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June 2008
Should Critics Be Anonymous?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A recent comment on my last blog entry made a valid point about the anonymity of a dining critic. The comment commended that I acknowledged in my recent review of Home that I had been recognized by the staff at the restaurant, but wondered how unfair that recognition is for the restaurants out there who still don’t know a critic when they see one.
First, some background: It is the policy of the AJC (and all major newspapers) for the dining critic to visit restaurants anonymously. I visit unannounced, use credit cards with false names that do not bear any company signature or trademark and the AJC reimburses me for the cost of my meals. I visit restaurants several times over the course of several weeks, sometimes months, to garner the information needed to write a review. I do not knowingly accept free items from a restaurant; if something doesn’t show up on the bill I ask for it to be put on the bill. If that doesn’t happen, I cover the cost of the item in my tip.
I’ve been at this for a little over four years now at the AJC, and the staffs at many restaurants around the city definitely know what I look like. I do not wear disguises. When I feel that my treatment may have been altered because of this recognition, I mention that in the review.
Now, here’s the gist of the blog comment: What about the restaurants that haven’t figured me out yet? Isn’t that unfair to them?
I’d like to address this on several levels.
All dining critics for major newspapers — from Tom Sietsama at the Washington Post to Frank Bruni at the New York Times — are recognized. Bruni’s picture is all over the internet; all anyone has to do is google him. Some critics have been at this gig for so many years that anonymity is impossible. That doesn’t mean we’re all wining and dining with the chef and getting special treatment. On the contrary. We all work by the same rules, above. Most restaurants actually get the gig and other than pleasant acknowledgments, leave us alone to do our work. Major restaurants in Atlanta who haven’t figured out what the restaurant critics in this town look like aren’t doing their job, frankly.
What changes when a critic is recognized? For the most part, service. All of a sudden I will notice that my server went from having four tables in his station, to one: mine. The owner is paying a lot of attention to me. In the kitchen, several plates of the same thing I’ve ordered might be made and the best is chosen for the table. But think about this: A chef isn’t made in a night, or two, or three (frankly, neither is a waitstaff). If you can cook, you can cook. Nothing about a critic in the house is suddenly going to make a great chef out of you.
It’s my job to assess all this as fairly and as accurately as possible. If I feel something about my visit has been altered enough to make a difference in a review, I mention it in my writing. I do that to protect you, the reader, and those restaurants out there that still haven’t figured out what I look like yet.
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Meridith Ford Goldman-Bio
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FAQs of a newspaper dining critic:
Q: Does the restaurant know whom you are when you eat there?
A: The idea is to be anonymous, although that’s getting harder and harder to do in this town. And I’m not one for disguises. How stupid would it look for me to visit a restaurant and have the owner look at me and wonder, “Why is Meridith Ford wearing that ridiculous wig?” I’m not into my fake mustache falling into my martini, either.
Q: Surely the restaurant pays for your meal, right? That’s why they get good reviews?
A: Are you on crack? What’s your explanation for a bad review? The AJC pays for ALL my meals when I’m on the clock, and frankly, I’m pretty much always on the clock.
Q: How many times do you visit a restaurant before it’s written about in a review?
A: For the full review that appears in Friday’s Living Section (and online at www.accessatlanta.com ), I visit the restaurant an average of three times, sometimes four. If something was exceptionally good, I want to make sure it was exceptionally good more than once. Ditto if it was bad — I mean, maybe the chef was having an off night or something.
Q: How did you get your job? It must be the greatest job in the world…
A: I have no idea how I got this job. I consider myself pretty lucky. I do have street cred, though: I was a chef for a long time in another life, and then started styling food for local publications. That prompted writing, and writing led to a lot of gigs with some national magazines. I was the dining critic for the Providence Journal for five years before I came back to Atlanta, my hometown.
It is a really fun job, and a privilege. There are nights when I’d like to hole up in front of the TV with my jammies and a bowl of popcorn, though
Q: Why aren’t you fat?
A: Dude, three words: cross fit training.
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Home Sweet Home for Blais?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BLAIS ON TOP CHEF: Will he stay at Home?
Photo: Bravo
My dining review in today’s Living section is of Home, a new venue for restaurateur Tom Catherall and Top Chef chef Richard Blais.
Catherall is known for the type of popular venues that put a butt in every seat until the next big thing comes along; Blais is known not only as a finalist on Top Chef but as the molecular gastro guru of Atlanta. The concept is farm-to-table (mostly) brought to the table in the form of savvy Southern fare. Seems an odd coupling, and an even odder menu for two culinarians who’ve never adhered to the local/ sustainable movement before….
