Omnivore Atlanta

A dozen years, hundreds of beers: The Brick Store Pub

As might be expected, the Brick Store Pub is giving you a present on their anniversary. Twenty-seven presents, in fact. In an attempt to outshine its 11th Anniversary celebration from last year that featured 11 special kegs over 11 days, this year the Brick Store will tap 14 kegs over the first 11 days (one a night, plus 2 on Fridays and Saturdays) starting with today’s 2006 Lagavulin barrel-aged J.W. Lees, and including limited, rare, and oak-aged beers from America’s best breweries (and a couple from Belgium, as well). But that’s only the warm up for Day 12, on Saturday, June 27, when a special treat will be tapped every hour from noon until midnight. That’s 13 kegs in all; sort of beer cake with 12 keg candles and one to grow on.

Among the offerings during the lead up are a 2006 Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster barrel-aged in a Jack Daniels cask for 9 months, aka Big Sloppy Monster (6/18); one of the first kegs of the new Duck-Rabbitor Doppelbock (6/21); Sweetwater Double IPA aged on first-run Bordeaux oak (6/23); a wooden cask of t’Smisje Kerst Belgian strong dark ale (6/20); and a firkin of Avery Maharaja (6/25). The run on the 27th includes no less than 5 kegs of Allagash Brewing Company’s top-notch Belgian-style ales (Interlude, Victor, Victoria, Hugh Malone, and the new Confluence), interspersed with three different Oskar Blues beers (Dale’s Pale Ale, Gordon, and 10 Fidy) aged in whiskey barrels from Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey distillers. Start toughening up your liver. (more…)

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The culinary industry is full of career changers. But how often do you hear about someone going back into the kitchen after becoming an attorney? Meet Katie Birmingham, chef/owner of Noon Midtown (1080 Peachtree St., 404-496-4891, www.noonmidtown.com). After seven years in the kitchens of high-profile Atlanta restaurants such as Bacchanalia and Seeger’s, Birmingham started practicing law. But her passion to return to the industry was rekindled when she and her husband encountered restaurants selling simple sandwiches made with premium ingredients during their honeymoon in Italy. Birmingham recognized the lack of such spots in Midtown and set out to build a place of her own inspired by her trip. Two years later, Noon Midtown opened its doors.

Continue reading the Cheap Eats on Noon Midtown.

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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Aspen Signature Steak, Brunch buffet. $18.95 adult, $9.95 children. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 3625 Dallas Hwy. 770-419-1744. www.sedgwickrestaurantgroup.com.

Bistro VG, A three course dinner. $29, or $40 with wine pairings. 5 p.m-9 p.m. 70 West Crossville Road. 770-993-1156. www.sedgwickrestaurantgroup.com.

Fire of Brazil, Dinner menu enhanced with exotic meats (ostrich, kangaroo, alligator, etc.). $41.50 adults, $13.25 children. 4 p.m.-9:30 p.m. 118 Perimeter Center West. 770-551-9652. www.fireofbrazil.com.

Food 101, Special Father’s Day menu. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 1397 North Highland Avenue. 404-347-9747. www.101concepts.com.

Luciano’s, Brunch buffet. $19.95 adults, 9.95 children 6-12, under 6 free. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 10990 State Bridge Rd. and 6555 Sugarloaf Parkway. 678-242-1890 and 770-225-1727. www.lucianositaly.com

Morton’s The Steakhouse, A four-course dinner. $65. 5 p.m.-10 p.m. 3379 Peachtree Rd. 404-816-6535. www.mortons.com.

NEO at The Mansion on Peachtree, A four-course dinner. $60 or $75 with beer pairings. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 3376 Peachtree Rd. 404-995-7545. www.mansiononpeachtree.com.

Oceanaire Seafood Room, Special Father’s Day menu. 5 p.m.-10 p.m. 1100 Peachtree St. 404-475-2277.www.theoceanaire.com.

Pampas Steakhouse, Special brunch features and menu features. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. 10970-A State Bridge Rd. 678-339-0029. www.pampassteakhouse.com.

