’s chatting up the likes of Sharon Osborne or cursing apprentices into permanent donkey-dom?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Food
Hey Day for the Valet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have you ever handed your keys over to the valet and wondered if they’re driving your cute car while you’re eating? I’m pretty sure that the valet at a Midtown restaurant I dined at last night took my car for a joy ride — the odometer was different, both seats were moved and things just seemed out of place. Remember that scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Yeah. Do you think this has ever happened to you?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Dining
Give Cafe 458 Your Support!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cafe 458, the cafe inside Samaritan House of Atlanta, has a new chef, Eric Lewis. The cafe is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday only, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and all the proceeds from the weekend brunch, including tips, go to supporting the programs at Samaritan House which fosters the homeless and helps them return to a self-sufficient lifestyle. In addition to favorites like fried green tomatoes and upside down apple pancakes, Lewis, who has worked at The Cabin Room and at corporate venues for Morehouse, Emory and Kroger, plans to fix up some signatures like blackened salmon with asiago-and-sage scrambled eggs, a weekly frittata and cinnamon French toast. All yummy and for a yummy cause. Cafe 458. 458 Edgewood Ave., Atlanta, 404-523-1239, ext. 117, or www.samhouse.org.
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Big Yellow … Waiters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Who’s been to Kevin Rathbun Steak? I just finished my last visit for the review that will come out on the 26th. This is a weird question, so go figure: What do you think of the bright, schoolbus-yellow shirts the staff wears? Rathbun told me by phone that the idea was to use something bright and he originally wanted a burnt orange color (but said that looked too much like the dining room was filled with Tennessee fans). I took an impromptu poll of the staff while I was there (i.e., I asked every single waiter I saw if he/she liked wearing them). The answer was an emphatic no! It was all in fun, but if you’ve been, weigh in: Wouldn’t crisp white work?
Permalink | |
Take Out Trauma
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just finished a meal from Watershed in Decatur — one of my favorite restaurants and certainly one of the best in the area. Chef Scott Peacock’s recent James Beard award is well deserved. The problem: My daughter and I ordered take out, rather than eating at the restaurant. When we got home, the vegetables on my vegetable plate had run together like succotash, the fried items (okra and onion rings) were mushy and the shrimp grits were cold. In Watershed’s defense, this is not the kind of place I normally associate with take out. But if they didn’t offer this as a service they’d lose at least some of their business. So I ask: should restaurants of Watershed’s caliber offer take out? Or are they shooting themselves in the foot since the food is likely to not be the same as it is in the restaurant? What’s your experience with take out in mid- to high-end restaurants?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Dining
TVs in Restaurants
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A reader who wants to remain anonymous makes a good point in a recent email: “What use (sic) to be a good “family” time is now no better than staying home. Why should we go out only to sit in front of a T.V. at the restaurant. What’s the point? The reason (we) started to go out to eat was to get away from the T.V. and telephone so we could have some family conversation. Now it seems most restaurant’s (sic) have installed T.V.’s (sic) and while trying to enjoy your dinner a person next to you is talking on the phone. What ever happened to “family” time??? Maybe some restaurant will read an article and maybe take note..”
Well said. Sports bars and strip joints aside, I can’t stand it when the TV or a cell phone distracts from the meal. It’s insulting to everyone — diners and the staff at the restaurant alike. What do you think?
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: Dining
Is it a cop out to throw a warehouse club party?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re probably all been to parties where the food was all served on plastic trays, straight out of the Sam’s Club, BJ’s or Costco fridge. Appetizers from the freezer case, big bags of chips and gallons of salsa, ribs and wings from the rotisserie — you get the picture.
Is this a good way to put together a big party, with the end justifying the means?
Or sheer laziness by the host?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Food
Tasty China Still Tasty?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Who’s been to Tasty China in Marietta now that chef Peter Chang has left? Is it still as good?
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Blackberry cobbler is quick, easy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s blackberry season now, with dark, delicious berries just begging for a cobbler.
We got a cup or so of berries last weekend as part of our weekly share from Cane Creek Farm’s community-supported agriculture program. Not large enough for a traditional cobbler, and a tough sell for eating out of hand, because they’re still a little tart. Still, I’ve been craving cobbler — good cobbler, that is — for months. So I looked for a way to put one together. Most recipes call for making biscuit dough, rolling it out, artfully draping it over the pan or cutting it for a lattice. On a busy weekend, it’s tough to find the time or enthusiasm for that.