But Blais is cooking better than ever, and the venue seems to work. At least to me it does. Have you been to Home? What did you think?
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Food Studio Says Goodbye
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GOING, GOING, GONE… the orange rice pudding napoleon with grapefruit vodka gelee at the Food Studio.
Photo: T. Levette Bagwell/AJC
I had been at the AJC a little over a year when I rereviewed the Food Studio, a West Side hottie that had opened in July 1996, smack dab in the middle of the Olympics craze. When it opened, the menu had that whole artsy food conceit going on —- menu pontifications that described the food in James Joyce-ian script, and what came to the table was beautiful but contrived.
Time aged and improved the kitchen’s attitude, making the food more inviting rather than off-putting. Mark Alba was chef when I reviewed and his approach to modern American cuisine had a mature touch and quiet veneer, but with subtle splashes of personality.
But the West Side became a hot bed of activity for restaurants and retail — new places popped up not just in that area, but all over the city. The dining public seemed to forget how hip they thought the artsy King Plow building, a former farmhouse/manufacturing plant, was. And they moved on.
Now the news is that the space will be used for events only, as part of parent company Fifth Group’s Bold American Catering with BAC’s exec chef Todd Anis. The “new chapter” will change the space from restaurant to event venue on July 19.
This feels a little like you don’t know what you have til it’s gone to me — a hip spot when it opened, hotter than hot, with a progressive menu for the time and a very cool space. I am sad to see it go….
Do you have a memory of Food Studio? Have you eaten there recently?
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Tales of Tails? My Top Five Weirdest Things to Eat In Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HE SMOKES, HE DRINKS, HE EATS WEIRD THINGS. DO YOU EAT LIKE ANTHONY BOURDAIN?
Photo: Louie Favorite/AJC
The gooey responses from the blog on Monday about finding horrific things in your food really brought out the Tony Bourdain in me.
Mr. Bourdain spends a lot time carousing and drinking while finding some of the weirdest, uckiest thing to eat on the planet on his Travel Channel show, No Reservations. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to eat the fried grasshoppers (called chapulines, they taste a little like crunchy, hairy peanuts and show up every now and then at Tierra).
Bizarre foods in Atlanta? Here’s my list:
1) Sea cucumber at Nam Chun Hong: Is it a plant? No. Prized by the Chinese as a delicacy, this weird little creature that basically does nothing but slurp up scum from the bottom of the ocean takes some getting used to. Sliced and swimming in a salty sauce, the texture and flavor give you the feeling that Mr. Sea Cuke might actually still be alive.
2) Jellyfish at Hong Kong Gourmet: Perhaps more of a treat for the Japanese in the form of sunomono (pickles), this little goodie is served up at this Chinese restaurant in a mound of glory with what tastes like rice wine vinegar, soy and a bit of vinegar. The look? A little like flat rice noodles. The taste? Salted air. The texture? Rubber band, man.
3) Hong Kong offers frog six ways to Sunday, but if you want just the meatier portion of legs, you’re not going to get them, even if the menu says you are. Here, they serve the whole frog —- chopped up —- which means you’ll be picking through a lot of cartilage in your stir fry flavored with bean sprouts. The dish is a mellow blend of garlic and leek flavor, with shreds of fresh ginger (and yes, frog does taste pretty much like chicken).
4) Happy Valley has the best chicken feet of most of the Chinese spots that offer dim sum in the area. The feet have more meat and lack the characteristically sinewy texture of most. They’re braised and gooed up with a black bean sauce that tastes like a crazy cross of hoisin, black bean and barbecue.
5) The souse at Holeman & Finch Public House, even tho it’s not always available. This isn’t the gelatinous, head-cheesy mess pig’s head usually ends up as —- this is tender meat boiled with a seasoned broth, then mixed with capers and house-made mustard and a bit of hard boiled egg and topped with bread crumbs from the house-made hamburger buns.
So get your Bourdain on: what/where’s your favorite bizarre food experience?
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Waiter, There’s a Worm in My Fish
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Reader Jan Hilton of Marietta wrote to tell me of an incident that happened to her at a recent lunch at an upscale eatery in Midtown: she found a worm in her fish.
“I ate lunch there in late April and had an incident that had never happened to me before at any restaurant, or for that matter, anywhere. After I was about halfway finished with my delicious, perfectly cooked cod, a live worm (approximately two inches long) came up through the fish wiggling his little beige-colored head. (I later learned it was a “cod worm parasite.”) Of course I was horrified. The server quickly took my plate away and the restaurant manager quickly came over to apologize and comp our meal,” Hilton told me via email.
