As Bacchanalia turns 30, learn how to make three favorites
James Beard award-winning chef Anne Quatrano stays busy with Atlanta restaurants Bacchanalia, Star Provisions and W.H. Stiles Fish Camp.
But after 25 years, Quatrano and her chef husband, Clifford Harrison, recently closed one of their most beloved spots, Floataway Cafe, when a new landlord took over the building and raised the rent.
“The increase was reasonable, but that in conjunction with how much we have to pay people, and how much more we’re paying for product, makes the business untenable for us,” Quatrano explained, adding, “It’s kind of sad, but we’re OK.”
On the brighter side, the couple’s original fine-dining concept, Bacchanalia, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this month. The restaurant has become such a special occasions destination that it got a shoutout in 2017 bank-heist flick “Baby Driver” as the spot for “the finest wining and dining in Atlanta.”
“We opened in January of 1993, on Piedmont Road, right across from Bones, and we were there until 1999,” Quatrano remembered. “Then we were on Howell Mill Road until 2017, when we moved to Ellsworth Industrial.”
Quatrano’s first cookbook, “Summerland: Recipes for Celebrating With Southern Hospitality” (Rizzoli, $32.67), was published in 2013 as an ode to the farm that’s been in her family for five generations, and still supplies produce for her restaurants.
Coming soon, a new self-published bound photo book with Atlanta photographer Amanda Greene will record Bacchanalia’s history and include some favorite recipes.
“It’s something to document the milestone,” Quatrano said. “There will be lots of photos, and mostly of our staff doing what they do, because that’s what’s kept Bacchanalia around for 30 years.”
Among the restaurant’s classics, Crab Fritters is by far the most popular dish, and the most requested recipe. Dubbed Hot Pepper Essence, the sauce for the fritters is a quirky but perfect combo of maple syrup, lime juice and fish sauce.
“It’s the pairing of the richness of the shellfish with that sauce that kind of cuts it,” Quatrano said. “It’s spicy and umami, and then we dribble in vanilla oil, which rounds it all out in your mouth. So it’s perfectly balanced, and it has some crunch, which is very important to me.”
Nantucket Bay Scallops with Leeks and Black Truffle Vinaigrette is a longtime signature dish, too.
“I personally don’t like big scallops, but you could use big or little scallops,” Quatrano allowed. “For me, the Nantucket Bay scallops are very important because starting Nov. 1 (the opening day for scallop season), we get them shipped in directly from the fisherman I’ve known forever.”
Warm Chocolate Cakes With Soft Centers is a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s stood the test of time.
“The chocolate cake is an iteration of a recipe that Jean-Georges (Vongerichten) made famous many, many years ago, with the molten lava chocolate cake,” Quatrano said. “People like it so much that we actually make it raw and sell it in these little tins for people to take home and bake.”
Thinking back on 30 years, Quatrano noted how much Atlanta’s dining scene has changed.
“It certainly is like a new world,” she said. “It’s gone through some major transformations, from being in a little house where we were cooking away, to now. Back 30 years ago, if you didn’t spend a million dollars on a restaurant, there was no cred for you. Now, good food transcends the locale.”
RECIPES
These recipes celebrate three favorite dishes from Bacchanalia’s 30 years as an Atlanta dining destination.
Bacchanalia’s Blue Crab Fritters With Avocado, Citrus and Hot Pepper Essence
The most popular dish on Bacchanalia’s menu balances the rich flavors of crabmeat and avocado with citrus and spice.
- 1/2 pound fresh jumbo lump blue crabmeat (purchase steamed, not boiled crabmeat), carefully picked of shells but with large lumps still intact
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 dash Tabasco
- Salt to taste
- Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), for breading
- Peanut oil, for frying
- 1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled and sliced
- Assorted citrus to taste (such as orange, grapefruit, lime, honey tangerine and/or blood orange), supremed
- Hot Pepper Essence (recipe follows)
- Vanilla Oil, optional (recipe follows)
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- In a medium bowl, combine the crab with the mayonnaise, Tabasco and salt to taste. Gently form into 6 balls, being careful not to compress. Fill a shallow bowl with the panko and roll the balls in the panko until well coated.
- Fill a wide-rimmed pan or cast-iron skillet with enough peanut oil to cover the sides by 1 to 2 inches. Heat the oil to between 325 and 350 degrees. Add the fritters and fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve each fritter hot in a bowl with avocado slices, citrus supremes and Hot Pepper Essence. Finish with a drizzle of Vanilla Oil and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving (without Hot Pepper Essence): 162 calories (percent of calories from fat, 63), 11 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 11 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 56 milligrams cholesterol, 344 milligrams sodium.Hot Pepper Essence
- 3 fresh Thai chile peppers (can substitute with any other hot chile pepper), de-seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 fresh red chile pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- Combine all ingredients in a large jar and refrigerate overnight or longer. Prior to use, strain through a fine sieve and refrigerate leftovers.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 38 calories (percent of calories from fat, 2), trace protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 110 milligrams sodium.Vanilla Oil
- 1 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 vanilla beans, scraped
- Combine the grapeseed oil and the vanilla beans in a Mason jar. Cap and let macerate in the refrigerator overnight. Vanilla Oil will keep in the refrigerator up to several months.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 126 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), no protein, trace carbohydrates, no fiber, 14 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, no sodium.Nantucket Bay Scallops with Leeks and Black Truffle Vinaigrette
Nantucket Bay scallop season runs from November to March. Chef Anne Quatrano says this simple dish expresses the importance of quality ingredients, which is what her cooking has always been about.
- 1 large leek
- Clarified butter or ghee for cooking leeks and scallops
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
- About 20-24 Nantucket Bay scallops, rinsed and dried
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Black Truffle Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Trim off dark green top of leek, saving it for stock. Split the bottom part of leek in half, washing well to remove dirt.
- Sear leek halves cut-side down over medium heat in an oven-safe cast-iron pan with a smear of butter or ghee until caramelized. Deglaze with white wine, and reduce until almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Add chicken stock, bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven with mitts. Sprinkle the lemon zest and juice over the leek halves. Set aside.
- Add a smear of butter or ghee to a large, hot frying pan and cook scallops. Do not touch for 1 minute. Shake pan to flip scallops and season with salt and black pepper. Turn off heat and let sit for 1 more minute. Divide scallops among 2 plates. Add half a leek to each portion and drizzle dish with truffle vinaigrette to taste.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving (without Black Truffle Vinaigrette): 178 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 13 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 6 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), 38 milligrams cholesterol, 761 milligrams sodium.Black Truffle Vinaigrette
- 1 cup port
- 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
- 2/3 cup black truffle oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- In a medium saucepan, reduce port by half then cool.
- Whisk sherry vinegar into port, then emulsify truffle oil into the mixture.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 58 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, no fiber, 6 grams total fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, trace sodium.Warm Chocolate Cakes With Soft Centers
The only tricky thing about this favorite Bacchanalia dessert is that you need to serve it right away, while it’s still warm and gooey. But thankfully, it’s quick to make.
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 14 ounces 65% chocolate
- 12 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups pastry flour, sifted
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium pan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate. Keep warm.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip eggs with sugar on high speed until light and smooth and pale yellow in color, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and slowly fold the chocolate butter mixture into the eggs a little at a time. Add the pastry flour, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Mix well, but gently.
- Spray 8 (4-ounce) foil cups or ramekins with nonstick baking spray, pour chocolate mixture two-thirds of the way full into each cup, and place cups on a baking tray.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving with ice cream: 1,042 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 20 grams protein, 65 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 80 grams total fat (47 grams saturated), 402 milligrams cholesterol, 198 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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