Park 75 Restaurant at Four Seasons Atlanta, A five-course tasting menu. $42. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 75 Fourteenth St. 404-253-3858. www.fourseasons.com/atlanta.

Parks Edge, Special $3 bloody marys, mimosas, and bellini’s. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 913 Bemina Ave. 404-584-7275. www.parksedgeatl.com.

The Pecan, Buffet. $55 adult, $45 senior, $25 children, unlimited mimosas for $10. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 3725 Main St. 404-762-8444. www.thepecanrestaurant.com.

Ray’s in the City, Brunch buffet. $23.95. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 240 Peachtree St. 404-524-9224. www.raysrestaurants.com.

Ray’s Killer Creek, Brunch buffet. $23.95. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 1700 Mansell Rd. 770-649-0064. www.raysrestaurants.com.

Ray’s on the River, Brunch buffet. $23.95 adult, $11.95 children, 4 and under free. 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. 6700 Powers Ferry Rd. 770-955-1187. www.raysrestaurants.com.

Real Men Cook For Charity Atlanta, A festival where more than 100 men cook for nearly 3,000 guests. $20 adults, $10 children. 3 p.m.-6 p.m. 65 MLK Jr. Drive. 404-344-8496. www.realmencook.com.

South City Kitchen, Special brunch menu. 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 1144 Crescent Ave. 404-873-7358. www.southcitykitchen.com.

Spice Market, A three course dinner. $30. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. 188 14th St. 404-549-5450. www.spicemarketatlanta.com.

STATS, Dads eat free with the purchase of one entrée of equal or greater value. 11 a.m.-12 a.m. 300 Marietta St. 404-885-1472. www.statsatl.com.

The Sun Dial Restaurant, A three course brunch and manly activities on the view level including a putting green and Sweetwater Beer tasting. $40. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 210 Peachtree St. 404-589-7506. www.sundialrestaurant.com.

Straits, Brunch on the newly designed patio. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 793 Juniper St. 404-877-1283. www.straitsrestaurants.com.

Village Tavern, Brunch buffet. $19.95 adults, $10.95 children. 9 a.m-3 p.m. 11555 Rainwater Dr. 770-777-6490. www.villagetavern.com.

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I can’t explain it, but I love the Queen. I loved her mum. I can live without her kids, and her grandkids. Anyway, all that’s beside the point — she’s planting an organic garden! Obama Foodorama opines that it was most likely inspired by Michelle’s own garden efforts. Long live Betty!

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia commons. It was taken by NASA. No, really.)

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The latest exhibit at the Ansley Starbucks features the photography of Jim Henderson. I sent him some questions:

How long have you been taking photographs?
I have been taking pictures for many years. With my travels in the Navy all over the place, I took a lot of pictures, but only realized recently that my pictures might really be “photography” and have artistic value.

What precipitated your interest?
I have always loved the composition of nature and the landscape. Recently, a friend looked at one of my pictures and said, ‘That is really good. I would love a copy of that.’ That was when I realized that I might have a bit of talent.

What do you like about photography?
I love the natural composition of background/foreground and how things tend to “frame” themselves. I love old historic buildings and find their texture amazing. I have several friends who are photographers and they prefer black and white. I tend to be more visually attracted to color. I think I might start trying to do some of my work in black and white.

(more…)

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We dined recently at Midtown Mediterranean Diner (404-228-7401), which has taken over the space at 112 10th St., long occupied by Jocks N Jills.

The new diner is open 24 hours and serves breakfast around the clock. The rest of the menu is devoted to Middle Eastern dishes like these two (mediocre) skewers of lamb kabobs (the menu’s most expensive dish at $16). A skewer of chicken kabobs was better and the babaganouj was quite good.