She figured the experience has happened to me lots, since I dine out so much. Oddly, it hasn’t — stray fingernails and hair are as bad as I’ve ever gotten — and they’re bad enough.
The truth is that the odds are against this sort of thing never happening, especially if you’re a frequent diner like me. And this restaurant clearly tried to rectify the situation as best they could — by paying for her entire meal and asking her back on them.
But she’s reluctant to go, considering. Has something like this ever happened to you? If so, what did the restaurant do to compensate you? What was your reaction?
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Where’s Your Favorite Salad?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TEN VEGGIE CHOP SALAD AT TAURUS: the height of salad days.
Photo: Frank Niemeir/AJC
My review of the Shed at Glenwood in today’s Living section waxes on about chef Daniel Atwood’s fresher-than-fresh gold-and-red beet salad with Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese, orange segments and micro greens, splashed with white Balsamic vinegar. It’s incredibly refreshing. This is such an overused combo, and yet at the Shed it’s made new again.
I had another delicious salad at Parish last week — a “sunflower” salad highlighted by sunchokes, sunflower seeds and fresh spears of baby corn. The arugula salad splashed with vinaigrette and showered with shavings of Parm at Baraonda has always been a favorite, and I love the chopped veggie salad at Taurus in Buckhead.
It’s the best time of the year for fresh salads — even if the salmonella outbreak means we have to lay off store-bought tomatoes (grape and vine-ripened tomatoes are exempt) for a while.
What restaurant makes your favorite salad?
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June Is Iced Tea Month
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ICE TEA: With lemonade or without?
Photo: Keith Hadley/AJC
Perhaps you were unaware: June is iced tea month.
But I’m in a bit of a predicament. When did Atlantans (those of us born and raised here) start putting lemonade in their iced tea? When I returned from a 16-year living stint in New England four years ago, I noticed that this habit has become a small phenom here — from high-end restaurants to pour-your-own-soda chains.
While I admit the result - a sweet, lemony, lip-smacking refresher - is tasty, I’d like to know when it arrived. We never did this when I was growing up — and neither did anyone else I know who was born and raised in the area. And now it’s touted as so Atlantan….
The drink, when the ratios are half lemonade, half tea, is actually called an Arnold Palmer, named after the golf legend. Alcoholic variations are numerous, where vodka and triple sec or bourbon are added (among others). Arizona Iced Tea actually makes a non-alchie canned version.
But I’m still baffled. I never drank anything like this, fancy name or otherwise, growing up. It’s NOT Atlantan … it’s not even originally Southern. It was purportedly first created in Colorado.
Did (or does) your family mix lemonade with iced tea? Where’s your favorite glass of iced tea or Arnold Palmer?
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White Lily Flour leaves the South
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By the end of the month, White Lily Flour, for more than 100 years a staple for biscuits, cakes and pies, will no longer be made in the South.
The flour has been made in the same Knoxville, Tenn., factory for 125 years, where it’s milled to produce the lightest, whitest flour around, one ideally suited for Southern favorites like biscuits. Other flours have higher protein contents, which make them better for sturdier baked goods like breads.
J.M. Smucker, which bought the White Lily brand in 2006 from C.H. Guenther & Sons, will continue making the flour at facilities in the Midwest. But many cooks are worried that the flour won’t be the same, according to a story in today’s New York Times. The newspaper got a few cooks to do a blind-baking test of flour milled in Knoxville, and the new version produced in the land of hard winter wheat. The results weren’t scientific, but they were unanimous: Cooks said they could tell the difference, and that the new White Lily flour didn’t produce the tender biscuits that the old one does.
Do you use White Lily? We’ve heard some fans are buying it up and freezing it to ensure a supply for a few more months. Have you? What do you think about the milling operation for this most Southern of flours — the best-selling flour in Atlanta — to the Midwest?
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Wednesday’s Five Faves: What Would Make You Skip the Elevator?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TRES LECHES CAKE AT TIERRA: Once, twice, three times worth skipping the elevator for.
The elevator came up with this week’s list of Five Faves. Well, my riding the elevator, anyway. I get really miffed when someone gets on the elevator to travel only one or two floors. Even worse when the elevator is going down. Geez, people. Can’t you walk?
When I stopped 14 times on my way to the 8th floor, I began to think of reasons why we all need to walk. And that made me think of cake, of course.
So here’s my list of FIVE FAVE slices of cake or cake-like things worth skipping the elevator for:
The coconut cake — really any cake — at Rexall Grill in Duluth is so moist, sweet and Southernly delicious that it will make you want to slap your grandma and possibly a few cousins. 3165 Buford Highway, Duluth. 770-623-8569, www.rexallgrill.com. Skip the elevator rating: 6.
