Omnivore Atlanta

Heard from Jennifer Zyman that Noon, the highly anticipated (at least amongst rabid foodies) gourmet sandwich shop finally opened today. She will be covering it in an upcoming Cheap Eats column.

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French Broad Altbier

French Broad Brewing Company
Asheville, NC
5.5% ABV

Once a rarity, Altbier seems to be coming into its own lately, with the classic German Uerige more widely available and quality American versions coming from Victory, Otter Creek and Southampton. Altbier is a German ale found primarily in the Düsseldorf region. It is fermented at ale temperatures, but cold conditioned like a lager, for a clean, crisp character. Unlike the other German ale style, kölsch, altbiers are malt-forward and slightly sweet, rather than spicy and dry.

French Broad Altbier pours an orangey-gold, with a rocky, off-white head. Damp, earthy aroma and some floral notes in the nose, along with a bit of estery, ripe apple. Toasted Munich malt dominates the flavor, with its distinctive graininess and bready character. Grassy, herbal, tea-like hops provide a subtle counterpoint, but this one is all about the malt. Smooth and soft on the tongue, with a gentle carbonation and easy drinkability. A welcome break from the current hop-bomb trend. Try this with a grilled burger and corn-on-the-cob at your next cookout.

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The New York Times reports on a new study of red meat eaters:

Now a new study of more than 500,000 Americans has provided the best evidence yet that our affinity for red meat has exacted a hefty price on our health and limited our longevity.

The study found that, other things being equal, the men and women who consumed the most red and processed meat were likely to die sooner, especially from one of our two leading killers, heart disease and cancer, than people who consumed much smaller amounts of these foods.

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A reader wants to know who’s got the best tiramisu in town. Anyone have a suggestion? I’m drawing a blank. Please help. She sounds desperate.

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Check out this great video showcasing America’s craft brewers.

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

About the video (via Vimeo):

“I Am A Craft Brewer” is a collaborative video representing the camaraderie, character and integrity of the American Craft Brewing movement. Created by Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. and Chris & Jared of Redtail Media…and more than 35 amazing craft brewers from all over the country. The video was shown to a packed audience of 1700 craft brewers and industry members at the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference as an introduction to Greg’s Keynote Speech entitled “Be Remarkable: Collaboration Ethics Camaraderie Passion.” As is tradition for the CBC Keynote, a toast to the audience was offered. This time, the beers offered for the toast were all collaboratively brewed craft beers including Isabella Proximus, Collaboration Not Litigation, AleSmith/Mikkeller/Stone Belgian Style Triple, Jolly Pumpkin/Nøgne-Ø/Stone Special Holiday Ale, and 2009 Symposium Ale “Audacity of Hops.”

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I heard a rumor last week that Top Flr had a new chef, but when I called the boys over there were being very tight lipped. “Call back in four days,” they told me. Today I called back and managed to get a name: Landon Thompson. But they wouldn’t say anything else, other than that he’s local. Couldn’t find anything on him, but heard another rumor that Thompson is quite young.

No word on Mike Schorn, who has lead the kitchen up till this point. More to come as we get it. …

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May Flowers. The month of May promises to be one of the biggest in recent memory for Georgia beer lovers: Craft Beer Week, two new Terrapin releases, the opening of 5 Seasons Westside, and the Georgia debut of Bell’s and New Belgium. Look for more details here in the coming weeks on all of these events. Then, toward the end of the month, the East Atlanta Beer Festival kicks off the Atlanta festival season. The fest takes place on Sat., May 30, from 1-6 p.m. at the corner of Moreland and Metropolitan avenues in East Atlanta. Over 120 craft beers will be featured and proceeds benefit community projects. Buy your tickets today (Apr. 29) to save $5 and avoid the long lines. They will be $35 at the gate.

French Broad spotted in Atlanta. No, not Carla Bruni. Asheville’s French Broad Brewing Company has begun distribution in the Atlanta area. The small brewery (about 2,500 barrels in 2008) opened in 2001 and has pursued a goal of creating classic European style beers with an Asheville twist. Recently they have been stepping up production, expanding into Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, and now Georgia. “We’re a little stressed here at the brewery right now,” says marketing director Matt Barnao. “We’re on a pace to triple our production from last year.” To keep up with orders, beers are brewed during the day on the company’s 15-barrel system, then the night shift comes in to bottle on a semi-automated bottle filling system. (more…)

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We dined at the new Spoon on Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta tonight — great, as always — and then headed across the parking lot to the highly addictive Morelli’s for ice cream and a life lesson.

