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Friday, April 18, 2008
Yearning for Something Slavic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AT RIGHT: Chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream — kirsch. That’s a dang good piece of Black Forest Cake.
Photo: Louie Favorite/AJC staff
First, a peaceful Passover to those who celebrate this holiday that begins tomorrow at sundown.
lived in New York when I was younger, back before the earth’s crust cooled, and my boyfriend at the time had a handle on all the spots of the Lower East Side (long before it was fashionable), from Gus’ Pickle Stand to a Hungarian restaurant that used to rest on the corner of 2nd and 7th (I’d tell you the name, but I can’t remember. And I’ve tried, believe me.)
It served incredible peirogis and blintzes, and even after I moved to New Jersey (hey — the rent was cheaper) I would venture back there just to get some potato-and-pea soup.
And after 16 years in Southern New England, I got a pretty good idea of how to make caldo verde. And Portuguese-style paella.
I miss these foods so much. Atlanta has missing pockets of food culture. Other than a few spots, I can’t think of any really great Portuguese restaurants here. And other than Slovakia in Marietta, you’ll be hard-pressed to nibble on a peirogi anytime soon. Istanbul in Decatur helps bridge the gap, but we need so many more like it.
I’ve made a list of the cuisines I wish there were more of in the ATL: 1. Eastern European — Hungarian, Slovakian — even Turkish. I could go for a cheese blintz and some chicken paprika.
Russian — ditto, and add some borscht. And yes, I know we have Nikolai’s Roof. I want more.
Portuguese — hellooooo?? Where the heck is my bacalhau? My botelo?
Spanish — Riccardo Ullio’s Cuerno fills a huge gap, but again, I WANT MORE.
German — one of the heartiest cuisines in the world. I could go for some schwarzwalderkirschtorte right now.
Do you agree? What cuisine(s) would like to see more of in Atlanta? Do you know of restaurants where we could find these foods?
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