Red velvet cupcakes at Buttersweet Bakery in Hapeville — very red. Very moist. A little hint of chocolate flavor and swirls of creamy-dreamy cream cheese frosting. 625 North Central Ave., Hapeville, 404-767-9884, www.buttersweetbakery.com. Skip the elevator rating: 6.5.
A beautiful creation called “Petunia” at Chocolate Pink Pastry Cafe made with brown sugared bananas, chocolate buttermilk cake, Nutella-laced ganache, hazelnut mousse and a jaconde (think crunchy, nut-flavored, toasted meringue) on the outside. So worth skipping the elevator for. 905 Juniper St. NE, Unit 108, 404-745-9292, www.chocolatepinkcafe.com. Skip the elevator rating: 7.5.
Repast’s lighter-than-air, chiffon-style cheesecake is a tiny bite of heaven. Don’t pine for dense and heavy — this cake is as light as a feather, and laced with a hint of lemon. 620 Glen Iris Drive, Atlanta. 404-870-8707, www.repastrestaurant.com. Skip the elevator rating: 8.5.
And finally, the cake to run stairs for:
Tres leches at Tierra — OMG I want to die when I eat this. The dense, milk-soaked layer topped with a perfect swirl of meringue actually makes me happy when I eat it. 1425 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-5951, www.tierrarestaurant.com. Skip the elevator rating: 4,599,999,000.
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Ditzy Over Dough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PUPUSAS ARE SO PLEASING
Photo; Phil Skinner/AJC
I recently took my fiance on a trek up Buford Highway to Chef Liu’s since he had never been, and Chinese food is a favorite of his.
Since the demise of Nam Chun Hong, Chef Liu’s is my favorite dumpling dive — here, the cha chiang mein is cut thick, and the black bean sauce, while a little dry, is rich and deeply flavored, scattered with julienned cukes (sometimes the veggies are served in a separate bowl, but not at Liu’s).
But the best is a plateful of pork fried dumplings (shiu mai), perfectly pinched at the top like a little pouch or beggar’s purse. Dipped into the vinegar-and-soy sauce, they are fluffy bites of doughy perfection.
The last week, still searching for a dough fix, a friend and I ventured into El Rincon on Buford, an El Salvadoran pupusa house recommended to me by Ticha Krinsky, chef owner with husband Dan of Tierra on Piedmont. Ticha is from El Salvador, and makes a mean pupusa, filled with cheese and served with a tart curtido on Tierra’s menu.
El Rincon has expanded since I first moved back to Atlanta, now overtaking the massive space of a former laundry mat next door. There is nothing not to like about this dough dive: The smell of masa mixed into dough on the griddle mingling with a little toasting cheese is a harbinger of all good things to come — pupusas of fat tortillas filled with beans, cheese, ground beef and loroco, an enigmatic herb that tastes a little like asparagus mixed with green beans.
Every culture has its chicken soup? Sure, but we all seem to share a love of dough, too.
Do you have a favorite dough dive?
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What Restaurants Are Best for Kids?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOVE ME SOME FROZEN YOGURT: Yoforia is one of my 11-year-old’s favorite spots for a treat
Photo: Jenni Girtman/ AJC staff
Parents magazine’s July issue (which hit newstands last week) has a survey from more than 50 full-service and buffet style restaurant chains as part of an on-going series of ‘ten best’ articles.
The magazine surveyed the restaurants and logged info about reservation policies, kid amenities (likes crayon and coloring stuff) and changing stations in the bathrooms. On the food front, they asked about trans fats and food allergy accommodations, then compiled the answers into their report after checking out the menus.
Here are the magazine’s top ten in order of their ranking:
Legal Sea Foods
Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes
Mimi’s Cafe
Uno Chicago Grill
Chili’s
Red Robin
The Old Spaghetti Factory
P.F. Chang’s
Denny’s
Claim Jumper
I find the results somewhat amusing. First, shouldn’t the survey have asked parents and kids what their choices would be, not the restaurants? Okay, maybe all and a comparison?
Second: Denny’s? Are we kidding? Everything served there comes from a box. The Old Spaghetti Factory? No wonder our children can’t make informed decisions about what they eat. Cheap and easy doesn’t equal good.
Here’s my list, and it’s not all chain restaurants:
Chipotle — my daughter LOVES this place. For a chain, it’s pretty darned fresh.
Chili’s — yes, she loves to eat here. And admittedly it’s very kid-friendly. I dig the burgers. She likes the Kraft macaroni-and-cheese and broccoli with cheese sauce.
Maddy’s — she can get down on a pulled pork sandwich and listen to a little blues at the same time.