Wayne ordered a crepe whose preparation created a bottleneck since only two employees were on duty. I enjoyed telling people who were drumming their fingers at the counter that Wayne was responsible for the holdup.

Eventually, one of the employees opened the pick-up window and slid an order toward a woman. “That’s not what I ordered, did I? I don’t think so,” the woman said, embarrassed. The employee apologized, asked for the order again, filled it and insisted that the woman’s companion take the incorrect order for no charge. They left smiling and literally promising to return many times.

Wayne’s endless crepe was finally delivered, but I still had not received my cone. The employee looked at me and said, “Did you want something?”

“Um, yeah. I ordered and paid you for a scoop of ginger-lavender in a waffle cone,” I said, feeling annoyed.

“Oh yeah! I knew that. Sorry, I forgot.” Ohhhh-kay.

She shut the window and, moments later, returned with my cone. “I’m sorry I messed up,” she said, “so I gave  you two scoops.”

I felt happy-happy, joy-joy. Finally, a solution to all conflict. When you screw up and annoy people, just give them free ice cream.

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The Guardian recently published an interesting piece by Tim Lewis about the latest nontraditional male type — the gastrosexual. The term refers to serious male home cooks, not the men who have dominated restaurant kitchens for generations.

Much of his article is devoted to the way male home cooks differ from their female counterparts. Among his many observations:

The idea that food might take second billing to the overall experience is heresy to any self-respecting male cook. In the domestic context, an invitation to eat has become an opportunity to flex culinary muscles or make a statement of intent to his rivals (sorry, guests). Ben Miller went to a dinner party recently where the host, a stay-at-home dad, offered a fully organic rabbit stew cooked from scratch, only to be trumped by Miller bringing his Ramsay-humbling sponge and the other male invitee whipping out a Bavarian apple strudel. And the legacy of Come Dine With Me means that you can be assured that the evening is ruthlessly dissected on the way home.

The essay prompted Amy Benfer of Salon.com to write a reply, that concludes this way:

I won’t argue with the (female) chef who laughingly points out that “molecular gastronomy” — the test tube style of cooking with liquid nitrogen and the like pioneered by el Bulli chef Ferran Adria (incidentally widely considered the greatest chef in the world) — seems like a stereotypically masculine way of cooking (if one is the kind to think that little boys are the most natural audience for chemistry sets). And I’m pretty sure that Alton Brown’s fondness for bringing power tools into the kitchen and invoking food science explains a lot of his appeal to my boyfriend, but then again, I’ve rarely seen him (the boyfriend, that is) consult a recipe when making family dishes — like baked ziti, chicken cacciatore, marinara. Then again, he learned those recipes from his mother, an old-school Italian cook of the intuitive variety. It seems to me that the allegedly “male” cooking style sounds like the kind of cuisine that comes from thinking of food as a pleasure, a hobby or a performance, rather than an obligation, a job or a chore. And it doesn’t take a whole lot of analysis to see why those different perspectives might fall along disproportionately gendered lines. Still, as long as I have that ride from the boys at the bar to hunt down smoked almonds and French breakfast radishes — and a live-in partner who can make an awesome pizza crust while I pontificate on gender — I’m not complaining about much.

(Photo courtesy of Americanata)

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Here’s the latest tenant of the building last occupied by Carmen Cappello’s Lamplighter (280 Connally St. at Memorial Drive). I chatted briefly with the owner, Fet, in the parking lot. City Limit Cafe will open May 1 with a menu of wings and burgers.

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Below is a review of Rumi’s Kitchen by 12-year-old Cooper Drose. He is a sixth-grade student at Pace Academy and wrote this for his English class, taught by Eric Wilhelm.

Cooper is the son of Gerald Drose and Dina Zeckhausen, both psychologists.

