Food 101 Sandy Springs
Food 101 proclaims itself styled after a 1920s New York speakeasy. Yeah, maybe with the dimly lit confines and exposed brick. But the food remains heavily rooted in the South with a bit of executive chef Justin Keith's new-school sense.
SOUTHERN-STYLE STARTERS
We visit at lunch and begin the proceedings with a Southern-style double whammy. Homemade pimiento cheese comes smeared on a quartet of celery sticks. The thick and juicy stalks hold the quasi-rich pimiento-infused mixture, causing a jolt of contrast (crisp meets creamy) with each chomp. The fried green tomatoes are nothing short of divine. They arrive fanned out in a stack-and-stagger formation with dabs of Boursin cheese affixed to each crunchy shell. Sweet and spicy pepper jelly provides blissful dipping fodder. This is a don't-miss dish, which sets the tone for a contemporary foray into Southern charm. While much of classic Atlanta gets torn down for new-fangled flash, Food 101 knows how to hang on to traditions and stay current at the same time, at least in a culinary sense.SOUTH IN YOUR MOUTH
Lunchtime goodness can be had in the form of an awe-inspiring salad. Seared scallops, for instance, mingle with dates, cucumber, sweet grass goat cheese and a layer of poppy seed vinaigrette. Sandwiches bring afternoon delight, including a chicken sammie sporting smoked gouda and a Maryland crab cake BLT.Yet the entrées have the strongest allure. It's two forks up, way up, for the shrimp and grits. The medium-size shellfish soak amid a cloud of grits spiked with a spicy tomato broth. Slivers of slippery okra add even more regional flair. A fist-size hunk of buttermilk fried chicken is the centerpiece of another dish with obvious local significance. It buddies next to a hill of cushy mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and cole slaw bearing long slits of cabbage.
DINNER DELIGHTS
Another shot at Food 101 will require an evening visit with Keith's recent take on the menu. We may start with a nibble of boiled peanuts or a sampling of homemade pickles. An array of cheeses comes to the table from locales as varied as Thomasville to Emilia-Romagna, Italy. You can taste them individually or as a group. Appetizers like crawfish and andouille sausage turnovers seem to get an extra dose of creativity. Tantalizing offerings come in the form of a Kobe beef brisket burrito, three-meat meatloaf and a Carolina-style low country boil.Equal parts fascinating and familiar, Food 101 is definitely a contemporary course in why Southern food matters in the new South.
• Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays.
• Reservations: Yes
• Recommended dishes: Pimiento cheese, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, fried chicken.
• Prices: Lunch appetizers $5-$11; sandwiches $9-$13; salads $12-$14; entrees $12-$14. Dinner appetizers $3-$15; entrees $15-$25.
• Web site: www.food101atlanta.com
• Verdict: Taking Southern cuisine to school.