Fritti — great pizzas, lots of choice, she likes to sit outside.
Baraonda — ditto, plus she likes the pasta choices.
Eclipse di Luna in Miami Circle — insalata Caprese, calamari fritti and chorizo. Plus she can dance to the live music. If you get there a little early, it’s not such a crazy scene.
Chocolate Bar — okay, this one is an obvious splurge, but everyone needs a dose of a really well-made dessert from time to time.
Palomilla’s — my only regret is that we don’t get to this little family-owned Cuban spot more often.
Okay, one more pizza place: Mellow Mushroom. Very kid friendly, plus she loves the pizza, though we usually get it for takeout and watch a movie.
Yoforia — she really loves the tangy taste of this “that’s so 70s” yogurt joint — especially since she can have raspberries AND Captain Crunch for toppings on the original flavor.
What would your list be?
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Is local food safer?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a lot of finger pointing going on now related to the outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul that’s been linked to round red tomatoes, Romas and plum tomatoes.
Finding an answer seems further away than it did earlier this week, when federal officials seemed hopeful of tracking back the tainted tomatoes to their source quickly. With more than 60 new cases reported in the last four days, the outbreak appears to be continuing. The last reported onset of illness was June 1, which has food safety investigators concerned that contaminated tomatoes may still be in circulation.
The FDA has cleared Georgia tomatoes, saying they’re OK to buy. Very few Georgia tomatoes were being produced when the outbreak started on April 10; the commercial harvest just started in the last couple of weeks. Publix, Kroger and some restaurants, like Willy’s Mexicana Grill, are restocking with tomatoes from Georgia and cleared regions in North Florida.
Still, state farmers are worried that they’ll lose a tomato crop worth nearly $100 million. They’re concerned consumers will stop eating all tomatoes, instead of merely avoiding ones from areas still under FDA investigation. (You can see the most current list of approved areas on the FDA web site, on the Salmonella Saintpaul investigation page. Also, the CDC is updating the outbreak. On both pages, you can find links to more information on the disease, its symptoms, and properly washing and handling produce.)
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin issued a press release this week that wrapped up an endorsement of Georgia tomatoes by telling consumers that buying local ensures safer food.
Many who have joined the local food movement hold similar views. If you know the farmer growing your food, surely he’ll take more care than some faceless farm worker hundreds or thousands of miles away, the belief goes.
But is that true?
Although Georgia tomatoes have been cleared in this outbreak, they have been tied to a previous salmonella outbreak in raw tomatoes, according to the FDA. In the last decade, there have been 13 outbreaks of salmonella related to tomatoes, sickening more than 2,000 people. Most happened in tomatoes grown in Florida — local under most definitions — and eastern Virginia. Other outbreaks were traced back to South Carolina, Ohio and California, according to the FDA.
Doug Powell, head of the International Food Safety Network based at Kansas State University, likes to ask foodies in his area if they’ve talked to their farmer about microbial food safety (a fancy way of saying, are you keeping animal feces that could contain bacteria off of your crops?). Most haven’t, and don’t like being asked. (You can read some of his group’s work on the Barfblog).
They assume, as many of us do, that they’re buying pristine lettuce, tomatoes and spinach. They don’t believe someone they’ve met would take shortcuts that might endanger them. They don’t want to ask their farmer; they think it would insult him. And many people believe that by washing produce they can remove contamination, so they just resolve to wash carefully. But that’s not always the case. Bacteria can enter tomatoes through cracks in the skin or through the stem scar, where it can’t be removed by washing. It’s believed that lettuce can also be contaminated through cuts that allow bacteria to be drawn into internal plant tissues.
If you buy directly from farmers, do you ask them how they protect their crops from contamination? If you’re a farmer, how do you address this issue? And do you have enough confidence in federal food safety officials’ reassurances about tomatoes grown in Georgia and elsewhere to buy and eat them? What about in restaurants?
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Are You Meat-Centric?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the mood for salad? TOO BAD. We’re talkin’ meat today, and lots of it.
Photo: Tammy Ljungblad/MCT
Today’s review in the Living Section takes a long, hard look at Holeman & Finch Public House — a megalith of meat mania.
Meat — especially alternative cuts of it — is becoming the next big thing: Anne Quatrano confirmed plans of a meat-centric restaurant she plans to open with chef-husband Clifford Harrison in the White Provision complex being built of the West Side called Abattoir (which means slaughterhouse in French).
Seems we’re returning to a time when total utilization of product was paramount. What do you think? Do you want to eat pig’s feet and tails? What about souse (pig’s head)? Have you been to Holeman & FInch? What did you think?