The end of this review took me by surprise since Cooper otherwise writes a very positive review. His mother theorizes that, although he realized the food was good, he’d still prefer a burger or a pizza. But kudos to his teacher for making an assignment that used dining to compel Cooper and his classmates to move outside their usual comfort zones. (CB)

By Cooper Drose

My family recently ate at a restaurant called Rumi’s Kitchen which features Persian cuisine. Rumi was a poet who lived in Persia eight centuries ago. His poetry was about love and life; this restaurant reflected a warm and loving atmosphere.

The first thing you notice when you enter the restaurant is the comfortable feeling. It is a quiet, mellow room with soft music playing in the background. On a table on the right, there are a number of small dishes holding different spices. These are some of the typical Persian spices used in the dishes in Rumi’s Kitchen.

The main room is elongated and narrow with soft lighting. On the left side of the room is a tiled archway looking into the kitchen where you can see the bread being cooked in a wood-fire oven. Just past that, there is a wall topped with glass vases of many different shapes and sizes. On your right you can see a long porch with “outdoor” seating.

The waiters and waitresses were wearing simple black outfits, the women in dark flowing dresses and the men in black pants and shirts. They had dark complexions and black hair and appeared to have come from the Middle East. Our waitress was very kind. She asked me about my restaurant review and seemed enthusiastic about my project. She came over to our table and talked to us about every dish, explaining how they made each dish and their various ingredients.

The first course that came out was a metal basket of pita bread along with a Spice Plate, a curved white platter with different food items on display. The pita bread reminded me of a pizza crust: the triangular slices were soft, with chewy air pockets made crispy from the wood-fire over. The Spice Plate included fresh leaves of tarragon, mint, radishes, walnuts, feta cheese and butter. I would have never thought of putting these different tastes together! Our waitress explained the way in which we were supposed to eat the dish, by putting the different items on the warm pita bread and folding it in half. My favorite combination was butter, tarragon and walnut. The combination was crunchy and chewy at the same time.

We waited a long time for our appetizers to arrive. It turns out the waitress forgot to tell the kitchen about our order! While we waited, we stuffed ourselves with too much delicious pita bread. When our main course finally arrived, it was displayed on two large white rectangular platters. One of them had two kinds of rice: plain white rice with bright golden saffron sprinkled on top, and the other rice included golden and purple raisins, as well as lentils. I recommend the white rice because of its sweet and salty essence.

On the other platter there were three kinds of kabobs: lamb, chicken, and beef. All of them were cooked in the wood-fire oven and had been marinated in different spices. The meats were very crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. My favorite was the lamb which had a savory flavor and a spice that tasted like soy-sauce. The waitress explained that the traditional way to eat the dish was to take some meat and rice and then smash the grilled tomato into it, then sprinkle a deep red spice on top called “sumac.” My mother asked if this spice was related to the poison sumac plant. The waitress said, “Yes, but thankfully it isn’t poisonous. That wouldn’t be very good for business!”

We were too stuffed for dessert so we decided to skip it. However, our waitress read us a list of many different Persian desserts that sounded unique and interesting.

I would give this restaurant 3.5 stars, based on 4 stars for food and 3 stars for service. If I had a choice I would not come back to this restaurant. If I came back, I would not eat so much bread and I would try the dessert!

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” ~Rumi~

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We Castleberry Hill residents have been on a lucky food and drink streak lately. Johnny Cakes, the soon-to-open Chocolate Bar and now, the No Mas! Hacienda & Cantina folks have opened Adios Cafe, a chocolate and espresso bar. The cafe serves a wide variety of homemade Mexican treats such as Panecillo (corn muffins), freshly made churros, Mexican truffles infused with tamarindo and savory empanadas filled with chorizo, eggs, black beans, peppers and cheese. Choose from a long list of Mexican coffee and chocolate drinks (e.g. coffee laced with cinnamon and cocoa, hot chocolate with chili de arbol and the like), Mighty Leaf teas and chilled bottles of Jarritos sodas to enjoy alongside the pastries and desserts. The Cafe opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. daily. There is plenty of parking and ample seating in the vividly adorned cafe attached to the equally vibrant restaurant and furniture store. They even offer free WiFi. Stay tuned for more in an upcoming Cheap Eats…

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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The idea of tuna in a jar hits a kind of conceptual sweet spot in my mind. Somewhere between fresh and canned, just between highbrow and lowbrow, tuna in a jar makes me happy before I even get to eat it. And then it makes me happier.

