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July 2008
Where’s Your Favorite Cuban Sandwich?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SAD TO SEE IT GO …. KOOL KORNERS CLOSES, BUT YOU CAN STILL GET A CUBAN AT FROM HAVANA TO U
PHOTO: Phil Skinner/AJC
With Kool Korners closed, there aren’t too many kool spots around to munch down on that krazy kombo of Cuban bread, pork, ham, cheese and mustard with pickles. This is such a great loss to the city, but don’t fret: there are other spots to get a good Cuban.
Here are a few I like:
Palomilla’s — This family-owned spot in Norcross is hands down the best Cuban food in the Atlanta area. There is a strong sense of community here, and it’s transcendent, as if that dish of grouper in salsa verde (a thin piece of tender fish in a creamy sauce of garlic and parsley, blanketed with three sauteed shrimp) came with its own white dove and olive branch. Masas de cerdo, chunks of pork that are so tender they shred from the fork with the tiniest of nudges, is Palomilla’s very own Happy Meal. And the Cubans rock — fat, pressed sandwiches gooey with cheese and rich with meat flavor.
Havana Sandwich Shop — Bright yellow, with windows barred, this old-time fave serves some darned good Cubans, plus a full-scale cuban menu with tamales and empanadas. It’s crowded at lunch time, so plan on a line.
Papi’s — A Midtown favorite, this family joint serves sandwiches plus much more than just meat pressed with cheese — like tamales and papa relleno, a potato puff stuffed with pulled pork. (There are two other locations in Kennesaw and Stockbridge)
From Havana to U — This cozy, family-owned spot in Alpharetta serves up an ooey gooey version of the Cuban, plus a dose of hospitality and a borad Cuban menu.
Where’s your favorite Cuban sandwich?
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Please Don’t Let These Restaurants Close
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE EXCELLENT BEERS AREN’T ALL WE’LL MISS IF 5 SEASONS BREWING SANDY SPRINGS CLOSES…
Photo: William Berry/ Staff
I received an email this week from Dennis Lange at Five Seasons Brewing, regarding the mess that is the Prado at the moment. Here are highlights:
“To the untrained eye, driving on Roswell Road this morning it would appear that 5 Seasons is no more because access has been dramatically altered. In reality, and in the Prado, getting to the 5 is now more difficult than ever… The entrance you have been relying on for most of the last eight years will be closed for the next two weeks (according to reliable construction sources, but…). The temporary entrance will be at the top of the new Prado shopping center at the Target entrance, where you will then immediately turn right and enter the parking deck and circle down to level P2 (that’s Parking Level 2 for those of you who’ve had one too many frothy ones)… We really need your support right now. It’s been tough and the construction has not encouraged people to frequent the 5 but we need your help and support to get through this. Don’t let a little construction activity dissuade your choice to dine and drink at the 5. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope!”
Long-lasting construction sites across the city and a bad economy are making it very difficult for some restaurants to survive — they need your help and support. 5 Seasons in the Prado would be a great loss if it closed. So would Joli Kobe, in the same location (they will be opening a second location on Peachtree Street, hopefully by September, in the old Midcity Cuisine space).
Here are five spots I would hate to see close simply because we couldn’t - or wouldn’t - get to them:
5 Seasons Brewing — the house-brewed beers and fresh take on farm-to-table make this spot the city can’t afford to lose.
Joli Kobe — another great loss if it were to close. The bistro chicken salad coupled with the pristine offerings from this elegant bakery would be sorely missed.
Thrive — this downtown eatery is one of a kind, and one of the only spots near Philips Arena that’s worth eating at — good, solid sushi selections coupled with modern bistro fare. Unfortunately, the tornado took at whack at Centennial Tower, the building that houses Thrive, and the restaurant’s windows and entrance are mired in tarps from the scaffolding. Owner A.D. Alushi told me that he’s lost almost 50 percent of his business becasue people think he’s closed. He’s not.
FAB — though it’s not the same busy bistro it was when it was at Lenox, FAB is still fabulous — the skate wings just as crisped and capered’ the profiteroles a delight of pistachio ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Repast — what a gem, and chef owner Joe Truex is offering nightly specials to entice you to find out for yourself. This sweet spot is one of the city’s finest.