Since I didn’t get to my FIve Fave on Wednesday, here’s a list of my fave meat dishes, alternative cuts or otherwise:
The “cow and chicken” burger at Beef O’ Brady’s in Grayson — don’t expect this combo of boneless wings, hamburger and American cheese at all the BOB locations — just this one. What a wackdoodle thing to eat. It’s all good. 2715 Loganville Highway, 770-682-5224.
Shaun’s Heritage pork schnitzel with Vidalia onions, peanuts and parsley. OMG good — like Germany ran into Southeast Asia and had a fried pork cutlet baby. The peanuts make the dish, especially with a little twist of feshly squeezed lemon. 1029 Edgewood Avenue NE, 404.577.4358, www.shaunsrestaurant.com
The crispy veal sweetbreads at FAB, a perfect mix of tender, sweet, crunchy and savory. New executive chef Stephen Sharp makes them every bit as good as they ever were. 30 Ivan Allen Jr., Blvd., 404-266-1440, www.fabatlanta.com.
Pork belly, tender and juicy with a crispy edge, over creamy grits with charred onions and house-made bread-and-butter pickles at Holeman & Finch. OMG good. 2277 Peachtree Road, Suite B, 404-948-1175, www.holeman-finch.com.
And finally, the greatest piece of meat this side of the Mississippi: The bone-in ribeye at Bone’s. Hello gorgeous. If Cary Grant had been a steak, this would be the one. And Bone’s cooks to perfection. 3130 Piedmont Rd. NE, 404-237-2663, www.bonesrestaurant.com.
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Would You Eat at Your Favorite Restaurant … If It Failed a Health Inspection?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The vegetable and meat platter at Meskerem, surrounded by injera.
Photo: Jean Shifrin/AJC
My colleague, Elizabeth Lee, sent some alarming news my way this week: two of my favorite restaurants, Meskerem and Taqueria los Hermanos, both failed recent health inspection reports.
Meskerem, on Clairemont Road in Atlanta, is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant. Its score was a very low 56, and the violations were in areas of concern: Proper hand washing ( a 9-point offense), food separated and protected, improper cooling methods and cold holding temperatures. The restaurant’s last passing grade was an 78 in September of 2007.
Los Hermanos, in Tucker, scored a 64. The restaurant’s violations? The new “cup” law — which counts four points and requires employees handling food to have a lid and straw on cups they drink from to prevent contamination, plus proper separation and protection of food, food contamination (spoiled onions and molded lemons) and improper food holding temperatures. The last passing score was 89 in April of 2007.
In addition to the fear of being closed down if scores aren’t lifted, these restaurants also have ethnic and cultural differences that may make learning the new food code (in effect since last December 1) difficult. Do you think that’s fair?
Also, would you continue to patronize a favorite spot if you knew if had a failing health code score?
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Should Blais Have Been Top Chef?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Richard Blais in his element, making cantaloupe “pearls” with liquid nitrogen.
Photo: Becky Stein/Special to the AJC
The mood at Home, the Buckhead restaurant where Richard Blais is executive chef, was upbeat last night during the Top Chef finals — until the final round when it was becoming apparent that Blais might not win.
The Top Chef contestant lost in the final round to Stephanie, and the crowd at Home, though disappointed, was happy that the winner wasn’t the other finalist, Lisa.
This was a 16-week battle to the finish, and Blais proved his kitchen chops on more than one occasion. He was not on-hand last night at the restaurant to comment (he is away doing media for the show).
Did you watch? Are you happy with the final? Or should Blais have won?
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James Beard vs. Top Chef
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HUGH ACHESON OF ATHENS’ FIVE & TEN: He should have won the Beard award this year.
t’s a huge disappointment that our three chefs nominated this year for the Beard award lost to Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill in Charleston, SC (the JB Foundation seems to have it bad for Charleston).
It was a total shut-out for Hugh Acheson of Athens’ Five & Ten, Linton Hopkins of Atlanta’s Restaurant Eugene and Arnaud Berthelier of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. But for me, it is Acheson who has truly lost: nominated last year as well (so was Berthelier), this guy embraced the farm-to-table concept long before it became a trend, and his restaurant embodies the gracefulness of the Southern table. Five & Ten long ago became a destination restaurant, but Acheson runs it like it’s just part of the neighborhood. Nothing against Stehling, but this should have been Acheson’s year.
On other fronts, chef Richard Blais (a new dad) of Atlanta’s Home finishes his stint on Bravo’s Top Chef tomorrow night. It’s pretty clear that Blais is the only guy with any chops in this competition. His skills and experience seem far above the rest of the pack, who (as usual) gripe about sabotage regularly (an attitude Colicchio rightly kicks to the curb).