At Craftbar, Craft’s less-formal downstairs neighbor, Tom Colicchio’s more casual sensibilities shine. Familiar ingredients and preparations make for simple, nibbly fun, but are executed with less pretension and more thought than you might see elsewhere. The tuna, lightly cured in oil, sits in its jar atop a mush of delicious, gooey roasted red peppers, and is sprinkled with shards of salty black olives. Heaped onto rustic grilled bread, it’s the perfect snack — a small bite of oily perfection to accompany a glass of rich white or light red wine.

Continue reading the review of Craftbar.

(Photo by James Camp)

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We hit the new Livingston at the Georgian Terrace Hotel tonight. It was only its second day of operation but we had a great meal prepared by Chef Gary Mennie and his staff.

The interior of the Georgian Terrace has undergone an astonishing renovation and the Livingston, named after a food-obsessed mayor of our city in the early 1900s, is two stories of elegant woodwork, art and lighting, including a gauzy-draped central chandelier that sets an elegiac tone.

There’s also patio dining, with a blinding view of the Fox’s neon marquee. A roomy lounge with bar adjoins the restaurant.

Service hummed. Our waiter Paul (left), most recently of Craft, knew just about every ingredient in every dish.

Among the dishes we ordered was this roasted rabbit, partly wrapped in speck. I don’t think I’ve encountered a better treatment of rabbit in our city. Mennie, who has an impressive resume well known to Atlanta foodies, is featuring ingredients from boutique farms when possible.

More later this week in my Grazing column.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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Cheese find: Whole Foods on Ponce de Leon was selling Parrano for only $9.49 a pound today. That’s less than half what I’ve seen it usually priced around town. It’s great with the organic Fuji apples, my obsession, that are on sale at Kroger for $1.69 a pound….

Are you a hyperlocavore? Of course you are. Check out this great site….

Nick Setty writes to recommend the new Cuban Diner in Marietta. It’s getting positive reviews on Yelp….

For Women: Chef Asata Reid seems to be here, there and everywhere. She was recently featured in the Emory University student newspaper.  Check out her website. She will be conducting two classes at Sevananda Natural Foods Market in Little Five Points: “Natural Foods 101″ on May 6, 12 noon-2 p.m. and “Celebrate Women’s Wellness” on May 9, 10 a.m.-12 noon. Cost is $10 or Sevananda members and $12 for non-members. She’s also conducting classses through Spicy Wifey….

“Can we afford to eat ethically?” asks Salon.com. Writer Siobhan Phillips establishes her task:

So last year, when global food prices began to soar, I devised an experiment: My husband and I would eat conscientiously for a month, not just on our regular grocery allotment but on the government-defined, food-stamp minimum: $248 for two people in our hometown of New Haven, Conn. We would choose the SOLE-est products available — that is, the sustainable, organic, local or ethical alternative. We would start from a bare pantry, shop only at places that took food stamps and could be reached on foot, and use only basic appliances. The test would mean some painful changes; gone was my husband’s customary breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios and our favorite dinner of pepperoni pizza. But it would answer that nagging question: When shopping for food, did I have to choose between my budget and my beliefs?…

Sex and McDonald’s: I recently wrote a post about two Domino’s employees who posted a YouTube video of themselves having unsanitary fun with a sandwich one of them was making. While looking for background information about it, I found an incredible story about a video of the sexual assault of an 18-year-old McDonald’s employee by co-workers that was broadcast by ABC and is now on the Internet too. If you want to (see and) read about it, check out my personal blog, Sacred Disorder.

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Attention, servers! Here’s a sure-fire way to increase your tips. Listen to Dave FM’s Sully.

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MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY: Going to this deliciously cheesy faux Little Italy is all about the kitsch and the comfort food. Family-style eating in guilt-inducing portions abound. Disparage it for being a chain if you wish, but they make a respectable meatball — each one tender, well-seasoned and completely crave-worthy. The meatballs are immense, so one will suffice when placed atop an order of spaghetti with marinara or meat sauce. 3368 Peachtree Road, 404-816-9650; and two other metro Atlanta locations. www.maggianos.com.

