The Iberian Pig celebrates its 5th anniversary from 5 to 10 p.m. tonight, with live music and a menu that features some special treats.
The busy Decatur Square restaurant is known for its Spanish cuisine and modern tapas. And during the recent AJC Decatur Book Fair, executive chef /owner Chad Crete hosted a book signing lunch with James Beard Award-winning writer Colman Andrews.
The four-course Catalan meal featured the flavors of Spain’s Mediterranean coast, and echoed recipes from Andrews’ first cookbook, “Catalan Cuisine: Europe’s Last Great Culinary Secret,” originally published in 1988.
Andrews' most recent book, “My Usual Table,” weaves the story of his life through 16 restaurants that were touchstones for him, and that he believes influenced food culture in America and Western Europe.
As the son of a Hollywood screen writer, Andrews childhood was marked by family dinners at Chasen’s, the star-studded West Hollywood hangout.
Later, Trader Vic’s, El Cayote, Spago, and elBulli, were signposts of a career that included writer and reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, editor of Saveur, columnist for Gourmet, and Ferran Adria biographer.
At Iberian Pig, Andrews told a few tales of his brief time in 1960s Atlanta, where he’d followed a woman named Vickie, wound up doing temporary work, and ate dinner at Aunt Fanny’s Cabin “only once.”
Of course, Crete’s Spanish feast was far cry from Fanny’s fried chicken and revisionist history. The menu included Catalan tomato bread with cured Iberico pork shoulder, chicken and potato croquettes, squid ink risotto with shrimp, squid, and monkfish, and rich Crema Catalana for dessert.
After lunch, the chef described his approach to cooking for Andrews, and even offered a little review of “My Usual Table.”
“The first step was to get my hands on his new book,” Crete said. “The number of experiences he had is just incredible. It’s really interesting to see somebody’s experience of growing up around the dinner table, from the time he was a little kid in Hollywood, and later living in Catalonia toward the beginning of the molecular gastronomy movement.
“To have Andrews in the restaurant was fantastic. Maybe only having Ferran Adria would be better.”
In addition to regular dinner service, the Iberian Pig anniversary celebration will feature a whole suckling pig roast, free churros from from an in-house cart, King of Pops “pop-tails” infused with signature cocktails, and a carving of the restaurant’s oldest cured leg of Iberico ham. Call 404-371-8800 for reservations.
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