While the interior space seems bizarrely huge, the covered patio is very pleasant. It borders the tiny bit of parkland at Peachtree and 10th streets, but also offers a view of the big city and the parade of Midtown pedestrians.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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A couple of weeks ago on our Omnivore blog, I posted a rant about the terrible wine service I’ve received recently, and over the years in Atlanta. It’s a topic I’ve found increasingly frustrating because there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the quality of wine service in this city. High-end restaurants in Atlanta often employ servers who don’t understand wine service basics. There are plenty of less expensive restaurants, however, that have some of the best service around.

My post garnered a lot of responses. Many agreed that Atlanta lacks in this particular area, and quite a few readers called out places that excel at wine service. I like the spirit of giving credit where it’s due, so I set out last week to find the places that are doing it right, and to understand how they do it.

Continue reading this feature on Atlanta wine service.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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SALSA CON SABOR: This Puerto Rican and Peruvian gem may not be much to look at, but the menu holds some Peruvian specialties worth your consideration — the “cebiche” in particular. The “cebiche mixto” arrives in a whimsical fish-shaped bowl, surrounded by slices of fried potato and yucca. The chunks of white fish, crunchy calamari, shrimp, mussels on the half-shell and shaved red onion swim in lime juice and are spiced to your specification; a dollop of the accompanying bright green Peruvian aji salsa adds even more heat if you like it fiery. 5567 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Chamblee. 770-455-6727.

Continue reading this Mouthful.

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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I heard a rumor this morning that Trois, Concentrics’ glittering French restaurant in Midtown, will be closing within the week.  Calls to the restaurant and the restaurant’s PR rep garnered a lot of “no comment”s (although PR rep Jill Caramella at the Reynolds Group promised more information by the end of the day). But we were able to find three separate sources who told us, off the record, that the downstairs bar will stay open, probably serving food, while the upstairs dining room is “re-branded”. We’re told that concept, price point and decor will all be changed. It will no longer be Trois.

We’ll keep you posted as the official word comes down.

(Thanks to intern Robyn Baitcher for her intrepid reporting, which contributed to this post)

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Great Divide Belgica

Belgian-style India Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, CO
7.2% ABV

Inspired by American experiments with hops, Belgian breweries have been turning out highly hopped versions of thier classic pale ales. U.S. brewers have returned the compliment with homages to Belgian styles. Belgica pours a crystal clear, golden yellow with a modest head that leaves sheets of Belgian lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma is full of sweet clove from the Belgian yeasts and floral hops, along with some melon and sour fruit. Sweet-tart white grape character leads the flavor profile, with biscuity, almost crackery, pilsner malts in the center, and a slowly-building hop bitterness in the finish. The hops are a blend of American and European varieties, but unlike some domestic takes on the style, the American hops are not intrusive. Instead, Great Divide relies on traditional German hop qualities that provide a crisp, dry palate with a hint of lemony tartness and peppery spice. This is not an IPA with some Belgian candi sugar and yeast added to pump up its pedigree, but an authentic Belgian pale ale that is aggressively hopped. Make no mistake, there’s plenty of bitterness to balance the sweetness, but wine drinkers might find this to be a beer that makes them say, “This is beer? I thought I didn’t like beer.” Eminently drinkable, Belgica would pair beautifully with seafood, pungent cheeses, and creamy salads.

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NEW 'CUE: The combo plate at D.B.A. Barbecue

Let’s go ahead. Let’s commit foodie suicide, Southern-style. Let’s express opinions about barbecue, the stuff that provokes more manly passions than guns and breasts. And let’s talk about effete intown barbecue!

Everyone knows that the once-popular Dusty’s on Briarcliff Road has closed. When it opened, 27 years ago, it was a complete novelty in Atlanta because it served ‘cue in the style of eastern North Carolina. That means the sauce was untainted by ketchup, featuring mainly vinegar and varying degrees of hot pepper. Since I spent a good bit of my childhood in Charlotte, I loved the place.

But I quit going to Dusty’s when its flavors made a decided turn toward the sweeter Georgia-style. I wasn’t alone in my observation and complaints about this, and I’m not sure if the restaurant ever returned to its roots.