Continue reading “Mouthful: Meatballs”

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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I caught this El Milagro truck making its delivery to Fiesta Foods, the location of Taqueria el Sori, the other day. El Milagro is a national company (with an interesting history) but we are lucky to have one of their plants here in Chamblee. The fresh retail tortillas taste nearly homemade when warmed. I love the corn tortillas especially.

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I got a text this afternoon from Jennifer Zyman that a new sandwich place had opened behind Octane called Tiny Bistro (1039 Marietta St. 404-745-9561). So I went to check it out. It’s owned by the folks who run Figs & Honey catering, and serves sandwiches, sides and to-go entrees. Jen (who also passes on the helpful tip that Octane has 15% off coupons for Tiny Bistro) will bring us more info in an upcoming Cheap Eats column.

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Well, it’s official. Varasano’s Pizzeria doesn’t suck.

No, really. It was great today. I lunched there with my usual Friday companion Brad Lapin and Frank Miller. Brad, as I’ve reported many times before, lives in Rome part of the year and is a super-picky eater. He ordered the Nana’s pie. Frank chose the New Haven Clam and I ordered the Margherita and paid $5 extra for bufala rather than the fiordilatte mozzarella.

Personally, I found Brad’s choice much too gooey in the center, but he considered it a minor objection, claiming the pizza style belongs more to Rome than Naples. My own pizza (pictured) was really delicious: the appropriate crispy outer crust, bufala melting into the tomato sauce but not losing its solidity, enough basil to provide an occasional blast of flavor and not too soft in the center. Frank’s clam feast, not my favorite there because of the ultra-heavy garlic, looked structurally sound.

I was surprised to find the restaurant nearly empty on a warm afternoon ideal for patio dining.

The debate will continue whether Varasano’s or Fritti serves the better pizza, but I’ll be craving the Margherita regularly.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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I was beside myself. The woman behind the counter at Taqueria El Sori inside Fiesta Foods (2839-2863 Buford Highway) extended me a little Styrofoam cup, repeating the words “rico, rico.”

I took the cup and speared a piece of the meat with my fork. The outer layer of skin was slightly springy and covered with a relatively thick layer of fat that melted in my mouth as I chewed. But there was also a bit of meat clinging to the morsel. It was moist with peppery broth and slightly chewy, flooding my mouth with the taste of fresh pork. I speared a chunk of green chile in the broth in which the meat was cooked. It was mildly hot and almost sweet.

Continue reading Grazing.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Nak Dong Gang, which I reviewed in a recent Cheap Eats, closed its doors this week. I have been unable to reach the owners for any details regarding the sudden closing, but a friend went over today and confirmed the Korean duck restaurant’s fate.

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Southerners are as blasé about soul food as New Yorkers are about pizza. We like it, we eat it often, but when was the last time you had a plate that actually made you sit up in your seat and say wow? If you can’t recall, you obviously haven’t been to Mae’s Soul Food (34 Peachtree St., 404-525-4557). Mae’s is a little hard to find. The address says Peachtree Street, but it’s actually around the corner on Walton Street — look for the tiny red and white sign.

Continue reading Cheap Eats.

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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Ruth Reichl, former dining critic for the New York Times and now editor of Gourmet magazine, was interviewed on NPR this morning. She has published another memoir, a brief one about her mother.

Not Becoming My Mother: And Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way will resonate with anyone who is the child of an intelligent woman of the pre-war generation. Miriam, Reichl’s mother, was frustrated in her own ambition by the cultural bias of the time. Although a supremely funny person, Miriam was unhappy throughout most of her adult life.

I haven’t read the book but, listening to Reichl and reading the first chapter excerpted on NPR’s site, it is obviously a bittersweet story of how the culture shapes all of us for better or worse.

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Oooookay.

Jamie Annarino of Red Clay PR sent me this picture of a cake made by Highland Bakery. Yep. It’s a cake. Get your knife and slice open that Yorkie’s head and feast on his cake-brains. Spoon out those eyes. Break off his ears and scratch the naked torso of your lover with them before licking up the melting icing.

See more candidates for delicious vivisection here.

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