I found an old recipe that I’ve gotten in the past from several farmers in south Georgia, one that puts the cobbler on the table quick. It’s adapted from a Nathalie Dupree recipe in “Savannah Collection,” a cookbook from Martha Giddens Nesbit, who used to put together the food section of the Savannah Morning News and, more recently, has been collaborating on cookbooks with Paula Deen. I cut it in half and used a smaller pan because we didn’t have enough berries for the full recipe; you can always add another fruit, like peaches, if you don’t have enough berries. But it works just fine when halved, unlike so many desserts.
Gently wash and drain berries. Taste; if they’re tart, add a quarter-cup of granulated sugar to berries, toss to coat, and let sit a few minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a half-cup of butter (one stick) into a 9-by-13 pan and place in oven to melt. Meanwhile, mix 1 cup self-rising flour, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour batter evenly over melted butter. Add berries with any juice on top of batter. Do not stir. Baked for 30 to 35 minutes, until browned. Serves 6. (If you don’t have self-rising flour, use all purpose flour and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.)
Do you ever make cobbler? If so, is there a shortcut that still produces a tasty dessert to share? If not, where do you like to buy cobbler? My favorite standby for peach cobbler is out of business and I’d love to find a replacement.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Local Food
Tu Tu Thai
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m reviewing Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro for this week’s accessAtlanta (read the review this Thursday). It’s darned good — probably the best Thai in the area. I also love L’Thai on Lawrenceville Highway. What are your favorite Thai restaurants in the area?
Permalink | | Categories: Dining
Amuse Me
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Reader Ron Altman emailed to ask what is the difference between an appetizer and an amuse-bouche. An appetizer is an actual course in a multi-course meal, designed to whet the appetite. An amuse-bouche is — nowadays, anyway — interpreted as a tiny bite sent from the kitchen as a “gift” from the chef. These tasty tidbits can be sent throughout the meal, but are more often than not sent before hand, to be eaten with drinks or wine. Lots of chefs in Atlanta use this technique to get things started at the table. Where have you had the best amuse-bouche?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Dining
Have foodborne disease outbreaks changed what you eat?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the last year, such everyday food as peanut butter, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and now snack food (Robert’s Veggie Booty) has been linked to large outbreaks of foodborne illness. Pet food has been implicated in a massive outbreak of illness, too. And the FDA recently announced that some Chinese seafood products (shrimp, catfish/basa, eel and dace, a carp-like fish) would have to be proven safe before they were allowed into the United States.
Are there food products you don’t buy anymore because of concerns over their safety? Have these outbreaks changed the way you shop, even if you still purchase foods in these categories?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Food safety
Rata-ta-ta-touille
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lots of folks have been asking my take on the Pixar film, Ratatouille, where a rat becomes one of the finest chefs in Paris and the big bad guy is the Grim Eater restaurant critic, Anton Ego. Is the evil depiction of this critic fair? Do I identify in any way? Well, no and no. The character I identify with most in this film is the female chef, Colette. I was once a chef in kitchens filled with men and the condition is fairly common in the restaurant industry. So let’s hear it from the girls: Are you a female chef or a studying to be one? What’s your experience been like? Do you feel under appreciated, as Colette did, simply because of your sex?
Permalink | |
Healthy, but With Feeling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A reader from Decatur just emailed to ask where in Midtown or Buckhead she could find a meal that would satisfy her 13-year-old grandson’s gourmet palate while attending to her diabetic needs. My suggestions: Seasons 52 and Kyma (all that fresh fish!). What are YOUR suggestions?
Permalink | |
Where is the best … ready-made picnic fare?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Where do you go for the best ready-made picnic fare?
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: Where is the best
What makes the Varsity, Mary Mac’s and others worth a visit?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you live in metro Atlanta, sooner or later you’re going to have to go to the Varsity to get a chili dog, onion rings and a frosted orange, if for no other reason than to say you’ve had a quintessential Atlanta experience.
The Varsity and other metro institutions, such as Harold’s Barbecue, Carver’s Grocery and Mary Mac’s Tea Room, are among 200 or so restaurants that food writer John T. Edge visits and profiles in “Southern Belly,” sharing memories of the broccoli casserole at Carver’s, the cracklin’ cornbread at Harold’s and the, um, extra juicy experience of eating dogs at the Varsity. Edge is discussing the book at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, in a free appearance at the Decatur Library at 215 Sycamore Street — with munchies supplied by a more white-tablecloth group (Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia, Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, among others) — but let’s start the discussion here.
Do you go to restaurants that have become cultural touchstones for the food, or for the memories and experience? Or do you go to them at all?