Continue reading “Grazing: First Look: D.B.A. Barbecue”

(Photo by James Camp)

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I stopped in the relatively new Chocolate Coffee (1159 LaVista Rd., 404-327-6060) today. Actually, I have no idea if it’s actually spelled Chocolate Coffee, ChocoLaté Coffee or Chocolatte Coffee. Literally all three spellings are used on the shop’s website. (This is a local chain of three cafes.)

In any case, I skipped the numerous chocolate-and-coffee concoctions and had a good espresso macchiato. Pastries looked better than average.

One sort-of complaint: The shop offers free Wi-Fi and in fact is an advocate of free wireless everywhere for everyone, according to its website. Why, then, are you limited to an hour of service at the shop and why do you have to enter a code to log on? It took me some time to get my iTouch to work and the barista told me she had given up on getting her own iPhone to work there.

This isn’t unique to Chocolate Coffee. It costs practically nothing for businesses to provide free Wi-Fi. Why the time limits, the codes and the log-on pages full of advertising?. …

We ate at — you know where — the Shed on Glenwood Wednesday night, having become totally addicted to the $3 sliders. Last night’s delicious newbie was one of ratatouille topped with goat cheese. We also ordered this plate of onion rings. The damn things were as big as the sliders, tasted sweet and almost tempura-crispy.

The Shed began a Thursday-night special this week too — a plate of four fresh vegetables for $10. This week’s choices were sunchokes, organic tomatoes, Swiss chard, arugula and sweet corn. I hope to get there next week. …

We indulged our addiction to Spoon in East Atlanta Thursday night. The restaurant now has its pouring license, so you can dull the fiery curries by numbing your entire head with liquor. As usual, I trotted across the parking lot to Morelli’s for ice cream — one scoop of ginger-lavender and one of goat cheese swirled with figs.

Morelli’s is featured in the current issue of the Porch Press, by the way. That’s the monthly newspaper for Grant Park and East Atlanta Village. The article’s not online — none of the paper is, incredibly — so you’ll have to find a copy to read it. Writer Darin Glass reports that business has been crazy at the shop since Bon Appetit cited it as one of America’s top 10 ice cream shops. …

Name Change: Food 101 Morningside becomes Rosebud on July 6. This follows purchase of the restaurant by Executive Chef Ron Eyester, who has been with the restaurant as a co-owner and chef since it opened. So, there won’t be any significant changes in the menu. A press release explains the new name:

So, why Rosebud? Well, as any “regular” will tell you, Chef Eyester’s second love (aside from food) is music. An avid fan of bands such as The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, and The Allman Brothers, Eyester has built a reputation for offering unique music tribute dinners throughout the year. Fittingly, Rosebud is the name of one of Jerry Garcia’s custom made guitars.

Newbies on my list: RA Sushi, Evos, Nonna Mia, Midtown Mediterranean Diner, Teela Taqueria, Nectar, Noon Midtown and Bistro in a Box. I also hear stuff’s happening at Saba. Any reports on any of these?

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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Steve Harper of Alpharetta writes to report on a meal at one of the city’s best gastro-pubs:

Thought I’d drop a quick line about the excellent meal I had at the Porter Beer Bar in Lil Five Points last night…a meal as unhealthy as it was delicious.

I started with the duck rillette special appetizer…rich, toothsome shredded duck topped with a crust of strawberry preserves and served with toast points…absolutely wonderful!

I tried the entree hamburger from the regular menu. What struck me was that each element was clearly made with great care: the pickles tasted homemade; the delicious soft red onion had been marinated in something slightly sweet; the red pepper and garlic roll actually held together; the burger itself cooked to perfection. The garlic fries were not half bad, either. (A lady at the table next to mine kept exclaiming that fact with her mouth full.)

I finished with the carrot cake dessert special — a deconstruction of the typical, with the thick, nearly sour, cream cheese icing served beside the cake. Sprinkled atop the (ubiquitous) oblong of vanilla ice cream were a few tasty flakes of fried carrot, and diced pecans added a nice crunch. A lot of fun to eat.