And sadly, it appears we’ve already lost one our funkiest, fun neighborhood spots: Kool Korners, the little grocery that for years has produced the city’s best Cuban sandwiches, has apparently closed. Drive bys and phone calls to the restaurant are coming up with nada.
What restaurants would you add to the list? What restaurant could you not live without?
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Rocky Mountain High
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE BAR AT BACCHANALIA: Is it the best seat in town?
Photo: Johnny Crawford/AJC
I spent the bulk of the weekend in Denver, where I saw my first Jandek show (which will blow your mind), and drove the short stint to Boulder to have dinner at one of that area’s favorites, Frasca Food & Wine.
Master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson have a shared passion for the Friuli region of Italy, and it shows in the hand-cut pastas like chitarra with local lamb and tomato ragout, a perfectly fried rendition of fiore di zucca (fried squash blossoms) and frico caldo — here the crusty cheese is mixed with potatoes for a best of all worlds bite. Stuckey’s fine wine list boasts some fabulous varietals, soem of which are what he calls “indigenous ancient varietals” such as a bottle of Girolamo Dorigo Pignolo, Friuli, Italy (2004) that we drank from bowl-shaped glasses to our hearts’ content.
It made me think hard about recommending restaurants in Atlanta. I did my research about Frasca and asked friends who live in the area what all the hype was about. I’m often asked where to eat in Atlanta, and it would be very hard for me to narrow my recommendations to just one spot: Rathbun’s? It certainly embodies the spirit of new Southern cooking combined with other regions, and is in the hippest part of Inman Park, one of the city’s most cherished neighborhoods.
Shaun’s? Shaun Doty’s fresh take on modern bistro cooking is probably my favorite in town, and the restaurant is in the heart of one of Inman Park. Bacchanalia, of course. Thats’ a given. Repast? As part of the Old Fourth Ward/Midtown, Joe Truex’s menu just keeps getting better, and it was wonderful to start with.
But there are so many others. If you were recommending a restaurant to someone who had never eaten in Atlanta before, what would top your list?
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Southern is Sassy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
JCT KITCHEN’S “CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS”: SOUTHERN GONE SAVVY
PHOTO: Bita Honarvar/AJC
The dining review in today’s Living section takes a new look at an old favorite - Wisteria in Inman Park (you can read the review here.
Jason Hill’s candid take on Southern favorites isn’t without a few twists: his black-eyed pea hummus with sweet potato chips is a clever conception that combines old-fashioned Southern ingredients with a newfangled approach.
Other restaurants around town are good at this, too:
Scott Peacock’s butterbean hummus with house-made pita at Watershed in Decatur is smooth and nutty, and the perfect combination of old style and new tack. Roswell’s Relish makes a mean serving of pimento cheese fritters. JCT Kitchen’s Ford Fry mixes French bistro style with Southern panache and comes up with chicken & dumplings that are the best of both worlds: succulent and crisped chicken leg confit with sheep’s milk ricotta dumplings. And chefs across the city are going crazy with updated versions of deviled eggs (we’ve talked about that subject before).
Do you have a favorite of the above, or an addition to the list? Where do you go to get a modern take on old-fashioned Southern cooking?
And just for laughs, check this out, from the Onion. (Many thanks to my bud Shane Harrison for that!!).
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This Just In
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WILL NYC “FLIP” FOR FOIE GRAS MILKSHAKES?
Photo: Joey Ivansco/AJC
Because I was on vacation last week, there’s no Dishing column in today’s accessAtlanta. But some news just can’t wait until next week, when Dishing returns:
Concentrics’ Piebar will soon have a new name and concept to go with the fresh paint job — Nikita Parlos has leased the space and is scheduled to reopen the former Trust Company Bank space, designed by Henri Jova in 1962, this fall. The new name? Eros Tapas Bar.
Il Mulino, the Italian favorite in New York, will open a satellite in 191 Peachtree Tower in Buckhead.
101 Concepts, which operates Food 101 in Morningside and Sandy Springs, Meehan’s Public House in Sandy Springs and Vinings and Coastal Kitchen in St. Simons, Georgia, has sold Soho, their restaurant in Vinings, to the restaurant’s operating partner, Frank Smith.