Will you watch? Will he win?
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Newsy (and not so newsy) Notes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few things as we head into this first weekend of June:
All area Einstein Bros. Bagels outlets are offering a “bagel and schmear” to all guests for 99 cents from June 6 thru 8: Donate the difference of the regular price ($2.49) of $1.50 to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. No donation is required, but suggested, as part of “Destination Joy,” part of the foundation’s annual campaign to raise funds and resources.
Good luck to our James Beard nominees this week as they head for NYC and the awards ceremony: Chef-owner Hugh Acheson of Athens’ Five & Ten and the National, Arnaud Berthelier of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, and first-time nominee Linton Hopkins, chef-owner of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House. All are nominated for best chef, Southeast. Good luck guys!!!
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Moonpies and Other Treats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PRETTY PIES ALL IN A ROW: these MoonPies are waiting for their chocolate coating.
Photo: Jim Myers/AP
If you read today’s dining review in the AJC’s Living section of Cakes & Ale, you’re probably wondering about pastry chef Cynthia Wong’s phatty cakes. Trust me, head to this Decatur delight and have a few.
MoonPies and cakey things that resemble them are a Southern legacy — we rarely traveled anywhere without a boatload of them in the backseat: banana, vanilla, chocolate. The graham-and-marshmallow treats turned 100 back in 2002. I’m noticing the start of a trend with “house-made” pies — at Cakes & Ale and at Home in Buckhead.
Have you seen them on other menus? Where? Have you eaten at Cakes & Ale? Do you agree or disagree with my review?
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Do You Do Boilermakers?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ROOTBEER-FLAVORED VODKA: bring on the ice cream.
Photo: Three Olives Vodka
I’m not a big vodka fan — I actually like to taste the alcohol in my drinks — but Three Olives Vodka has come up with a flavor to add to myriad others that I might actually enjoy: Rootbeer.
As part of press release, they sent along some recipes (see below) one of which is a “British car bomb.” It started a small debate here in my little corner of the AJC — you’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) at how many of us were once bartenders….
What’s the difference between car bombs, boilermakers and depth charges? During these highly politically charged times, it’s important that we all know the difference. This is knowledge that could come in handy during the upcoming Presidential election.
When in doubt, I turn to Rob Chirico’s “Field Guide to Cocktails” (Quirk Books, 2005 is my edition). He doesn’t go into car bombs, but clearly defines a boilermaker: pouring a shot of scotch into a mug of beer. It becomes a depth charge when a shot glass is used.
So Irish car bombs, Jager bombs and the British car bomb, are all depth charges. The lovely combo of Guinness with Champagne is a type of boilermaker. Ah…. beer cocktails. So sophisticated. What’s your combo?
British Car Bomb
1 ounce Three Olives Root Beer Vodka
1/2 pint ale
Drop shot glass of Three Olives Root Beer Vodka carefully into 1/2 pint of ale
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Who Fires the BEST Fries? My Fave Five
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NOW THAT’S STUFFING YOUR FACE with fries.
Photo: Ripley’s Publishing
Every Wednesday, I’ll be sharing my thoughts (and tastes, of course) in “Fave Five” — my five spots for the best of the food du jour. To start, I’m sharing my five favorite places for French fries in Atlanta, figuring I (or someone here at the AJC) has covered cocktails and outdoor dining as nauseam. In homage to David Letterman, I’ll start with number five first, finishing with number one.
So, summer starts with French fries (and related potato items):
Five Guys Burgers — I’m not usually into touting franchises, but the Washington, D.C.-based Guys’ bag o’ fries is hard to beat. Old-fashioned, hand-cut and fried in peanut oil, they’re not for amateurs. The bag makes the assumption that they’re for sharing, but let’s not get carried away…. Area locations
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q — Brothers Jonathan and Justin Fox have made legends of themselves serving crispy tater tots as sides to their pulled pork and beef brisket. The flavor and texture of these fresh-from-the-freezer treats are difficult to convey without just yelping, “OMG these things are good.” Okay, they’re not a French fry, but they still count. 1238 DeKalb Ave., 404-577-4030
Chick-fil-A — Fast food? Not fast enough. These waffle fries are so good it’s a shame the stores aren’t open on Sunday. Area locations
Cakes & Ale — Chef-owner Billy Allin didn’t waste time in frying class at culinary school (he’s a CCA grad): the shoe string fries at his and wife Kristin’s Decatur bistro are rockin’ good, served up cute in a cone. Pass the ketchup. 254 W Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-377-7994
And FINALLY,
Shaun’s — It’s no secret that I love this restaurant, and chef-owner Shaun Doty’s pommes frites “graisse de canard” are one of the reasons why. When God said let there be fries, this is what he/she/whatever had in mind: perfectly cut, fleshy and hot inside, crispy from that duck fat on the outside. Diet tomorrow. Eat these fries today. Shaun’s, 1029 Edgewood Ave. NE, 404-577-4358
What’s your take?