I shouldn’t review my meal at the Porter without mentioning the beer. If you’re into that sort of thing, this place is heaven. I had a sampling of the Golden Belgians on draft, and chose the LaChouffe to drink. (They have an overwhelming list to ponder.)

Service was excellent and attentive.

Not an inexpensive place to eat, depending on what you order, but, last night, actually worth the money.

I’ve had nothing but great food here myself. Check out its website for regular weekly specials. …

Say it isn’t so: I’ve received my first complaint from a devoted foodie about the expansion of La Pietra Cucina. I’ve only been once since the change and although I preferred the smaller, virtually makeshift dining room, I did not find the food changed at all. This reader writes:

Renovation not to my liking but I can get past that. But food was not as good. Oily, flavors muted, bread old. I was a big supporter and hoped for consistent results after expansion but was disappointed tonight. Have you any other feedback-did we just hit an off night?

I’m hoping it was an off-night. Anyone else found changes there? (You can, by the way, see pictures of the new space on Foodie Buddha’s website.). …

A bit of a rant: A reader recently inquired about a rather obscure ethnic restaurant. It was recommended to her by a friend who grew up eating the restaurant’s particular type of food. I always appreciate these tips, but I’ve been recommended this restaurant before. I visited it several years ago and thought it was dreadful.

A lot of people seem to presume that if, say, a Mexican or Indian native likes a restaurant specializing in his heritage’s cooking, it must be “authentic” and “good.” The fact is that ethnicity may confer knowledge about a culture’s food but it doesn’t automatically confer good taste (or talent in the kitchen).

Obviously, too, factors beside the food itself attract everyone to their favorite restaurant. An Indian friend insisted I accompany him to his favorite restaurant a few years back and I could not believe how awful the food was. Toward the end of the meal, the owner of the restaurant came to our table and, of course, he turned out to be a pal of my friend. Also, the place was patronized by some of his co-workers.

“So you really like the food here?” I asked my friend.

“No,” he said. “It’s my favorite restaurant, but not my favorite food.”

That actually makes complete sense, especially where neighborhood restaurants are concerned. /end of rant.

(Photo courtesy of the Porter Beer Bar website)

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People living on food stamps have been given an incentive to shop at farmers’ markets.

Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Wholesome Wave Foundation, Atlanta-based nonprofit Georgia Organics has kicked off a Double Value Coupon Program which matches food stamp dollars spent at participating farmers’ markets.

“For a limited time, all food stamp dollars will have double the buying power at three Atlanta farmers markets,” Georgia Organics Executive Director Alice Rolls says. “Food stamp recipients still can choose to spend their food stamp dollars any where that accepts them, but at farmers markets, where local, fresh, and healthy food is sold, one dollar is equal to two dollars.”

Georgia Organics communications director — and former CL staff writer — Michael Wall says the effort is modeled after similar programs in San Diego, Baltimore and the Northeast United States. The program ends when the money runs out, he says, but fundraising could keep it operational.

More information about the program, including the participating farmers’ markets, after the jump.

(more…)

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That shit is wack: The Dank Tank at Sweetwater

The mercury has cracked the 90 degree barrier now, and summer has surely settled in. Thus, it is only natural that Georgia’s non-conformist breweries are going the opposite direction of the bigger breweries, swimming upstream if you will, and rolling out two of their biggest beers from the past. Sweetwater Brewing Company is re-introducing its popular Donkey Punch Barleywine, a sweet, hop-heavy alcohol bomb that packs 10.2 percent ABV and over 140 IBUs (International Bittering Units), as the latest in its Dank Tank series. Meanwhile, up GA 316 in Athens, Terrapin Beer Company’s third Side Project, Gamma Ray wheatwine, an 11% ABV monster brewed with 1,500 lbs of Tupelo and Sourwood honey from Savannah Bee Company, is replacing the All-American Imperial Pilsner as the new summer seasonal in its Monster Beer Series. Looks like summer is getting a little hotter.