Richard Blais confirmed yesterday that rumors his high-end burger concept, Flip, going to the Big Apple are true — but no details yet. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for particulars on Flip in Atlanta. He told Time Out New York in a July 17 interview, “It’s the next market we’re looking to hit.” Milkshakes made with his favorite toy, liquid nitrogen, will apparently be on the menu according to the article, including a Krispy Kreme version. So much for foie gras.
Where’s your favorite milkshake?
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My Top Five Spots For Two
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PHOTO: THE BACON-WRAPPED DATES AT REPAST WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO DO THAT VOODOO THAT YOU DO SO WELL …
PHOTO: Elissa Eubanks/AJC
A while back, I listed my favorite places to take my daughter, who is 11. The responses were spirited, to put it charitably. If you missed it, or didn’t have a chance to share your top spots for dining with kids, now’s your second chance. The “Best of the Big A” poll is on, and you can vote for your favorite kid friendly spots here.
Since we’ve visited that subject here before, let’s go another direction. Here are my top five spots for dining with that special someone (no kids allowed):
Aria — there’s a reason Gerry Klaskala’s timeless spot is so, well, timeless: he’s one of the classiest, most consistent chefs in the city. A long-time Atlanta veteran, Klaskala puts the “p” in panache — throwing finesse into even the simplest of dishes, striking a synchronistic chord between hip and comfortable. And Kat King’s desserts make me see the face of god. There’s a hustle here, but it’s also easy to find a quiet nook and get cozy. Sexy factor: 7.5
Ecco — Charming, sophisticated; it’s fun (and sexy) to sit back and enjoy an excellent glass of wine with the array of well-procured charcuterie and cheese, plus a slice of pizza or two. The fried goat cheese with honey is fun to smear around, oh, whatever. Sexy factor: 8
La Tavola Trattoria — like its sister, Ecco, this cozy spot in VA/HI is one of the city’s sexiest — and romantic. You and your honey can sip Amarone Valpolicello and sing along to Nat King Cole while nibbling on mussels with herbs and crusty slices of bread. Sexy factor: 9
Tierra — let me put it this way, girls. I went on a first date at this pan-Latin wonder last August. We’re getting married this September. Maybe it’s the coziness of this Ansley Park fave — but I think there’s something special in the tres leches … wink wink. Sexy factor: 9.5
Repast — excellent food, well-sourced, and there’s always something new and interesting on the menu. Add a great wine list, some stellar cocktails and a cozy, candle-lit table. Do I have to spell things out for you? The bacon-wrapped dates will make you feel very naughty. Sexy factor: 10
What’s your favorite restaurant for romance? And don’t say the Cheetah — I’ve already been there and done that. I have the t-shirt to prove it.
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Adios, Costa Rica! Hello ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHEF MICHEAL TUOHY: IT NEVER RAINS IN CALIFORNIA
Photo: Rich Addicks/AJC staff
Holy smokes, can’t a girl go on vacation without the world falling in around her?
I leave for a week to get soaked up in the rainy season of Costa Rica and come back to:
Michael Tuohy is selling Woodfire Grill and moving back to California to open a farm-to-table concept there called Grange. Located inside a boutique hotel property, the Citizen Hotel, it’s one block from the state capitol in Sacramento. He will hang up his tongs on August 12, Woodfire’s 6-year anniversary. Tuohy, who spearheaded the farm-to-table movement in Georgia, has been cooking here for over 20 years. Look for more in my column next Thursday. Until then you can read Tuohy’s farewell: “After 22 years in Atlanta, the past 6 years at Woodfire Grill, my wife Patti and I have made the decision to move to California! I am joining the Joie de Vivre Hospitality Group, a San Francisco-based boutique hotel company, along with the Rubicon Development Group in Sacramento, to launch a new farm-to-table restaurant called Grange. Grange will be located at the new Citizen Hotel, located one block from the state capitol in Sacramento. We hope to open before the end of the year.”