Permalink | Comments (87) | Categories: Southern Food
Take Out Takes Off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The fast-growing fast casual restaurant segment offers diners lots of options for take out as well as eating in — curbside pickup with drive through lanes and/or special parking spots are just the beginning. The latest trend? Online ordering. New-to-Atlanta spots such as Tossed, as well as Outback steaks are offering this option to offer diners even more options for take out. The quesion is, will we use it? If online ordering is offered at your favorite spot, will you take advantage of it?
What’s your favorite farmers’ market?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eating Well magazine names its picks for the Top 10 farmers markets in America in its August issue. Simply Homegrown, in North Georgia’s Clayton, makes the list as the only market in the Southeast. The magazine praises its produce, mostly sustainable and brought in from neighboring farms in Rabun, Macon and Oconee counties.
Have you ever been to this market? What do you think of it? What’s your favorite farmers’ market in metro Atlanta?
By the way, if you’re interested in checking out Simply Homegrown, it’s 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through mid-September at the corner of Savannah and Main streets in Clayton, just off Ga. 441 in Rabun County. www.simplyhomegrown.net
Live free or Die (Without a Snicker Bar)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got in from seeing Live Free or Die Hard. Aside from being a Brucefest (which I have no issue with — all guys should be that bald with those pecs, and I love that smirky look he always has on his face), Justin Long (equally as cute, but with hair) rants for the first hour about how hungry he is, but when a Snicker bar shows up in the glove box of the car he and Brucey (as John McClane) are stealing, he doesn’t even go for it. I would eat a Snicker even if I wasn’t hungry. It got me to thinking about how effective eating —especially dining — is in film, and I don’t just mean the obvious such as Babette’s Feast or Eat Drink Man Woman. Actually my favorite is Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge taking a Tupperware container of spaghetti from her mother’s fridge, sniffing it to make sure it’s still good, then proceeding to devour the contents with her fingers — still standing and in her “police uniform” costume. Chocolat has its praline-making party and 9 and1/2 weeks has that thing with the strawberry (and the ice cube, and the …) What’s the best eating/dining scene in a film?
Permalink | |
Vive la France!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple of restaurants have let me know about special menus for Bastille Day (for those of you who aren’t Francophiles, Bastille Day is French Independence Day celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789. It’s on July 14). Shaun’s is offering a “French-inspired” prix fixe menu with drink specials for $38. Expect pate with rabbit and sweetbreads, chicken paillard with arugula, tomatoes and lemon and for dessert — oo la la — profiteroles with chocolate ice cream and white chocolate sauce. 411: Saturday, July 14 at Shaun’s, 1029 Edgewood Ave., 404-577-4358, www.shaunsrestaurant.com. FAB is fabulously celebrating with a three-course prix fixe dinner for $45 per person. While slurping down a French 75 and languishing the lamb tenderloin with English cucumber sauce and ginger brunoise, you can listen to an accordionist and take in the red, white and blue-bedecked surroundings. Other goodies include filet mignon with potatoes dauphinoise and a chilled lychee soup with tropical fruit (how French is THAT?) French American Brasserie, 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., 404-266-1440, www.fabatlanta.com. Is your restaurant going French for Bastille Day? Tell me about it.
Did I Needle Nava?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A recent email from Walt McMahon from Hoover AL., states: “Just a brief note to let you know I was in Atlanta last month and my group dined at Nava. I picked the spot since it was one of the few Buckhead Life places I had missed over the years.
We found it delightful and all four of us gave it high marks. In fact, one of our party said it was the finest meal she had experienced in her 28 years of visiting Atlanta.”
My recent review gave Nava two stars. What would you give it?
Zpizza is Zmahvelous?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New restaurant owner Danny Kim just emailed to let me know of his new spot, zpizza, opening at 5315 Windward Parkway, Suite B, in Alpharetta — another is planned for Midtown later this year. The surfer-dude concept for this franchise started in Laguna Beach, where they slap organic tomato sauce, additive-free pepperoni and sausage and groovy toppings like pine nuts and truffle oil onto a hand-thrown and fire-baked crust. Kim grew up in California, where zpizza reigns with over 50 locations. He says he “wanted to do something that would be unique” to Georgia. My question: Has anyone eaten at zpizza? I want to know more about it. Do these natural ingredients make a difference? Kim’s grand opening is Monday, July 9, btw. Go to www.zpizza.com for more info….
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?
Permalink | Comments (214) | Categories: Where is the best
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.
Services »