Sweetwater’s 50-bbl Dank Tank is dedicated to experimental “dark side” brews, with the first release being a Belgian-style IPA that came out in December of last year. A Scotch ale and a double IPA followed. Thus far, these limited batches have only been available in kegs at select bars around Georgia and at the brewery and special events. However, this latest release will be the first Sweetwater beer to be bottled on its new 22-oz “bomber” bottling line, making it available at better package stores, which is good news, indeed. (more…)

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YUM/YIKES: Good news and bad news for The Cheesecake Factory this month.

The Cheesecake Factory has shown up on two interesting lists this month: the 2009 Zagat Fast-Food Survey and the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s 2009 Xtreme Eating Awards.

The Zagat reader feedback survey gives Cheesecake Factory the top spot in five out of 11 categories under the “Full-Service Chains” section (a sweep of almost 50 percent!). The restaurant wins in Best Salads, Best Coffee, Best Appetizers, Best Desserts, and Best Value.

Cheesecake Factory also takes it home in three out of nine categories in the Xtreme Eating Awards, but this recognition is of a different sort. The CSPI is on the lookout for the most fattening, most caloric meals available. The Cheesecake Factory wins for its over three day’s of recommended saturated fat in their Fried Macaroni and Cheese, for the 2,500 calories in their Chicken and Biscuits, and for the three day supply of sodium in the Philly Style Charbroiled Flat Iron Steak with fries.

The Cheesecake Factory has four locations in Atlanta.

(Photo by TriviaKing via Wikimedia Commons)

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Attention, restaurant owners! Do you want to increase your sales? Then you should leave the dollar marks off your menu prices, according to a new study from Cornell University.

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Like the violin I misused as a tot, wine requires practice. I don’t read many books about it, although I definitely should; I don’t study it much anymore, although that might make me sound smarter. But I drink. A lot. Not to alcoholic levels — though the thought has fluttered in my throbbing, hungover head — but enough to become intimate with countless grapes. It’s important since habitual tasting trains the tongue to decipher chardonnay or riesling and, with practice, you can discover what makes music in your mouth.

Each month for the past eight years, I’ve invited an eclectic group to practice their drinking in my home. We blind taste 12-15 bottles at one sitting and the attendees have mostly an untrained yet keen interest in wine. From this base camp I’ve personally converted dozens into wine geekdom; some have even moved on to California winemaking. Sure, I could taste the wines alone — my husband and I make regular progress through the bottle stash — but how much fun would that be?

Continue Reading Practice Makes Perfect

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What’s worse than having to work on a Sunday? Having to work on a Sunday while drinking really good beer in someone’s summery back yard with a bunch of homebrew enthusiasts. For this year’s beer issue, I slaved away, drinking beer and hanging out with the guys from the East Atlanta Brewery, as well as homebrewer Abby Jackson and the guys from the Final Gravity homebrew group. I know. It’s a tough life.

Beer Issue ‘09: Homebrew!

Atlanta’s DYI beer community makes a splash

Slide show: Dave Hatker walks us through EAB’s homebrew process

Abby Jackson: Homebrewer

Atlanta homebrew resources: stores to help you get your brew on.

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Phil Mutz gets the Food Snark of the Day award for this Facebook comment:

Phil Mutz thinks Five Guys is the most over-priced made-to-order fast food ever. If it weren’t for French fries dusted with crack, I’d never eat here.

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Bob Herbert of the New York Times published a column yesterday that is grim on several fronts. It describes the horrific scene of thousands of ducks force-fed in an operation in upstate New York to produce over-sized livers for foie-gras.

But Herbert also describes the horrific working conditions of the company’s employees. He writes:

Animal-rights advocates have made a big deal about the way the ducks are force-fed to produce the enormously swollen livers from which the foie gras is made. But I’ve been looking at the plight of the underpaid, overworked and often gruesomely exploited farmworkers who feed and otherwise care for the ducks. Their lives are hard.

Each feeder, for example, is responsible for feeding 200 to 300 (or more) ducks — individually — three times a day. The feeder holds a duck between his or her knees, inserts a tube down the duck’s throat, and uses a motorized funnel to force the feed into the bird. Then on to the next duck, hour after hour, day after day, week after week.