Sala has been bought back into the Fifth Group family, and is closed temporarily to revamp. More on that in next Thursday’s column, too. (I’m just trying to get to all the up-front business first, then to details later).
Wild child Nicolas Bour is breaking my heart and leaving his post as executive chef of the Farmhouse at Serenbe to go to the Willard Intercontinental in Washington, D.C. as executive chef. Bour has been looking for a great fit for himself since Iris closed, so let’s hope this will be what he’s looking for. His raw energy and talent will be missed here, though. No word yet on who will replace him.
Who has memories of Woodfire Grill, Iris and the Farmhouse? What about Tuohy’s earlier restaurant, Chef’s Cafe?
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The BBQ debate: Your vote matters!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Faithful followers of this blog know that debating the best barbecue in metro Atlanta is allways a hot topic. That’s why we made it the kick-off category in our new Best of Big A poll.
From now through Labor Day, we’re asking you for nominations in a variety of topics, some food-related and some not. Then once all the nominations are in, we’ll have a big vote in September.
This is a chance to get your opinion heard. Head on over to the Best of the Big A blog and tell us who has the best cue in Atlanta. And you could even win a prize — a DVD set of the TV series “Mad Men” — in a random drawing.
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Is There Enough Spice in Spice Market?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
IAN WINSLADE WORKS WELL WITH OTHERS: this photo is from his days in Bluepointe’s kitchen.
Photo: Louie Favorite/AJC
Today’s review of Spice Market in the Living section takes a look (or bite) at the differences between the New York mothership and our new Atlanta locale. You can read the review here.
Frankly, having been to both I can honestly say that Ian Winslade’s efforts are superior to what I had in New York, but Winslade is the kind of chef that will go the extra mile when needed. And he’s no stranger to cocktail clutching crowds: he was Bluepointe’s exec chef during that restaurant’s Bobby-and-Whitney heydey.
Chefs who own their own restaurants obviously have more control of their own kitchen than someone like Winslade, who copies a menu that is close to that of New York’s, and works closely under the eye of chef-owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Some chefs thrive in this kind of environment, others hate the lack of autonomy.
Bruno Menard has proven he can handle the reigns at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead (he’s garnered two Beard nominations in so many years); Richard Blais seems very at home at Tom Catherall’s Home.
Who’s you favorite corporate chef? Who’s you favorite chef owner? Have you been to Spice Market? What did you think?
Just a note: Look for my blog to return on Monday, July 28, when I return from vacation.
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Folded Over and Fried: Who Makes the Best Fried Pies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PROUSTIAN POINT: FRIED PIES
Photo: Louie Favorite/AJC
I totally blew my fat and calorie count for the next ten days or so by heading to the Varsity yesterday for lunch as part of a family reunion of sorts. By the end of a naked dog, onion rings and a Coke Zero (I LOVE this stuff — why do they market it to MEN?) I looked in the mirror and realized I had gained ten pounds subito (I may have a chance at losing it tomorrow at the gym depending on how hard the workout is).
But the real calorie kick was the fried peach pie I had for dessert. If there is any one food that is truly Proustian in its ability to conjure my childhood, it’s a fried pie. I memorized the shape of my grandmother’s elbow against the back drop of the iron skillet she fried hers in. She filled them with apples or peaches, but always with dried fruit or preserves, or sometimes a cooked fruit filling, and made them with a sweet pie crust.
In truth, she wasn’t much of a baker. She had a habit of making the worst banana nut bread on the planet. Her “habit” was to take the leftover candy she had from tins around her living room — and I’m talkin’ candied orange slices, circus peanuts (yes, circus peanuts — you know, those puffy orange peanut-shaped things?), malted milk balls, butter mints — and adding them to her batter. With a gleam, she would ask upon inquiry as to the unusual flavor “Ain’t it good?”
But her fried pies, well, they were different. A bubbly crust of greasy perfection, partly crisp, partly tender, with a sweet, dark, peachy filling.
The Varsity does a good job bringing back the madeleine moment for me. And there are a few restaurants around town that have upped the fried anty by adding them to their menus — JCT Kitchen had a pie filled with chocolate; Bacchanalia had an almond and pear version on their prix fixe menu last winter.
Where’s your favorite fried pie?