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Watermelon Diaries
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WATERMELON ROCKS
Photo: Bob Fila/MCT
To heck with soft shell crabs and fiddle head ferns. The first of June marks the (un)official advent of watermelon season for me.
My coworkers are convinced that I subsist on nothing more than watermelon and chocolate (except for when dining out) and for the most part, they aren’t wrong. Every day I head for Michael’s, a lunch spot across the street from the AJC’s building downtown, for my daily dose of of the fleshy pink stuff.
At Beleza this past Saturday, chef Ken Bouche served buttery tuna ahi on skewers with a cube of incredibly ripe watermelon and habanero chili oil. It was like a sweet firecracker went off in my mouth. I’m also starting to see the fruit dressed with goat cheese or made into sorbet. I plan to gorge on it until the season ends in September.
Do you have a favorite way to eat watermelon? Is there a favorite watermelon dish you like? Or do you just like it sliced and diced?
Coming Wednesday: My five fave picks for the best fries in Atlanta.
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Who should sell at a farmers’ market?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I went to the new Riverside Farmers Market in Roswell last weekend, hoping to pick up a few fresh vegetables. The parking lot was packed, and there were vendors selling ornamental plants, baked goods, some rosemary and honey. There had been eggs, but they’d gotten snapped up early, the usual story.
But no vegetables. A line of people stood at the information booth, where they were told the farmers wouldn’t be in for a few weeks, because cool weather this spring had delayed harvests. I blogged last week about the market, after organizers assured that there would be at least three vegetable farmers there. So I’m not sure why the disconnect between what was supposed to happen, and what did.
But it reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to write about. It’s tough to start a farmers market in Atlanta. There’s a limited supply of growers to provide goods. Many already sell at two or more markets. And the Riverside Market limits its sellers to a 100-mile range. (You can check out the AJC’s list of area farmers markets here.)
Some of the smaller markets seem to be struggling this year to find growers, while others are thriving. Spruill is off to a slow start, because the cool weather has delayed some of its farmers, although Garmon Farms is always there with produce and chicken and duck eggs. High gas prices are keeping some farmers at home until they have a big selection to sell and it’s worth their while to drive in.
So what do customers expect when they go to a farmers market ? (I’m not talking about grocery stores like DeKalb Farmers Market or the International Farmers Market, where there is no direct contact with growers.)
Many of the markets around Atlanta are producer-only, which means only the people who grow the food can sell it. A handful allow “truck farmers,” people who load up the pickup truck at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park with boxes from various wholesalers, then sell the produce to customers at farmers market booths.
That assures there will be something to buy at the market if the local growers aren’t producing yet. And in some markets near low-income areas, it provides easy access to a broad range of fresh fruits and vegetables that residents may not get otherwise. But it’s not what some people would consider a true farmers market.
When you shop at a farmers market, do you expect the produce to be locally grown? Does it matter if you’re buying tomatoes from someone who gets them from a wholesaler, or if you’re purchasing directly from the farmer? If you’ve been to a farmers market with lots of vendors but few, if any, farmers, do you go back?
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Where Have All the True-Blue Joints Gone?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
REXALL GRILL IN DULUTH: One of the area’s best family-style joints.
Photo: T. Levette Bagwell/AJC staff
I spent the holiday weekend in Destin, Fla. and trekked back to a local favorite of mine: Elmo’s Grill on Highway 30-A in Santa Rosa Beach.
We stumbled sunburned into Elmo’s several years ago for the first time, where they serve some of the best fried shrimp and oysters, EVER, and an evening’s worth of seriously watered-down rock-n-roll from bands called “Kimosabbe” and the like.
We left hours later, saturated with fried shrimp and beer, having danced the electric slide and the limbo line until we were too exhausted to move.
Elmo’s is a true joint; the kind of place that serves great local seafood and lots of Panhandle hospitality. It’s also a slice of real Americana.
Atlanta’s growth is making little mom and pop joints like Elmo’s harder and harder to find, and rising fuel and food prices are going to affect smaller businesses like these. That’s why we need to support them.
Where’s your favorite family-style joint or dive in the city? I love Kool Korners, Rexall Grill, Chef Liu’s, Palomilla’s and Blu to name only a few … what’s your pick?
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