The routine is brutal and not very sanitary. Each feeding takes about four hours and once the birds are assigned a feeder, no one else can be substituted during the 22-day force-feeding period that leads up to the slaughter. Substituting a feeder would upset the ducks, according to the owners of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, which operates the farm.

Not only do the feeders get no days off during that long stretch, and no overtime for any of the long hours, but they get very little time even to sleep each day. The feeding schedule for the ducks must be rigidly observed.

Farm workers have been specifically exempted from laws that protect other kinds of workers from these turn-of-the-last-century conditions. It’s hard to believe an employer can legally deny workers any time off. The workers don’t have collective bargaining rights to improve their lot, either. Please read the column.

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I’ve suffered longterm withdrawal from this quesadilla, “la gringa,” that  Zocalo sold at its closed Grant Park taqueria. It’s al pastor meat with onions, pineapple and cilantro between two flour tortillas.

Now, Lucero Martinez-Obregon has moved the al pastor rotisserie into the kitchen of the Midtown restaurant (187 10th St.) and  la gringa is available at lunchtime with all the other taqueria-style items from the Grant Park location. That means  you can feast on $2.25 tacos filled with everything from carnitas to a chile relleno.

Zocalo’s evening menu remains the same, featuring more complex dishes. Lucero, incidentally, recently visited Puebla in her native Mexico as a participant in a Slow Food event devoted to mole.  She says she is “playing” in the kitchen with some new dishes inspired by her trip.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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Tonight, beginning at 10 p.m., is piggy pie night at Varasano’s. For $12.95, you get a slice of every pizza on the restaurant’s menu. Your entire table must participate and — here’s the worst part — the offer is only good for the first 20 people who get there. I’m sure you won’t mind camping at the front door for a few hours with your iPod.

By the way, I notice that Tom Maicon of Atlanta Cuisine is troubled by the inconsistency he finds at the vaunted pizzeria. The very mixed reviews of the restaurant themselves bear witness to the inconsistency.

Tonight is also P’cheen’s “Bone Lick BBQ” night. And $15 buys you all the mussels you can eat at the Peasant Bistro.

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How many Atlanta restaurants have to be knocked silly by the backswing of our anticipation before we all learn these words by heart: soft opening? I don’t mean two days of family-and-friends gatherings before the press release goes out, I mean a month or two of getting it together before anyone’s even heard of the place.

In Miso Izakaya’s case, the hype was hardly the fault of the owners. Unlike a certain pizza place that comes to mind, the restaurant had no propaganda machine whirling in advance of its opening. In fact, Miso’s opening reminded me a little of a slasher flick. We stalked this poor restaurant. So excited were we at the prospect of an intown Japanese pub, we trolled Edgewood Avenue for months, reporting on signs of construction, drooling at the doorway, whining about the delays. And then, in February when Miso did finally open, we pounced. Despite that the izakaya (which basically means place to drink) had no liquor license, we rabidly burst through the doors, an army of foodies, critics and bloggers, and declared boldly that … it sucked.

Continue reading the review of Miso Izakaya.

(Photo by James Camp)

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The new Sprouts Green Cafe in Emory Village (1579 N. Decatur Rd., 404-474-2207) isn’t going to knock Dynamic Dish off its pedestal but the prices make it a pleasing option. This bowl of rice topped with black beans and veggies is only $5.50. You can add chicken, turkey or tofu — we chose the latter — for $1.50 more.

We also tried the “vegetable crunch” sandwich made with hummus and assorted veggies on whole wheat bread. I added chicken ($7.25 total). The new cafe is also serving panini, wraps and salads. There are four breakfast dishes available until noon. House-made smoothies and juices round out the menu.

The cafe is quite a looker, with a a long counter that is made from a fallen maple tree, replete with bark. (The owner will point out the evidence of the fungus that killed the tree.)  There’s also a “greenhouse room” on the premises where fresh herbs and wheatgrass are grown.

More in my next Grazing column.

(Pictures by Cliff Bostock)

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