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Monday Musings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WAS PIEBAR YOUR FAVORITE CONCENTRICS RESTAURANT?
Photo: Billy Smith II/AJC
Like most of the nation, I took Friday off to eat hamburgers, drink beer, swim and listen to my boyfriend’s band play some rock-n-roll. Went to see Tom Waits on Saturday night, and his concert was the perfect pick for a 4th weekend, since he is a national treasure. I had never seen him before, and the concert was awesome.
But today it’s back to business, and I’m wondering what the rest of Atlanta thinks of Parish, the Concentrics restaurant I reviewed in Friday’s Living section. Read the review here.
While the food in the upstairs dining room can be hit or miss, Parish’s overall concept is among owner and venerable restaurateur Bob Amick’s best to date. And the market downstairs is almost irresistible with pastries by Jonathan St. Hilaire.
Have you been to Parish? What did you think? Amick has designed a lot of popular restaurants in Atlanta: Trois, Stats, TAP, One Midtown Kitchen, Two Urban Licks, Lobby at Twelve, Room at Twelve, Piebar (closed). What’s your favorite?
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If Not BBQ, Then What?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
YOUR FAVORITE SPOT HERE: What kind of food map would you make of Georgia?
Photo: Frank Niemeir/AJC
My Dishing column in today’s accessAtlanta takes a look at two quirky dudes who love their barbecue. Scott Sapp has spent the last 30 years mapping his favorite barbecue spots in the state, from north to south, and Phil Beaubien’s Hickory Pig in Gainesville is one of them.
Mapping the state’s barbecue offerings is a Herculean task. I can’t imagine the tenacity Sapp must have, and I do this sort of thing for a living — no one’s even paying this guy. Here’s a link to download the map from Delta Sky Magazine’s editor (and bbq aficionado) David Bailey — thanks, David!
We’ve talked BBQ here before, and you’ve let me know exactly how you feel about it. Sapp’s cartographic conatus has got me wondering what subject matter I’d pick if I were to set about a similar task: Would I map the state’s best ice cream places ? Fried chicken greasy spoons? Hot dog joints? All would be worthy causes.
What kind of food map would you make of Georgia, and what spot would you start with on your map?
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Next Plate, Please: My Five Fave for Small Plates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’M SO NOT BORED: the calamari fritti and mojito at Eclipse di Luna
Photo: Rich Addicks/AJC
Something has happened to me over the course (pardon the pun) of the last nine years of dining out.
I get really bored when I eat.
Years of tasting small bites of things, then moving on to the next, has trained me to 1) Eat too fast when I am eating a regular meal and 2) Get really bored with just one big dish.
Luckily, there are places around town where I can take advantage of the small plate/tapas/mezza mania that’s been going on for the last few years. Places that specialize in tasting and moving on. Here are my picks:
1) The appetizers at Tierra in Buckhead — I never have to move to entrees here if I don’t want to: the musky, corn flavor of Salvadoran pupusas filled with cheese served with a pickly curtido; a pionono of plantains and sweetly seasoned beef; mussels in pasilla pepper broth. Yummers. What’s for dessert? The best tres leches this side of the equator. Unbored rating: 8.5
2) The small, groovy offerings at Beleza — organic kale cooked up Bahian style; forbidden black rice; watermelon and tuna crudo. Put an acerola mojito in my hands, and I’m a happy, unbored girl. Unbored rating: 8.5
3) Decatur’s Chocolate Bar provides small, savory bites of charcuterie, but I come here for the blast of savvy desserts. Where else can I get roquefort sorbet with Georgia pecan toffee? Unbored rating: 9
4) The bar at Trois makes it impossible to get bored, between groovy sliders of beef, smoked salmon and pork and even groovier retro cocktails, a perch on a bar stool here keeps me very perky. Unbored rating: 9
5) Eclipse di Luna has been doing authentic Spanish tapas — the right way, and before it was ultra hip — for a long time. Don’t send me to Dunwoody, I want the original Miami Circle location for patatas bravas and romesco sauce, calamari fritti and those incredible short ribs. Slurp. Unbored rating: 10
Where’s your fave spots to eat smallish?
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